If you were to look in most martial arts schools from the 70’s, 80’s or 90’s you would typically see uniforms, belts, bowing, instructors teaching with all asian terminology, and all those instructors using an official title of some kind such as Sensei or Sifu. There was a lot of School Rules and Etiquette.
Today Mixed Martial Arts has become very prevalent in our culture and in classes. And in the blending process many schools have done away with a lot of traditions, and many of the things listed above. Styles change, people change, school rules even change. This is good, this is growth.
However the one thing that should not have changed, and we need to make ann effort to hold on to, is the notion of Martial Arts Etiquette. Rules may be individual to a school, but etiquette is the thing that lets us relate, communicate and interact peacefully with one another, despite what school you are from. Etiquette = Respect
Today in some schools people train in shorts and a t-shirt. They wear what is comfortable to them. Some schools may or may not use a ranking system anymore. And in some schools it is common to see students refer to their instructors by their first name.
By and large, there is nothing wrong with this. However one thing that has been lost in this trend is the notion of family unity within the schools. Many people are now out for themselves. It is driven by ego and personal gain. Even though we are in the martial arts to better ourselves, one of the ways we accomplish this is by helping those students around us, for as we help them grow we gain the tools necessary for us to grow as well.
Today we see our MMA heros flipping-off the crowds, screaming curse words into the microphone, and we see huge brawls broken out in the ring between the fighter’s and their entourage. Come on guys… This is what the etiquette of martial arts was supposed to teach us. It is to help us rise above that and become more than just a person who fights.
This idea of only training for yourself then bleeds into Martial Arts schools as well. We see it with students who only want to work with certain other students because of their skill level. We see it with students who want test the rules of their school and think they don’t apply to them, or regularly question the instructor. This lack of MA etiquette is seen in students who are commonly late to class, do not pay their dues on time, are excessively aggressive or disrupting during class. Students who complain about the teachings, are rude to newer people or treat them like outsiders, and are impatient with other students that learn at a different pace.
Unfortunately we also see this in instructors who are overly aggressive as well, lack control and hurt students regularly, engage in overtly demeaning or inappropriate conduct, lose their temper with students in class, have students engage in dangerous training, and teach the crippling techniques of the martial arts without teaching the discretion of when to use them, or advising them of the possible legal consequences.
And the most obvious lack of etiquette is seen when badmouthing members of another school with no real knowledge of what they do or how they train.
In short, Etiquette is like the oil between us all, it lets us rub together without causing friction… both in & out of training. Martial Arts is meant to teach us not only self defense, but also tools we can use in life. It seems to me that Etiquette is the most important one of them all.
– Sensei/Guro T. Kent Nelson
Owner / Head Instructor
K.S.K. Martial Arts, LLC