Rivalry

[Menjo]

rivalry is the most important in a teachers experience, especially young teachers. this is how the arts get developed, one guy says, you know i think i can beat this guy. i was with a teacher who didnt like another one, so when he knew i was going there (to invte them to my tournament) he came. any way, long story, but the conversation became, you told one of my students i'm fat and no good. he asked him to spar now, or later he can come back. the guy (who talks lot of trash, they dont do tournament only streetfight) told him, you guys leave or i'm calling the police.

he didnt realize, he violated one important skill of becoming a teacher, which is, hold your courage when your in the presence of another teacher. john was not going to hurt him, he even said, come on we can spar light, the other guy still said, get out.

I think though that in this case the guy has a right to say no that he doesn't want to fight in front of his students. I think that actually this display was probably more beneficial to his students as he can say no that he doesn't want to fight and showed them how to deal with a conflict.

Patience to deal with the ignorant and the even more plentiful blind ignorant people, deserves respect in my opinion.

And having the courage to accept the title of cowardice or ignorance for the better good is pretty courageous in its own right.

[ironsifu]

well he learned another important rule, dont bad mouth another person, because they might come back to prove you wrong.

i dont think teachers should go around challenging other ones to fight all the time, but we did not study this art to make it easy for someone to put you down either. what rivalry does, is keep people respectful. it makes the cowards, act like cowards, which is to talk your trash in closed doors, not out loud as if no one important will hear.

but rivalrly does something else. its competition. it keeps a teacher always in shape, always ready to defend himself or his reputation. you MUST be able to play the game if you wear the uniform. it is the reason we have styles, because some guy 100, 200 years ago, said, i have a better way to do this. once you make your "better way", you have to prove its a better way. this is the source of true respect in the martial arts, respect of skill. they dont have to like your looks, or personality, but every body will respect the skilled martial artists in his presence. and this is what i ment by "make a coward, act like a coward". you do it in the comfort of your friends and students.

unless you figure you have better skill than the next guy.

[bushido_man96]

this is the source of true respect in the martial arts, respect of skill. they dont have to like your looks, or personality, but every body will respect the skilled martial artists in his presence. and this is what i ment by "make a coward, act like a coward". you do it in the comfort of your friends and students.

This is an interesting way to put it, but you do make a valid point.