I just had to post this!

[delta1]

I'm reading a book on qigong by John Alton (Living Qigong), and in it he describes his experience in the external arts.

 

"By the tme I had earned my green belt (Shotokan), however, I began taking pleasure in beating other men, especially if they were coky. Later, in my thirties, with a blackbelt in another style, I had added youthfulnes to my reasons for wanting to beat an opponent, a kind of recompense for my own aging. ... In the dojo, we bowed politely before drubbing people we didn't respect. We lived like aging gunfighters, ceaselessly challenged by testosterone-oozing eighteen to twenty five year old males. At the same time there was the next level of the pecking order to teach and police: less developed men, women and children, who either beat up one another or competed through katas... As though enough adrenaline wasn't involved, there was sexual intrigue: attractive young women seeking power through Karate, only to become cheerleaders or concubines for the more libidinous male black belts. ... it is rare that an instructor has the charisma and physical stamina to sustain a large student enrolment. I have belonged to three American schools where the instructors were able to maintain large, steady student bodies, and I have observed several others. In all cases the schools resembled cults or abusive families. Nobody said anything bad about what went on, and any one who quit was immediately condemned. The schools were closed societies..."

 

There was a lot more, and he paints a pretty grim picture of the external arts in America. I've trained with a lot of styles and in a lot of schools, as well as just getting together to train, and this has absolutely not been my experience. I've allways found comraderie and genuine respect after a hard bout. Very seldome do I feel someone doesn't mean it when they congratulate their opponent on winning or tell the looser he did a good job. Very few people push up the level of intensity or contact past what their opponent is capable of handling, and no one denigrates those who don't want to go at it hard. As for cheeerleaders or concubines (I wish!)- I've found some of the women to be really sincere when they tell me I didn't do all that bad. And every school I've been to or worked out with allows parents and other interested parties to watch the classes.

 

But, what about the rest of you? Have any of you come across this type school or training? Do you think there's any merit to these statements? Up to this point the book was pretty good reading. But this sort of blew me away.

[AndrewGreen]

I find it funny that he make reference to cult behaviour.

 

Claiming everyone else is evil and in it for sex, power and to abuse others. Likely claiming some internal sort of power that can only be gained through his methods.

 

Yes, cult mentioning is called for, but not where he does it.

[Kyokushin]

Nope, I've never been to a dojo like that and I hope I never do.

[Pacificshore]

In my years of training, I've nevr experienced what this author is talking about. Maybe had a few with bad attitudes and they never lasted. As for the women, I trained with more dedicated women vs. the dojo bunny type.

[Red J]

Perhaps he is using "Author's License" to dramatize and illustrate a point.

[GrrrArg]

I once read a book in which the author said he had seen an instructor at one school wander around in a black gi with Karate Coach written in big red letters on the back, smoking a cigar and kicking students in the stomach whilst they were doing nuckle pressups on a concrete floor, sounds like a similar type of club. Frankly its a disgrace to the art.

[newbalance]

kicking students in the stomach whilst they were doing nuckle pressups on a concrete floor, sounds like a similar type of club.

Sounds like he would have some tough students. Doesnt sound all that bad.

Frankly its a disgrace to the art.

Fortunately, it is an ART, and hopefully we have the freedom to express ourselves individually as we please.

[GrrrArg]

The students in question were 10 and 12 year old on average...it does sound all that bad. Smoking in a dojo? no thanks if I saw a supposed instructor doing that I would turn on the spot and leave.

[Black Dragon]

"

By the tme I had earned my green belt (Shotokan), however, I began taking pleasure in beating other men, especially if they were coky."

 

Nothing wrong with that, it should be the national pastime

[delta1]

This author was an English proffessor at (I think) Berkley in the '80s. The main thrust of his book seems, at this point, to be to convince us we are all evil for wanting to do martial arts as a martial art, and convince us to work just on spiritual developement and health. Nothing wrong with those aspects of the martial arts, but by themselves they make an incomplete art. This is the attitude that almost ruined Tai Chi- and he pushes the watered down version of Tai Chi pretty strong. It's too bad, because he had some good points up to now. I think I'll just take this one back to the library.