5 Core Ethics of Martial Arts

From: MMA Village

Many martial arts schools around the world promote a philosophy of self-improvement as well as an expected standard of technical skill. When you think about it, it is the philosophy rather than the technical skill that should influence every practitioner's daily life.

The martial arts philosophy, or at least the traditional karate philosophy, is called the Dojo-Kun. The Dojo-Kun is simply a five point ethical guide for training in the martial arts and for behavior in your everyday life and is sometimes called the "Student Creed" in English. The traditional karate ethics are often translated as:

· To strive for the perfection of character

· To follow the paths of truth

· To foster a spirit of effort

· To honor the principles of etiquette

· To guard against impetuous courage

In many traditional karate schools these precepts are chanted at the beginning and end of each lesson in Japanese, and in other schools in English. In some schools there is no chanting at all, just a posting of the principles on the dojo wall and other schools invent their own "Student Creed."

I'm not here to tell you which way is right or wrong, but what you should do when choosing a martial arts school is ask yourself whether the core values of that school resonate with your view of life and your moral ethics. After all you are exposing yourself and your family to a very emotive venture by beginning your karate journey. A conflict of moral values is likely to "Dim Mak" (deliver a Death Touch to) your involvement in the martial arts from the very beginning.

The Dojo-Kun's precepts can offer a very simple template for following a virtuous path and for reaching your potential in everything you do and for being a good citizen. It's up to you to decide how this philosophy fits in with your own ideals and ethics.

Most people find these five core ethics to be something that they can relate to on an intimate basis; some people don't place much value on the philosophy of the martial arts and are in your karate class alongside you for very different reasons such as self-defense or basic health and fitness.

The phrase "each unto his own" is definitely applicable here. As with so many things in life, we have to find our own way given our own set of criteria and backgrounds.

Essentially there are many other paths to self-realization and understanding of the greater world around you. The martial arts simply offer a valuable template for beginning to understand yourself and others through understanding movement, power, speed, timing, energy, tension, relaxation and harmony. It is a beginning in what can be a long and extremely rewarding journey.

~武德为首, Martial Art Virtue comes first

Teaching Gospel Through Martial Arts

From: Rankinledger

Broken boards, broken glass and bent rebar steel are the tools being used by a local martial arts group to spread the gospel.

"Namido Fire Team" is the name of the group which is made up of local martial arts teachers. Alex "Buddy" Cooper III leads the team. He said the team tries to reach out to those who might not attend a conventional church service.

At a recent demonstration Cooper said, "We preached God's word and broke boards. We had a couple of guys lay on glass while others piled on top of them. One soul was brought to Jesus when he witnessed one of our guys bend rebar with his bare throat."

Like other members of the team, Cooper has been practicing martial arts for years. Traveling at their own expense the team travels all over the southeast taking the gospel to where they are invited to speak.

"There are many physical parallels to a person's spiritual walk. You have to have discipline to follow Christ and read your Bible and pray and it takes discipline to train in the area of martial arts. These demonstrations give us a window to people that is free from all religion and it seems people are more apt to listen," said Cooper.

The children's pastor at Cornerstone Church in Pearl is on the team. Pastor Brian Means said he uses his talent to help mentor kids and show them the love of Christ. Means holds classes at the church and charges only $25 dollars a month which is donated to the church. However he has given lessons for free for kids who couldn't afford to pay.

"I have been using Christian Martial Arts as a ministry tool for several years now. It is a great way to mentor kids who don't have any structure or caring adults in their lives. It gives them an outlet and keeps them off the streets so they don't get involved in drugs or crime," said Means.

Michael Frazier is the associate pastor of the Morton Church of God. He travels with the team and said it is easy to see art imitating life through the demonstrations.

"We come in and speak on the spiritual warfare that is outlined in the Bible.

~武德为首, Martial Art Virtue comes first

Blind Karate student earns Black Belt after 4 years

From: Courant

MERIDEN, Conn. - Some call it a big obstacle to overcome; he just calls it a nuisance. All agree it took a lot of hard work to accomplish what he has.

George Sanchez is blind, and after passing his test this month, he is also something that defines his character much more: a karate black belt.

Sanchez, 47, stood next to his 10-year-old son, Timothy, and the rest of his class as both were awarded black belts by Villari's martial arts studio, in Southington, after four years of work.

"It feels great," Sanchez, a former Southington resident who recently moved to Middletown, said after passing the test in Windsor. "It was a lot of hard work to get here."

He tried to get involved in a karate program a few times in the past, but no one would train a blind man. Then, four years ago, Timothy signed his father and himself up for a demonstration without George knowing about it while both were attending Trails Day at Panthorn Park.

When he found out, "I said, 'Oh boy.' I was kind of shy, because I didn't know what to expect," Sanchez recalls.

Carrie Waskowicz, one of the instructors at Villari's, said that when Sanchez called up to ask if they would train a blind man, she thought he was joking, but told him to come on in anyway.

"It doesn't matter who you train. Just because you are blind doesn't mean you can't defend yourself," Waskowicz said.

Sanchez, who lost his sight at 3, said the path to the black belt was difficult, but he has had help along the way from instructors, classmates and his family. Classmate Brian Bradshaw was one of the helpers to whom Sanchez was thankful.

"We've had some good times and some good hits," Bradshaw said jokingly after the ceremony. "We're the two oldest guys in the class, so we practiced a lot to look good."

Sanchez said some of the most difficult aspects to master were correct angles, forms and precise combinations. Along with Bradshaw, he would go in early to get a quick overview from the instructors of what the class would be working on that day.

"You're exceptional, but there were no exceptions for you," Waskowicz said to him at the ceremony on June 14. "No special treatment when performing. It was a challenge to teach. We learned multiple teaching styles."

Sanchez kidded that Waskowicz got fairly nervous the first time he asked if he could spar. She said he ended up being great at it. She would often play music when he was sparring to take away his sense of hearing, which would be eliminated through the screaming during tournaments.

Many other classmates and instructors came over to congratulate him as he posed for pictures after the ceremony. Master David Shirley said he would have said something more about Sanchez during the ceremony, but was afraid he would get choked up talking about it.

"We're very proud of you, you know that," Shirley said to his pupil. "It's been a long, hard road and you did well." Shirley said Sanchez is the school's first-ever blind black belt.

That road was navigated a little more easily due to the friendly competition with Timothy. Sanchez's wife, Susan, said the adult classes were usually a day or two before the youth classes, so dad would tease Timothy about getting his colored belts first. She was very proud of them both.

"Don't ever tell George he can't do it, because he will go out of his way to prove that he can," Susan Sanchez said. "I think it's awesome. It's nice to see them both reach that goal. I hope they go on."

George Sanchez laughed while thinking about some of the classes to which his wife came. She would get dirty looks from bystanders, who didn't realize who she was as she yelled teasing comments to her husband to "pick up the pace."

Besides learning martial arts, Sanchez also plays golf. He used to wrestle, has been president of the Southington Lions Club, and has run a silkscreen and sewing company. He now has a cafe, called 20-200 Cafe, in the state Department of Labor building in Wethersfield, after many of his sewing jobs went overseas.

"I figured no one is going to go to China for lunch," Sanchez said of his new venture.

As for continuing in martial-arts, he said he wants to let it sink in and enjoy the fact that he is actually a black belt, while encouraging his youngest son, Nick, 6, to keep working on one of his own.

If Timothy decides to move on, however, [anchez said, he will probably have to get back into it in order to keep their friendly competition alive.

~武德为首, Martial Art Virtue comes first