Since karate exist for cultivating
the spirit and training the body,
it must be a moral way
surpassing mere techniques.
Masutatsu Oyama
True martial arts and sports martial arts have very little in common. Just look at some of the characters portrayed in the sport of MMA, which is becoming one of the most popular martial arts. Could you imagine those guys teaching someone about morals or good character traits? Not from what I have seen!
A great example of this comes from one of the most popular martial arts movies of all time, The Karate Kid. In this movie, Mr. Miyagi and Daniel portray the character traits of true martial artists, whereas, the Cobra Kai dojo portray what happens to kids who are taught how to fight, but not about morals or the internal side of the arts.
And just like in the movie, if you teach kids how to fight, but not when or why to fight, you are most likely training bullies or kids who will get themselves into trouble one way or another. If you are going to give someone a dangerous tool or skill, you should, at the very minimum, teach them when it is appropriate to use that tool or that skill.
As a martial arts instructor, you have a responsibility to make sure you prepare your students to be able to truly defend themselves and teach them all that goes with those dangerous skills. This includes teaching how dangerous those techniques are, de-escalation techniques, how to control their emotions, how to control their ego, and giving them the character traits that will enable them to live a successful life. Martial arts are about much more than learning how to fight or compete!
