A BETTER PERSON?

 By Phillip Starr

We often hear (or even tell people) how training in a given martial art will turn us into better people. This is often told to parents to encourage them to enroll their children in classes. But is it true? If you believe so, why?

For what it's worth I don't think that learning the fundamental movements and techniques of any martial art will necessarily produce better people at all. Moving our arms and legs in various ways has no impact on character or behavior. The movements we make as we go through the motions of our chosen discipline aren't magic.

The discipline that's required to acquire any real measure of skill, the focus, the striving and sweat, the willingness to persevere even if it hurts...these are the kinds of things found in our training that build character. However, they must be done because the student WANTS to do them, not because he is simply forced to do them. I was taught that the only real discipline is self-discipline.

It's the spirit of the art that develops character. Otherwise, in so far as character-building is concerned, martial arts is no more useful than jumping jacks.

So it's important that the instructor kindle a DESIRE in the students rather than just running them through class like so many cattle. And it's more than a little difficult to learn how to do this.