We frequently label different martial arts teams as a cult, and snigger at their foolish behaviour and rituals, however on the identical time we’re a bit blind to the cult-like points to the issues we do, as a result of that’s ‘regular’ to us.
I went to a special BJJ college one time they usually stored making jokes about my residence college being a cult as a result of we now have to put on an official gi when coaching, which is costlier to purchase than a traditional gi. There have been just a few different issues talked about, however that was their most important situation. A white belt from one other department of my college had visited beforehand and he had dedicated the cardinal sin of going through the nook whereas tying his belt – that was apparently additionally an indication of a cult they usually recounted the story with a lot hilarity – “I assumed he was having a piss within the nook!”.
Nevertheless, in that faculty I noticed college students doing a number of issues that have been equally cult-like, however have been apparently fully regular to them:
- When you stepped on the mat with out bowing, that was 10 burpees.
- Lessons began and ended by lining up and bowing to the instructor.
- I (a grown man) needed to ask permission from the instructor to have a sip from my water bottle, or if I wished to depart the mat for any motive. After which ask permission to come back again on.
- If a black belt requested anyone to roll, they weren’t allowed to say no, even when that they had already agreed to roll with one other individual.
Now we do a few of these issues in my college too – we line up and bow in the beginning, for instance, and bow onto and off the mat, however a few of these issues we don’t do. Nevertheless, they’re all simply completely different variations of exhibiting respect to one another earlier than and through coaching. We’re studying strategies which have the flexibility to kill and maim, and other people may simply get damage within the coaching if we weren’t respectful of our companions security. Constructing an environment of respect across the coaching will hopefully instill that within the precise coaching.
There’s something of an uneasy stress in fashionable martial arts between capitalism and customs. In fashionable instances the folks in a martial arts class are normally paying to be there – they’re, as fashionable capitalism likes to name it “paying prospects”. The phrase “the client is all the time proper” has not totally entered the martial arts vocabulary but. It nonetheless retains these throwbacks to its “conventional” pupil and grasp martial arts heritage, for the explanations outlined above.
However let’s not muse on capitalism an excessive amount of. The purpose of this publish is to attract consideration to the blind spots all of us have. To return to that BJJ college – the upper belts have been technical, but in addition fighty with out being overly aggressive or harmful, and the instruction was good and clear, the rolls have been good too. However I may have performed with out the undercurrent of tribalism that that had been instilled within the college students and was strengthened by the upper belts.
I feel it’s value repeating that each one martial arts are cults, and in the event you suppose yours isn’t… then isn’t that precisely what a cult member would say? My perspective is to just accept the assorted guidelines and customs of every explicit cult or organisation as the worth for them present. With none guidelines anarchy and dysfunction would escape and there could be no membership in any respect. The Xing Yi classics famously say – “There may be solely construction, and there may be solely Chi”. With no construction, the Chi simply leaks far and wide, and with an excessive amount of construction I assume it might’t circulate anyplace. A contented medium is what you’re after.
We (human beings) have the identical perspective to our personal our bodies as properly – we don’t see our personal blind spots. The best way we stroll feels pure to us, however which may contain pointing the toes outwards at 45 levels, compromising our decrease again, as a substitute of ahead, for no good motive besides behavior. We’d have been doing that for 30,40,50 years, and can most likely hold doing it till the day we die with out query, till anyone comes alongside and factors out our blind spot, at which level it has change into our ‘regular’ and it feels bizarre to stroll in every other manner.
A little bit interval of self refection on the unconscious and acutely aware beliefs we maintain true, with out fascinated by them, is all the time a great factor.