I was speaking to the class. Most of the students were listening respectfully, but this kid was squirming and turning and scratching his head and giving every sign that he was bored out of his mind. I told him to stand still and pay attention. Within seconds he was looking out the window again, slouching, scratching, and so forth. I warned him again to stand still, keep his eyes on me, and pay attention. He grinned, glancing at the other students, enjoying the attention. You’ve seen that grin.
So I explained it to him:
- You are here to learn karate.
Karate is a lethal weapon. It gives you the power to kill people with your bare hands.
I am putting that weapon in your hand. The weapon will be in your hand every moment of your life. It will be there where you are happy, and when you are sad. It will be there when you are tired, when you are angry, and when you are drunk.
Before I put that weapon in your hand, I have to trust you. I have to know that you will never, ever use it inappropriately.
How can I trust you to be responsible with this weapon, when you don't have enough self-control to stand still?
Why does the Shotokan black belt take four years? One reason is, the students have to prove their patience and maturity. If they aren’t that patient, we don’t want to teach them. It would be like handing out guns on the street corner.
I had an example of this recently, when one of our self-defense students went rogue on us. She had been persecuted and beat up at school by a couple of other girls who were into substance abuse. Our heroine signed up for some self-defense lessons. We gave her the Jein Do class for young girls, which emphasizes the very few self-defense techniques that work first-time, every-time.
She attended the class five times over the space of a month. Then she went back to school, called out the girl who had beat her up, and challenged her to a showdown in the parking lot.
Self-defense training is suppose to give you confidence, but this was an extreme case. Five lessons, and she drew a line in the sand. Come and get it, sister.
We can train people to fight in five nights. We deliberately spend four years at it so we can know, and possibly shape, the character of the students. My black belts never challenge anyone to a fight. It cannot even be contemplated. Our five-night wonder had no such restraint upon her.
Regarding the fight in the parking lot, I was naturally concerned about our student's safety. I asked a witness how the fight turned out. He replied, "She kicked ass!"
