Back when I first trained karate in the late 1970's and even through out the 80's and early 90's. The dojo I trained in was strict, my teachers enforced a zero tolerance philosophy. There was no horse play, no goofing around. Being in the dojo was serious business. You couldn't be late, if you were, you were doing a bunch of push ups. You couldn't miss class, if you did, the reason better be that you were dead, or you were punished.
I noticed a trend in the mid 90's where things were starting to become relaxed. Since then it seems to me that things have continued to go down hill. The discipline has slowly faded over the years. a few years ago I adjusted my dojo guidelines and restricted the classes to those I wanted in it, mostly teenagers and adults.
Until a few months ago, I helped and visited at dojo that taught all age ranges. I noticed that the children spent a lot of time horsing around and chasing each other. some students would lash out or talk back to their instructor, take long restroom breaks during class. All things that I consider to be unacceptable. The over all demeanor and behavior of even the adult students was unacceptable to me, I found a lot of their actions to be disrespectful to the sensei, and something that I would have never done to my sensei.
Don't even get me started on rank and the decline of the black belt in America. I have had students come to my dojo and quit because it was either too hard or because they didn't get promoted fast enough.
What I have learned is that America has changed a lot over the last several decades and not necessarily for the better. I learned that not everyone one is like me and not everyone owns their dojo and not everyone can choose who they teach for what ever reasons. However, I can and I will continue to do it the way I am, teaching discipline, history and drilling my students over and over trying to make them better then they think they are, hopefully better then me and my limited talents. Pushing them to strive to not only be better at budo, but better people.
The decline of discipline in the dojo is primarily due to the decline of discipline in the home. Children used not to back-talk Mom, Dad, or grandparents in the home. They used not to fidget and fuss at the dinner table, either. Not without paying a price anyway!
ReplyDeleteParents have been cowed by fear of being accused of child abuse or the desire to be their kids' pal into no longer instilling discipline in the home ... and it has spilled over into the dojo.