Does Karate Improve Character?
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- čas přidán 8. 09. 2024
- www.iainaberne... Gichin Funakoshi famously said, “The ultimate aim of karate lies not in victory or defeat but in the perfection of character of its participants.” In this video I give my views on whether karate actually achieves this aim. I discuss potential mechanisms for character improvement and the issues around them. I also discuss the potential problems with the assertion that karate improves character; in the dojo, as is relates to self-defence, and in everyday life.
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Finally an answer to this question! Thanks 🙏
Excellent depth and insight. I concur with you for sure. Another excellent video Iain!!
As a martial artist, I love your content. As someone trying to do psychological research, I lovvvve your content!!
Low ratio of views to likes on this video. Could it be that this reflects the very syndrome being discussed? Perhaps some people don't like being asked to examine themselves and have chosen to ignore it. Very refreshing, yours was one of the few seminars I have been to where it felt I was in my own club among friends. Thankyou.
Karate improved my character when I was a kid. I used to fight for the slightest reason. I joined karate with a friend. I realised I was too ready to use my fists because I was insecure. I needed to prove my position so to speak. Through karate I realised I could fight if it was really necessary, but it was rarely necessary, and the better option was almost always to walk away. Years later I tried to give my kids the same gift. Sadly it turns out things aren't always how I remember, and a combination of political correctness and probably fear of getting into trouble has turned some classes into little more than an aerobics class.
Your memory about your school history really resonated with me - a lot. I started Aikido when I was 13 years old and had never cared about school at all. I started in the summer, and when my first report card came out, I had to show sensei - he checked all the report cards. I had a GPA of 0.6. And he just looked at it and looked at me and told me that I had to come to class every day for a week. However, I would stretch in and finish class, but the actual class... I had to sit on the bench and watch. And I had to be there. That was just about the hardest week of my life.
The following report card my GPA went from a 0.6 to a 3.6 - and I remember sensei reading out to the class that this d went to an a, this f went to a b, and so on. My GPA never fell after that, all the way through graduation at university.
It didn't have to be martial arts, sure, could have been calligraphy, or some other group activity - but having that village, that community, changed the entire direction of my life. Now, I'm a 30-year-old homeowner in Japan and I feel I owe all of my successes to the support of my first dojo folk and more.
It illustrates how fragile we can be with the proper application of force. Puts things in perspective. And exercise is always a mood improver.
That could be physical and / or mental force as well
Patrick McCarthy summed it up best, "The path not paved by physical conditioning, moral philosophy and methodical introspection leads nowhere." I think this succinctly encapsulates the thought process of any true karateka.
Well rounded and interesting arguments! As ever!
I thought so until recently when I tried to start karate again with enquiring at a new club, because I'm that bit older now I spotted the micro aggressions through the surface politeness
Very clear point of view! I agree much. Thanks for sharing Iain!
I'm glad to say I was very positively surprised by this video sir. I tend to watch your more practical and historical stuff with much pleasure, but this was probably the first time I ran into a video of yours leaning more towards my skeptical side. And of course, I was proved wrong. Very good video, very good points, very sound arguments looking at all sides of the spectrum, as usual. Keep up the good work.
In my case it helped me. I learned respect , hard work and discipline
Yes it does. It improved my character and I see my students especially younger ones in their teens being much more mature than your typical teenager.
Your story into Martial Arts is identical to mine. I tell everyone that everything good in my life is because of the mindset I learnt from Martial Arts
Bowing do teach us too be respectful And self defense taught me too be peaceful that violence isnt always the answer we can walk away
It does for me. It’s stress relief and gives me self discipline.
Same here 👍
Very well spoken. I look at it this way, that the martial arts help to improve your charactor from the stand point you start out with. In this you should not compare with others since they are on their own jurney. You should be comparing with your self , to see if you have evolved in a positive direction. And I fully agree that rank has nothing to do with this it just indicates your experience in working with this.😊
Thank you for this video
Br
Johnny
Karate or any other things make a person better automatically. Also, it doesn't make all people better either.
What it does is that when a practitioner practice Karate "Do" rather than Karate techniques, slowly the person gets close to Karate Do.
Even technique practice will make the person more efficient person in some way.
A very insightful and important topic to cover. Thankyou
The ad on the video (for me) was for some kind of "fighting art" that promises in a few seconds I will be able to "dominate" any violent situation!
Netflix for me :-)
Was it advertising a Glock 19?
Great points man, I completely agree. Before I saw your video I thought this stuff was bogus, but what you said is true. The pressure really helps you be introspective. Thanks for the reminder.
04:26 - 04:50
Can't agree with that / I misunderstood that. Yes, I want to be respected by and give love to everybody - I think that should be our goal. I also know I won't get to know or even meet everybody, but I regard "good person" as a principle. The practical love I give my family will of course differ from my behaviour towards a stranger. I would, however, never like to be regarded as the devil. Even by people who don't like me. And, of course, if anybody ever means to REALLY harm me, I would prefer them to regard me as the "nice but naive guy" instead of the "devil" who you would aggress even more brutally.
What do you think?
Thanks for the comment. I’ll try to clarify. If a mean and unkind person liked me, then that would be worrying to me. If I challenged their unacceptable behaviour, then they probably would not like that about me. They would dislike me and have negative emotions toward me. They may even hate me (label me a “devil”) … and that would be a good thing in my eyes. There are some people I don’t want to like me … because that kind of person likes people who are mean, unkind, dishonest, etc. This quote for Churchill applies I think: “You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.” I don’t want to be liked by everyone … because not everyone judges people the same way. I want to liked by people who value honesty, compassion, friendship, etc. I want to be hated by those who value dishonesty, cruelty and who seek subservience. It does not follow that I hate them back, and if we can change their value system then great … but while it’s in place, I’d be happiest if they hated me. People can also manipulate a desire to be liked to cause harm. It’s a liberating thing when we free ourselves of that and accept it a good thing if certain kinds of people don’t like us. I hope that helps clarify where I was coming from. All the best, Iain
@@practicalkatabunkai Thanks for clarifying. I agree!
In German there is a saying that I think is similar to the Churchill quote:
"Viel Feind, viel Ehr'!“ (= Much enemy, much honor).
Goes without saying that this only valid if one critically reflects one's own motivation and objectives from time to time.
Best,
Martin
Thank you. That was so refreshing
Dropping wisdom bombs as usual! I may be lucky, but I've trained in a wide variety of dojos around the world and haven't yet encountered any cult-leader-type sensei who claim to be good/better people. Beyond the chants of "seek perfection of character" I've never seen any sensei seeking to instruct anything related to character-building or self-betterment.
As a child i was a wild and fearless little lad but i had karate, back then the training was so brutal i soon realised there was no need to hurt anyone but bullies. In retrospect, if not for karatedo i'd be long dead or still in prison.
There is no sieve for psychopaths/sociopaths in karate, nor for that matter any other given aspect of life. Karate has enriched my life and in my opinion is good for people's live's overall, particularly upon seeing them transform from relative confidence-less slouches in to driven, well mannered and sociable people.
Fantastic video as always sensei. When I was younger I did find many people who thought of themselves as "guru's" but it really was just ego.
Excellent! Thank Ian 👊🏾
Great video Iain. I've met you a few times in Penrith, and as a Borderline Personality Disorder sufferer karate has given me an outlet to regulate my emotions. Although, sometimes when I get frustrated I struggle, or when my main training partner isn't there I sit out. I struggle to regulate my emotions as it's an illness. Sounds daft, but Mark is like a father figure to me, as well as a sensei. We've started going to the gym together, which is good. However, on the otherside of the coin, I drink way more than I should, and smoke like a chimney. Lol. It's two different world's, but karate has helped me loads in many ways. I'm yet to experience a bad person, so I guess it might be me. 🤷♂️
I'm pleased the karate is helping you in various ways. You're a member of a great group and Mark is an excellent instructor. I hope to catch up with you soon.
Yes it does.
Well said Sir...
The general Rule of News-Reporting Titles says: if you have a question in a title, the answer is no. :)
I would say that martial arts does the total opposite. I saw many people evolve into utter monsters.
I never took Karate to improve my character or for discipline. Now I've seen kids become more disciplined after taking up Karate. Improve grades etc.
My purpose was to add techniques to my toolbelt, so I have more options in a self defense situation.
Well said
My now that's an interesting topic to bring up. I might say "If an individual is able to recognise their own character flaws then karate can be a positive tool for self-improvement." I may also say " Karate can be a very powerful tool to help children improve their character in a positive way." and be happy that those statements are correct enough for me to consider them to be true. However the influence karate and martial arts in general can have on an individuals personality is neither good nor bad but rather it is a multiplier or catalyst for change be that positive, negative or neutral.
Perhaps a better question might be "How can we help to ensure our Karate practice is a positive force for positive change and does not reinforce the negative?"
I practice another martial art.
What an martial arts do is to teach physical and spiritual aspects of a human being. When the spiritual aspects are not practiced in a martial arts school, students do not think of improving themselves spiritually.
@@michaeljung4398 What do you mean by spirit?
Thanks Iain, I fully agree with you you that Karate can be a tool for improvement but we shouldn't understate that the human capacity for corruption is only overcome by an individual choice. One of the challenges is when you start Karate there is no blueprint written anywhere and sometimes thats when the cult Sensei's come in taking advantage of a lack of knowledge ... them buggers are insiduous
A dojo is a place that can help these that are looking for a better self. These who don't cannot be helped. I don't know How to say It correctly in english, but "my mother was a wonderful accoucheuse. But she never helped to give birth to a woman that was not pregnant".
thanks !!!
I recently took up bjj but karate is my first love and foundation. Some points that I discovered for myself are
1) You are challenged more in BJJ to leave your ego at the door. You will spend two years at white belt being absolutely smashed and manhandled. If you do leave your ego at the door I discovered a lot more camaraderie than in karate, because....
2)....you can fake it more in karate. You can reach black belt without knowing how to get out of a headlock. You can pretend to know the bunkai to katas because you look like you're doing something convincingly. You pretend your zukis are powerful without proving it (to yourself) by hitting an actual target.
3) Dogma. We are taught to worship the ashes and not explore on the principles of the founders of karate.
Just a thought but I think karate being a little more dogmatic than practical breeds this negative behaviour above. Of course I can think of 1000 reason to do karate, and I always certainly will. And I may be totally wrong as well.
Many good points made there. I wrote an article a few years called, “In Defence of Combat Sports” . In the “The encouragement of honesty and humility” section I echo the points you’ve made here. Thanks for the post and sharing your thoughts: iainabernethy.co.uk/article/defence-combat-sports
🥋👍
Hard training over many years can make you more self aware but saying it makes you a better person is pretentious bullxxxx.
Karate does not improve character. It REVEALS IT.
Kind of like tequila