“Japan judo hits crisis point as bullied, burnt-out children quit.”
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“Japan is the home of judo but a brutal win-at-all-costs mentality, corporal punishment and pressure to lose weight are driving large numbers of children to quit, raising fears for the sport’s future in its traditional powerhouse.” – Andrew McKirdy Japan Today June 2022
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Things have changed over the years. When I began my training in traditional martial arts, some of the instructors were downright mean. They went out of their way to inflict pain on you, many of them made you feel useless if you were unable to grasp a technique or kata. They ordered and shouted at you like military drill instructors, and they made it clear that they were superior to you in every way.
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Back then, in the 1970’s, it didn’t matter if students left the dojo, there were plenty more waiting to join. The martial arts, all martial arts, were thriving and enjoying unprecedented popularity.
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As a kid, I was “corrected” on occasion by a sensei wielding a “shinai” (竹刀 – a bamboo sword). I was never struck hard enough to cause any real damage, but it smarted, and boy did you ever pay attention any time thereafter when you saw him walking around with it. I thought this was the norm.
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It is wrong. It is absolutely irresponsible to hit a student with malice. Physical punishment as discipline is ABSOLUTELY WRONG, and counterproductive, in ANY circumstance.
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There are some who see martial arts training as a military exercise, and shout commands as if they are a drill instructor…… NO. This is not the military.
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Judo and other martial arts were used for military training in Japan before World War II and servicemen would visit schools to give lessons.
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Martial arts were banned during the post-war US occupation but they later were recognized as sports, with judo making its Olympic debut at the 1964 Tokyo Games.
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Noriko Mizoguchi, a Japanese judoka who won silver at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, said a belief that corporal punishment makes children stronger was still common in Japan.
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“One thing that has stuck to coaching in Japanese sports is that it doesn’t use words, it uses violence,” she said. – (quote from Japan Today)
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The attitude of an instructor should not be that of an authoritarian, or a military drill instructor, but one of humility, understanding, and helpfulness. They should make training fun, interesting, safe and effective. This is training for the student’s long term health and longevity after-all.
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An instructors job is to help a student learn in a way that they can understand at their level of capability.
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The martial arts should be an art of self-control. As an authority figure, an instructor, a teacher, has no right to physically punish a student.
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If as an instructor, you use punishment to correct teaching and learning, then in my opinion, you are a FAILURE as a teacher. In the 21st century, this kind of discipline is NOT acceptable (if it ever was).
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Physical training is a critical part of every practitioners routine. Hard practice, tough training, and those of us who embrace the struggle through a difficult workout, is not the same as physical discipline.
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Discipline doesn’t have to come from physical punishment, nor should it.
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