As I see it people will recognize people for what they are, based on their actions.
It is my hope that the person you speak of recognizes that he has acted badly and does what he can to correct it.
What would I do about the situation...? As painful as it would be, I'd have to say that I'd leave. At least you know that you did your best to support the dojo. But there is a point where you do not have a responsibility to keep enduring what is clearly wrong, and may reflect on you too.
Hoping you find an answer and can put this to rest.
Wishing you the best!
Wow ,that sounds awful.
I feel so ashamed on his behalf. High ranking martial artists,especially instructors, are supposed to pass on the ethics of the art such as discipline,mercy,the value of humiliation and modesty. Mostly it's the high rankers that NEVER boast and show more consideration and kindness to the less skilled trainees. I've never met a truly obnoxious sensei,because they have worked so hard to get there, they don't intend to put others down.
A instructor deserves respect, but this one sounds egocentric and selfish and inconsiderate to pupils. You cannot learn under this man's self centred tuition. Find a different club.
By staying you are only fuelling the engine of a moron. In no way will this enhance your own ability. Leave while you have the chance. Peace be with you.
Being an expert on anything and not just martial art does not automatically give the person the ability to teach it well. I know many very accomplished martial artists who, although is not as bad as this teacher you described, cannot teach well and really should not be a teacher.
You obviously are confronted with such a person. The thing to remember is that you are there to learn and if you are not learning and progressing towards your goal, then you are just wasting time and money at this school.
I went and trained Krav Maga with this pompous arrogant jerk. I watched his thuggish ways and the way he big noted himself and his style. People listened to him like he was teaching the world best martial art because that is what he had led them to believe. He injured students, he was hard on beginners and told them that the world is a hard place and they need to learn things in real life application. While this has some benefits it is not something you do to begining students.
Finally after a few months i got sick of the rubbish he was teaching. He was teaching people escapes on the ground that were not so reliable. they had flaws and there were better ways to do it. I spoke to him quietly at the side with a friend and said i could perhaps offer a little insight into correcting those techniques if he was willing to talk to me about them. He was going beserk and said what would i know, i told him i have trained GJJ and would be willing to show him some variations. He told me GJJ was crap then stopped the class and was carrying on like a complete jerk. he told the class that he has been doing KM for over 15 years and that has not lost a fight in that entire time and has been in many and now he was going to show people how good it could be against any person and style and that KM is superior to all over styles. then he told every to move out of the way and as we all backed away he kicked me in the back of the knee (completely unexpected) and knocked me to the ground (i am 5'6 120lb woman, he was about 6'1 180lb man)
He tried to rush to the mount but i got guard, he began to strike at me, it was not long before i swept him and choked him out. he was out cold on the mat. i got up kicked him in the rib and grabbed my gear with my friend and left. Never to go back to KM ever again. He was a complete and utter tool. I watched people leave the class in flocks over the time there and have done everything to warn people away ever since, he was a complete jerk.
The moral to the story is there are people like this in all styles and all parts of the world. some people become martial artists for the wrong reasons the same as some become cops, doctors, soldiers, teachers etc for the wrong reasons. People are not infallible so there will always be monsters and morons where ever you go, All you can do is see it and leave and warn people to avoid them. Anything beyond that in out of your control.
I've seen one person like that. They started in Kyokushin karate, in the 1980s, so was more hardcore than the softer arts they teach now. But they "integrated" a lot of the Japanese imported culture of face and respect, such that 50-70 year olds act like 15 year olds when you don't do things their way and they think you "dissed" them.
That's not what Japanese authority, hierarchy, and culture is about. But that's all they learned in the 1980s, because that's how Americans did it back then. It's just a whole new baggage they carry with them into the dojo, that new students can't deal with. As the students get older and more experienced, they do get a choice. They go somewhere else, start self training, or quit.
Whether this applies to your Dojo master or not, hard to say. Don't know who or what they are.
I deal with such situations by leaving or fixing the problem myself by injecting myself into the teaching curriculum, hierarchy, or giving suggestions. Usually, though, as someone who dislikes rank, I don't have the official "authority" to do the later, so I generally pick the path of least resistance.
When a dojo teacher pushes their student around, taking advantage of the teacher-student obedience thing, everyone knows how that is right?
Well, when a dojo teacher pushes me around and I am surprised at the intensity, my self defense instincts may activate to protect myself from harm, which includes lethal and maiming force level abilities. Unlike incompetents or semi trained proficients, I can control it. But the moment I lose control, is the moment someone no longer exists as a whole human. Thus I personally feel offended that anyone in a dojo can use their authority, with no idea of the consequences of their actions for unwise behavior. The only thing keeping them on two working legs is my Will, and yet they think they are above me.... A lot of people will "test" you for one reason or another, I don't mind that. Boxing coaches want to see how you do against their 2nd best, to take a beating. Whatever. But people in a authority, like a dojo instructor, I expect to have discipline, to not act on anger or fear of their "authority" in their organization being lowered because their "student" did something they didn't want anyone to see them do.
Ain't nobody watching but the internal dojo students, but the dojo instructor "thinks" his boss is watching him. So he has to put the rod down on the peasants, to make his "face" look better. It's ridiculous. Hontoni baka bakashi.
Here's an example of what I'm talking about, in case people read this as exaggeration. The head instructor chose a senior or experienced student to run a group kata for one half of the class so the head instructor could deal with the newbies. About 30-60 minutes in, the experienced student calls for a water break, on his own judgment, for his segment. The head instructor acts surprised that they would just be going off on their own break, then gets angry at the upper student for making a call that they didn't give him authority for, they only gave him authority to lead the kata group. In American society, you are responsible for your task group, you don't ask your boss to micromanage your every decision. In Japan or other top down societies, you might need to ask for permission for everything, otherwise you take responsibility and that has big negative connotations (like having your head cut off or fired). So American culture vs an American raised in what he thinks is a Japanese dojo culture. Not a good thing. The head instructor recalled everyone from the waterbreak. 10-20 minutes later, everyone went on a water break. What was the point, really?
If a dojo doesn't respect or value my contribution or existence, then I have no need for that dojo or its people. There are plenty of other trainers and methodology around.
One easy solution you could try is to get the contact name of those "senior" students, then just train with them on your own time and dime. Competency comes from driving your own schedule and toolbox. Personal initiative is a good thing in the martial arts. Not so good in a hierarchy.
I had one of my fellow teachers turn into abit of an ar5e, it was heart breaking to look at where he took the local school, there was a handful of us that started together trained and developed together in the art,anyhow he took over from another well rounded teacher that had to leave to join the police but the guy that took over took on a more competitive and militant approach which was fine the training was good but the intentions behind it where starting to show cracks, i had moved back to my town when the school was under this guys instruction so had to go under him, which was fine, but because i was the highest ranked under him he would always use me to demonstrate his technique, a couple of times he knocked me out, it wasnt so much he was going on about his way was best but the fact his way was better than mine, which was irrelevant as far as i was concerned as we had the same teacher, but this guy had his two favorite students that would go and train at his house they ended up his right hand men, he put them ahead of the other blackbelts , openly acknowledge they where his prodigys, he turned our branch from been respected to the one to be competitively beaten, we only had 8 blackbelts training in the end he was too hard on the kyu grades they all left, we even had another out of town branch(one i helped establish) come to do a combined grading, he gave them the hardest grading ive ever witnessed for under blackbelts, i mean it was a harsh and cruel grading, some of these guys were going for white belt, long story short i went back to the other branch and in a bitter sweet moment i shouldnt really be proud of but i am, one of my brown belts(ex golden gloves) defeated this other instructor in front of the heads of our organisation, its something I wouldnt have liked to experience myself but it was the biggest dose of humble pie i ever seen, i felt sorry for him, he never got over it and left martial arts altogether even his marriage feel apart i dont know if it was related to events of that day, i really did look up to this guy as a really talented martial artist, he must have done soul searching he's a church pasture now.
My friendly advice is to speak to him. Then speak to him again and again. If he doesn't understand show him what he is doing on the mat, by doing it back to him on the mat. If he complains, tell him that he is doing the same. If he says anything about rank and authority tell him in a nice way, that we all deal with people and not ranks.
I would stop wasting my time, money (I assume money is involved), and I wouldn't gamble my health and safety for an idiot with an ego. However skilled he might be, it's just not worth it. I am never impressed by anyone who flaunts their rank around in general.
Have you sought knowledge of a particular art and found yourself dealing with a very high ranked teacher who disrespected you and his other students (even to the point of seemingly deliberately injuring them during training) and who was himself overly concerned about his rank and supposed status within the organization that he belonged to?
How have you or how would you deal with such a situation and individual?
The instructor/teacher knows his art well but is simply not a good teacher due to his ego and sense of self importance. One by one his senior students have left his dojo (and it is definitely "his" dojo).
Arigato gaimas, tomodachi, for you considerate responses.
This has found such to be stressful situation and would appreciate hearing your thoughts on the matter.
