A profession should never be anything to be ashamed of, nor should it be used in an attempt to belittle someone else. Making money and earning a living is one of the most superior things someone can do in life. These people making fun of you for that sound like bigger morons than even the people I know.
Unless you're actually in the military, there should be need for beratement or hazing in a stereotypical military fashion. Learning self defense -- life protection -- isn't the same as becoming a soldier and dealing with war. That mentality doesn't belong.
What I see is just plain rudeness. I don't know how typical it is, but I'm sure it happens more than it should. As the martial arts teach ways to hurt and harm people, there should always be taught a moral discipline as well; one of respect and courtesy.
They have egos that are probably baseless. Who cares if they are assistant instructors or what belt they have! There is no reason to blame anyone in the class for doing wrong. They are simply supposed to point out what is wrong to each student and help them correct it. You describe a school that sounds like the student are running it and the place and are not held accountable by the actual instructor.
The name thing... No big deal if it is done as a friendly poke at you. If not, what does he do? Maybe a burger flipper full time?
I suggest you find a place that you like that will teach you properly for the $$ you pay. I don't think any explanation is required to the main guy (whatever you call him) because the atmosphere is set by his example. I suspect they will or would bad mouth you if you explain why you are leaving. If the guy who's school this was did not condone this treatment it would not be happening. These black belts in this school will probably find out the hard way they know way less and are way less skilled than they thought.
Move on!
Yes, this is standard behavior in some schools. Do I agree with this? H@!! NO! It is plain rudeness in my opinion and being an idiot has nothing to do with martial arts.
I go to a school like this too. I have trained in martial arts for over 20 years and decided to start a new art. Except for my teacher and maybe less than a handful of students noone knows, so at a Taikai the black belt students take pleasure of treating lower ranks, like me, like sh!t. Some of them have less than half the years of my martial arts training and more over, they are half my age too. In Japan this would be considered utterly rude to disrespect someone who is older than you regardless if you had ten times the years in martial arts training.
The hitting a lower rank that you describe is a corruption of a practice intended to teach the person who strikes intend in the strike. The theory is that if the intent is real then you should be able to get the other person to react. Kind of like someone is staring at you and you pick up on it and look up or turn around because you can 'feel' it. But this was never meant to suckerpunch lower ranking students. As a matter of fact if you are the one hitting and actually can hit the person without the person noticing it then it is you who failed the test not the person who got hit. But in my school too it has devolved into sucker punching or just plain old hitting you because I got the rank to do so which translates, the higher the rank the more of an @$$ I can be. Where does this make sense?
The reason I stay? I like what I learn and my teacher has no part in such behavior. If I complain about it he tells me to nail the other guy and I gladly go and do so. There is no disciplinary actions for me if I 'defend' myself. But this may be different in your school. I know in some schools in our organization the lower ranks are literally servants to the higher ranks which in my opinion is totally unacceptable. Samurai actually means servant, one who actually gives his life without thinking twice to protect a cause or people.
So yeah, these guys use their rank to justify hazing.
If someone ever referred to me as the "Window Cleaner", they'd ever get a response from me - not a "hello", "thank you", or the time of day. Ever. I don't care if I was the lowly white belt and it was a 9th degree doing that. Condescending behavior from your peers, your juniors, or your seniors shows an extreme lack of humility and respect. And if I were called out for that by the only person in the dojo who matters, then, that would be the last time I participated in that school. Ever.
Honestly, I would ignore them. When they make the attempt to correct you, they are disturbing their own routine. You know it, they know it... there need not be any blame passed around.
This is not standard behavior overall, it is simply the culture in your school. When I was a first dan attending a tournament, I was the liaison for our school. The entire staff and host (9th dan) treated me like royalty. Deep bows, always asking, never demanding, always complimenting something. Their humility and respect for others junior to them was a model for anyone in authority. I never forgot that, and I pass that on. I respect all people of all ranks and styles, inside the dojo or outside. It's not about martial arts, or the military. It's about getting along in life. Simple life rules, really. Do unto others. Ring a bell?
First, in some styles, a red obi is the belt worn by a shihan or master....even in Korean martial arts.
You are probably studying a sport application of karate and so a great deal of ego is involved, which degrades all marital arts.
If this one understands you correctly, you attend school of some level with these "black belts" and one of them strikes you if you do not acknowledge him while in the hallway? No teacher/professor corrects him when such occurs? You are allowed to defend yourself, even when you are at a public school and the next time this person strike you or at you, evade, perry, control and counter his movement.
A black belt is one who has learned the basics but has yet to adapt them to himself and his personal manner of expression and movement. Remembering what he went through so as to attain the knowledge he now has, he should be considerate to all who are on the same path.
The fact that your instructor tolerates such is the real problem.....
In my opinion it's not only rude, but bad behavior and unacceptable.
The senior students and instructors are suppose to be role models. And part of that involves showing others respect. There's a martial art's creed that begins
"The Martial Arts Begin and End with Respect"….
And I think it's great as it reminds us of why we train. Sure we learn how to hurt others if necessary. But we should also be learning that it takes a great deal of control to respect others, and to not hurt others unless there is no other option.
The case you posted is one of hurting others for no good reason.
As others have said, it's not uncommon. But it's also a reason that I feel many martial arts are horrific. And why finding a good dojo is so hard.
Some people are just stupid and plain out arrogant regardless of whatever belt they have around their waist.
People like that in our dojo would be stripped of their title and knocked down. A 1st dan is never given in the AKBAN. It is earned. Not only through the learning and application of technique, but maturity and character.
These sort of fools lack any sort of maturity and character. They may have a black belt around their waist, but they behave like white belts.
It's common corruption and happens in a-lot of places. Makes them feel tough. Same type thing happened to a friend of mine, until she got him in a wrist lock and an elbow lock and made him tap. When she let go, he was dumb enough to swing at her, so she decked him.
In the AKBAN it is not standard behavior. We don't want those type of people learning our art. They don't deserve it. They are either de-ranked or kicked out.
It's not about us making money so we keep as many as we can, it's about us teaching a true martial art to those who are mature and willing enough to learn.
Such things are not tolerated and should not be tolerated in your dojo/place of learning either.
If it continues talk to your instructor. If he/she does nothing about it or scoffs it off, personally, I would look for another place to learn.
I love what is done in the name of "Tradition." I train under instructors who are used as examples in other style and taught some of the people who brought Karate to the US and I have never experienced anything like that. In fact, my Sensei treat me as if I was a younger brother. When I was a kyu rank, they would invite me to eat and drink with them. I guess what I am telling you is that the problem is not with true black Belts but your school. If what you are saying is acceptable behavior you really need to find a new place to train.
Many thanks for the answers so far guys. With regards to the guy who ignores me in the corridor, it not that he strikes me or anything if I ignore him, it more along the case of if I don't look at him or say hello to him, he'd say hello to me, on which looking around he'd than turn his back on me and walk away. It almost like he wants me to always say hello to him just so he can blank me in the process!
As I have attained red belt, I don't wish to leave as I had being going for nearly 2 years now. My only issue is that the way this is set up, if I report it to the top senior instructor, he'd only fall on the side of the black belts, as they are black belts themselves and being going for 6+ years.
Someone at that rank should never act so childish, even world federation leaders I've met don't act so rude. They are defiantly rude.
Love to hear from any black belts of martial art.
I am a red belt in a spin off martial art of choi karate. Now whilst I like this martial art, my one issue is with some of the black belts who I find rather rude. I understand that in the classroom setting, you need a instructor-student setting but I find that what some these black belts are doing borders on rudeness.
For example, one refers to me in condescendingly as the Window Cleaner, referring to my job. Another always blanks me when passing in the corridor outside of the classroom, yet when I ignore him is more than happy to make me aware that he is there. A few others always blame me when a mistake is made saying I am doing it incorrectly, even when it turns out that I am doing it right, to which I am the one blamed for disturbing them.
These particular black belts seem to all hang out in a clique and when I have alerted other friendlier black belts in the class to this, I am just told that this martial art is a military styled art and as such, such behaviour is tolerable.
Just wanted to ask any black belts out there if this is standard behaviour for martial arts for lower belts to be treated or if this is just rudeness from them.
Your response be most appreciated.
This is what happens when rank gets to people's heads and they throw their weight and power around. It's not due to a hierarchy, although hierarchies suffer from this more than egalitarian so called societies. It's due mostly to corruption, greed, and various stuff like that.
The answer in a hierarchy is to beat all them and take the Throne for yourself. The American, answer, is probably to leave and go make your own Freehold or sparring do it yourself session between friends and people who live near you.
It's a good thing I don't have black belts in anything. People place an overt emphasis on rank, when they are merely trash in skills and human qualities.
I don't know if calling you window cleaner if they are trying to be condescending. If you are a window cleaner by profission that could be why this is being said,
Example In our class if I can't think of or don't know a students name at that time I may call them by their rank. There are students that I may forget their name, but I might remember their profession. We have all types of professions. It can be a Lieutenant, doctor, barber, nurse, etc. Those aren't insults. It is just a way to remember people.
Now in regards to other things. You should probably talk to who is in charge. If that is acceptable behavior you should find a different place to train. Those things should not be in in school IMO.
I would not tolerate it. I would not train there. This has nothing to do with martial arts hierarchy. It has to do with that school.
Edit:
If you report poor behavior from instructor to the person in charge of the school and they accept the poor behavior this is not the lace to train. Having a red belt or any color belt is not worth being mistreated. You can find a better place to train with better instructors. The color of the cloth around your waist is not that important. You can earn rank in other places.
I would waste my time or money in a place that mistreats me. Why would anyone pay money o be mistreated and or disrespected?
I love when people have to rely on belt colors. Idiots!!
