Chapter 24: Responsibility

In the first Spiderman movie as well as the comic itself Uncle Ben told his nephew, “"With great power comes great responsibility.” Yeah, it’s just a movie but in the martial arts communities, especially in MA for defense, we must take this same attitude seriously. People would benefit greatly to read this every session along with the other sayings found in most dojo like reading the, “Ken-po Goku-i.” We the people of the martial art and karate defense system must maintain in our minds that applying our skills in the physical form requires a great deal of knowledge, understanding and caution-filled responsibility. 

Karate and martial arts are about, in the essence of it, damaging others through physical means. We break bodies, we cause people grave harm and in some cases we cause people to die, including the practitioner as well. Punching, kicking, grappling, restraining, etc., all come from how a person deals physically with another person often times hell bent on doing us damage, an attacker of resource or process asocial predatory endeavors. This is serious stuff.

Most perceive martial arts and karate from sports where much like football, also a contact sport, with all its rules and referees and controls is safe as is football, relatively. Yeah, things happen and people can get hurt and on occasion even killed but in martial arts and karate the essence, history and purpose of these disciplines is to maim and/or kill. How that happens is always possible even in the sport oriented models. If you stay away from contact with another even in training and practice then it is relatively safe but many depend on contact to learn and apply marital arts and karate skills but where the rubber fails to meet the road is the misunderstanding and assumption that karate or other martial arts is merely a sport, nothing more and nothing less, even when it is touted to be a self-defense model. 

Remember the “before, during and after” you have already covered in this publication and then consider that when you seek out a dojo, especially one with contact for defense-protective reasons, that determining if the dojo and its members are adequately trained to handle things when injuries occur and when emotions get out of hand opening the door to violence over training and practice, “contact.” A solid proficient and professional martial artist and karate-ka along with a dojo program for health, fitness and medical responses must be in place and meet or exceed what is necessary to remain safe while not moving into the realm of medicine or authorize medical processes. This is why first aid, etc., as taught is paramount along with contact information in an obvious place in the dojo so first responders can mitigate injuries, etc., that are going to happen in a contact form of marital arts. 

Dojo members as well as sensei and senpai must be taught that they are not medical professionals and to take on something to help a dojo-mate beyond one’s capability or beyond accepted legal means is irresponsible so restrain and clear heads must prevail to act in the best interest of the injured person, no exceptions. If you find this does not exist in the dojo chosen then find another!