#121: Hero Worship in the Martial Arts

Great video.

The reason sensie , I'm young and comparison to my sifu I will always be young I better learn from him, I focus is to learn from him , he is ocean of knowledge and I have to accept my belly is not big Enough to drink all the knowledge so I will learn with him, Best thing about sifu Is not he is good martial artist but he is a good person and with his Guidence I can get better And improve in my life

Currently I'm not advance than my sifu , he is better than me everything I guess even in physicality , he is better than me and he is person I look up to , I know what skill I wanna have and that is my sifu at some point better than him of course if I can

Gracie Jiu Jitsu in a nutshell, great video

Hi Ando, in training when you bow, you are taught to keep your eyes forward including facing your sensei/s. Always be ready including when teacher test you out with a surprise semi contact attack,,

Always be better than yourself

Sensei Ando,

I’ve never been in a “dojo”, but I have already surpassed you; because I watched TV.

The movie The Last Dragon explained it more eloquently than you do.

“Bruce Leeroy” Leroy Green was sent on a mission to find “The Master” Sum Dum Goy. But there is no such thing as Sum Dum Goy.

Then his teacher pointed to his head and said, “There is one last place that you did not look for The Master.”

In the last battle, Sho’nuff, The Shogun of Harlem, was beating the tar out of Leroy and asks him, “Who is The Master?”

Then Leory finally realizes that he is The Master.

The theme of the whole movie is Leroy’s searching for “The Master”.

There’s even a theme song, “Inside You”.

Just have your students watch The Last Dragon.

You see, I have The Glow, from the light emitted by the cathode-ray tube of the television.

I'm a martial tart. I'll train with anyone as long as there is mutual respect. I've never yet met an instructor that doesn't want their students to one day be better than they are. A good teacher knows two things. 1. They have skills to teach. 2. They don't know everything, and others might have skills they don't have.

i am vietnam i am truly grateful to you. If I were famous, I would want to let everyone know who the martial arts master is

Thank you so much for this video and this type of content, Sir. I have contemplated this kind of topic many times. Despite decades of training I too, question where my confidence comes from. Why do I have it? I have wondered what it means to both respect and question my own teacher. Thank you. More teachers of martial arts should provide content like this.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Coach

Hi sensei how to overcome fear of pain in fight

That mysterious Good Guy is very strange. When our sensei visits us with seminar, I learn something new at every class. I'm practicing aikido for 19 years, but there is still much more to learn from him. No two of his seminars were similiar during these years (except warming up exercises at start of class). There are many students on these seminars, and he always goes and corrects us, so 3-5 times during seminar he ensures that I got right technique that he has just shown. Also he is always cheerful and very charismatic, so it takes some effort to keep distance from him and not to answer him unceremoniously

Wow, I never thought of it. As a life long learner I respect the teachers I have chosen to be taught by. When I have a teacher of poor standards I have a tendency to let my feet do the voting.

Wonderful video as always. Thank you Sensei Ando!

Awesome message....not just for training, but in all aspects of life. Just what I needed to hear right now

When my Sensei and I had a (very ugly) falling out, it devastated me. I'd already been struggling with suicidal thoughts, but it got so much worse. After she told me not to come back to the dojo, the way she treated me was among the most hurtful memories I possess. I put her up on a pedestal and it caused me so much pain. I never want any of my students to view me the way I viewed her: as somebody who can do no wrong.

People are looking for someone to follow. Maybe most were neglected kids with parents who didnt give a crap.

Gone in a flash, I appreciate a great pun!

I've had a teacher like that before, always had mystique and a level of bravado which boasted his skill level which was what I viewed him as when I was a teenager. But now as an adult, it wouldn't be a stretch to say I could take him when I knew him, but that's not the point, I know I've improved, I've had many people from different organisations and styles say I've improved, I've had the winning medals at tournaments say I've improved. And quite importantly now, the students I've taught who have made great strives tell me I've improved from their progress alone.

Great podcast as always Sensei, OSU!

As a 70-year-old English guy who has been training since my mid-teens In several styles, Wing Chun, TKD, and Judo mostly with a little boxing thrown in. I have had several teachers and although I respect them all, I could not agree more with your wise words here Sensei. I also spent some time as .at the time, I was a 2nd dan in TKD I ended up teaching the junior class, so I have a little experience here, and I got great joy seeing the kids improve their skill levels under me .but more importantly improved their characters by achieving more self-discipline and confidence, I am old school and believe that martial arts are about becoming a better person as well as being able to defend yourself! Sensei, I long ago came to the conclusion that being a great exponent of the art and being a good teacher are not the same things, they are separate things and I am sure you will agree here! As usual, your podcast is great, and full of common sense. A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you sir!

Another aspect of idolizing the teacher is that some students, especially the young ones, tend to overlook the signs of danger when boundaries are crossed. A martial arts teacher in the town next to mine was arrested for grooming and abusing his young female students. Of course, that could happen to all genders. Parents might need to look out for signs of excessive worshiping in their children.

waiting so many days . now latest tutorial thanks.recommendation nick dross guy handsome his tutorial beautiful thank u ando sensai

So happy to see you still alive.

Dear Sensei Ando. It seems like your “Top Guy” had become a businessman who organized seminars for money, and farmed out the teaching business to his subcontractors. That’s why he never had time for anybody. Time was money for him, and he always had another business engagement to tend to. My “Top Guy” is an aging, overweight man who charges a lot of money for belt tests, seminars, and tournaments, so I completely understand.

I thought students becoming better than their teachers was one of the big goals of teaching. It's certainly the goal I aspire to when I teach, and my own teacher has said many times that he wants us to become better than him.

The humility paradox is spot on. Thank you for sharing it. I really appreciate the straight talk.

What Sensei Ando talks about in this video is applicable to many other relationships, not just between a student and his or her martial arts teacher.

Here is the brutal reality. Most (not all) teachers, sensei, wouldn’t teach you anything without any compensation. So it’s really a business relationship more than anything else. Yes, you can respect your teachers, but worshipping is taking it too far. Understanding the relationship as a business one helps to set up the correct expectations and to help avoid disappointment and misunderstanding.

One of the reasons i switched to another martial arts school was the way they acted they where above the students and always talked down on me they also scremed and got bery angry at me for minor things they also ex0ected you to respond with YES SIR wenever they said anything (non english speaking country) in the school i practice now they have a higher level of martial arts and they are way more humble

Very good psychology, listening on pod app but came here to comment.

...and scary to think it also relates to many relationships - including and perhaps especially your own father...

And so does depend on how old you are, what stage of life you've in.

That said, I don't have any excuses! It's a real problem.

My teacher is more of a parent to me she really helped me a lot and continues to teach me so much she is very kind, caring and strong i respect her and am obedient beciuse i want to be and work hard to make her proud of me

Amazing video. Each of us must have confidence that we can defeat an enemy in an extreme situation.

PS. I am sure I can give a better nugie than you.

Thank you, Sensei Ando, for this video. I like what you said. Another field to practice those ideas might be medical care. Indeed, I learned to find a way to let the medical staff know that I am willing AND ABLE to do my part to improve my health. Good staff have been welcoming my commitment, and lately, a doctor gave me two thumbs up although he has been the one to do the most important part of the surgery. That was unexpected. I gave him a thumbs up realizing we needed each other to beat my health problem. I am not a doctor but since the beginning, I took all my responsibilities very seriously and let the medical staff know about my expectations ... making sure they will listen to my opinions.

❤ 100% Agree

Hi sensei ando, this comment isn´t about this video, as i have yet to see it, but it´s about something that has been bothering me for some time, in what podcast did you talked about being loud and proud instead of quiet and private? i want to listen to it again