I have a dream….
That one day Martial Arts will not be thought of as ‘separate’ Martial Arts, that the politics of structures like Karate, Ju Jitsu, Kung Fu, Taekwondo and Aikido are consigned to history – that Martial Arts will retain it’s diversity without the politics and have just one Governing Body dealing only with club structure, safety and the various types of competition….
That there will be no politics of styles, no Wado, no Shotokan, no Hun Gar, no GKR, no Tomiki, no ITF that everyone will be working to be the best they can and eventually transcending the ‘style’ of their teachers with their own personal development and style will be where they came from and not a prison for the future…
That there will be no restriction on who can train with whom….
That there will be no bad politics, because there is no separation of the arts, no separate styles, that we will all belong to the one brotherhood of self development through Martial Arts training…
That people will understand that ‘good’ and ‘bad’ are simply subjective depending on where you are on the spectrum from Buddhist Priest to Cage Fighter…
That people will choose where they want to train and that clubs and Instructors will survive by the grace and choice of the students….
Appreciation that many people want to start in a less than intensive community style class or club and move forward to a higher standard when they feel ready but the pathways to progression are clearly laid out…
That Martial Arts truly are for everyone; from athlete to special needs, from the very young to the very old, whether they are visually impaired, limbless, in a wheelchair, lack mobility, are chair bound, whatever gender, race or religion they be….
That the required standards surrounding a Martial Arts club will be on safety and structure, qualifying and training coaches and volunteers, safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, with a high level of health and safety and giving equity to all types of students with fair pricing, so that Martial Arts can be appreciated for what they are and fit into the community structure…
That instructors and coaches are prepared to share and learn throughout their career to become the best at what they do, some instructors can specialise in children, some in competition, some in older people, some in special needs, some in fitness and health, but all will feel appreciation for each other…
That the ethos handed down to us from the past is the ‘tradition’ we talk about with an unbroken line of wisdom from the ancients validated by science, our good health and vigour, mental awareness and concentration, good manners and physical testing….
Amen
Steve Rowe
Chairman of Martial Arts Standards Agency
