Martial arts politics and you

**JudoA** · Posted On: 3/17/2011 10:14am

Originally Posted by tao.jonez

If my instructor started telling me that we should pray to God for focus and remember how Jesus respected even whores and degenerates during sparring, that would be the last class I attended there.

Would you do the same thing if it was 9/11 and Zeitgeist conspiracy theories instead?

**Kintanon** · Posted On: 3/17/2011 10:21am

How would you even KNOW any of this **** about the people you train with? I know their names, their approximate height and weight, their training background, and MAYBE their relationship status if it has affected their training. I know about injures, medical conditions, and what kind of techniques they are working on right now.

Even the guys I'm friends with outside of class I don't know their deep religious or political views. I might have the vague idea that they do or do not go to church or something based on whether they have to skip class on sunday or something, but damn dude. WTF are you doing? Sitting around on the mat analyzing the protestant reformation during warmups? Do you come in and take a poll of the students to see who believes what?

I'd be pissed if anyone was taking up my class time with any of that ****.

**Permalost** · Posted On: 3/17/2011 10:53am

I get my instructors mass emails he sends out to everyone, and the last one was about how people shouldn't use a new kind of stamp that celebrates a Muslim holiday or something. I was disappointed to hear that, but I kinda give him a break because he's in his 70s and is from the Philippines, where Muslim extremist violence is a common thing (in international news, the stuff from the PI is usually either about killing between the military and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, or it's about Manny Pacquiao).

I also train with two law enforcement guys and I don't always agree with their politics, but I respect what they do and I can be friends with people I don't always agree with.

**thorthe power** · Posted On: 3/17/2011 10:54am

This kind of stuff is probably more prevalent in the McDojos/Bullshido places where the instructor(s) is (or has already with a core group of followers) fostered a cult like environment to begin with.

Most normal people who are instructing a physical art of any kind should have the sense to tell if their “small talk” (or anyone else’s for that matter) is not welcome, or is detracting from training…and steer the conversation back to training topics….

I would definitely seek training elsewhere if it continued.

**bobyclumsyninja** · Posted On: 3/17/2011 10:55am

When I was at the SanDa gym heavy, we didn't get into ANY of that, either. None, whatsoever. If we couldn't shut up and train, beyond very brief assistance to a beginner in need (which was often me hehe), we could sit.

Come to sparring class, and don't want to spar? sit
Talk too much during training about ANYTHING....sit

I liked it.

**Grey Owl** · Posted On: 3/17/2011 11:02am

Religion, philosophy and even conspiracy theories can be discussed, analysed and studied in detail in appropriate institutions such as colleges and universities where people will have an informed background of what they are talking about.

They would not be some half baked individual using an unrelated class to spread their views.

**judoka_uk** · Posted On: 3/17/2011 11:16am

Religious and political speeches have no place on a Judo mat.

The only chat that goes on during warm ups is banter.

**callum828** · Posted On: 3/17/2011 12:56pm

Doesn't martial arts politics usually refer to disagreements between competing orgs/arts rather than regular politics discussed on the mat?

**Vieux Normand** · Posted On: 3/17/2011 1:20pm

Degrees: is the anti(whatever) instructor really good at instructing (his views aside)?

Next question: if so, how much time is spent on anti(whatever) speeches/rants?

Next: is that amount of time affecting your performance/progress, or can you just tune out the speechifying and use it as the "resting-between-drills" part of your training?

The answers to these--and similar questions--will determine the utility of your present regimen, and whether or not you're training in the right gym for your purposes.