| In 1979, Soke Masaaki Hatsumi, grandmaster of | | | | teacher usually did not teach Budo right |
| the nine martial traditions that make up the | | | | away. |
| core training of the Warrior Concepts Mastery | | | | |
| Programs, wrote a book entitled | | | | This "trial" period may have lasted several |
| Mono-no-Mikata, Kangae-Kata ["Ways of Seeing, | | | | months or even years. The new person was |
| Ways of Thinking."] In it, he wrote a | | | | made to clean the dojo, wash his senior's |
| section called Deshi-iri which, translated | | | | training clothes, work on the meals and |
| from Japanese, means "Becoming a Student" or, | | | | cooking, and run errands. It was only once |
| more literally, "Entering an Apprenticeship." | | | | the teacher recognized that this person's |
| | | | personality could put up with these mundane |
| I'm sure that many of you have noticed that, | | | | inconveniences, that he was taught the |
| in my articles, I write more about mental | | | | martial arts and put through the often |
| aspects than anything else. The purpose for | | | | remorseless training on a regular basis. |
| this is that you should realize the | | | | |
| importance of your attitude before you enter | | | | When I say that this training is not for |
| martial arts training, especially the kind of | | | | everyone, I'm not just talking about it in a |
| authentic warriorship training that I focus | | | | sport or preferential way... |
| on in my programs, as opposed to the general | | | | |
| or conventional kicking/punching | | | | ..like basket-weaving is for some and ice |
| sport-activity that so many get involved with | | | | hockey for others. |
| these days. | | | | |
| | | | Especially here in the West where we have |
| Unlike today, the traditional means for a | | | | been taught that, if we are a paying |
| person to be accepted as a student of a | | | | consumer, we can get whatever we want... |
| warrior master were quite different. Today, | | | | |
| a person enrolls in the training and, from | | | | ..the business has to prove itself. |
| day-one, the teacher says, "Fine, step this | | | | |
| way" or "do this technique like this." But, | | | | No, what I'm talking about is the difference |
| according to Hatsumi-sensei, imagine that an | | | | between someone who wants to do something |
| aspiring student, someone hoping to learn the | | | | because it "looks neat" and someone who feels |
| martial arts, comes to the dojo hoping to | | | | so compelled to do something that they will |
| train. The teacher of the dojo did not | | | | endure whatever they have to along the way to |
| accept that student immediately. He decides | | | | fulfilling that desire. |
| whether to admit him or her after watching | | | | |
| them on repeated visits, burning with the | | | | Training in Budo ("martial ways") is tough. |
| desire to become a student, and observing | | | | |
| their attitude. So, that type of person | | | | Those who lack a martial artist's insight are |
| would be accepted. | | | | either dismissed or eventually fade away. |
| | | | This is not meant to be cold or uncaring, |
| Students in the mastery leadership and SWAT | | | | it's just the way it happens. Teachers can |
| instructor training programs at Warrior | | | | see who has the potential within them and who |
| Concepts should remember that a | | | | does not... |
| recommendation was necessary and certain | | | | |
| criteria had to be fulfilled before we even | | | | ..regardless of what any one particular |
| sat down to discuss your becoming a full | | | | person says or does to try to prove |
| student under me. Still, this is different | | | | otherwise. |
| from the traditional training in that a | | | | |