I was a failure of the American system of physical education. All through school, I hated "gym  class". 

I was a skinny kid with a reputation as a "nerd" who was no good at sports. It was humiliating to be chosen last for every game, to never get the ball, to never make the team, to be unable to manage even one pull-up. My parents encouraged me to give up on sports. They were happy with my gentleman's "C" grades in phys. ed., and encouraged me to concentrate on academics.

Why, then, at age 41, am I about to reach a major milestone in physical training--by black belt in Tang Soo Do? I think the reasons lie in the differences between the Eastern and Western approaches to physical education.

Respect vs. Humiliation

Comedy movies and TV shows often portray the American Phys. Ed. teacher using humiliation to motivate athletes. While this may work with some students, it can backfire and discourage others, as it did me.

In contrast, I was always treated with respect in the dojang, even on my first visit. There was no humiliation from the instructors, even though I had little coordination, balance, or speed, and couldn't tie my white belt.

Instead they concentrated on the positive, which was that I had some level of endurance and fitness from hiking and bicycling. They made it clear that if I was willing to work hard, they were there for me.

Collective vs. Individual Focus :

American society is noted for placing the emphasis on the individual, while the group is more important in Oriental cultures. The American system of physical education is built around identifying natural talent, and nurturing those talented individuals into "star" athletes. Certain body types, such as tall basketball players, are especially prized. We pay lip service to "teamwork", but the "team" is already an elite group, and those who couldn't "make the team" are excluded.

Martial arts training, by contrast, welcomes everyone who is willing to work hard. As one of my instructors said, "There is no quota for black belts. We have enough for everyone who can earn one." That includes both genders on an equal basis, and includes students of all ages and body types. There are differences to be sure. A short, stocky fighter might be able to side kick someone across the room, while a tall fighter could drop an ax kick on someone's head. But karate is adaptable to both of them.

I think karate is so inclusive because it comes from a pragmatic defense- and warfare- oriented tradition. When your village was under attack, you couldn't say to someone, "Sorry, you're not tall enough to make the team. You can't fight alongside us." You needed to adapt and develop training methods for the people who were willing to be taught. Our weapons, adapted from broom handles and farm implements, reflect karate's pragmatic, inclusive tradition as well.

Another meaning of teamwork in karate is that the best students are expected to teach the beginners, and to help them come up through the ranks. I value all the lessons I have received from my fellow students, as well as what I have learned from my instructors.

Patience: Long-term vs. Short-term Goals :

It shouldn't be surprising that an art with a 2000-year tradition is patient and methodical in its training methods. No pressure to be fully trained in two months for Opening Day, because karate has no seasons. Everyone begins as a white belt. Fundamentals are taught and re-taught for years and years. I learned never to say "I can't", only "I can't--yet." It took me months to teach my arms to move in a simple Low Block/Center Punch combination, and it took two years before the "one-two" action of the Jump Front Kick finally "clicked". My instructors waited patiently and encouraged me the whole time.

Mind/Body Integration :

In Western thought, the mind and body are separate, and American culture divides us into "nerds" and "jocks". I definitely wasn't a jock!

In the Eastern philosophy behind martial arts, the mind and body are one. We learn mental concentration as well as how to punch. Meditation is part of our art. The tradition of great scholarship alongside rigorous physical training goes back to the monks of the Shaolin Temple and beyond.

A friend of mine in college told me that all growth is equally important, whether it is mental or physical. It does you no good to develop a fine mind, and then to have your body give out on you, so that you can no longer use that mind for yourself, or to help the people around you. Karate has been a source of profound mental and physical growth for me.

Zen and the Art of Karate :

American sports are linear and quantitative in nature, reflecting a Western way of thinking. Games start and the beginning and proceed to the end. There is a focus on the outcome, the score, which is a number by which the players can rank themselves.

Karate training is circular and qualitative, in the Eastern mode of thought. Except in tournaments, nobody keeps score. When I do a form, I know myself whether I have done my best or not, and try always to do everything better, even though I don't get a number or letter grade.

When I began training, I was a linear thinker. I thought that you started out as a white belt, and proceeded through the ranks, and that black belt was the final goal, the "end" of some sort, the purpose of training. Now I know better. Training is circular. Black belt is not the end, but the beginning of what my instructor calls "the good stuff". And higher belts are not the reason to come to class--it's the process of training itself. Each punch, each form, each one-step is the reason that I'm there.

There are similarities between karate training and other forms of physical education I have been exposed to. But there are also profound differences. I'm sure that karate has benefits to those skilled in traditional American sports, since it involves rigorous training, discipline, and concentration.

Because our art is derived from the needs of combat, it is a well-rounded form of training, placing equal emphasis on strength, speed, endurance, balance, and co-ordination.

But karate also works for those that were abandoned by the American system of physical education, such as myself. It is not based on "star athletes". I find it ironic that I am in shape for my black belt test at a time when some of the "jocks" I knew in high school, no longer sports stars, are taking on a sedentary lifestyle and gaining weight.

Through karate, I have learned to do things that I would have thought impossible when I started my training. Perhaps most importantly, I have become part of the "team" at KMAI in Hockessin. Not a "team" in the sense of "athletic elite", but rather a community that teaches, uplifts, and cares for each other.

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