Some articles and resources

My own searches and some emails from others have revealed that there are more than a few people who have been thinking about personality issues within the martial arts. Also, there are some ways of thinking about behaviour in the martial arts that can be directly compared with other areas of life, such as business. Some of these links are below.


Ego in the martial arts. This is a brief article about approaches to teaching in the martial arts, and how sometimes it can go a bit wrong.

Psychopaths and how to spot them. This is a brief artcile based on the work of Robert Hare, the essentially 'wrote the book' on what true psychopaths are and how to spot them. It's aimed at the business world but there's a lot of crossover.

Another blog on the relative merits or otherwise of martial artists around the world, this one based in Britain, from the point of view of 'real world martial arts'. A quote I liked from this one is:

"Many martial artists today (I do not include those involved in the combative sports of MMA, boxing, Muay Thai, judo, wrestling, etc.) have much in common with the samurai of the Tokugawa Era. This is not surprising, as much of the method, rationale, and moral principles they have been taught were drawn from traditions of that period. These people were raised in a relatively non-violent, non-threatening environments and the majority of them can’t fight, yet nevertheless they engage in practices and boast of grades, titles, and accreditations which are meant to suggest that they can. They are always referring to fighting ability, deeds, and morality of the samurai of the past, as well as to the contemporary masters whom they believe also possess these qualities. And they are forever going on about the importance of moral behaviour and decorum within the dojo, life, and even in a fight."

The same blog has a good discussion of personal boundaries and honesty.

This page has an extremely interesting take on the samurai and budo in histortical context, as well as links regarding the state of modern martial arts and artists. Notes on the foundations of the modern concept of the samurai and the place of homosexuality in historical samurai culture are particularly interesting.

The Olympus saga in Japan is an interesting case. We see there some of the same principles at work as are being promoted with Komei Juku - don't ask questions; don't speak out; do what you're told; copy everyone slavishly - and everything will be alright. We see at Olympus that the former CEO blew the whistle on criminal practices, and was sacked by his own board - the same board now looking to be headed for prison as a group. One of the interesting features of this interpretation of Japanese culture is that one can apologise - but only after being caught red-handed and shown be be guilty beyond any doubt.

An article about the weird psychological corners that we can get ourselves into when we follow a martial art makes for good reading. How open is your thinking? This is a chapter from the book Martial Arts and Philosphy.