Respect is such an important part of martial arts training. First and foremost, respect is due to the students of martial arts because it is their desire to learn that keeps the arts alive. Secondly, students must respect one another in order to train safely and effectively. Lastly, the students must respect the teacher for his/her experience and effort as an instructor.
Sadly, this last kind of respect is often abused or over-emphasized in martial arts relationships. Respect should always be mutual, no matter how skilled the teacher. In the West, we tend to dramatize the teacher-student relationship. Many instructors use this fact to ask too much of their students or take too much credit for their accomplishments. Although it is true that a good student who has a highly skilled teacher will naturally excel beyond a good student with an average or mediocre instructor, it is always the student’s efforts over time that create skillful martial artists. For example, in the years that Bruce Lee had schools and taught martial arts classes, there are probably less than 10 of his students who actually took their training seriously enough to become highly skilled themselves. These individuals excelled not just because they had Bruce Lee as their example, but because they pushed themselves beyond where most people could go.
A great student will emulate his/her teacher to a point, but more due to coincidence than pure intention. It is natural for a student to try to be like her teacher because that is how learning takes place in the beginning phases. However, most renown martial artists in history (and in modern times) have become known for their creativity and originality, not for their teacher’s ability alone. All teachers deserve our respect, but they are not the only reason we can succeed as students.
At some point, the romantic notion of the master-student relationship boils down to a progression of development which leads to the student becoming autonomous. The point of training is not to glorify the teacher, it is to refine the student and lead him/her to their own path. All students who have the desire should be encouraged to become masters (or teachers) of their own style, not merely shining examples of their teacher’s methods.
My goal as an instructor is to give my students a strong foundation (a beginning) and to help guide them as their skills develop. I want my students to develop beyond where I can take them. I do not have all the answers, and my method is not the only one that works. I respect my students as much as I respect my teachers, we all work hard to develop our skills.
