When I was a teenage brown belt in karate I was always told that certain tournaments would favor certain people from certain dojos. I was also told that I would have to “put in the work to earn the respect”. As I grew older, and opened my own dojo, I learned about this political side of the martial arts first hand. The first two years I had my own dojo, my students, and myself, would often not place against people from certain name dojos no matter if we were better than them or not. I can still remember the first time I took a group of students to a tournament under my own dojo’s name and how many of them came home empty handed…and, yes, there was a lot of favoritism shown that day at that event.
Even though I placed well at many events when I was that young, brown belt, teenager, as an adult black belt running my own dojo no one knew who I was, or they knew who I was through the old instructor I had that I left to open my own school. It was very frustrating to me to watch my own students who were “putting in the work” being ripped off because they were, well, my students. My former instructor was not very well liked and many people knew that he had lied to get rank and, in some cases, was self promoted to Master level rank. That had a negative affect on me as well back when I competed as a teen. There were also times I would go to tournaments and, even if my Kata was better or I was scoring on my opponents, I would not get the win just because said tournament had their favorite systems or schools.
Over the years me and my students put in the work and eventually were getting respect and no longer getting scored lower or ripped off in sparring. I always told my students two things when I, and they, knew they were being ripped off. First off I said “Put in the work, earn the respect and wins will come” and secondly I would say “There is no point in complaining about being ripped off. Get your butt back in the dojo, train to be so good that there is no way anyone could ever rip you off”. This was how I was raised in the martial arts…work hard, don’t complain, become so good that there is no question you beat your opponent and then repeat.
Anyone who says that certain tournament circuits do not have their “favorites” is lying. Every single circuit I have competed on I witnessed certain individuals winning just because of who their Sensei was or because they were good at ass kissing. I am not an ass kisser and would much rather win based on my merit and skills over rubbing elbows with certain “elite” people in an organization. I have been this way ever since I was a kid honestly. I may lose at a tournament but I will never have to worry about my integrity being questioned because I always have done my best. This is a trait that I have tried to instill in my students over the years and, for the most part, people know that about my dojo…we don’t kiss ass.
Flash forward many years later and, after having had many students win State, Regional, National and even a few World titles, the politics of martial arts are still there. I have watched people beat my students in Kata who, well honestly, were not nearly as good as them, just because they had judges on their board who didn’t like me or were part of the “good ole boy” club. I have seen the same thing happen in Kumite too. It has happened to me as well in at least two of the circuits I competed in in the last 10 or so years also.
That brings me back to the respect issue. I honestly do not believe in the put in the work and earn the respect when it comes to martial art organizations any longer. Let’s look it it this way. Back in 2006 I was inducted into the International Budo Society, a group of esteemed individuals who had accomplished a lot in the martial arts, in a certain organization. When I became a promoter for a different organization I was told, specifically, to take of the Budo Society patch. I was not told to leave that group, just that I could not wear their patch. Because I respected the president of this organization I honored his request. He then created his own elite society for his group. I was nominated, twice, and neither time did I get in…even though I had done (in some cases) 10x more than others that did get inducted. Over time the reasons why I didn’t were told to me by other members of their elite society and it was ALL POLITICAL by certain members that simply were jealous of me. Yes, you read that right, they didn’t like that I was just as good as them (or better in some cases as I had beat many of them). They also didn’t like that I got rank from my previous instructor nor that I held various levels of rank, including black belts, in other martial arts from groups they “didn’t approve of”.
Before I go on, NONE OF THOSE issues were a part of the induction criteria. Every single thing that their criteria to be inducted listed out I had accomplished…and much more. Quite simply, I didn’t kiss their asses so I was not allowed in. At first this really upset me but, over time, as learned more about these individuals and some of the others in that group I no longer cared. Why? Because they were putting people in that had not qualified, did not qualify or simply were ass kissers to highest degree. All things that I disagree with. One of their biggest issues was with my induction into the International Budo Society. Why? Because we had a patch that resembled the old Trias International Society patch. Talk about petty. Their own group which had been formed had the same type of patch, as do at least four other organizations out there. They were hateful simply because the Budo society was the first to do what they wish they had thought of first. I will also say I was not the only one told to remove the patch as I know of four other members that were told the same thing by other organizations they were a part of. Two of them did so. One refused to do so and was ejected from his group by his Sensei. The last one was the President of the Budo Society and he was told, by the same elite group’s president, that if he removed the patch he would “get in” into theirs. He refused.
My point is this…they’re all acting like children with this stupid “who is better than whom” attitude when, IN FACT, none of them are better than any other period. If they were then why did I, a Budo Society member, beat their Elite members. Enough said.
What this has led to is my reluctance to support any one organization in the martial arts because I believe they are all corrupt and play favorites based on the level of ass kissing one does. These days my dojo, and myself, simply support those we respect and are not members of any group except the Shorin Ryu Shorinkan under my Sensei. I am a lifetime member of the other groups but I no longer have my students join any of their groups. It is all a money grab anyway. You know, join up so you can get “points” at tournaments for titles and then renew and pay again every year. Speaking of titles it is important to note that there does not exist any single universal State, Regional, National or even World title in martial arts at all. There are simply way too many organizations and circuits and none of them have worked together to bring their top champions into one tournament to truly crown a title holder. This is why I don’t get impressed when someone claims to be a world champion or whatever…because I know the truth…they are only a champion in that circuit…that’s it.
Today, that same circuit that ostracized me, now pretty much will take anyone as a promoter, competitor and worse…into their society as long as they know how to kiss ass and bring a lot students to their tournaments. When I became a promoter you had to be a quality martial artist, a quality martial arts school and it was tough to win on it. These days they have at least one promoter who runs a huge mcdojo and, when his students weren’t winning on other circuits in the state, he chose to go to them. The only reason they took him as a promoter was for money. He brings quite a few students to tournaments and that just proves all they actually respect is making money…just like many other circuits out there too. This guy would have, not only never been a promoter in my day, but his students would never have won either. That’s because the level of competition now a days is not nearly as tough as it was pre-covid to be honest.
These days I could care less about what circuit, organization, patch a person has, or is a member of. I watch their actions. I pay attention to the quality of their students and their behavior and decide if I will support them based on that. A few years a back, when I attended one of my last events in that circuit with the Elite group, they called for all black belts who had been inducted into “prestigious societies” to step forward and I did. Some of their “elite” looked at me with a scowl on their face but I stood tall and proud because my Budo Society induction, along with my International Warrior Society and US Military Hall of Fame ones are just as damn good as theirs. I could care if they didn’t like that I did either because I am just as damn good as them…if not better, and I have proven that. Hell, I have been in martial arts longer than some of them by over 10 years too.
Putting a special patch on your uniform doesn’t make you great or better than others. It is just another accomplishment like earning your black belt. In my opinion, when one is inducted into a prestigious society, it means they are to be leaders and helpful to others, not look down on others. For that fact, I am glad I was never made elite since many of their members are very arrogant, rude, selfish and talk down towards others. That is not integrity, that is jealousy and part of ego which all have no place in the martial arts as I see it.
I support my students competing even though we do not train for tournaments in my dojo. If I have a student who wants to excel at competing I will help them outside of regular class hours to improve for tournaments when they ask. When they choose a tournament to go to, I will go with them and support them plus I will show up in uniform and help out the day of the event if needed. I will not, however, support certain promoters nor help them out because they never helped me out when I promoted in the same circuit. When my students compete I will make sure they know that they will face politics and might not win simply because certain judges don’t know them, like me or have their favorites, so they have to train to be better than everyone else if they want to win. That’s how I trained, that’s how I did it and that’s how I became a multi-time State, Regional, National and even World champion. I also educate them that titles, while being great to win, do not make one a great martial artist nor do they mean you are the best in the world since there are many organizations out there with their own titles. I just want my students to do their best for themselves, not to impress others. I have been this way ever since I opened my dojo back in 1991 too.
In closing, I don’t play politics, kiss ass nor will I allow my integrity to be sold out for anything. I stand strong on my Karate abilities and have proven myself 100 fold. If someone doesn’t like me simply because I wear a certain patch that is their stupidity and small minds, not mine. If someone wants to judge my students unfairly because I am their Sensei then they are not a BLACK BELT PERIOD, they are selfish, small minded moron who never learned about character and honor. As for me, well I treat everyone fairly, regardless of patch, Sensei, Circuit or whatever. If they deserve a good score they will get it. If they score a valid technique in Kumite I will award for them. If they don’t, then they don’t…but I will never rip off anyone nor score them based on anything but their OWN performance period.
Steven Franz, Shihan
Shorin Ryu Shorinkan
THE DOJO SHORINKAN 