| LOYALTY AND CROSS TRAINING - A RESPONSE Letter to the Publisher of the Human Weapon regarding an article titled “An Essay On Courtesy, Respect, and Loyalty.” |
| To the Publisher, Although this article contained may fine points, I feel compelled to comment on the following portion of the article, “Some students have shown a lack of loyalty by . . . training in other martial arts.” Although I am aware that various senior ranks in the USTF and ITF may say that training in other martial arts is disrespectful or disloyal, I must take exception to this statement. There are various reasons expressed for not training in other martial arts. Some of these are: |
| You can not be loyal to more than one master; Time spent training in other martial arts detracts from the time energy that students can devote to learning and practicing Taekwon-Do; Training in more than one art can be confusing. |
| Knowing that certain senior ranks hold to this philosophy, I asked General Choi, following the 1990 instructor’s course in Colorado, his opinion about learning other martial arts. While I do not recall his exact words, he drew an analogy between martial arts and other arts, saying that just because someone learns painting does not mean they should not also learn sculpture. He then added, “but first master Taekwon-Do”. This last part drew chuckles from the audience because how many of us can ever hope to master Taekwon-Do? Should we ignore part number 7 of the “Instructor’s responsibility with regard to the Student-Instructor Relationship?” i.e. “Students should be encouraged to visit other Dojangs and study other techniques. Students who or forbidden to visit other gyms are likely to become rebellious. There are two advantages for allowing the students to visit other gyms; not only is there the possibility that the student may observe a technique that is ideally suited for him, but he may also have a chance to learn by comparing his techniques to inferior techniques.” I don’t recall this part of the “Instructor’s responsibility” being limited to Taekwon-Do Gyms. If another art or gym offers something that I do not have the time or facilities to teach, or that most of my students may not be interested in (such as weapons or full contact sparring) then I believe it is the student’s right to learn these things also. |
| As for being loyal to more than one Master, this may very well be no more difficult than being loyal to two parents. In today’s society multiple loyalties (i.e. parents, children, spouse, martial arts) is the norm, rather than the exception. Conflicts can and do arise, but they are generally dealt with in the due course of events, with little difficulty. While time spent training in other martial arts will detract from the time and energy available to learn and practice Taekwon-Do, the same can be said for any other activity. Should we not hunt, fish, paint, play a musical instrument, spend time with our families or work because it detracts from our Taekwon-Do training? World class competitors may eliminate most activities except training when getting ready for a competition, but even these people only do this for a limited periods during what should be a lifelong calling in Taekwon-Do. Should we not be well-rounded individuals? If we never have any experience with another martial art how can we hope to appreciate its strengths and weaknesses so that we may deal with them appropriately should the need arise? Sun Tzu states in The Art of War: |
| “So it is said that if you know others and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not others and do not know yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.” |
| Should we think less of our seniors who have, or are training in other martial arts as disloyal? If we are prohibited from training in other martial art, where does the prohibition end? Should we not read books or magazine articles about other martial arts? If a television show or movie has a martial arts scene should we stop watching? While training in more than one art can be confusing, whether or not it actually be confusing depends on the individual, their level of experience and the arts practiced. Does the potential for confusion justify an outright ban on this practice or dictate that such practice is disloyal? As is often said with philosophies that prohibit the acquisition of knowledge, once you start down the slippery slope that the philosophy would have you travel, you may begin an uncontrollable slide into the abyss before you realize the danger of the path you have taken. I believe that people who go to seminars to see what other arts have to offer and seek instruction on other arts show desirable traits of initiative and desire to learn. I hope that people whose views differ from mine (both seniors and juniors) accept this as s respectful difference of opinion. I am aware of their different philosophy and accept it as part of what they are, just as my philosophy is a part of what I am. As someone once said, “If two people agree on everything, then one of them is unnecessary.” |
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| By Master Earl Weiss December 1997 |