The Importance of Ethics and what separates FMK Karate from other Karate Schools

This has taken some elements from a paper I wrote as an inspirational article to the students at FMK Karate. There has been a lack of involvement over the summer and early fall months. We had to call to "ethical" arms. I am exceedingly proud of my karate school and it totally shows.
I hope you enjoy it.

P.S. For the 2 people who will actually read this you are freaking awesome. :)

The Importance of Ethics and what separates FMK Karate from other Karate Schools

By James Richtsmeier

At FMK karate, we as a school go out of our way to make sure that no student is left behind. Everyone that enters the door of our dojo is treated with respect and given as much personal attention as they need. Sensei treats us as he himself would want to be treated. As conscientious students, we should never take this for granted. When we treat others well, it reinforces the ethical values of our school and the truth of what karate is all about.

How I was treated on my first visit to our dojo has been a major reason that I am still an active student in this school today. Surprisingly, most people do not know that my enrollment at FMK was due to a happy accident. I moved to Binghamton and had started my job as a Computer administrator. One evening, I went to my aunt’s house for dinner. My cousin Pierce walked in wearing a karate Gi. He was bursting about how much fun he was having at FMK Karate, and showed us what he had learned of the white belt kata Taikyoku Shodan. He seemed very proud of himself and what he had learned. I was so impressed with Pierce’s reaction to the school; I had to see it for myself.

I can still feel that same level of excitement in the dojo that I did on that very first day. The moment I walked through the main door, I knew that this was no ordinary karate dojo. All of my preconceived notions and ideas about karate schools were shattered. I thought that most karate schools were designed to be exceedingly hard on their students.

Essentially the Sensei or students of rank would break you down, humiliate you, and then proceed to beat the tar out of you. Hopefully if you survived and had all of your digits intact, you would learn something about karate.

This was definitely not the case at FMK Karate. What I saw at the FMK dojo was profound. Students of all ages were practicing and learning together. The instructors were kind, patient and good people. Everyone was just asked to try hard and do their best. The students were always praised when they did something correctly. I was so impressed that everyone was having fun while they were learning. I knew it was the right place for me to study karate. I still feel the same way. Because of this, my reasons for staying with FMK karate have changed very little. I hope that all of the students at FMK had a similar experience on the first day I started. We are very lucky to be enrolled in a school that places such a high priority on good manners and ethical behavior.

Unfortunately some of our former students did not appreciate our schools emphasis on moral values and ethical behavior and have truly missed out on an exceedingly valuable opportunity to learn and further themselves. Why would you study karate somewhere were you are not important? Leaving our school has only left them demoted and stripped of all of the valuable knowledge and rank they have attained. Why would you throw all of that away? Why would you do this? Most karate schools do not really care about who you are or what you learn. The sad truth is these “Mac-dojos” do not have any concerns about their students. They are just concerned about how much money or profit they can make.

At FMK Karate we students are fortunate that we are so well cared for. A large portion of dojos in our area are run by black belts with a moderate amount of experience and do not know half as much about the study of karate as Frank Kushner. He is a Grand Master who spent most his life training in a dojo that showed little or no concern for the well being of its members. Our Sensei has a fountain of knowledge and experience when it comes to karate. His school was set up so that he could teach karate in a positive healthy environment. The methods taught in our school produce the best results possible but require a great deal of time, effort, and devotion.

All of this hard work results in a plethora of benefits such as heightened mental awareness, strength, flexibility, self confidence and good health. I urge you to stay actively involved at FMK karate. Come to class as often as you can and DON’T QUIT! Do not be impatient with your progress, as it takes time to produce superior results. Most students can not visualize their martial arts education going beyond a first degree black belt. This is a very common mistake. The rank of black belt is not the end of karate training it is truly just the beginning. Master Oyama, in his book “This is Karate” states, "1-2 out of every 100 students reach Black Belt and of those only 1 out of every 1,000 achieves his 2nd Dan.” Students need to understand that belt rank is no where near as important as how much time, devotion and effort you give to the study of karate and the level of support a student gives to their dojo. Students who wish achieve a higher rank have to stay on track and make time for karate whenever possible; otherwise all of the knowledge and experience that are gained will be lost. Advancement comes to those who practice diligently, put forth a great deal of effort and are actively involved in their dojo community. Remember that karate has to be a part of you.

We students make up the core foundation of our dojo. If you are a student at FMK you should know that you are an important part of our school and we need you here! Please be sure to tell others about the positive experiences that you have at our school. We all are so important and can truly make a difference in our community. Positive feedback benefits our schools reputation and shows others the truth of what karate is really all about. The ideal goal of Karate and FMK is to make its students very ethical human beings who help to make the world a better safer place. “The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants.” (Master Gichin Funakoshi)