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Today I spoke with my friend Kayle at HNL about our upcoming scrimmage, and the conversation turned to students we have trained from White Belt through Black Belt who later chose to train elsewhere. I have had the same discussion with Robert Drysdale and other experienced coaches. These conversations remind me that martial arts has always rested on respect, loyalty, and integrity, not on convenience or personal advantage. It’s in every movie, hanging on the walls of countless martial arts academies, and taught by instructors who value timeless principles. But, like I heard Helio once said, “Jiu-Jitsu and the Creontes were born together.”
Training with honesty is essential for real reasons. An instructor can only be fully responsible for a student when he knows where that student is learning, sparring, and receiving instruction. Different schools follow different systems, safety standards, and competition strategies. Mixing those paths without transparency creates confusion, increases risk of injury, and disrupts the development plan designed for you. When outside training is hidden, confidence in the instructor is weakened while the academy is still expected to answer for the results. For children, the issue is deeper. Taking a child to other programs without informing their coach teaches that loyalty is optional and that relationships can be bypassed when convenient. Martial arts is meant to build integrity, commitment, and respect for authority. Secret training teaches the opposite and demeans the teacher-student bond lowering respect and confidence that gives the relationship its value. For these reasons, any student who trains, spars, or takes classes outside of our academy is required to inform us beforehand. This is not about control; it is about responsibility. We accept full accountability for competition outcomes, technical progress, and student safety. That responsibility cannot exist when training occurs in secret. To those who left without honesty, the message is simple: actions define values. Respect that is hidden is not respect, and loyalty that depends on convenience is not loyalty. This academy will not lower its standards to accommodate secrecy. Helio’s message proves true in the end. In other words, if you can’t live up to this higher path, don’t wait until Black Belt as other dishonest and cowardly individuals across the world did. Be a man. Teach your kids honesty. Be upfront with your instructors. To those who stayed, trained openly, and trusted the process, you represent what martial arts is meant to build: character, commitment, integrity, and the achievement of high success in all areas. |
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