I have met in-person, interacted with online, and read about, many martial arts instructors who (to varying degrees) attach themselves to the label of "sensei". I believe that an uncomfortable percentage of them fail to live up to the type of wise, benevolent, and selfless, behaviour that is supposedly expected or implied by what popular culture has come to understand from a "sensei", and certainly those same individuals would not be appropriate role-models to imitate.
I think there are a number of pitfalls associated with the label, and it's not always entirely the fault of the person that they find themselves being tripped up by these, but I have reached a very strong conclusion that I am just not a "sensei" kind of guy.
In this post I'd like to cover some of those pitfalls and why I feel using this term has become a trap.
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It May Replace Your Identity
If you encourage, cajole, or even insist on always being referred to as "sensei" instead of using your name (particularly if you do so not only during classes but off the mat or in daily life) then it can start to feel like this label becomes your identity.
Once you become a title and not a person it isn't much of a stretch before the idealised version of who that title supposedly represents in your mind may begin to exert psychological pressure on you to live up to it, or at least present a version of yourself that tries to match the expectations that come with it.
Others who interact with you as "sensei" instead of as a person may also apply social pressure through their expectations or words, adding to the impression that you must be a particular way or act in a certain manner to be what they imagine "sensei" to be.
On the one hand, maybe that sounds like it could be a good thing, particularly if the label or title comes with high standards of an ethical, moral, or skill-based nature - striving to meet standards is good, right?
Perhaps that will be true, but social and/or psychological pressures can do very strange things to a person and pretending to be someone you are not is a strain, so I'd say care must be taken not to over commit.
Avoiding this is as simple as regularly reminding yourself and others that you're a flawed human being just like them.
It Could Encourage "Skill Creep"
As an instructor you should (hopefully) have appropriate experience and knowledge in the martial art(s) you lead classes for, along with professional certifications in coaching, first aid, safeguarding and other related supporting topics. It would be appropriate to be seen as someone to approach for guidance and support within these areas, but sometimes it can be tempting to imagine that you know everything there is to know about these topics or that your expertise can extend to other things simply because you are "the person to ask". I would call this "skill creep".
No-one can know everything about everything, and as tempting as it feels to present the image that you can answer all questions, this can also lead to pressure to overstate your understanding or overreach by providing answers to questions you have insufficient background in to give safe and accurate results.
I think that care must be taken to be transparent about what experience and qualifications you have and to be honest with yourself and others about what limits those give to the advice and guidance you can offer.
An example I have seen many times is an instructor in one martial art explaining (in a manner that suggests an authoritative understanding but without any evidence of experience or qualification) how an aspect of a different martial art or sport works. Yet another would be the provision of medical advice, which should most certainly be left to medical professionals.
It Might Stall Your Own Growth & Learning
Similar to the belief that you have to be able to answer all questions about everything, you might start to believe that as a "sensei" you have a complete understanding (or maybe that are the only one who has a true understanding) of the martial art(s) you instruct in. If this is true, why would you need to strive to learn more?
Similarly if your understanding is beyond that of all others, why would you listen to or learn from your peers and students?
This sentiment can make it difficult for an instructor to accept feedback or criticism and can damage their ability to self-assess and be self-aware. Hopefully you can see how this type of thinking could easily lead to stagnation.
To avoid this I believe that instructors need to keep an open mind. They should constantly hold themselves accountable to explain or challenge their own viewpoints, and push themselves to hear, understand, and analyse what others (including their own students!) say. Finally they should always be looking for ways to improve themselves professionally and technically.
It Creates a Divide That Could be Abused
There are times when an instructor must ensure that their directions are followed; after-all they have responsibility for health and safety within their classes and a duty of care to all participants.
In circumstances related to those topics it's important that everyone follows their lead so having a degree of hierarchy established such that the instructor is recognised as having the authority to enable them to fulfil those responsibilities is appropriate, but once again I feel this is an area where an individual could overstep their bounds.
If that same degree of deference to authority is taken beyond where it is necessary, perhaps even to the level at which a "sensei" is placed on a pedestal (or seen as infallible) then I think this is where problems can arise and the chances of that authority being abused increase significantly.
Some widely-known instructors can even gain something of a limited celebrity status, so-called "rockstar shihan", and this is an even more dangerous situation as it could lead to the same kind of blind loyalty or fan-worship that plagues public figures of all kinds (and everything that comes with that).
Regardless, if the student vs instructor hierarchy is established too strongly and with a remit that is too broad it can lead to students blindly following all instructions and instructors who start to believe they have a right to issue commands that may be wildly inappropriate.
Often I have seen this type of situation manifest as instructors leveraging students as unpaid labour or as an excuse by the instructor to dole out emotional abuse to satisfy their own ego at the expense of their students wellbeing.
Closing Thoughts
I feel each of these potential pitfalls on their own could be fairly harmless in isolation (especially if not present in an advanced or extreme form), but in combination they can add up and feed off of each other to develop into a serious ego issue that can be hard for anyone to step away from.
Ultimately the use of the label "sensei" doesn't necessarily mean these problems will arise and, conversely, the absence of it doesn't mean these problems can be ignored, but my personal view is that I would rather not be associated with the type of person "sensei" has come to represent in today's popular culture and I will endeavour to approach management of these pitfalls in my own, personal, human, flawed way.
I hope that this perspective can add to your own and please feel free to share any thoughts it inspired in the comments.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post.
- Graeme
All content is subject to a disclaimer which explains the context in which all views are expressed.
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