This seems like a bit of a strange topic but it is one that is closer to a lot of people than they think.

I heard a story a while ago that went like this. A mugger jumped out in front of a guy that had an British born Chinese guy with him. The guy threatened them saying "give me your wallets." The guy was pointing a knife at them but the British born Chinese guy said "you can take our wallets...but I wouldn't advise it" whilst adopting a "stance". The mugger thought 'screw it' and ran off into the night. It turned out that the guy that solved the situation knew nothing about martial arts in the slightest and used his ethnicity to solve the situation. Thats cool to a level...but also kind of odd to me.

Whilst in Japan I had a guy make a comment about my martial arts saying "oh, I bet you fight like a boxer because western guys can't use their hips." This kind of confused me and made me wonder about things. Are we all the same and cultural differences cause martial arts racism or are there distinct physiological differences between people of different geographical origin? I know that I am the kind of token massive gaijin at my dojo so I get a lot of good but weird reception, but are we all different...really?

...discuss

I imagine its similar to the assumption that anyone with a skinhead is more handy than a chap with long hair.

Westerners DO struggle to use their hips lol

shaun wrote:
Westerners DO struggle to use their hips lol
Unless they can dance

There is some generalization that some of the differences in the major martial arts are related to physiological differences of the people that founded them. I've heard Northern and Southern CMA explained like this as well as the difference in the terrain. I've never had someone tell me I don't know what I'm doing because I'm just your avg white boy, and I've never looked at someone and thought they would be good or bad at martial arts due to their race. Now that I'm thinking about it though, 2 of the best students I have are both Asian. I don't necessarily think this means much. They are both very hard working students, and I think that's all there is to it.

It's nothing to do with physiology, just cultural assumptions.
Did you know Chinese people can fly?

Did you know Chinese could fly?



haha yeah and white men cant jump!

They can if you slip a hand behind them and give 'em their Christmas goose early...

heh, Christmas goose

Martial Racism? Its funny but I see certain aspects of it as an instructor. Occassionally a studnet will choose to go to another school because the instructor is asian (less expereinced than thought) They seem to think because the instructor is asian they will get the secret stuff.

PeteMills wrote:
Did you know Chinese could fly?



haha yeah and white men cant jump!

we clearly can! you of all people should know

I agree, I think there is an element of racism within martial arts.

not only do westerners assume the eastern martial artsits are much better, but ive also heard stories of chineese wushu competetion judges giving high marks to westerns because they dont epect them to take on the chineese martial arts so readily.

I also know that in japan, one of my instructors was discriminated against within a dojo, simply because he was western, the instructor refused to teach him certain techniques.