Bullshido

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This article is about the term "bullshido". For a term commonly confused with bullshido, see McDojo, For the article on the website Bullshido.net, see Bullshido.net.

Bullshido is a derogatory term used by some English-speaking martial arts aficionados to describe fraudulent, deceptive, or inept martial arts teaching.^[1] It is a portmanteau of bushido, the samurai code of honor, and bullshit. Bullshido is considered to be the antithesis of bushido, and is generally applied to martial arts schools where their instructors publish pseudoscientific claims or unverifiable assertions concerning their lineage or training methods, or emphasize blatant commercialism over substance in teaching, training, personal conduct, or business dealings.

1 Origin
2 Notes
3 External links

[edit] Origin

While the term was popularized by the Bullshido.net website, there is evidence that the term was used as early as 1996. ^[2] In recent usage the bilingual portmanteau reflects a claim held by some in the martial arts community that there are those who train to learn how to fight, those who train to pretend they know how to fight, and those who claim that they can learn how to fight on the street without ever having fought in the dojo. Accused practitioners of bullshido are called “bullshidoka,” combining the term with the Japanese suffix "-ka," meaning “practitioner” (e.g. judoka, aikidoka, karateka, etc.).

In the past, the traditional martial arts community had a system of references. This system of references between different schools would effectively vouch for each other's legitimacy, allowing the community to police itself. A tradition in East Asia was that when an unknown and unreferenced school would open in a community, it would be eventually shut down by other schools nearby through direct challenges - this was a way to develop references for legitimate schools, while exposing fraudulent or ineffective schools and forcing them to close before they could harm or defraud potential students. Today, however, such practices are illegal. Because of this, anyone can learn a few techniques, invent their own style, and open a school. Sometimes the school is lent authority and prestige with the aid of 'ancient secrets', mysteriously given to the self-styled 'master'. In the process, students are potentially defrauded, all under the protection of local law enforcement agencies.

[edit] School exclusivity

One traditional practice some consider to be bullshido is the demand that students not be a part of any other martial arts school of the same style during their tenure at the school, without permission from the instructor.^[3] Some schools prohibit training in another style altogether.^[4]^[5]^[6] Proponents of this regulation believe that learning multiple types of martial arts simultaneously will interfere with the clear transmission of information from the teacher to student.^{[citation needed]} However, opponents hold that as consumers students have the right to pursue whatever endeavors they wish, and that they are only obligated by the school's code of conduct while taking classes at the school. Some opponents also point out that such a rule often exists to minimize the possibility the school's methods or quality of instruction will be seen as being inferior to others'.^[7]

[edit] Impractical training methods

Bullshido is also said, by proponents of the concept, to consist of training methods that are impractical if they are used outside of the context of the bullshido school. Noted martial artists such as Bruce Lee and Jon Bluming have asserted that board-breaking and kata (forms) are of limited benefit towards actual fighting proficiency and often used as "filler" to occupy class time. This view is very common in modern mixed martial arts or combat sport circles as well. These critics maintain that such ancillary activities often become the focus of one's martial arts training at the expense of learning how to implement the techniques in a realistic situation. They suggest that the best means to prepare to use one's skills in a realistic situation is through the use of full or hard contact, non-stop sparring with which students' current skill levels can be realistically evaluated.^[7]

Advocates of methods such as board-breaking assert that these training methods have a valid place in martial arts. Particularly with younger students, accomplishments such as being able to break one or more boards can serve as a tangible sign of accomplishment as they advance in skill or rank. In regards to kata, some advocates claim that kata serve a purpose similar to that of shadowboxing in combat sports; the solo practice of techniques can help focus a student's concentration on proper form and execution against an imaginary opponent. Modern practitioners of martial arts have less issue with these training methods when they are supplemental to intense sparring, rather than as a substitute (which is viewed as bullshido).^{[citation needed]}

[edit] False/exaggerated lineage

A common but harmful practice considered to be bullshido is the use of a fictitious or exaggerated lineage to prominent figures in martial arts in order to boost the school's image. Such claims of lineage are typically unverifiable, whereas training under a legitimate school can easily be verified. A variation on this is where legitimate training under notable tutelage is exaggerated - for example, Matt Furey, a former wrestler who markets his own conditioning program, claims that he studied wrestling under the famous wrestler/instructor Karl Gotch for two years - but careful scrutiny indicates that his time was closer to five months, and that he had rarely been directly trained during this time.^[8]

Some schools of Asian martial arts^[who?] in the West take advantage of the fact that few Westerners can consult people or verify documents in Japanese, Chinese, or other languages. A further deception in conjunction with this is claiming a lengthy lineage that cannot be proven because of a radical historical event that destroyed records or information (for example, a person teaching a Japanese martial art claiming that all records of their art were destroyed in WWII), so that when no record is found, there is a ready explanation.^{[citation needed]}

Given these and other difficulties in verifying the legitimacy of one's claimed experience, many people have created their own styles of martial arts and declared themselves as the founder and master of that system. The widespread emergence of self-styled soke is pejoratively known as Sokemon, which is a play on the words "Sōke" and "Pokémon."^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Developing tremendous or mystical abilities from training

The conditioning resulting from rigorous martial or physical training can allow a person physical abilities beyond those of the average person. However, some will exaggerate the ease of gaining these abilities, or make outrageous claims that do not hold up in reality.^[9] For example, some martial artists will claim that their training can give them powers of telekinesis, creating an energy projectile to use against opponents (e.g. Jacques-Jean Quero, pretending having telekinetic abilities) or the ability to become invisible. In Ashida Kim's book The Secrets of the Ninja^[10] he states:

"Ninjitsu is not a magical technique that will enable you to disassemble your body and reassemble yourself somewhere else. It will not change the structure of the body, making it transparent. The Art of Invisibility consists of skills employed to make yourself unseeable."

Some arts or systems claim to enable their students to successfully fight against multiple opponents, armed opponents, opponents much larger than them in size, against opponents in an unfavorable situation, or combinations of opponents after a very short period of training, ranging from hours to weeks to months.^{[citation needed]}