Club Politics: It's Not About You

What's All This For, Anyway?

Virtually none of us earn our living from doing HEMA. Being good at HEMA doesn't necessarily make you a good person either. So what is the point of doing it? There certainly are more effective ways to get fit. There are other combat sports out there if you want medals. It's certainly not going to make you look cool in the eyes of society. We do it because it's fun, right? Even in stuffy koryu circles, we admit we do classical martial arts at least in part because it's fun. But is there more than the funsies?

We're In This Together

Is there a deeper purpose to our training? Certainly not for everyone, but we all have our own reasons for doing what we do. For a bit of perspective from other martial arts, the stated purpose of Kendo is to "discipline the human character through the application of the principles of the Japanese Sword". Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, said its purpose was "to strengthen body by practicing attack and defence, to complete the personality by training the mind, and finally to devote oneself to society". Kalaripayattu is practiced for "self-defence, mental & spiritual development, performances and for the preservation of a nation's intangible cultural heritage". Pretty lofty goals, yeah? I'm not too sure many HEMA clubs wax that philosophical, nor am I saying they should. However, there is one "spiritual" thing we do in HEMA very well, probably better than any other martial art: we build community.

And that's important. 

In fact, it's probably more important than the martial practice itself. If you don't feel safe or welcome in the club, you won't show up to training. If no one shows up to train, there's no club! In a collective endeavour like HEMA, community is everything. We build our interpretations with feedback from others. We hone our skills through our training partners and tournament opponents. We help people in other cities find clubs or lone practitioners. We share our experiences online and in person. Where would we be without this wonderful, strange little community?

The Role of the Individual in Koryu

In Japanese swordsmanship, there's a group of arts called "Koryu" which can be translated as "old school". It basically means arts that can trace their lineage to back before the Meiji Restoration. Kind of like if the Liechtenauer lineage had never gone extinct. I have been involved in Koryu since 2008. Koryu are often quite small. Some are practiced by only a handful of people who all know each other. Koryu is not like signing up for Karate classes. To do Karate in the West you go to a dojo, sign up, pay your dues, and in return for money you receive training. It's transactional. Joining a Koryu is different. Joining a Koryu is joining an extended family with its own traditions, and the relationships are familial rather than transactional. You don't join a Koryu to purchase training: you join a Koryu to serve it. The individual practitioner does not matter in a Koryu. The goal of the practitioner's training is not to "git gud" (though that's certainly something to strive for!), but to ensure the survival of the ryu into the next generation: In effect to become as much as possible a "living manual" and carry the traditions forward. Nothing more. The individual practitioner, when taken in context of the ryu as a whole, does not matter. You're not there to get a black belt (Koryu don't generally use dan grades anyway): you're not there to receive anything. You're there to give of yourself to something greater. Since HEMA is again, a community endeavour, I feel the same kind of thinking should more often apply in our club dynamics.

But Why Though?

Western society is hyper individualistic, probably to the point of it being maladaptive. We lionize self-reliance, being a maverick, doing things on your own, etc. We even ascribe to the myth of meritocracy as a foundational ethos to maintain the status quo. While wanting to do great things is laudable, this hyper individualism is counterproductive to the smooth functioning of a HEMA (or other) club. People often want to have the title of "coach" or "instructor", not for the point of knowing who's supposed to be doing what on training night, but for boosting their own self-esteem. Some people want to be "in charge" of something, as opposed to being responsible for something. This is a subtle but important distinction. One implies hierarchy and ego, and the other implies service, and having to answer to others. It's Ego vs. Accountability. We all know how ego can destroy things, whether relationships or empires. If you want your club to implode, focus on that ego.

Here is the Challenge:

Being egotistical is easy. All you really need to do is discount the experiences and perspectives of others while prioritizing your own. Being accountable is hard, but that's what clubs need. So here's the gig: ask yourself "Am I serving or am I trying to be in charge? Are you willing to take direction from others? Are you willing to compromise? Are you willing to give rather than receive? If so, great. If you're thinking "If only the club did things my way, it would be so much better" then you need to rethink well, everything.