Mr. Han putting Dre through his paces

Last weeks post 10 Lessons Learned from the Karate Kid Movie got the ball rolling. We came up with ten more life lessons learned from watching this movie. Thanks to all who contributed.

Lesson #11—Focus on the task at hand. By constant drilling and practising, you are gaining “muscle memory”, so even the simple things like putting a jacket on and taking it off in a certain way will become second nature, becoming life skills we can use without even thinking. Contributed by Tayla Meath.

Lesson #12—Never judge a book by its cover. The old mild-mannered maintenance man is not what he appears to be; a kung fu expert. Mr. Han was clearly capable of doing more than just “fixing a tap”. How would you ever know? Contributed by Wendy Leeming.

Lesson #13—Balance is important in life. You cannot always just work, work, work. Dre pulled Mei Ying away from her music practice for a few hours, which re-charged her spirit and helped her relax during her stressful audition. You need rest and social time to balance out your hard work. Contributed by Sinem Kileci.

Lesson #14—What you name a movie contributes to its success. Although this movie was about kung fu, not karate, the name Karate Kid taps into the success of the earlier movie. The older generation, now parents of children who will see the movie, are very familiar with it. Contributed by Grant Hogan.

Lesson #15—Everyday movements can contribute to what we learn in class. Putting on the jacket, avoiding something thrown at you, or waxing a car (first Karate Kid Movie) can make martial arts movements second nature. Contributed by Nathan McCarney.

Lesson #16—Honour your word. If you say you are going to do something, do it. Dre promised to attend Mei Ying’s audition. Despite great hardship, he got there. He was true to his word.

Lesson #17—The only person you need to control is yourself. The wise Mr. Han counseled Dre on this. Dre could not control what the bullies or Mei Ying’s parents did or thought, but he could control what he did. A wise person does not worry about what is out of his or her control.

Lesson #18—The teacher can learn from the student. Mr. Han learned a lot about living life from Dre. He put some of his sadness about the past aside and put his energy into the building of Dre’s spirit.

Lesson #19—The martial arts can teach you respect and manners. Mr. Han did not like how Dre showed a lack of respect for his mother. By forcing Dre to do the jacket drill, he was also teaching him to have better manners and respect for his mom, and the importance of doing the right thing.

Lesson #20—The martial arts can build your confidence. Dre’s mother was amazed by the difference in his confidence at the end of the movie. The martial arts is about getting out of your comfort zone, which builds your self esteem and self confidence.

Sensei Matt Klein

Find out more about our Sydney kids karate classes

Dre with Mr. Han

I saw the Karate Kid Movie a few days ago. Really enjoyed it. As a kids karate sensei, I decided to look for positive things in the movie. Since there are so many lessons to be learned about life in this movie, I listed them. The list is called 10+ for a reason. I am giving you, my readers, a head start. I would like to make this list 20 Lessons Learned from the Karate Kid Movie. I put this challenge out to all of you. Pick your brains and contribute some more lessons and together we will build the world’s most awesome list of lessons learned from this movie–our list.

Lesson #1–Adapt to the circumstances. Dre and his mother moved to another land far away and with a different language. Although very difficult to adapt under these circumstances, Dre found a way. He started making friends and learning the language.

Lesson #2–Sometimes you have to fight to keep a friendship alive. Dre and Mei Ying had many challenges in their friendship. Their friendship was opposed by Mei Ying’s parents and by Cheng, the bully, and his crowd. Nevertheless they valued each others friendship enough to perservere.

Lesson #3–Everyone has their moments of weakness. Mr. Han was idolized by Dre. Even so, Mr. Han had his own demons. Mr Han’s weakness was exposed in the car scene. The victim of a tragedy involving his family, he was unable to overcome the grief.

Lesson #4–Grief and sadness can be overcome by throwing yourself into your training. Dre was wise enough to know what would drag Mr. Han out of his grief–focus on training.

Lesson #5–When blocking, be powerful and strong. Your first move in a self defence situation, usually a block, has to be strong to be effective. Mr. Han illustrated this with Dre.

Lesson #6–Life will knock us down, but we can choose to get back up. There will always be setbacks in life, but how we react to them is the true test of our character. Dre chose to rise to the challenge.

Lesson #7–A warrior’s spirit is not forged in one day. The hours upon hours Dre spent with Mr. Han, the relentless jacket drill, and the other brutal training methods are what forged Dre’s spirit.

Lesson #8–By confronting our fears we overcome the fear itself and gain respect from others. By facing Cheng and the others in the ring, Dre overcame his fear of them and earned the respect of Master Li’s kung fu school.

Lesson #9–Trust in your teacher. The sensei has many more years of training than you. You must follow his or her advice without question if you are to progress in the martial arts. Dre did not see the wisdom of the jacket drill at first, but he persisted because he trusted Mr. Han. Finally at the end of his rope, Dre understood the value of the drill when Mr. Han showed him how it worked in a real self defence situation.

Lesson #10–There are no bad students, only bad teachers. So true, as Master Li was affecting every student in his organization with his poisonous attitude. Every one of his students was once a white belt and had the potential to be a good person, if only guided by the right teacher.

Ok everyone, there’s the first ten. Bring it on!

Sensei Matt Klein

Find out more about our Sydney kids karate classes

Is this Movie too Violent for Young Children ?

There has been a fair bit of controversy surrounding the Karate Kid Movie 2010. Despite the debate as to whether this film is suitable for children to view, many youngsters will see it. You have to decide for yourself whether your child is mature enough to deal with the violence in it. As a kids karate sensei, I would like to make suggestions on how to view this movie, and how to discuss it with your child.

First off, violence sells in Hollywood. MMA is so popular because people want to see real fighting action, maybe even someone getting hurt. Sometimes more violence than necessary is shown to make a movie dramatic and sell tickets. The consequences of such violence are not shown either. Missing teeth, broken bones and other serious injuries are not portrayed accurately by Hollywood because it is too gory. The pain and trauma is also not shown because it is too confronting to viewers.

Look for Other Solutions to Conflict

Realize that fighting is not the way to solve our problems. There are many better ways of resolving conflict other than violence, and the first is communication—talking it over. Could the differences between the characters in this movie have been resolved in a better way?

The bullies in this movie, like the original Karate Kid Movie, trained in dojos that taught glorification of violence. This is extremely rare in the martial arts world, but it makes the movie more dramatic, because there has to be a bad guy in this story to make it interesting. The vast majority of martial arts instructors teach respect and avoidance of violence.

The tournament in this movie, just like the first, is not even close to what an actual martial arts tournament is like. Realise there are rules in tournaments and they are designed to prevent injury. There is also mandatory protective equipment worn in tournaments. If tournaments were run like this no one would ever attend them.

Try to Find Good Lessons in this Movie

Look for good in this movie. Try to find lessons to be learned about life in the story. Try to put yourself in the different actors’ positions in this movie and see where they are coming from. Is there peer pressure amongst the bullies? Was the bully brainwashed by his instructor? Was he racist? Who taught him to be racist?

Try to see how another culture lives from day to day. Remember, different is not always better or worse—it is just different, and that differences in language, food, and customs is what makes life interesting. How interesting would the world be if we were all the same? Look for common threads as well, as there are many western influences in China today. Is the western way of life always the best? Look for the beauty in the scenic sense, and also in the people and how they live. Remember, the martial arts originated in this part of the world.

What lessons did you learn from this movie? I am very interested to hear from you. If you reveal too much about the outcome, I might have to edit your comment, so we don’t ruin the movie for other people who may want to see it. Please keep this in mind.

Note: Since I wrote this post Sue over at My Journey to Black Belt has reviewed the movie in a different light. Although I disagree with her on many aspects of the movie, we agree on others. It is well worth your reading, for a well-balanced view. While there, check out her blog–it is an excellent martial arts site.

Sensei Matt Klein

Find out more about our Sydney kids karate classes

Karate vs. Kung Fu

Who would win between a karate kid and a kung fu kid? With the release of the latest Karate Kid movie, which should have been named the “Kung Fu Kid”, every child is asking this question.

As a Kenpo karate instructor, I might be expected to be biased. But the first point I want to make is, it does not matter which you study. What is most important is that you find a great martial arts instructor who can motivate you to be your best.

Kenpo karate wheel kicks

There are only so many ways you can strike with your hands or feet (or elbows and knees for that matter). Many of the tools are the same, they just call them different things. Take the kicks for example. In Kenpo they call it a wheel kick, in kung fu a roundhouse kick. They are the same kick. The front snap kick is almost identical between karate and kung fu. This is not surprising since karate was derived from kung fu in China and from Te on the island of Okinawa centuries ago.

The kung fu roundhouse kick

In general, the karate kid utilises a straight ahead linear power attack, with the idea of a one-strike knockout. The karate kid will usually stand in a deeper stance. The kung fu kid moves in a circular motion using parries to redirect attacks, in a more upright boxer-like stance. But keep in mind there are dozens of different styles within both karate and kung fu that vary widely in stances and techniques. With a skilled practitioner, kung fu and karate are equally effective. In over 20 years of competing and coaching open tournaments, I have seen many champions of both martial arts. There has been no clear victor in this battle.

Kenpo karate, the style we teach, is unique in that it is a mixture of the hard powerful linear movements of karate and the soft, graceful, flowing, circular movements of kung fu.

Which One for You ?

Don’t get caught up in the hype surrounding this movie. If you are sincere about becoming a karate kid or kung fu kid, pay a visit to the local martial arts studio, whatever type it may be, and make a judgement for yourself which style is the best for you.

In conclusion, there is no winner—they both are equally effective if the practitioner is a highly-skilled martial artist.

Sensei Matt Klein