Reflection on the Role and Responsibilities of a Sensei By Andy Mifflin - Student & Friend of Sensei Liam Musiak

A sensei is not just a person with a Black Belt who leads a class, telling everybody what to do and how to do it once or twice a week. Sadly, in some clubs this is very much the case. Some classes are not classes in reality but a money-making exercise, giving out false hope and endangering pupils it fools into thinking are equipped to protect themselves and/or others in the real world. This is a whole different conversation and not one for this time, as I intend to look at what I believe a Sensei is, not what it is not.

AMBASSADOR – A sensei does not just practice their martial art, they live it. It is not just for exercise, it is a whole philosophy and values that are to be applied through the way you live. To this end, they are a walking advertisement for their art, looking with everything they do to demonstrate it to others and hopefully gain their interest into finding out more about it and what it really means to practice martial arts.

TEACHER – Once somebody is interested and comes along to their first class, the sensei is a teacher. Like any other teacher, they are there to help their pupil find the way: to introduce them to kihon, the traditions and way of doing things in line with the club’s values. Giving instruction, support, and constructive criticism to help the student better understand and improve their skills, strikes, stances, kata, and all other elements of the physical forms from the style.

GUIDE – As the students progress, the sensei becomes more than just a teacher imparting knowledge. They become a guide, helping the student to find their own way through kumite, kata, and bunkai. Supporting each student to see the path that is fit for them, rather than putting them on a specific path that they must follow. Helping them to navigate their own way forward, but not to point out the specific way forward.

FRIEND – Being there to listen and understand each student as an individual, providing support and advice not just on a stance but on the way to look at problems that face them as they go through life.

FATHER – Not father as in a ‘Dad’, but a person, a caretaker responsible for the ethos and vision of the club, helping to instil the same in every student. Being there to provide understanding, support, reassurance and belief in everyone in their class, in their care. Bringing the club together in a way that it becomes a family, not just a social note in our phones calendar to practice and then go home.

BUSINESSMAN – The hard reality is that to have a successful club one has to deal with money, funds, advertising, sourcing equipment, a place to be the club’s dojo. To develop and pass on the beliefs of one’s style, one needs to be able to run a club that is viable in the world of money, rent and all the other mundane aspects of modern living.

INNOVATOR – A sensei should never believe that they know everything, that the way they learnt was the way things should be taught without deviation or change. Again, sadly in many traditional clubs this is the way. It is putting the martial art they love in formaldehyde in a jar and keeping it forever. Doing this leads to stagnation and the eventual death of the art, as it becomes rooted in the past of a world that has moved forward. To this end, the sensei needs to not only understand the art but know how to nurture it to grow, to change, to be applicable in the world it lives in. Doing this ensures its students can hopefully see the relevance in everything that they do and, in time, themselves begin to suggest changes, adaptations or create new practices to use in the world that we live in.

INSPIRATION – Through the way they live and practice, through their passion and devotion, inspire others to want to learn, to want to understand and live their martial art. To provide demonstrations, providing information, leading not necessarily from the front but as a member of a family that values everybody within it.

PROTECTOR – Again, this is not literal—walking around the local streets keeping an eye on all the students is an impossible task. Protecting their students means preparing them physically, mentally and emotionally for the time when, unfortunately, they may have to defend themselves in the real world. Just teaching a block, a punch or a kick is great, but if you do not understand that lots of other factors come into the picture in reality, things will never be as clean and simple as kicking a pad or sparring in class. Understanding that the physical form of the art is a last resort, teaching pupils to be more aware, to use intuition, understanding of behaviour, to use communication or just simply running are all preferable to a physical confrontation. Teaching the legal implications of physical interventions is essential, because if defence is used a student will most likely find themselves in a courtroom. First Aid training to help themselves and others in times of need is another way of protecting your students.