Martial Art Movies
| Karate Kid and true masters |
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Karate Kid and authentic martial arts
Karate Kid is a very interesting film: not only because it is entertaining as it shows the prodigal martial arts master, old, weak and wise yet seemingly invincible; but also because it makes a distinction between the fake competition arts of the west, and the authentic martial art of Miyagi, Miyagi-Do.
There is an irony where Miyagi finds Daniel learning Karate from a book: "Learn from book - ahh". When Miyagi defends Daniel saving him from the group of bullies, Daniel asks Miyagi what belt he has, Miyagi points to his belt. Authentic martial arts has to do with the family of martial arts, with one teacher passing it down to a student through personal contact the way Miyagi does to Daniel, not with impersonal ranks and organisations.
Miyagi is from the founding family of Karate, and true martial arts has always been something passed down in a martial arts family in the asian world. This is the real art, and the only way to learn this art is to be either the son or a close disciple of the lineage holder. The real art is not taught outside, like the things that the vioent boys learn in their competition oriented schools. This same theme comes back in Karate Kid 3, where Daniel says the Karate he has is from Miyagi.
The film pays tribute to the spirit of martial arts and the relationship between a true teacher and his student. Miyagi helps Daniel to build and strengthen his own character by looking inside and with practice becoming truer to himself. The other martial artists try to impose a fixed way on their students, often repressing the student's own character, in an army-like way. Trainer [] tells his students to have no mercy; to become bad human beings even if they themselves are not quite that bad.
Karate Kid is a tribute to true martial arts, and the beautiful relationships that can result from practice.
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