Earlier this month an Aikido instructor from Helena, Montana was arrested for inappropriate contact with a minor. This was the second arrest involving the same girl. The first was earlier this year.

I have met the instructor, and I know people who have trained with him. As for his martial skills, he was very talented. His years of training in Japan showed. I had only heard positive things about him until now.

It saddens me each time I see a martial artist in the news for committing a crime. It is even worse when the individual is an instructor of the arts. Sure, I recognize that martial artists are human, and with any group you will have the bad apples. But when it is part of "your" group, you feel a bit worse. I feel the same when attorneys break laws and do things to discredit the profession. However, I've practiced martial arts for many more years than I've practiced law, and while law is my profession right now, martial arts and warriorship are part of who I am.

I've always believed that those of us that teach others martial arts need to be held to a higher standard. We are teaching people how to possibly hurt or kill others. With this comes the responsibility to ensure these skills are not misused. This must go beyond just telling students, "Only use your martial art training for self-defense."

Warriors must adhere to a higher standard. Character is essential. Character development should be prominent in an instructor's teachings. You must study and teach the qualities that make up the character of the warrior. More importantly, you must live by these traits and ensure that they become who you are inside. These traits include honesty, discipline, honor, and integrity among others. They must be developed through study and training. They must be lived. If you instruct, they must be passed on to those you teach.

A couple of months ago I was training with my instructors in South Korea. During one conversation, Kim Hyun told me, "You must think right, speak right, and be right in the heart." He continued, "A teacher is very important, students always see. You must always do right." This was a much more valuable lesson than the techniques he taught in the training hall. These words have much wisdom and are extremely important for anyone who trains in the warrior arts. They are essential for those who teach.

I know that we all make mistakes. We all falter. Warriors are no exception. However, as Richard Strozzi Heckler wrote in his book In Search of the Warrior Spirit, "The path of the warrior is lifelong, and mastery is often simply staying on the path." Warriorship is a journey, not a destination. Stay on the path.

All of us that practice martial arts, all modern warriors, must live by the warrior’s code. We must all live with discipline, honor, and integrity. We must live it and we must teach it.

Here is a video by a friend of mine, Bohdi Sanders. I find it inspiring to watch and the lessons contained mean so much more if you chose to think about them, but more importantly, apply them to your life. - Alain

This last weekend Aiki Productions filmed a new DVD set with Shawn Kovacich. Shawn is the author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence series of books. You can find out more about these books and other products here:

https://www.chikara-kan.com/

Shawn's books are also available from amazon.com and B&N website.

The DVD set we filmed last weekend will compliment his first 10 books on kicking execution. You will notice on his site that he is working on new books regarding the application of kicks and defending against kicks. Aiki Productions will be producing DVDs to accompany those books later this year as well.

Shawn was a complete professional during the video shoot and came well prepared. We are excited about this project and looking forward to working with Shawn on future projects as well.

Stay tuned for information regarding the DVD's release, which should be before the end of the year.

Wishing everyone a Happy 4th of July if you are in the U.S. and a great weekend for everyone else around the world.