Toxic people, whether they are blissfully unaware of their negative impact on others or happily satisfied by the chaos they create, they all bring unwanted strife, complexity and stress to our lives. Recognising toxic people is pretty straightforward and we understand the importance of it in order to be healthy and have a happy existence. But what about recognising gyms with toxic environments?
Abuse happens
Back in December Kimberley Kaye published an article on www.jiujitsutimes.com that opened my eyes to a reality I hadn’t thought about before. As she explained a truly disturbing video leaked by a student showed what seemed “to be ritualised abuse of an unidentified white belt at the hands of high ranking gym members during training”. Regardless of gym’s name, location or perpetrators’ identities, that was, in my opinion, an absolutely unnecessary act of aggression probably driven by the unfortunately typical feelings of insecurity, selfishness and self-centredness.
The extreme of extremes
Thinking of Kaye’s words I felt the world was getting even crazier. But then I discovered Karim Zidan’s article in The Guardian and realised it could actually get worse. As a sports journalist Zidan has a very experienced view on the angles and perspectives within the popular Mixed Martial Arts world but the rawness of his article struck me well. “Mixed Martial Arts provides a unique platform for white supremacists to promote their ideology and recruit new members. It allows far-right extremists to draw parallels between their training regimens and the appropriation of faux-medieval culture and history to suit their racist aims”. That statement made me think of all the young people I have met so far who are just starting up their martial arts journeys, full of passion, hope and dreams. “Members of the far-right hope to use MMA to pull in young people”, asserts Zidan.
The importance of traditional principles
While it is, I think, very necessary to be aware of what toxic environments can do to martial artists or anybody for that matter, it is essential for us to remember the very roots of our beloved martial arts. Those foundational principles that I mentioned previously: honour, respect, discipline and perseverance. It seems to me that without the right set of values and traditional principles any martial practice, regardless of styles or lineages, is at risk of becoming what some practitioners already describe as “a distillation of hypermasculine-obsessed bro culture”.
In this regard the role of the coach is key in order to establish a healthy and genuine atmosphere where everybody can learn from each other. By building trust and respect as a solid foundation, practitioners can feel welcome and confident enough to fully dive into their martial journeys, improving themselves and helping others to do so on their way to betterment. Coaches need to be motivating and non-judgemental, always open to questions and willing to support you all the way.
A healthy training environment should feel, once the ice-breaking period has passed, just like a warm and welcoming family.
In conclusion, the stress and strife that a toxic environment might bring is not worth it even if the training is so-called top class. In order for us to grow as real martial artists we need to embrace that warm and welcoming atmosphere where everybody can feel at home. So escape from your toxic environment whichever might be, get out there and find your martial family, there are many with different names but all share the same strong martial spirit.
