Contributor: Josh Hall
Here at Undercard Superstar, we usually keep things pretty lighthearted. All of our writers are passionate fans, but we look more often to the lighter side of the combat sports world. Today, we are going a little out of the box and delving into one of the more serious issues in the martial arts game.
For those of you that have followed the Lloyd Irvin scandal, you will already know some of this. If you are unaware of the case, Brent Brookhouse at Bloody Elbow has done an amazing job covering it all and keeping the story in the forefront, and you should really check his stories out. You can scroll to the bottom of the article for links.
To summarize things as fast as possible, two TLI students raped a female teammate on New Year’s Eve. In investigating the case, it was discovered that in 1989, a man was charged in a gang rape. This man had the exact same name and age as “Master” Lloyd Irvin. The man was acquitted on the basis of temporary impotency, and the story remained hidden until Matthew Maldonado and Nicholas Shultz (2 of Irvin’s prized students) were caught on video repeatedly and violently raping a female training partner.
Affiliate camps have cut ties over the past 3 months, and in the past week everything has finally boiled over. Jordon Schultz, one of the best of the “medal chasers” part of TLI (a group of talented students put up in a house by Irvin so they can train full time) and a 2-time IBJJF world champion, left the camp and dropped a bomb on his way out. His statement is what prompted the writing of this. I will include a few excerpts from his statement, but you can read the whole thing here (and you really should): http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2272155/Jordon_Schultz_s_statement.pdf
“Recently a fellow team member came to me she was burdened and confused. She sought me out as a confidante, a person she could trust. She had been battling with a situation morally inside her head. She explained the details of secret sexual interactions she had with her martial arts instructor and employer.
She started with the question “Are you supposed to do anything to become a World Champion?” I replied, “Yes, there are sacrifices you must make to become a World Champion and you are going to have to do some things that other people won’t do to become a World Champion”. She began to cry as she explained. She said that when she first joined the team she was given a set of rules. She was told exactly how she should act.
Everyone on the team follows the principle of the Android. An Android does what they are commanded with no question and no hesitation. Whatever the Programmer says the Android does. According to the Martial Arts instructor this correlates to Martial Arts if the coach gives a command and the athlete hesitates or questions for a moment it can cost them the match. That is the importance of being an Android.”
“Second rule, your word is your bond. If you do not keep your word you are a liar. If you do not follow what you say you are a faker. If you do not keep your word you are definitely not serious about what you are trying to accomplish.
The actual mind control process he used on the young woman took a long time, it’s too long to explain here. She was completely subservient. She was 100% trusting to him, she was 100% trusting to him and that’s what is so horrible about this situation.
Another rule, confidentiality whatever you talk about with your instructor stays only between you and your instructor it is a form of trust. She explained the Instructor has been deceived and hurt a lot in the past so it was difficult to prove your trust and loyalty to your instructor.
When first coming to the team her instructor automatically judged her, told her that “I have a weird feeling that you are lying and you do not want to be a world champion, you came for ulterior motives” I noticed that the woman was always getting scolded or on thin ice with my martial arts instructor. She always seemed to be messing up tasks that were given to her as her job. She always seemed afraid that she was going to be kicked off the team and sent home. Every team member that comes from another state can be kicked off the team and sent home at any time. Any member of the team will confirm this. This is a consequence that looms over all the athletes.
…
“She told me while crying that her instructor would both ask and instruct her to do sexually inappropriate things with him. Re-affirming his instructions with things like ‘I thought you said you wanted to be a world champion, and you said you would do anything I tell you to do without hesitation’. He would make her repeat to him over and over that she loved him like a script.”
“If she ever hesitated or questioned he would call her a liar and say that she didn’t really want to become a world champion and she wasn’t serious about her goals. This activity went on for a couple months and then he asked her if she would give herself to him sexually fully, and if she would take the next step and have full sexual intercourse with him.”
“That’s when she broke down and came to me she was so wrapped up and confused about the tests and hazing she came to me for guidance. And I am happy she did so that I could protect her.”
There is more to Schultz’s statement, but there is more than enough here to get the point across. This whole thing reads like a page out of the official cult leader handbook. From the first day, break down a new subject so that you can manipulate them however you see fit. By immediately questioning the student’s motives from the get go, it is frighteningly easy to erode their self-confidence. Force them to commit to things through vague statements you can use against them later (“I thought you said you wanted to be a world champion, and you said you would do anything I tell you to do without hesitation”). To a person in a rational state of mind, sexual favors toward an instructor have nothing to do with being a champion. To someone being manipulated, one is the key to the other.
“If you do not keep your word you are definitely not serious about what you are trying to accomplish.”
That statement makes sense in a normal situation. You have to fully commit to something to succeed. But, in this context:
“An Android does what they are commanded with no question and no hesitation.”… “If you do not keep your word you are definitely not serious about what you are trying to accomplish.”
It leaves the controlled with no outs. Their words and mind have been twisted around, and rational thought ceases to exist, at least temporarily. When all of a sudden the instructions go far beyond the scope of the teacher/student relationship, the person being manipulated can find themselves too confused to logically evaluate the scenario and make a good decision. If they say “no”, they will be called a liar, a quitter, a person that doesn’t want to succeed. No one wants to be that person that fails because they didn’t give it their all.
My big question out of all of this is a simple one: Why? What is there about the dynamic between martial arts instructor and student that makes this sort of manipulation so easy to achieve? I have thought about this a lot in the past couple of days, and I think it comes down to a society ingrained hero worship in martial arts. Let me explain.
When I was a kid, I loved the move “The Karate Kid”. I thought it was great, and like so many in the 80’s, totally bought into it. Karate was this cool, mystical thing that if you mastered would make you unhittable. A black belt in karate back then meant to people that you knew something special that they didn’t. Everyone was wrong, but that didn’t stop the belief from existing that a “sensei” or “master” was better and wiser than others. Look a Mr. Miyagi from “The Karate Kid”. He puts Daniel to work cleaning his house and other manual labor, and Daniel in the process magically learns karate. He is told not to ask questions, just to do it and it will work out. This is not how the real world works, at all, but people ate it right up. Now, what happens if Miyagi had abused his power instead? Daniel would have done anything he was commanded to do.
I know this is just a movie, but movies were the only connection most people had to martial arts back then. The impact of that same message in tons of martial arts movies built a trust toward instructors that had not been earned by each of the individuals.
I studied Okinawan Goju Ryu for roughly 8 years as a kid. I was lucky enough to learn under a sensei that never used her control for nefarious ends, but I would have pretty much done anything she told me. I fully believed that I could trust her solely because she was my teacher. That was naïve and dangerous. As a society, we need to regard martial arts instructors like everyone else. There are great teachers out there who would never harm a student in any way. But there are also going to be people who abuse their power in every aspect of life, and martial arts are no different.
If you study in a combat sport and you get the feeling that your instructor isn’t acting right, assess the situation like you would with anyone else. If you are concerned that they could be fostering a cult mentality, there are signs you can look for:
- If you are asked to do something that makes you uncomfortable to prove your loyalty to the instructor/team.
- If you are told that individual thought is detrimental to you as a competitor or person.
- If you are told to separate yourself from family and friends who are not part of the group- This is a MAJOR red flag that is an aspect of every cult.
- If you are constantly degraded or talked down to by your instructor- This doesn’t necessarily mean “cult”, but if you work hard and get berated for it, it’s bad either way.
- If you are told your competitive success is dependent on things that have no application to the sport.
- If your instructor refers to anyone that has something negative to say as a liar (especially if it becomes a common occurrence).
- If you are asked to sell anything when you join a group- This is a fairly new thing, but the same tactics employed by cult leaders have been picked up by a new breed of “marketers”, and they can do a great deal of psychological and financial harm to people.
Any one of these things doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but by paying attention for the signs, people can protect themselves in the event they get into the wrong school for them. Judge an instructor like you would judge a co-worker, and you can much more accurately assess their behavior. If you see red flags flying up, or have people trying to warn you, don’t be drawn in by manipulative words and isolationist tactics.
To clarify on a couple of points, I am not judging Lloyd Irvin guilty of anything based on this statement. My personal opinions on him are irrelevant here. He has been convicted of nothing, and these are merely allegations against him. The content of Jordon Schultz’s statement prompted me to write this more than my feelings toward Irvin. Whether every word of it is true or not, it is still an important cautionary tale to those entering the martial arts world. There are bad teachers out there, so always keep your guard up and never surrender your will completely over to another person. Be safe out there guys and gals, and remember, protect yourself at all times.
Links if you want to read more:
http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/mma.cfm?go=forum.posts&thread=2140273&forum=11&page=1&pc=709
-Josh can be reached at [email protected]
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