THE AVERAGE MARTIAL ARTS DISPLAY (THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!)
By this sweeping statement made above, I do of course mean that we need to understand what it is NOT.
It is not a lesson
It is not a grading
It is not a technical demonstration in front of ones "peers"
It IS a show!
And, as such, it is required that it be interesting, informative and (most importantly) exciting and entertaining.
A martial arts display is a golden opportunity for a local instructor in several ways: It affords him the opportunity to stimulate and highlight his students by giving them particular areas of responsibility, as well as enabling her/him to demonstrate in a very concrete manner that the club is an integral part of the community.
In short: It is an important operation in public relations, and so need to be handled with due care and professionalism in order for the martial arts club to capitalise upon this.
So, you have been approached be some official or other who has asked that you perform a martial arts display at some local up-coming event.
The first thing you need to do is to glean as much information as you can from this person using the good old WHO, WHAT WHERE, WHEN, WHY and HOW:
WHO- Will you be performing in front of?
(Is it just the general public? Or is it some type of "special interest" group such as local dignitaries or (horror of horrors!) other martial artists?)
WHAT- precisely do they expect of you and your demonstration team?
(Are they looking to encourage more people into sports? or raise awareness levels of the need for people to learn some form of self-defence? Etc)
WHERE- Are will the event be held?
(Will it be indoors or outdoors? Will there be mats? Etc)
WHEN- Will it take place?
(Will it be in the heat of summer, or the cold of winter? Will it affect your travel arrangements?
WHY- Are you being asked?
(Is it because they have heard good things about your club? Or is it just because the Mayors Daughter happens to be one of your students?)
HOW- Long do they want the display to last?
(Is it to be a short, sharp type of show, or a more lengthy, drawn-out kind of affair?)
All of this information is absolutely vital in identifying the time, resources, materials and personnel you will need to do a good job. Once you have all the facts you need, the next step will be to relay this information to your instructors/students at the next training session so that everyone is made well aware of what is going on.
Sometimes, it will be possible for everyone in the club to perform in the display, at others, you might be required to be a little more selective and choose a special team from amongst your students. This can cause several problems for the average martial arts instructor:
It can disrupt the normal state of affairs in the dojo, having a detrimental affect upon the teaching and learning environment and, as well as causing students to feel nervous and anxious about the performance they must give. In addition, if you do have to choose a display team from your members, then it can place a great strain upon the more usual type of group dynamic, so you will need to consider each of these aspects before committing yourself and your club to such an endeavour.
BASIC OUTLINE FOR A KARATE DISPLAY:
(adapt to your own particular martial art(s) Judo, Kung-Fu, Aikido,etc)
So, in your club you have all of the usual elements found in a karate dojo.
- Rei
(The formal bow, made after a fast, dynamic entry!)
- Junan Taisen
(warm up exercises. NOT very interesting for spectators, but necessary. Try and do the majority of your warm up prior to entering the display area)
- Kihon Waza
(basic techniques, can get the attention of the crowd if done well, with plenty of KiAi!)
- Kata
(classical forms, choose one of the shorter, more visually exciting kata though!)
- Kumite
(sparring, a real crowd pleaser this: Remember to try and involve the crowd. For example, tell one side of the audience that they have to cheer for one of the Karateka, while the other half has to give as much support as possible for the other one!)
- Goshin
(self-defence, what everyone wants to see: A real show-stopper. A small child being picked on by a group of much older, bigger people: All together now: "aahh"! Then, the small child turns the tables: "Hooray!!")
- Ko-Budo
(weapons, they lend a good bit of excitement, especially the good old nunchaku! Its important to give a good introduction to this particular "turn". Give a short, potted history about the particular weapon being used, and draw special attention to how dangerous this weapon is, etc.)
- Tamaeshiwara
(breaking techniques, absolutely the BEST TYPE OF "Grande Finale" there is. Again, a good, dramatic build-up is of the utmost importance here!)
- Rei (remember to do some bows towards the crowds as well, all with loud "oose", they will love it, and you should try and "milk" it for all it is worth!)
Try and make sure that you have a good sound system, and keep up a good running commentary throughout to build and maintain the crowds energy and enthusiasm, and also help guide them through what is going on, and so increase their enjoyment and appreciation.
If you can include some other aspects to make it even more exciting, such as lying on a bed of nails, and having someone break a concrete block on your chest, or bending spears with your body, then all the better (providing you trained in this type of thing, have practiced it, and know for certain that nothing can go wrong!)
A martial arts display has, of simple necessity, to be a marriage between good, solid technical demonstrations of martial prowess and a bit of "Razamataz" for the crowd. Also, try and inject a bit of humour into the proceedings, as everyone appreciates a bit of a laugh.
Now is the time for everyone to mingle with the crowd, chatting to them and answering any questions they might have regarding your club and the martial art you practice, and (very important this) handing out some leaflets with all the information they need regarding when you train and even directions on how to get to your club!
Also, don't take it for granted that the main event organisers have contacted the local press. You should contact them as well. If they cant send a member of staff to cover the event, then they will normally ask you to do your own write -up on it and send in any photos that might have been taken, which they will then edit and include in their publication some time in the future. The martial arts press might also be interested, so give them a try as well.
To make any display a success, you will need to plan and prepare it. This means setting extra time aside for plenty of rehearsals. These will serve to both improve the overall technical performance and help the team to establish and maintain a good, positive group dynamic.
Remember to have under-studies for each of the "main acts" because, as we are all well aware "whatever can go wrong, will go wrong!" and whatever happens the show MUST go on.
Also, be sure to make use of anyone who is not directly involved with the display as "Logistical Support". They can help out with setting up, transport, getting food and drinks for the display team, etc. If you happen to have a junior section in your club, then you will usually find that some of the parents will be more than happy to lend a helping hand. All of this assistance is invaluable, as you will find that it will free you up to concentrate upon making sure the actual display goes according to plan, rather than having to worry about putting down mats or buying and transporting tiles and planks of wood for the breaking techniques etc.
That said, everything is still, ultimately, your own responsibility. So you should carry out at least one check upon absolutely everything in order to put your own mind at ease.
CONCLUSION
As already stated, a martial arts display can be a golden opportunity for the local martial artists to not only "strut their stuff" gain good publicity and even some new members, but also to show that they are an integral part of the community at large. It is an exercise in public relations that can have a huge influence upon the way our friends, neighbours and colleagues perceive the martial arts. That is a huge responsibility, and is one that demands we take this type of opportunity seriously and do as good and professional job as we can.
Prof. J R Lee-Barron PhD FIMAS
President, Institute of Martial Arts and Sciences
http://www.institute-of-martialarts-and-sciences.com
Professor Lee-Barron is the Director of the Institute of Martial Arts and Sciences, UK, and Dean of the Faculty of Martial Arts, Knightsbridge University. These bodies are dedicated to affording martial arts instructors with the opportunity of gaining recognised university degrees in martial arts. He is an exerienced educator, researcher and academic, as well as being a senior black belt instructor in several martial arts. He can be contacted at: martialcollege@yahoo.co.uk
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