The following is from the brown belt portion of the student manual:

The American popularity of Asian martial arts may have caused some
considerable problems around the world. Many instructors shake their
heads in disapproval when a child is said to have earned a black
belt. Some people admit to having earned their black belt after only
a year or less of training. Articles have appeared in many martial
arts magazines about children being state and national champions,
weapons experts, and even earning their black belt as young as age
six. One child, a taekwondo student, was the Arkansas State Champion
five years in a row by age 12. Are these children really that
talented or have the standards of the martial arts fallen to a lower
level? Has the American influence on martial arts hurt more than
it's helped?
The first large group of Westerners exposed to Asian culture were
American soldiers stationed overseas. A large number of these
servicemen found an interest in Asian self defense. When they began
to study self defense they were introduced to Asian instruction
methods, training discipline, class structure, and organizations. As
Americans they were used to staying on their feet and fist-fighting.
The Asians used kicking, jumping and various hand techniques to fight.
The US students could easily learnt he physical aspects of the
martial arts because the Asian teaching method relied simply on
mimicking the instructor and other students. Repetition was the key
to learning in Asian marital arts. In American schools the teacher
speaks while the students sit and listen. A very clear understanding
of the English language is needed to learn in American schools. This
is not the case in Asian dojos.
Each student is allowed to progress at his or her own pace. Unlike
American academic schools where children are grouped together in
classes and are passed from one grade to another, martial art
practitioners are allowed to advance at an individual rate. The time
spent in training is just as important as the techniques learned.
Ancient teaching shows that with long practice and study came
maturity and wisdom.
The concept of winner and loser, as in American sports, does not
exist is Asian martial arts. The principle of right and wrong is not
used in dojos. Students learn by example from the instructor. If a
student can not properly perform a certain technique, they are not
doing it wrong. The student is simply provided more time and
opportunity to perfect the technique.
American sports require no more than a slight interest to
participate. They are offered free at most schools. Often, children
switch activities every few months. Most of these have a couple
month long season. All of these sports may be participated in during
a single year. Many people try them to see which one they enjoy the
most and want to continue. True martial art study, once started,
lasts an entire lifetime. It's not designed to start at the
beginning of one month and stop at the end of the next. It requires
year round training unlike most sports.
Most American sports rely on teams. Martial arts rely on the
individual, not a team, to excel. While a teams main goal is winning
a game or a match, the goal in martial arts is to better oneself,
physically, mentally, and spiritually. Unlike most sports that end
when you graduate high school you can continue your budo training
until you die. You don't see too many professional athletes over age
40 still competing yet it is very common to see martial arts students
training well into their late 80s and early 90s. Again this reflects
a different ideal of what perfection is. Skill is great but there
are many other factors that make up a black belt or master.
Almost all American sports require players to have some skill in
order to participate. Martial arts are different. The average
person with no training can practice and even people with
disabilities can still participate. Very few other sports can make
such a claim.
In Asian culture the reward comes from simply participating and
putting forth the effort to learn. Asian training places the
greatest emphasis not on the participant's physical skills but on
such things as social interactions, how long each has participated,
wisdom, mature and responsible behavior, thoughtfulness, respect,
honor, discipline, control, and trust. Individuals gifted
athletically are not rewarded anymore than the typical student.
Asian training awards students with advancement in rank, position,
respect, and responsibility that demonstrates their interest,
ability, behavior, and sincere commitment.
American training is now made fun for children in order to maintain
interest for continued training. Some students compete in
tournaments to win trophies, ribbons, and notoriety. The cost to
operate a dojo is astounding and it requires escalating fees to
remain open. Many people start training only to stop a short time
later. Many instructors have changed the focus of the school to
maintaining student enrollment rather than maintaining proper focus
on the spiritual and emotional growth. There is a lot of frustration
and struggle for students just to maintain regular class attendance.
Tournaments provide some quick rewards like trophies or ribbons to
keep students interested and motivated.
In Asian society there is absolutely no social reward when physical
aggressiveness is used, even for children. Asian society demands
that every individual must always do the right thing. Westerners saw
this as a way of improving society back home. They saw unconditional
respect and consideration that was based on time in training rather
than just physical achievement. The most honored person in the dojo
was honored for his position, not for winning the most trophies.
It is individual behavior that is rewarded. The concept of winner
and loser does not exist. The student simply does what they can do
and that is enough. Students progress over time, dedication, and
sincerity. It's very different from other sports that focus only on
winning.
The focus of training in the US has changed from complete self
development to only self defense. Some instructors are reducing the
intensity and seriousness of what they teach to keep high attendance
but this impacts the effectiveness of martial arts negatively. It's
unacceptable to train people, many of whom are children, in
techniques that can result in serious bodily injury or even death
without training them mentally and spiritually to accept
responsibility for their actions and to have the discipline and moral
character to only use those skills as a last resort. Further the
sport aspect of martial arts training in America has diminished the
respect once held for the black belt. It has also given too many
practitioners a false sense of security when in reality their skills
would not protect them outside of the dojo.
Everyone needs to be able to protect himself or herself in life
threatening situations. People can be trained sufficiently in self
defense without becoming a black belt. The path to earning a black
belt does not stop when a person gets to wear one. It's a life long
journey that never ends. True martial arts training is a way of
life. As Master Gichin Funakoshi once said, "to win 100 victories
in 100 battles in not the highest skill. To subdue the enemy without
fighting is the highest skill. The ultimate aim of the art of karate
lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the
characters of its participants".