A Lesson from The Karate Kid

Recommended degree points: 3

For this lesson, one must watch "The Karate Kid (1984)". This is required material.  I personally recommend this lesson be done earlier into the apprenticeship, as it helps manage expectations and develops an understanding of the roles of teacher and student, master and apprentice. 

Lesson Blurb:

"Watch the entirety of The Karate Kid (1984) and look for the following to meditate and write upon.

1) When does the student recognize the need to advance, to learn, from the master?

2) How does the master earn this recognition in their student?

3) Does the master cease their personal training and development while training the student? 

4) How does the master show 'mastery' and a level yet far beyond the understanding of the student?

5) And finally... what is the greatest lesson that the student had to learn that the master recognized and subtly taught to the student, even if the student was unaware?

Answers should be no less than one thousand words. There is plenty to go over to easily hit this mark."

Grading Guide:

The following is to be taken as suggestions. Of course the student is welcome to and encouraged to make their own observations. If the following conclusions are missed, I do recommend a discussion session to see what they may think of the following conclusions.

1) The turning point of this understanding would be after the Halloween Party, when Mr. Miyagi saves Daniel. It is in this display of a mastery yet unknown to the student that Daniel recognizes that there is a Path available to him to help him overcome a problem, and that the teacher, Mr. Miyagi, can show him that Path.

2) There are many points throughout this movie that Miyagi. From the aforementioned Halloween party, to the breaking of the glass bottle at the beach, or even in showing how the chores instilled lessons in Daniel to develop his body and mind, et cetera. Any of these can be touched upon.

3) As we see, Miyagi continues his own training, albeit often in the background. From practising the Crane Kick at the beach to trying to catch the fly with his chopsticks, Miyagi displays to Daniel that, even though he is a master of his art, there is still so much more to go. This goes with the martial arts lesson that Black Belt isn't mastery, but a recognition that one has gone the distance, but has also realized the lifelong path of training yet available to them.

4) I find the best example of this would be the beach scene, where Miyagi is  training to do the Crane Kick. He doesn't teach Daniel how to do this. He simply is training himself, and Daniel realizes how much further he can go, where this movement is merely second nature to his teacher, while it is yet so far beyond his current ability. It shows, through action and display, that the teacher knows of what they're teaching and furthermore shows that they practise what they preach, but it also shows that if the student follows the teacher, the teacher can make that level of ability accessible to the student.

5) The greatest final lesson in this movie to Daniel from Miyagi would be to conquer fear. Daniel may have started the path to learn to stand up against his bullies, but it wasn't out of strength, but fear. Fear he wasn't strong enough, fear of a new life, fear of being beaten up, fear of losing. Miyagi showed that learning a martial art wasn't the Path out of fear, but the tireless lessons of getting back up again, trying again, not giving up in the face of defeat was what helped Daniel learn to confront and overcome his own fear. 

Of course the grading of this is left to the teacher. If the student goes above and beyond (eg, comparing the movement from student to teacher in Daniel that we see in 'Cobra Kai' to how Miyagi acts, or an extensive and in depth discussion of their observations, personal examples, comparative mythology, or deep introspection of the lessons therein, the teach can award additional points.