Presentation Information
[学校保健体育-B-04]Superheroes and Superheroines in Martial Arts Physical Education（教）
*Martin Johannes Meyer1 (1. University of Vechta)
The budō arts taught in Japanese schools with direct physical contact (sumō, jūdō, karatedō, aikidō, shōrinji kenpō) offer unique educational opportunities because, in contrast to Western sports, winning does not have to be the dominant goal. Through physical contact, the movements and feelings of the opponent can be empathised with. Power and powerlessness are experienced intensively. Being a better fighter than our opponent presents us with a moral dilemma: Do we exploit our power? Are we willing to inflict pain on our opponent?
This moral dilemma is also shared by superheroes from films, comics and anime, and has become known under the catchphrase “With great power, there must also come great responsibility!” Therefore, in martial arts classes, physical education teachers should discuss with students between fights how they feel and how they act morally with their power using superheroes as an example.
The Batman effect demonstrated by White et al. shows that children can orientate themselves morally towards superhero role models. Talking about superheroes like Superman, Wonder Woman, Hulk, Inuyashiki (いぬやしき) and Rurouni Kenshin (るろうに剣心), students are taught that the power which comes with martial art knowledge must be handled with responsibility. Here is a connection to budō values, like the jūdō principle Seiryoku Zenyō (精力善用).
Through clever pairings, versatile fight games and various fight settings, as well as by assigning tori-uke roles, teachers can allow each student to experience both power and weakness. This reflection may be used to talk about the moderation of aggression and (the prevention of) bullying (いじめ).
As with the superheroes in the media, students realise that it is not just strength and speed that matters in a fight, but also technique, courage and strategy. Girls defeat boys, students with handicaps defeat students without. In this way, students reflect in class discussions that every student is a superhero in their own individual way.
This moral dilemma is also shared by superheroes from films, comics and anime, and has become known under the catchphrase “With great power, there must also come great responsibility!” Therefore, in martial arts classes, physical education teachers should discuss with students between fights how they feel and how they act morally with their power using superheroes as an example.
The Batman effect demonstrated by White et al. shows that children can orientate themselves morally towards superhero role models. Talking about superheroes like Superman, Wonder Woman, Hulk, Inuyashiki (いぬやしき) and Rurouni Kenshin (るろうに剣心), students are taught that the power which comes with martial art knowledge must be handled with responsibility. Here is a connection to budō values, like the jūdō principle Seiryoku Zenyō (精力善用).
Through clever pairings, versatile fight games and various fight settings, as well as by assigning tori-uke roles, teachers can allow each student to experience both power and weakness. This reflection may be used to talk about the moderation of aggression and (the prevention of) bullying (いじめ).
As with the superheroes in the media, students realise that it is not just strength and speed that matters in a fight, but also technique, courage and strategy. Girls defeat boys, students with handicaps defeat students without. In this way, students reflect in class discussions that every student is a superhero in their own individual way.
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