When West Point lost the Martial Edge
In light of the current discussion surrounding the cancellation of cultural clubs at the United States Military Academy at West Point (USMA), I would like to share some of the findings from my PhD research and discuss how an ethnocentric error over 100 years ago cost USMA the opportunity to leverage a highly innovative martial art.
In short, while the institution provides the foundation for cadets to train in martial arts (with boxing being mandatory), it took a long time for USMA to embrace a culturally significant activity like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ). However, it shouldn’t have been this way. Had the leadership at West Point been more open to other cultures a century ago, Judo and Jiu Jitsu may have flourished just as profoundly at our alma mater and in the United States as it did in Brazil.
As a 2010 graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point, I have many fond memories from West Point. While graduation was probably the most important, the other two were when I founded the Mixed Martial Arts/Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Team (now called the Combatives Team) and when Sensei Emilio Reno Claudio and Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Hector Morales-Negron led us to the 2010 Judo Collegiate National Championship. LTC Morales was instrumental in more than just building a successful Judo program. He created opportunities for cadets like me to use our martial arts knowledge to help others through the Army Combatives program. What I didn’t know then, and what I am sharing with you now, is that West Point’s receptiveness of these martial arts, or lack thereof, resulted in a missed opportunity for them to have positively impacted the lives of cadets much sooner.
The founder of Judo, Jigoro Kano, established his school, the Kodokan, in 1882. Because of the approach Judo took in comparison to other martial arts, many students travelled to attend the school. There had even been interest from foreign leaders, such as Ulysses S. Grant (USMA Class of 1843), who had witnessed a presentation in which Kano had been a part years before the Kodokan’s establishment. Among the second generation of students at the Kodokan was a student named Hideyo Maeda (later known as Mitsuyo Maeda). Maeda’s success in Japan allowed him to be a part of a team of judoka that sailed to the United States. He and other judoka gave demonstrations at universities such as Princeton and West Point in 1905.
While at USMA, the judoka faced xenophobia and racism. After watching the martial arts demonstrations, cadets challenged judoka to matches. While Maeda easily beat a cadet, another judoka, Tsunejiro Tomita, was unable to do so. American press then proclaimed the cadets had beat the “Jap” and that American football was better than Judo in style. This discrimination impacted the institution and the judoka. The institution hired a wrestling coach rather than a Judo instructor and only started a Judo team decades later. The judoka moved on to other places and continued giving demonstrations.
Maeda, later known as “Count Maeda,” ultimately arrived in Brazil, where Carlos Gracie trained with him for a few years. Carlos, and his brothers George and Helio, later used the narrative and knowledge from Maeda to fashion their own “Gracie Jiu Jitsu.” Gracie Jiu Jitsu became part of the core curriculum for the Modern Army Combatives program, which is taught at West Point.
Imagine if West Point had been open to understanding the culture and martial mentality of Judo in 1905. How much more advanced would we be as leaders, warriors, and martial artists? Rather than just winning U.S. collegiate Judo championships, we would have been the first university in the U.S. to have a Judo club.
If the current administration continues to block opportunities for cadets to have more enhanced intercultural integration, what else will our future leaders miss?
As the world’s preeminent leadership development institution, West Point should have the Martial Edge and ensure that graduates are true warriors who understand the importance of learning and respecting other cultures. Perhaps the next innovative martial art will come from a grad.
