Your typical martial arts/self defence clubs can be prohibitively expensive for the poorest sections of the working class and they foster a culture that is hostile to people of our background and politics.
Everything from the imposed necessity of gis, which significantly break from the real life conditions in which one might necessarily need to use self defence skills, to engagement with the belt system, which necessitates the purchase of more and more belts as one advances in their chosen art; all of it erects barriers that deter ordinary people from establishing their own independent community through which to cultivate self defence skills. On balance, most traditional martial arts gyms foster a reactionary political perspective amongst their members, and are dominated by figures with such an outlook.
If we’re to break with this tendency we will need to establish our own socialist infrastructure. This might sound daunting, but it’s already been done; In my own city, there already exists a red gym that is highly accessible to people of a left wing persuasion. It protects and welcomes queer people into their classes and equips them with the skills they need to defend themselves at an extremely low entry cost. Belts and gis aren’t a part of their progression, and to my knowledge all members dues have gone towards keeping up with the rent at their venue and acquiring more and more equipment. To my knowledge, nothing is skimmed off the top. The organisers of this gym cut their teeth in Anti-Fascist Action, an organisation that confronted and fought the neo-Nazi thugs of the national front and the BNP throughout Britain in the 80s and 90s. Now they turn their attention to passing their skills on to a new generation. If it can be done here, it can be done in your neighbourhood too.
I appeal to any and all socialist martial artists on here to organise your own clubs in your communities. Reach out to each other, network, pool your equipment and be on the lookout for appropriate venues to hold classes. We don’t need to be beholden to reactionaries for self-defence training, we can build our own alternatives instead.
Pooling is always an excellent suggestion, as is prioritising fitness and self defense. Never neglect it.
Technically speaking, I had the privilege of getting about $900-1000 of equipment 10-15 years ago in my own house, setting up a private and safe gym for me and my cousins. Only I use it today. My other cousins gave me their barbell and bumper plates to use, since only I am the one who lifts and uses a punch bag in the house.
Setting up gyms is not too expensive, so more than pooling, what one requires is networking and strong collective sentiment to go ahead with this. Reach out and stick together.
Definitely agree. Outreach is the most critical element. Do you think there’s enough sentiment to proceed with a project like this in your area?
I live in India and my state is one of the many states where socialist politics is almost non existent. And it is not like most Indians are too comfortable, knowledgeable or passionate enough to become socialists. Most want to become capitalists for the rat race, squibbling for twigs of money for themselves.