Ryuism.
by Ryan Gregory, May 5th, 2013
Ryuism:
(noun; Japanese ryĆ«, “school” + Greek via Latin and French -ism, denoting action, state, condition, doctrine).
1. A belief or doctrine that one’s own specific martial art and style or school thereof is inherently superior to all others. Often rationalized on the basis of “purity” and/or assumed efficacy under hypothetical conditions.
2. Mistrust, lack of respect, and/or unwillingness to learn from fellow martial artists on the basis of their style or affiliation and not their individual characteristics or skills.
3. Criticism of the performance of other martial artists as judged from one’s own specific understanding of similar techniques, without regard for legitimate and/or arbitrary differences that exist among arts and/or styles or schools.
Related: ryuist (adjective or noun); racism; tribalism.
Nice! This is one of the biggest mental road blocks a martial artist can encounter I think. It’s ok to love an art, but not to the point where all other things MUST be wrong.