Teaching Discipline

I've always believed that discipline isn't something that can be taught.  It can be instilled in children by way of example from their parents and mentors, but you can't teach a child to be disciplined through lessons of any kind.  The same applies for adults, especially since as we develop, our brains are less susceptible to take in and absorb new information.  So why do martial arts schools always tout "discipline" as one of the biggest benefits of training in their respective styles?

I have trained in Shotokan for most of my teenage life and now continue into my adult life, I was an average student in school in high school, and below average in college.  I was an above average student in the dojo, though.  So why the dichotomy?  Why was I disciplined in the dojo, and why did that not carry over into my everyday life?  I believe in large part this is due to passion towards what I was learning in the dojo, as opposed to what I was learning in school.  More than that, though, is a question of application.

In many karate schools, instructors tout kata application as the highest form of martial skill.  It is applying the lessons taught in the kata that truly brings one's karate alive and teaches real self-defense and fighting technique.  Whether or not you believe this concept with regards to martial arts, it is very true regarding the carry over from the martial arts training to real life.  I learned to be disciplined and focused in my training through repetition and actually doing.  I forced myself to have discipline when it came to training, and being passionate about what I was doing definitely helped.  However, lacking conviction and passion regarding what I was studying was severly detrimental, and led me to have poor grades in college.

So, can one teach discipline?  Not at all, parents that want their kids to become more disciplined should be leading by example in the household and not expecting to learn it from a karate teacher with whom they spend less than 3 hours a week with.  If the kids aren't disciplined, then there are two things to consider: 1) they're too young to be expecting discipline from them and 2) you are failing as parents to show what discipline is and what the benefits of discipline are.