The Karate Kid—Accountability Techniques at the Movies

Accountability: anything or anyone that helps us gain mental leverage to achieve the results we desire.

—The Accountability Stop

The Karate Kid tells the story of a Newark kid (Daniel LaRusso, played by Ralph Macchio) trying to fit in at a Los Angeles highschool. He immediately makes enemies with a gang of karate-trained bullies led by Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). Daniel is rescued from (another) beating from Johnny by his building handyman, Mr. Miyagi. Daniel asks Mr. Miyagi to teach him karate.

The Karate Kid is a coming of age story — Daniel changes from seeing himself as the victim to being “the leading man in his own life,” to borrow a phrase from The Holiday. But I think the story teaches accountability lessons as well.

Warning: Spoiler Alert!

Daniel’s karate goal was to not get beat up any more. Mr. Miyagi changes Daniel’s goal to fight in a karate tournament. (Can we say deadline accountability?) First, Mr. Miyagi counts on mentor accountability from Daniel’s bullies to their Cobra Kai Dojo’s sensei. He asks for, and gets, the promise of the students to their sensei that they’ll not attack Daniel again before the tournament. (The bullies’ accountability is the stick version.)

Daniel and Mr. Miyagi’s relationship is apprentice and mentor. Mr. Miyagi is very clear that the relationship requires obedience and accountability. “I say. You do. No question.” The accountability of that unique relationship is a mixture of an accountability buddy, a class, and even a job.

In my opinion, Mr. Miyagi agrees with my thoughts on homework. He gave Daniel large maintenance projects to complete around his house. Daniel washed and waxed the cars, painted the fence, sanded the deck, and painted the house. Mr. Miyagi gave him instructions on the technique to use and came back to see that Daniel was doing them correctly. Daniel completed the tasks alone. 

After the four days of hard work, Daniel rebels, saying that he isn’t learning any karate as promised. Mr. Miyagi shows Daniel how each chore had given him important practice for karate movements. It’s an iconic scene because first-time viewers of the film learn the lesson at the same time as Daniel. It’s not a lesson about karate, but a lesson about discipline and the rewards of hard work. We appreciate Daniel more for his dedication and his trust in the process. We appreciate Mr. Miyagi for having used Daniel’s time well. 

That appreciation highlights the accountability lesson for us. Namely, put our heads down and plow ahead. Decide the action needed to complete our goal and stop worrying about the goal. Just do the action.

• A friend of mine is looking for a new job. He’s focusing on the tasks he can control—respond to job postings and send out resumes. He’s not focusing on the result, but the work he needs to do to get the result.
• I would like to start a larger conversation about accountability in society and how it can help people. The action I can take is to write articles and put the ideas out there. If the conversation starts as a result, fantastic. But I’m trusting the process to do its magic.

Another lesson: Be proactive in our accountability. Daniel went beyond simple obedience to his agreement with Mr. Miyagi. He took ownership of the goal, the process, and his mental attitude. He practiced on his own. In fact, Daniel taught himself the movie’s iconic Crane Technique just by watching Mr. Miyagi from afar.

Warning: BIG Spoiler Alert!

Daniel wins the karate tournament. 

The last shot of the movie is Mr. Miyagi looking at Daniel, directly at the camera. We see his pride and approval. It says both “You have done well” and “You have made me proud.” It brings the focus of the story from “Daniel won” to “Daniel was a good student and a good son.” Part of the emotional payoff we get from the movie is knowing Daniel has worked hard to earn the victory he achieved.

To me, the last image of Mr. Miyagi is for us too. We can earn respect and pride by putting in the hard work and being proactive in our lives.

What’s Your Account?

Do you think accountability is part of the enduring draw of The Karate Kid?