Daniel-san wanted to stop the beatings in High School. That was the carrot. Mr. Miyagi showed Daniel-san how to stand up to the the bullies through discipline.

Daniel-san wanted to stop the beatings in High School. That was the carrot. Mr. Miyagi showed Daniel-san how to stand up to the the bullies through discipline. That was the stick. Come to think of it, if it wasn't because the Cobra Kai jerks Daniel-san would have never learned karate and self-discipline. There has to be certainty. Like Mr Miyagi said it more or less: "You either do it or you don't, if you stand in the middle you'll get squashed like a grape"