| We don't practice martial arts fighting in order to | | | | master self-control by abandoning control over |
| prevent ourselves from being assaulted. | | | | yourself. Would you like to experience a simple |
| Even predicated on the conviction that if a person | | | | illustration of this? Stand on a good, padded gym mat |
| assaults me, I will assault him more effectively and | | | | in a martial arts stance. Kick your front foot out by |
| therefore be safe, to practice martial arts with the goal | | | | hitting it with your back foot and fall to the mat. As you |
| of better assaulting the assaulter degenerates the | | | | fall, kick out with the front foot. It is a simple drop-kick |
| practice into a series of challenges. Each challenge | | | | technique, but if you haven't practiced it before, you |
| drives its own individual goal of imagining an assault | | | | find yourself holding yourself back-not wanting to lose |
| and role-playing yourself assaulting the other person | | | | yourself in the practice-preventing yourself from falling. |
| better. In spite of the bravado that is part of today's | | | | With practice, in time, you will be dropping and kicking |
| cage fighting showmanship, not even cage fighters | | | | with no thought and without trying to control the fall. |
| train that way. | | | | You will have then learned self-control in drop-kicking |
| Martial Arts Fighting As A Game | | | | by having abandoned control over yourself. It's an |
| A mixed martial artist I know once told me that when | | | | interesting paradox. |
| he has been challenged to a real defense situation on | | | | Learning To Let Go Of Control |
| the street, it causes him to laugh. He does not come | | | | In this same way, we tend to think of a real |
| across as a violent or low-class person-quite the | | | | self-defense situation as something we must have |
| contrary. The fact that a challenge to a real situation | | | | control over, and so we learn and practice martial arts |
| causes him to react the way it does reveals that his | | | | fighting by trying to acquire skills that will allow us to |
| training priorities are where they should be. Martial arts | | | | assault the assaulter-in other words, control the other |
| fighting practice is a game. Games-strategic and | | | | person. A very good example of overcoming this |
| otherwise-bring out a child-like joy in their experiences. | | | | tendency was illustrated in the movie, "The Karate Kid." |
| To challenge this man to a fight is like asking, "Would | | | | Mr. Miyagi, the teacher, has the young student waxing |
| you like to play?" And because the game is fun, | | | | cars, sanding floors and painting the fence and house |
| imagining the "play" causes him to laugh in anticipation | | | | to the point of exhaustion. The activity also tried the |
| of having fun. | | | | student's patience. The student, Daniel, had earlier set |
| Martial arts fighting practice can be a rough sport. | | | | himself to the goal of practicing punching and kicking on |
| Intentionally falling to the ground as you launch a kick, or | | | | his own. What's wrong with that? Isn't that what the |
| moving in for a quick close to jam an opponent's kick | | | | bullies were threatening him with? The problem was, |
| goes against our natural instincts for self-preservation. | | | | the student was trying to practice to specific situations |
| We have to practice because most of what we do in | | | | that hadn't happened, and might never have in just the |
| martial arts does not come instinctively to us. Over | | | | way he was practicing. Instead, Mr. Miyagi caused the |
| time, with patience and diligence, we re-make | | | | student to become lost-abandoned-in practice just for |
| techniques until we experience them as if they were | | | | the sake of the practice itself. The goals were not to |
| natural instincts. The same is true with every habit you | | | | block-punch-kick. The goals were achieved when Mr. |
| have learned. You are born with very few habits at | | | | Miyagi looked at the results of the work and praised |
| the onset of your life. You will eat and clear your | | | | him: "It looks good, Daniel-san!" Mind you, he was not |
| bowels without being taught, but nearly everything else | | | | praising the student's ability, but the cars, the deck, and |
| you do, from walking to chewing gum, has been | | | | the fence. (The expression on Ralph Macchio's face |
| somehow learned. | | | | when his character suddenly realizes he is blocking |
| Good And Bad Learned Habits | | | | punches and kicks is classic. It still gives me chills to |
| But there are good and bad learned habits. Practicing | | | | watch.) |
| martial arts fighting to better assault the other person | | | | To abandon yourself in your martial arts fighting |
| is a learned habit that restricts your overall ability. It is | | | | practice causes you to let go of your ego-you desire |
| dependent on specific situations. As long as you are | | | | to control others. You begin to practice specific martial |
| going to be attacked by someone like the one you | | | | arts techniques and strategies for the pure enjoyment |
| practice with in the same way as he or she attacks | | | | of experiencing them. Lost in the fun of practice, you |
| you, the "better assaulter" mindset might work to your | | | | surprise yourself when actually challenged. It is an |
| advantage. But it restricts the game. There is no room | | | | interesting experience that I've known, myself. An |
| for a change in the rules, a change in your plan, or | | | | aggressor reached for me, and my hand motioned as |
| flexibility in the dynamics of your techniques. If the goal | | | | if by itself, and the experience caused me to laugh. |
| is to assault the other person better, there is no way | | | | Never, ever in my own practice did I imagine myself |
| of defining where "better" is until the you are engaged | | | | being faced by that person in that way. |
| a fight. If that is the case, it is impossible to practice to | | | | To truly master martial arts fighting, let go of all thought |
| the correct situation because the situation will always | | | | of assaultive activity. Abandon your ego. Practice for |
| be different than the practice. | | | | the pure joy of the art itself. Then, when a situation |
| The very best martial artists have always been the | | | | arises, watch as you suddenly amaze yourself. It'll |
| most peaceful, not assaultive. The best forms of | | | | catch you off guard. You'll wonder, "How did I do |
| martial arts practice have always been those that | | | | that?" And you'll be laughing. |
| allow you to lose yourself in the habits of practice, to | | | | |