Sticking With It

While earning rank in the martial arts can become a source of ego gratification, complacency is another matter. After spending a period of time of hard work to attain a certain rank, the desire to rest on one's laurels can be tempting, even attributable to human nature. Carl Jung wrote, "The goal is important only as an idea; the essential thing is the opus which leads to the goal; that is the goal of a lifetime." Budo, the path of martial arts suggests that the journey is far more important than the destination. The aspiring student needs to feel a sense of direction, which resides in the here-and-now, not at some far off point in the future. The notion of crossing a "finish line" is imaginary in the martial arts.

Everybody likes getting a new belt - so what does the newly promoted student do for an encore? Most green and brown belts are encouraged to develop teaching and leadership skills, as these are definite milestones on the martial path. Teaching in particular allows the practitioner to view her/his art in a different light that is not available from a learning perspective. It's perspective that is the real issue here; the maturing student needs to re-invent her/himself to maintain the daunting task of staying motivated and enthusiastic. In the martial arts, there is so much emphasis (usually self imposed) placed on drive, competition, and perseverance. This can become a downfall, and serves as the prelude to burnout. Training is tough, no doubt, and that has its place. But it should never be at the expense of making us unhappy and losing interest in something that has the potential to enrich our lives and fulfill our dreams.

A Warrior's Heart

The word heart has a fairly wide range of some interesting meanings in various cultures. In the West, having a heart is quite often equated with love and sentiment. My heart went out to him is a common metaphor for compassion. Being cold hearted would be an absence of these qualities. In the martial arts, possessing heart (shin) is considered honorable and dignified. A strong heart is the hallmark of any warrior. Many practitioners say they approach their training with a love/pain disposition. I think everyone knows the tremendous capacity the heart has for both love and pain, a duality which is best expressed as passion. But more than the seat of human emotions, I believe the heart bears an intelligence beyond our own. The heart understands where the ordinary mind cannot.

The heart has been the inspiration for a number of martial art concepts. Isshinryu karate (One Heart Method), and Yi Quan (Chinese Intention Boxing) are examples of styles founded on the idea of shin/yi - the warrior's heart. Intention is woven into the fabric of the ethereal heart. Mind is yet another aspect of shin, as in mushin (selfless mind) and zanshin (the aware mind). One needs a clear, attentive mind to be able to listen to the workings of the heart. Clearly, the Eastern/martial model of the heart makes for a fascinating contrast to the Western/romantic version.

It's A Crime

When the martial arts first arrived in the West, it was given the generic term "Self Defense". This strongly suggests that for all the techniques one learns in a dojo, the ultimate plan is to not fight. Since fighting to many people is synonymous with "streetfighting", these scenarios tend to be avoidable, assuming you're mentally stable. (Of course this is primarily a male issue. When two women duke it out, it's called a "catfight". I've never seen one, but I digress.) The flip side of the coin is being attacked, and for me, this is the realm for study in the martial arts. Tournaments, belt color, and titles fly right out the window when you're about to be mugged, raped, or have some other heinous act done to you. Your intuition just took the night off, and somebody just decided that you would make a convenient victim. There's no time to invoke philosophy, wisdom, or even judgment. You must act now. What do you do?

Action to strike is when the opportunity presents itself. This is a line taken from the ancient text The Bubishi, and it stands opposed to the more modern there is no first strike in karate. Personally, I'm not too comfortable with the latter. Sometimes the only available defense is an offensive tactic (kobo ichi - defense and offense are interchangeable). This strategy makes you crazier and more vicious than the would-be attacker/criminal. I don't want to wait around to see what this nut is going to do; I want to end this thing now. Patience is a virtue, but not on the street. Sometimes you have to out-bad the bad guys.

Intuition

Kan (intuition) is knowing without thinking. It is arriving at a conclusion without evidence, without having to invoke any logic, information, or prior knowledge of something. It is a flash of lightning; you just know. We all have it. We were born with it. As martial artists, it behooves us to not only become aware of its existence, but to honor it as part of our human heritage. The master teaches; this is tuition. Intuition is that faculty within; the inner wisdom. And wisdom is that which can never be borrowed.

During moments of possible danger, ordinary perception (ken) - seeing and hearing, can be weak and unreliable. Intuition can allow us to short circuit the actions of a perpetrator before something happens. Feeling the presence of imminent jeopardy allows us, for example, to change directions when walking alone at night. This is not to be confused with fear or paranoia, by-products of the lower consciousness. Intuition can be developed through an activity that requires clear mindedness, such as the practice of kata, or meditation (mokuso). Martial arts teachings lay the groundwork for the practitioner to follow. In the end, we have only ourselves, and our inner-knowing. Intuition represents the inborn essence of the most sought after attribute in the martial arts: self reliance.

Street Fighting Man

The late Lyle Alzado, the football legend from the 70s, once quipped to an interviewer that he never met a man he didn't want to fight. The same could be said for another legend - one who didn't hone his skills on the gridiron, but initially on the streets of Okinawa. His name was Choki Motobu. Motobu (b. 1871) was not your ordinary karate-ka; he liked to field test his learned abilities in Tsujimachi - Okinawa's infamous red light district, against thugs and anyone else who had the misfortune to cross his path. Because of his reputation as a troublemaker, he resorted to using an assumed name to gain entry into prominent dojos, only to be thrown out once his real identity was learned. He would often pay his tuition with the unlikely offering of awamori (rice liqueur) when he couldn't afford any other means. Money was something he had no real understanding or appreciation for - a common trait for men of Motobu's ilk.

Motobu defeated a European prizefighter in a boxing ring when he was in his fifties, bringing him much popularity, and eventually students. Some of his disciples went on to create their own ryu (feudal term for school), but Motobu himself was never affiliated with any particular style, as he himself was never anyone's disciple - truly a modern day ronin. Motobu's approach to karate flew in the face of the conventional wisdom of the day, and like Sinatra, he did it his way.

Time Bomb

I've noticed that in kumite, fighters apparently have these built-in chronometers that determine when they will strike. They'll circle one another, jockeying for position, waiting for an opening. There seems to be some pre-established grace period prior to launching an attack. A sense of anticipation and suspense pervades the dojo...

tick...tick...tick...tick... BAM!!

Right on time, just like clockwork. Then this bio-clock thing is reset, and it starts all over again. I can tell when these guys are going to pull the trigger judging from the ebb and flow (yin and yang) of the action, and other subtle hints related to the fighting range (ma-ai), and even body language. If you pay close attention, you'll notice a routine-like pattern that develops during almost every sparring match. Pause. Attack. Pause. Another attack. And so on.

Of course, your opponent's timing is intricately related to whatever you're trying to do. So mix up your attack. Being predictable is antithetical to good strategy (heiho). Try to figure out when your opponent's next retreat (yin) is going to happen, and work inside of that (yang). Disrupt and disarm. It's all in the timing.