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My last blog focused on the inseparable nature of academics from mastery of a martial art. Don’t expect a recant here. You obviously have to be able to study, learn and think in the martial arts. This has more to do with getting stuck in the cerebral realm.
5 frogs were sitting on a log, two decided to jump in the pond, how many frogs were left sitting on the log?
Hmmmmm. Let’s see, 5 frogs, two decided...that means that 5 frogs are still on the log, none acted. Action is often the difference between those that think and decide and those that achieve. Obviously there is a whole body of work out here about this relationship and the shortfalls of non-action. You wouldn’t think that participants in martial arts (a fundamentally physical art form) would have this challenge. Some, in fact do.
There is a vigorous conversation amongst teachers, one side throws out such wisdom of founding artists as this quote by Mas Oyama:
In Martial Arts, introspection begets wisdom. Always see contemplation of your actions as an opportunity to improve.
One side of this conversation will look at this quote 
and focus on the contemplation, the thinking part. The other side will focus on the need for actions. Both sides are right, the ones that focus on one side or the other are the ones that have it wrong.
Master Jou Tsung Hwa in his book the Tao of Meditation.discusses that thinking and ideas are a yin aspect while doing and action are the yang aspect of the complete martial art. We should all remember this concept as we pass down the road to mastery of our respective arts.
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A question came up in class last night that really helped me put this topic into perspective. The question was one that led into a conversation of the philosophy upon which our art is based. This blog isn't about a specific art, but Martial Arts in general, so I won’t get into the specifics. The question is important because of where it led and the fact that all martial arts are based upon philosophies. To work towards mastery of a martial art, a practitioner has to study, understand and embody the philosophy upon which that specific art is based.
I am certain that many will disagree with this concept...I have read plenty of internet discussions specifically contrary to it. Many feel that the only true martial component is the physical. I definitely won’t disagree with the fact that a martial art is not real, unless it is based in the martial. By it’s definition, martial arts are about warfare, fighting. As with anything else though, there are always different ways to achieve our desired end, winning the fight. The philosophy upon which the art is founded determines the path we take in the fight.
But, the human body is the human body - therefore all fighting styles work the same.
Do they? Yes, the human body is the human body, and the human body works in a
specific way. There are many similarities and overlap amongst the different arts. There are still differences. A good analogy is that food is food...the purpose of food is nutrition, but each country, each ethnicity, each region develops its own flavor and cuisine. Likewise, different regions and cultures have developed different fighting arts that have different “flavors”.
Along the same lines of human bodies working the same way, a good martial artist has to know about the physiology of the body, how it works and a lot more. This just supports my overall statement.
You can’t master martial arts only focusing on the physical aspects, there is a need for the intellectual. In fact the intellectual is in ways just as important as the physical.
In a recent conversation, a friend/student was lamenting the amount of martial skill that seems to have been lost. He brought up firsthand stories of artists that had great, almost supernatural abilities. I countered with scientific advances and knowledge that we had gained. Though, there does always seem to be a movement to embrace the new. Academically, embracing the new without also learning from our ancestors is not a recommended path at all.
As Martial Artists.. it is our job to learn from this existing body of knowledge. Study what our ancestors have left for us and add to it where appropriate. With thousands of years of experience behind us, my guess is that this is mainly a journey of rediscovery.
Some lessons are harder for me to learn than others. I was raised with the American ideal of “Rugged Individualism”. Work hard, count on yourself, and get things done. I learned this lesson well, as many who know me will testify. I am not afraid of hard work, know how to do many a varied task, and really have trouble counting on others or asking for help.
Martial Arts is typically viewed as an individual type of endeavor. In fact, most of the time we hear how it is about self mastery. I am reminded of a movie Circle of Iron also known as Silent Flute, the protagonist of the story came from no school, wore no uniform and (gasp) did not follow the rules. The movie and screenplay were originally conceived by Bruce Lee but unfinished when he died. The quest the character takes in the movie is to find Zetan, the guardian of the Book of Knowledge (supposed to contain all of the wisdom of the universe.
As you may have guessed, the protagonist finishes the quest and finds the book. I am not going to spoil the development of the story here, I mention it to simply say that this movie as well as many other documents about the martial arts stress that the journey we are on in the end is an individual journey.
Many aspects of Martial Arts cannot be learned in a vacuum.
Without getting into a lengthy debate on the virtues of Kata/Forms, historically, when developed, it was known that practitioners would not always have partners to train with. Kata/Forms were developed just for this reason so that individuals could practice alone. With that said, you can’t learn martial arts effectively without having partners to work with. Right off the bat, we have to admit that there are individual and cooperative aspects to training with the context of Martial Skills.
This brings us to a common dilemma that many martial arts practitioners are faced with during the course of their development.
Should you embody the spirit of the individual “Lone Wolf” or should you train and learn with/from others in a more social context.
The most resolute answer that I have come up with is both. There are times when you will be best served by striving for self mastery, and there are other times on your journey where it will be essentially critical for your development to work with others in a group setting. Remember, no one (with the exception of movie heroes) goes into a battle alone, take an army.
If you are building a school or business it is recommended that you build a team.
The one thing that is clear, is that if your intent is building a school or business around anything, not just martial arts, having a team is very, very important. Build your army, then attack the business plan.
and focus on the contemplation, the thinking part. The other side will focus on the need for actions. Both sides are right, the ones that focus on one side or the other are the ones that have it wrong.
