It's time for a pop quiz on philosophy!
Have you ever wondered why, in a system that teaches techniques for harming, arresting, and even killing, we place so much emphasis on philosophical ideas like understanding the self and exorcising the ego? mosquito?
I mean, has navel gazing actually stopped an angry drunk's fist from claiming your face as its new home?
But believe it or not… introspection and deep thinking can help martial artists in many other ways, some of which can actually impact the fight.
Let's dig into why so many black belts are associated with the study of philosophy, and see what mental switches you can flip to truly progress your training.
recognized wisdom
Most martial arts systems and schools, from ninjutsu to American karate, have creeds that students recite at the beginning or end of class. In fact, the idea of a code of ethics and moral compass is so closely tied to martial arts that when adults and children alike begin their martial arts journey, it is common to expect that character development will be a natural part of their training. It's a target.
Now we all want to learn how to think and live like Mr. Miyagi.
There are many reasons why philosophy and martial arts training interact in this way. Part of it has to do with the elusive nature of self-perfection and how it naturally aligns with the constant struggle to perfect physical tactics.
Part of this, of course, has to do with how the study of war and combat has interwoven with periods of peace and prosperity. There is a historical reason that many Japanese arts have shifted from the suffix “~jutsu'', which refers to method or technique, to the more philosophical suffix “~do'', which refers to alignment with Taoism or the spiritually correct path. There is a reason.
In traditional martial arts, which are based on hierarchy, it helps to have a moral compass to guide your path. When learning a potentially deadly skill, it is wise to reflect on the weight of lives taken or lost.
Just like fire protection plans, these ideas should be properly fleshed out and acknowledged before they are forced to be considered in the heat of the moment under stress. The body can only effectively do what the mind accepts, whether consciously or unconsciously.
Otherwise, we are fighting against ourselves as much as the opponent in front of us.
understand conflict
When we seek to understand combat, we are studying ourselves and how we respond to violence due to our nature and upbringing.
It goes back to the now-clichéd idea of why martial arts is still so popular. You may not need to study Israeli knife fighting to kill or take hostages for information every day, but you do need to understand it.
How to deal with conflicts on a daily level.
Are you short-tempered and angry when someone makes a nasty comment towards you? Do you stubbornly defend your position when someone tries to follow your position? Even when confronted, do you get nervous, flinch, or run away?
The roller coaster of emotions and experiences that martial arts training brings can give you a glimpse of your true self and how you react to situations. He poetically said that if you look into the valley of death and defeat, you will see your own life reflected.
Martial arts training is often rigorous.
Although you can't go to martial arts training to test your courage, the path of a martial artist is still paved with blood and sweat. By experiencing the bitterness of grueling training, you will gain a deeper understanding of life and the sweetness of everyday moments.
Proper training sharpens the mind and provides a foundation for deep meditation. When you think about personal meaning and human impermanence, you end up putting aside traits that often act as catalysts for battle: ego and anger.
Instead, your weapons will be confidence and compassion.
Empathy for others is aided by self-awareness. Being aware of how you naturally react, how you naturally move, how you naturally accept or reject paths to improvement is the path to understanding the behavior of others. .
ego problem
For some reason, many people, especially us humans, tend to believe that we can beat anyone, especially if we've had a beer or three. As the punches begin to land, I'm confident that they'll just turn red and bodies will be rolling on the floor in no time.
Everyone has a survival instinct to protect their own safety, but combat techniques also contain many impurities. In some cases, training can be less about learning what to do and more about what not to do. When you're going through a refinement process, it's easy to get defensive if you only take away what's given to you.
Don't get me wrong. The right mindset is important, and some people have temperaments that help them fight much better than others. High levels of performance in martial arts are not just about innate accomplishments, but also about upbringing.
The methods and mindsets we choose to embrace will influence how we train and, in turn, how we fight.
This highlights a problem for people who have the wrong mindset about training. In other words, once you believe you know everything, you eliminate the possibility of learning anything else.
By meditating on universal concepts and human nature, we expand our minds to be more receptive to new ideas. We realize how little we actually understand, relatively speaking, and realize that the complexities of life run deeper than superficial thinking can discern.
Learning something new means admitting something you didn't know before. That, my friends, can understandably be a tough pill to swallow. But in the end, recognizing how little we know is a challenge worth taking up.
Take a moment and accept who you really are.
Know yourself so that you can properly train your mind and spirit just as you train your muscles and skills.
This is the path to mastery.
