Martial Arts and what it means to me

Martial arts are an unusual concept. Taken literally, it is the art of fighting. In a sense that statement is very true about martial arts. Unlike other fighting styles such as boxing or wrestling, martial arts have a certain beauty about them. Martial arts are like a dance, which is both flowing and beautiful, and deadly at the same time. But martial arts like other fighting styles are also practical and effective too, they can be easily used in a fight or against an attacker. Martial arts require considerable discipline to master successfully. How much discipline or skill does it take to look for trouble and beat up strangers? To attack someone from behind without provocation requires little physical training or personal commitment, only a lack of scruples and a desire for violence. On the other hand, to be able to defend oneself from an armed attacker, such as a mugger, would require a great deal of skill and commitment. Martial arts also require a degree of physical abilities to master properly, those that are lazy or do not want to use their bodies to the limit cannot expect to perform well. By studying martial arts, one improves his physical capabilities. But martial arts are also about respect and honour. It teaches one to respect seniority and people who are superior in their martial art skills. Lastly, martial arts are about combat and self-defence. Martial arts were intended to defend oneself from others in violent situations. Martial arts can be highly effective for self-defence as it can cause serious injury or even death when used properly. Martial arts are for self-defence, not beating up other people.

People who have risen through the ranks through hard work and merit deserve recognized for their achievements and to be treated with respect. Martial arts teach respect to students. Respect is understanding and accepting other people for what they are. You learn to do unto other as they would do to you. Students learn to show deference to those who are of higher ranking and to be humble. When amongst those who are not as skilled as you, patience must be displayed. Martial arts are to teach people to recognize the rank and stature other people achieved through hard work.

Martial arts are a method to improve the body and use it more efficiently. Studying martial arts requires the user have a minimum level of physical fitness to begin with. You certainly would not expect a student to become a black belt if he could not even perform a single pushup or a proper punch. To master a technique you must put effort into learning it. Kicks need to be strong and punches have to be fast. Katas require energy to be performed properly and sparring lively. The better shape you are in, the better your techniques will be.

But physical fitness is not the only requirement to become master martial arts. Martial arts also require discipline too. Like any training regime, the student must be dedicated to achieving their goal. All the talent and skill in the world is completely useless if the student lacks the dedication to achieve their goal and the desire to become the best. The student has to discipline his mind to set out their priorities and work towards their goals. They also need to discipline their bodies to work hard during training to learn the techniques and katas properly. It is a well-known fact that you cannot teach someone something they do not want to learn. This principle applies equally to martial arts; a student has to be willing to learn in order for anything to be taught in the first place. Martial arts often require sacrifices to be made in order to achieve the final goal of black belt. Sometimes it means coming in to classes late in the evening, or it may be having to set aside 20 minutes each day to practice katas instead of watching television at 7:00. Martial arts teaches the student not only self-defence, but discipline, both mental and physical.

Importantly, martial arts are a form of self-defence. Martial arts were developed with the principle of self-defence in mind. The intentions of martial arts instructors are to teach their students how to defend themselves and others when threatened, not to threaten other people. Anyone can threaten someone else with a gun and ask for his money. But few people would be able to turn on the assailant and effectively disarm him. In Canada, people are not allowed the luxury of being able to carry a concealed firearm, presumably with the intention of self-protection. Even if we were, it would be impractical to force everybody to bear weapons. It also would not completely reduce the risk of being attacked on the streets or mugged. If you were in a fight with someone else or mugged, it would not be wise nor desirable to leave yourself at the mercy of the assailant. It would be necessary to defend yourself against with martial arts. To do so would both save yourself injury or loss of property, as well as to reduce the likeliness in the future of similar attacks. But most importantly, a black belt is not a license to cause trouble and pick fights. Knowing martial arts is better than not knowing it, but it does not guarantee your safety or that you will win the fight.

This is what martial arts are to me, physical training, means to learn discipline and a valuable form of self-defence. Of course there are other fighting styles which one can take such as boxing and wrestling, but they do not teach people the same kind of discipline and respect which martial arts can teach a person. All of the major aspects of martial arts are what makes it such an effective and fulfilling experience; discipline, respect, physical fitness and self-defence skills. No other fighting style has the same depth and meaning as martial arts do for me.