Skip to main content

A Martial Artist - How long does it take? How to go about it?

I am often asked - How many days/ months to complete training? - by anxious parents who wish to see their kids wearing a black belt or people who watch some martial art movie and decide to join a martial art class. To them all I say is it has taken me 25 years and am still learning. Martial Science is like education can a 3 year old become a Doctor or an Engineer in just a few months? Even after completing his education and becoming say a Doctor if one does not keep on learning and upgrading he will not be a good Doctor. Similarly it is with Martial Science too.

It takes a lot of discipline, devotion, dedication, effort, perseverance, determination, sacrifice and lots more.  It is the study of something which in no time completely takes over your life - the way you walk,  talk, think,  behave and lots more. It is very very demanding. No wonder at any authentic martial art school say if 30 students join at a time, by the time a few years go by there may be only 5 or lesser left from that batch. Many give up mid way not because they are weak or they cant just because they decide to GIVE UP. 

In most activities you can learn something but may not decide to be a professional  at it. However to  be a martial arts practitioner you have to decide to be a professional or you can not train or improve at it . That does not mean give up your job or education. It means be committed to it completely with your every breath. To be a martial arts practitioner one has to train everyday not with the mindset to stay fit or be healthy but with the focus to better our self than we were a few hours back. Every technique is practiced 100's of times repeating it again and again and again till the body just can not move anymore. This is the level  of  focus one needs to come close to understanding the wonderful world of martial arts. It is a path that once taken properly will last a complete lifetime and yet will not be enough to master it. For - Perfection is a mirage always visible but never reachable. 

If one is ready to commit to the very high level of dedication required then the first and most important step is to find a true martial artist to teach you. I have been blessed with wonderful teachers and always will have complete respect for them. Selecting a proper teacher is vital so that the right guidance and direction is given. Please do not go for teachers who promise belts or show pictures of fancy flying kicks or breaking things. Tamashiwara ( breaking things) or jumping kicks are part of martial art but that is not the only thing in martial arts. Most youngsters fall for them as they hope to copy their favorite film stars and do the same tricks. Search for someone who will only talk of training. Talk to the students in the class. Once joined in a class just train and sweat and sweat and sweat more. Do not bother which belt you have or which you may or not get that does not matter. What matters is can you say that you have improved in the last few hours or not. In a few years of training you will notice improvement in health, higher concentration levels, great inner and external strength and lots more. Consistent training for more years will lead to a change in the spiritual levels too. The practitioner is always in a kind of state of meditation. Always pondering and thinking about techniques or training methods. To give an example -  Master Yamaguchi a legend in Karate had developed spiritually to a level where he could catch any lie spoken by anyone. It has been said that the Japanese government use to request him to be present while interrogating spies or people where the matters were of serious nature and he has never been wrong in catching the lie.

The journey may be a tiring and testing one but not taking the journey will not take you anywhere either. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Importance of Self defense training for all.

Self defense training is a life skill that is very important for all to learn irrespective of age, gender or fitness levels. It is the training to be ready and prevent being a victim of a violent assault or crime. Self defense is about how we respond in the first 10 to 15 seconds after being physically attacked and also about the few minutes prior to that.  Very often the attitude of most people is - Why do I need to learn all this, we have the law to protect us and it won't happen to me. Yes we do have a wonderful law enforcement departments like the police and the judiciary to protect us and give justice etc. But we are our own first responders. There is no police patrol vehicle following each of us to protect us as soon as something happens. Self defense training is exactly for this time zone between being attacked and the police coming to the scene to protect you. We need to train for this exact moment on how to respond when attacked violently and prevent ourselves ...
1 comment
Read more

The weight loss lies and scam.

There are so many theories and beliefs surrounding weight loss programs and health. But a generic approach can never work for all. It may show some results but to get to the optimum of health and fitness that can be achieved, a personalized program or methodology needs to be designed.  The height to weight chart is also very generic. There are many factors that go into deciding a person's ideal weight beyond just their height. Things like activity level, type of bones, genetic ancestry, lifestyle, kind of work, and lots more. To fit all into the same box is like trying to fit an elephant in a matchbox.  Weight should always be approached holistically. What is the use of losing lots of weight but being physically weak or tired all the time. One needs to be healthy, active and fit, this is what should always supercede weight.  Our obsession with weight makes us do so many stupid things thinking it will get results. To fuel this stupidity we also have all the non...
2 comments
Read more

Motivation is a scam that is making us weak.

There are some words that are created or given a different meaning to an already existing word. Some of these words are scams on the entire human race, making us weak, soft and escapist.  Motivation is one such word. It is one word that has made so many of us blame our escapist behaviours on something else rather than stand up to bring the change within. Just by saying - I don't have the motivation - we are trying to shift the blame onto something else besides our laziness or escapist behaviour.  Trigger is another word with a new meaning. A few decades back trigger was just something on a gun. Today everything triggers everyone, making us softer than soft toys, crying or getting anxiety over anything anyone says.  Coming back to motivation. The self help books hoax is another stupidity trying to mint money off gullible people. How is it a self help book, if you need to read what someone else writes to introspect or bring change in your own life. Self help com...
Post a Comment
Read more