How has martial arts practice affected my thinking? This was a question asked of me the other day in my work place. I was taken back a bit at first as it is not something I would expect to be asked by a fellow high school teacher. The person asking the question was a trainee teacher who had two sons. He wanted them involved in combat sports/martial arts and when he had overheard a conversation between another colleague and myself he approached me with the above question.
After some thought I said, "Well, that's a big question, how long do you have?"
It was near the end of the lunch break and we were both heading back to class so it went no further.
The following day we caught up again to have a discussion. The guy was very sincere and interested in what his boys could get out of martial arts. He was a triathlete so the martial arts were new territory for him. From what I can understand he had an idea that different combat sports/martial arts provide different values and he wanted me to suggest which ones would be best for his boys.
However, I didn't agree. I came from the angle that all martial sports/arts teach people a type of power over others. Usually this is physical power but it can also be mental or emotional power depending on the pursuit. Power can be used to help or to abuse.The famous Japanese quote, "Setsuninto - Katsujinken" roughly translates to "the sword that takes life" and the "sword that gives life". This quote is very old and refers to the use of the sword to simply kill for killing's sake or to use it to protect and keep order. I used MMA as an example. The fighters are exceptional athletes with fantastic technical ability but I dislike the ego and poor sportsmanship that was displayed in the sport. I compared this with the Gracies' Brazilian Jujutsu and how those people were also technically very good but acted with honour and integrity. This being said, then how would he ensure that his boys would be training for the right reasons. In my opinion most of their values will come from their father and mother. I would trust that they will teach the boys integrity and honour. So would it matter which martial art they learned?
At one point in our discussion he liked my use of the term "body awareness". I was using the term to describe how practices like martial arts and dance allow a full range of motion, increasing mobility but also improving the sense of where your body is in space at all times. This was actually what he wanted his boys to get out of the training. Yes, he wanted the boys to protect themselves but he also wanted them physically competent.
I believe the martial art isn't as important as the instructor teaching it. All martial arts are taught by people, usually men who have their own take on things. Some people teach martial arts for the joy of it. Some teach to make money, other teach for their own agendas, sometimes these are not honourable.
So my advise to this man was that he should let the boys choose whatever martial art they or he sees fit but meet the instructor first, watch a class and get a feel for the person. If your gut tells you it is not for you, then walk away with no regrets.
It was a fascinating discussion that helped me crystallize my own ideas about why I practice martial arts and whether my training influenced my thinking.
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