The term martial arts usually conjures up three different images in polite conversation. The first is little kids in pressed, white uniforms bouncing around and breaking boards as proud parents look on. The second might be two dudes engaged in a grappling match, tying each other up into a human pretzel. The third…two tatted up guys pounding the crap out of each other amongst a throng of excited fans. While every one of these scenarios may have some semblance of truth, the fact is, they all lack the sum total of what martial arts training, budo, is really all about.
If you’re involved in some kind of training, you may understand what I’m talking about, but the majority of the public doesn’t really get it, which is probably one of the reasons why it’s very difficult to convince the “average Joe” to come and train. Let’s be honest, if you are, let’s say between 25 and 40 years old, gainfully employed in some type of professional or technical job where you have to show up Monday through Friday, none of these choices may appeal to you. You’re too old to be trading kicks and punches with a 10 year old, not really interested in getting choked out two or three days a week and certainly have no desire to have your nose rearranged. So, the obvious choice? CrossFit.
Traditional styles like karate, judo, aikido or kung fu used to be the mainstay of martial arts training and self-defense. That is, until people started to figure out that a lot of what you see out there is, well…a joke. Much of the decline in the credibility of these martial paths stems from a plethora of school owners who actually left the path in search of, shall we say, “greener pastures?” Later today, I have discovery call scheduled with yet another martial arts ad agency to discuss promoting my school and I bet they’re going to recommend I start training a bunch of kids, incorporate some type of fast track black belt program, do tournaments, etc. They’ll suggest snappy ads with happy kids and adults in flashy, patch-filled uniforms. I’ve been training for over 40 years and I’m on the other side of 50, so I feel confident when I say, “things ain’t what they used to be.”
The other culprit to the decline of legitimate martial arts training is lawsuits. When you open your doors to everybody, you also open them to litigation. So, if you own a school, you’d better be very careful about how hard you push people lest they become a victim of their own lack of conditioning and your failure to ensure they are prepared for the rigors of combat training. You read that correctly…combat training. Martial means military, in this case, hand-to-hand combat. But we don’t like to use that phrase; “self-defense” seems far more kind and respectful. There’s nothing kind or respectful about fighting to stay out of the hospital or the morgue. It requires consistent training, vigorous conditioning and the proper mindset.
The warrior mindset is severely lacking in martial arts today. Sure, most MMA fighters are more than ready to “throw down,” and are very capable, but are they receiving the proper instruction in temperance? To use words first? Perhaps. It truly depends on the coach and the environment. Conflict resolution, whether verbal or physical is a skill that requires tremendous amounts of training and discipline. Furthermore, a warrior must have some form of a moral code, a higher form of reasoning that directs their motives. If you’ve been taught from day one to destroy anyone who gets in your way, you’re going to have a tough time dealing with conflict.
In a legitimate budo dojo, there is a healthy mix of martial training, physical conditioning, realistic combat scenarios and mental focus. Not just “meditating” for a couple of minutes after class, but a rigorously controlled environment where people are forced to reconcile with fear, embarrassment, anger, frustration, all leading to heightened awareness, focus and mental control. Not just scoring points or locking somebody up in an armbar; that stuff is pretty to teach because it’s all ego-based. Teaching people how to have more than one speed, to think before they act and yet have no mind about it (mushin), to be resolute when attacking and tactical while defending…now, that’s the stuff that leads to life application.
When you create an environment that requires hundreds of repetitions, acceptance of pain through all forms of conditioning, rigorous standards for physical performance and behavior all tied to morality, you will produce formidable warriors. Men and women who do not seek conflict, but who are prepared for it mentally and physically. A true warrior does not wish to go to war, but is prepared and committed to fight even when the odds are against him or her. This only happens when a person has received the proper training and conditioning. It only happens in a dojo, whether that is on mat, a wood floor or out in the field. A dojo is not necessarily a place, it is a mindset.
When I was a young man, I wanted to fight everybody. To be “the best.” I wanted to walk into a bar or down the street knowing I could take of myself. My ego did most of the talking on and off the mat and it affected my job performance personal interactions and relationships. If affected my marriage. I went to Japan and wound training in a completely different environment that stressed several key elements: tenacity, respect, morality, compassion, courage, discipline and humility. And over time, it affected my job performance, personal interactions and relationships. It affected my marriage.
Budo, properly trained and executed, leads to all types of conflict resolution. A warrior does not seek conflict but does not run from it. He has conditioned his mind and body to deal with conflict, knowing that simply a part of life.
Dave Magliano
Tatsu Dojo
Jissenkan Budo
Dojo Cho
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