Why? Part I

My Way

Before reading on, it's important to recognize the truth of the following words:

"The martial arts are viewed and defined differently by all that choose to follow the martial way (Budo)."

It is not really true to say, 'I follow Budo as a way of life'. It would be more truthful to say, 'I follow my Budo'.

I have often been asked, "Why do you do it?" Some want to understand my interest in the overall philosophies of Budo. Others want to understand why I would put myself at risk of injury. Many cannot understand my choice of full-contact above other less 'combative' forms of martial art. Countless others simply cannot understand why I would be interested in the martial arts at all.

Recently, I was asked: "What do you hope to achieve with your training, ultimately? What is the purpose of putting yourself in physical danger and sustaining injuries?"

The thing that surprised me a little was the depth and complexity behind the responses to these seemingly simple questions. For me, my motives are clear and I tend not to question them. My interest in the Martial Arts was ignited the very first time I attended a Karate lesson as a child. I was eight years old at the time. I'm now thirty-one and, if anything, my drive is stronger than ever.

I'm going to attempt to give a broad understanding of my motivations for following Budo as a way of life. I truly believe that I could write an entire book on this subject alone. But, let's limit things to the following areas (in no real order of importance):

- Fitness / Physical Health
- Self Esteem
- Perfectionism
- Budo as a Way of Life
- The Martial Arts as an Element of Budo
- Social Circle
- Philosophy
- Self Defense
- Human Nature / Aggressive Outlet
- Control
- Born To It
- Finishing It

Since each of these areas could be considered a topic for discussion in their own right, they will be serialized over multiple diary entries.

Fitness / Physical Health

There is no question that the fitness levels of a full contact martial artist are far higher than that of Mr. Average. I firmly believe that the human body is not designed to exist in an unfit (at best) or obese (at worst) state. Physical and mental 'fitness' is important to me and Budo helps me in both regards.

By day, I teach Business Communication Skills to corporate clients in Germany. By night, I am husband to a loving wife and father to a perfect daughter. Somewhere around and between these things, I practice martial arts. Unfortunately, the nature of my job involves large amounts of sitting around, talking and listening. It's fair to say that these really aren't the most physical of activities and no amount of deskside 'butt clenches' are going to keep me in physical shape (not that I have ever tried them!). On the positive side, a healthy mind is certainly a vocational prerequisite.

My ex-boss used to say, "If you want to improve the mind, stimulate the body. If you want to improve the body, stimulate the mind." He was right. There is a definite link between the two. Taking care of mind and body (as one) leads to a very centered feeling and I can only assume that this natural feeling of harmony is not a coincidence.

Sure, there are easier ways to stay in shape. But, they don't really engage the mind and the body in the way that martial arts does. I've tried other solutions - fitness centers, gyms, running, jogging, yoga, badminton, swimming - in the end, these things bore me to tears. The body is put through its paces but the mind could be taking a six week cruise around the Hawaiian islands and it wouldn't make a difference. I don't have the patience for more conventional forms of exercise. The treadmill makes me feel like a hamster on a wheel and the idea of standing in front of a mirror with heavy objects in both hands is a little too narcissistic for me. Let's face it, just how often can I watch myself lifting heavy objects before losing my mind to mad cow disease?

Kyokushin Budokai (full contact Karate and Judo combined) demands both a physical and mental commitment. It is demanding in ways that continuously challenge my physical and mental capabilities. A full contact, all round fight, has often been compared to 'Human Chess'. I like this analogy. I believe it's fitting and it's a game that I like to play.

Self Esteem

I was raised in a somewhat unconventional family and those outside of it simply didn't approve. In order to help me understand this, I was regularly and severely beaten by large groups of well intentioned individuals, all certain that I would learn the error of my ways as a direct result of these little lessons. Between the ages of 8 and 14, not a day passed by where my face wasn't reintroduced to Mr. Fist and his faithful friends; Mr. Foot, Mr. Knee, Mr. Elbow, Mr. Head, occasionally Mr. Sharp-Object and, worst of all, Mr. Humiliation.

These puppets of facial reconstruction did the bidding of their masters, without pause for thought, very charitably 'teaching me a lesson' as often as they saw fit. To this day, I am actually grateful to them for what I have learned. What was gleaned from their schooling may not be what these 'would-be-teachers' had in mind but those countless hours of instruction certainly put me on the path that I follow today.

The concept that 'little can defeat big when little is smart' is a fundamental principle of the Martial Way. An understanding of this way gave me the strength and the confidence to stand up after every beating. I was able to knowingly demonstrate that, whilst my body was broken, my mind and spirit could never be scratched. Of course, this would often antogonise my new friends and drive them to further ingenious acts of mindless violence but it didn't matter. I had learned how to smile at their frustration.

At that early age, I never really developed the physical strength or achieved the level of skill needed to overcome these packs of animals. Many of them were 'adult' and I was still a child. However, my sheer refusal to 'lie down' became a game that they would clearly never win. No matter how hard they tried, they could never really beat me. Ultimately, the experience became too humiliating for them. Finally, they simply stopped trying. Far from being allowed to celebrate their short reign as dominators of a weaker body, they were forced to submit to the unbreakable nature of a stronger spirit.

It is odd to say that I possessed the martial spirit long before I truly devloped martial skill. But, in my case - it was so. Many attain a level of false confidence through the skills they learn. Their training leads them to believe (wrongly) that their have become somehow invincible. They have, for whatever reason, failed to identify that the body is a physical thing that can be broken. To break the mind however, is another matter. The strength of the human spirit transcends anything that the physical body can be forced to endure. Each time I undergo physical pain - through my training - I am reminded that the human spirit is stronger than the body and that it can never be broken. As a person I take comfort in this. As a teacher, I take enormous pleasure in having the opportunity to help others acquire this same strength of mind, body and spirit.

Click Here to Read: Why? PartII

- Perfectionism
- Budo as a Way of Life

Visit My Dojo: MMA Ireland : Photos