Why? Part III

Background

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?"

This is the third of a series of entries that attempts to answer the question, "Why?" In Parts I and II, we took a look at areas that included "Physical Health and Fitness", "Self Esteem", "Perfectionism" and "Budo as a Way of Life". This time I'd like to focus on "The Martial Arts as an Element of Budo " and the "Social Circle" of Budoka (practitioners of the Martial Way).

Martial Arts as an Element of Budo

The term "Martial Arts", is a surprisingly controversial one. It has come to represent the practice of the sporting, artistic and combative aspects of fighting systems that often date back many thousands of years. The very idea of "the martial arts" is now defined differently by all that practice them. I would like to make clear my understanding of the term martial arts and what it means to be a martial artist. This is my view and I remain open to yours.

Budo is a way of life for me. I do not like the misunderstanding that 'Budo means Martial Arts'. Budo is a way of life. Budo means: "The Martial Way", not "Martial Arts". The Martial Arts are simply an element of this martial way.

There are many kinds of martial art. There are internal arts that focus on the cultivation and use of internal energies (Chi, Ki). There are external arts that focus on Biology, Biomechanics and Physics. There are arts that combine the use of both internal and external energies. The are arts that focus on acrobatic and aesthetic movement for the purpose of sport (essentially; gymnastics sports which have developed from the martial arts). There are also arts that focus on combat for sport.

There are arts that focus on full contact sporting applications and there are arts that focus on soft (or zero) contact empty hand combat. There are arts that focus on the use of weapons and arts that concentrate solely on self defence. There are arts developed and put to use by the modern military. We have arts that mimic the actions of animals and arts that take advantage of pressure points. Some arts concentrate on the redirection of an opponents physical energy. Others, confront the opponent head on.

Many focus on the "Martial" and many focus on the "Art", some do neither and focus solely on sport. Put simply, each person must find the art, sport, fighting style and/or martial art that suits them and their purpose.

Now, let's define what being a martial artist means to me:

"Martial Artist": Someone who is mentally and physically prepared for combat and expresses themselves, during times of duress and conflict, in a way that is both skilful and creative.

You see, for me, in order to be a martial artist, one cannot separate the Martial from the Art. One must be (truly) prepared for physical conflict. One must be experienced in, and prepared for, combat.

In order to be a martial artist, one cannot separate the Art from the Martial. One must be able to express oneself in a creative and skilful manner.

Put simply, a martial artist is both a fighter and an artist. For the true martial artist, combat and art are two sides of the same coin and they cannot (must not) be separated. To focus on combat may make us a fighter but it doesn't make us a martial artist. To focus on sport and aesthetics may make us an artist and an athlete but it doesn't make us a martial artist. To focus solely on combat sports (UFC, Pride, MMA, K-1 etc.) may make us fighters and athletes but it doesn't make us martial artists.

For these reasons and more, I practise full contact martial arts. I practise all round fighting where anything goes. But, I practise as an artist that seeks creativity, perfection and skill in my actions. Mostly, I fail. But, always I try.

Social Circle

Humans, as a species, are social animals. The degree to which social interaction is important in the lives of humans is truly astounding. Consider the following article: Research In Mind-Body Medicine Shows That Social Interaction Accelerates Healing

My previous entry in this diary outlines my feelings concerning the comradery of our Dojo in Germany. It is, without a doubt one of the major reasons why I train there.

Recently, I had the pleasure of training with 280 fellow Budoka (followers of the martial way) in Budapest, Hungary. We trained hard (and played hard!) for six days and I had the pleasure of meeting some truly amazing people that I am certain will remain a part of my life (despite being separated by the borders of countries and continents). I am not suggesting that all 280 people are 'like minded'. However, the percentage of like minded individuals (that I met) certainly lay in the high 80's.

Could you imagine walking into a bar, nightclub or any other social environment and find that you could describe 80% of the people as 'like minded'? I've been involved in other 'club/sport based' social groups. 280 Rugby players may all feel the same way about Rugby, but do they have the same general view on life? 280 golfers may all have a similar view on golf but are they generally 'like minded'? This will be considered in greater detail in Part IV, when we consider "Philosophy".

As humans, we pride ourselves on individuality yet yearn (in general) for social interaction. The martial arts allow me to express myself (the artist) under duress (the martial) whilst at the same time being a part of a social whole.

Maybe I'm just lucky. I attended my first Karate lesson when I was just 8 or 9 years old and I've been in love with the Martial Arts ever since. I've attended many, many schools and experienced many, many styles over the years. Sadly, in the main, I have met more than my share of charlatans that pose as martial artists. However, I have also met men and women that have become my brothers and sisters in the martial arts. Without these people, I would still be the 'searching boy'. Instead, because of these people, I have 'found my way'. This way certainly doesn't suit everyone. However, I have come to learn that, much to my surprise, it is a way that suits and is followed by many.

Coming Soon:

Why? Part IV

- Philosophy
- Self Defense

Visit My Dojo: MMA Ireland : Photos