The Journey of a Martial Artist

At what point do you transition from someone who practices a martial art to being a martial artist?  Do you need to know and be able perform all the techniques of your art? Have a black belt? Maybe it’s simpler than that, maybe you just need to be able to kick arse.

I’m sure the majority of you disagree with that last statement – a 120 kilo roid muncher hyped up on ice can certainly kick a lot of arse but you wouldn’t call him a martial artist.

A black belt then? Regrettably, thanks to the ever growing number of McDojos and Belt Factories, this previously honoured indicator of fighting ability and martial knowledge has completely lost all meaning. Don’t get me wrong, there are still black belts out there who are the Real Deal; people you do not want to mess with. It’s just that these days a black belt is more likely to be around the waist of either a fat, middle aged man or a 5 year old boy who still struggles to tie his own shoe laces than a genuine martial artist.  

 What about the guy who started when he was sixty and now has all the technical knowledge of the art but is unable to perform it, is he a martial artist? Unfortunately no. The key word here is martial; in order to be considered a martial artist they must have at least at some point have been able to apply their knowledge against a live, resisting opponent. Simply put, they need to be able to fight. The idea that someone can be technical without being a good fighter is ridiculous. The definition of a technician is someone who can skilfully apply their knowledge. You wouldn’t call someone who had memorised the dictionary, but can’t form sentences, good at writing; just as you shouldn’t call someone who can reproduce your club’s syllabus, but can’t fight a martial artist.

There is nothing wrong with someone who, like in the above example, practices a martial art but never learns to apply their techniques against a resisting opponent – provided they don’t think that they can apply those techniques without going through this learning process; but that’s a discussion for another time – they’re just not martial artists. They’re martial hobbyists; they might train for health reasons, for the social aspects or for fun, they just don’t train to be able to fight.    

So what are the traits of a martial artist? Athleticism, pain tolerance and coordination combined with a conscious and intuitive knowledge of their art.  Having this technical knowledge and being able to skilfully apply it is a must and cannot be forsaken. As we’ve established, you can be a good fighter without being technical but you can’t be technical without being a good fighter. It is frequently through the process of acquiring this skill that one develops those physical qualities listed and the mental virtues of self control, determination, confidence and the genuine lack of ego that are so often lauded as being the hallmarks of a martial artist.

 That is why I truely believe that in order to a real martial artist you must first be a martial athlete.

I am unable to think of a martial artist from the modern era who was not first a martial athlete. Helio Gracie, Jigaro Kano, Mas Oyama, Bruce Lee and Morihei Ueshiba were all martial athletes. They all developed the strength, speed, power and timing necessary for the successful execution of their skills. Going back further back examples include Gama, Chogen Miyagi, Huo Yuanjia and, of course, Miyamoto Musashi.

Martial athletes spend time developing the necessary fighting attributes; they innovate and celebrate improvements made in performance, technique and training method. Their constant training and competition instils a sense of timing and aggression—in the sense that they continually work towards a goal—as well as imparting a high tolerance of pain and discomfort. They develop strategies for fighting and situations that arise whilst doing so (i.e. ‘game plans’) rather than simply being a repository of techniques. Athletes like to do rather than talk or conceptualise; they prefer to get out of their minds and into their bodies, allowing a level of skilled execution not seen in those who must ‘think through’ the technique. Ultimately martial athletes are prepared to sacrifice time and effort, not just to learn the techniques of their system, but to master them in a way that allows meaningful use.     

Not all martial athletes go on to become martial artists. A martial athlete is the raw material from which a martial artist might be fashioned—given the right tools. The right tools in this case being a deep sense of introspection both about the art and themselves – a willingness to consider the principles, strategies and function of the art itself, and to ask themselves why they train in the art, or indeed at all, combined with the desire to go far beyond the superficial. Athletes who are willing and able to do this typically advance very quickly and often take their art to a higher level.

There are no shortcuts to being a martial artist. Real ancient martial artists were effective with thier technique but simply imitating an ancient master is not sufficient if you wish to take the path of a martial artist. You must take that technique, make it your own and make it effective for yourself. This requires sacrifice, training and the testing of both yourself and your techniques. Be an athlete and then fashion yourself into an artist.