Papers Papers are submitted by Dan Grade applicants
Martial Art, two relatively unassuming words can be broken down into one dramatic statement within two steps. Unfortunate, yet a common misconception shared by many people. This is a personal account of that misconception. I would say my brother and I were fortunate to grow up in a fairly normal environment, with a home and support from both parents. Like most siblings we had our disagreements which on a regular basis would turn into fighting, violence if you like. For me it was similar at school, despite my parent’s efforts to instil discipline and respect I found myself on many occasions fighting at school and suffering the consequences. Both the institutions of home and school found it difficult to get me to understand the need for self-discipline in society. They were forced upon me, I had to be there and resentment easily built up. It was probably just before my teens that I asked my mother if I could take up a Martial Art. Her response was immediate and now, I realise, without due thought and consideration. “I’m not letting you learn how to beat your brother up properly” were what I recall as her words. She actually believed in her mind that by letting me learn a Martial art. But was she right? Undoubtedly used wrongly her assumption could be correct. We all have the ability to use what we learn positively or negatively, Martial Art is no exception. However, what is promoted within the learning process is important to establish the outcome. It wasn’t until I was 22 years old that I began training with Combat Academy UK. The very name, I suppose, could be associated with fighting and violence. Yet I was to embark upon learning the ancient art of Ju Jitsu, combined with the more modern and fashionable sport of kick-boxing and at no point in the six years that has passed has it been suggested that this is to be used in society in a violent manner. I found myself in a class of people from all different backgrounds, cultures, races, religions, shapes, sizes and of course different sexes, voluntarily submitting themselves to a disciplined and highly respectful environment. Here in the Dojo everyone is equal and anyone who steps on the mat, knowing they might take the occasional knock, deserves the same respect. An environment that parents and schools try to instil within you by compulsion, yet here it is within an organisation that I went to out of choice. It was after I realised this that I started noticing the children. Ok, like all children they love to test the boundaries once in a while, but generally they were here doing something they enjoyed. They trained, conformed, behaved in a disciplined manner and learnt respect for one another from observing the example shown by other club members. Unlike school and home they can leave at any time, but if they want to stay and learn they must abide by the same rules as everyone else, they train by choice. Thus they absorb discipline by choice. So did my mother misunderstand the concept of Martial Arts? I believe so but only got an opportunity to test this last year. A friend and colleague of mine had been experiencing a few problems with his eldest of three sons. A young teenager reaching that boisterous age easily influenced by friends, not too far off the rails, but always the concern that could happen. I know him personally and he’s not a bad kid but had started playing up at home, refusing to concentrate on school work and getting in trouble at school for playing a part in a group that found excitement in bullying others. His actions and attitude also showed he had a lot of energy to burn, which is not addressed at school. My colleague and I discussed the situation over a period of weeks and he expressed concern at the lack of sport encouraged at school. I agreed, from the teenagers I knew, that they didn’t seem to have compulsory activities. Which, undoubtedly, leaves them with energy to burn. I recommended bringing his son to train at Combat Academy as an experiment. Predictably his reaction was similar to my mother’s and questions arose like “Isn’t kick boxing violent? Don’t you get hurt? If he’s already bullying aren’t you just showing him how to be more effective?”. He felt his wife would share similar views. I explained my experiences from the previous four years of training with the club and how it had heightened my respect for people. I even encouraged him to train to give them an activity to share and to experience things first hand. After discussing it with his wife, father and son attended their first class. A year has passed since then and my colleague has seen a definite change in his son’s attitude. Most importantly he no longer feels the need to involve himself with the group that encouraged bullying, but also he is generally more respectful, more focused, healthier and is even known to study harder. Of course, with all teenagers, there is always the odd relapse but to a certain extent the fear of not being allowed to go training counters that. The middle son has since been introduced to the club because my colleague is pleased with not only the results, but also the general way of life encouraged. I believe it was summed up when he expressed his delight that, when offered a soft drink, the boys ask for water. Most kids would want fizzy drinks or squash, but because of the clubs encouragement to drink water and eat healthily they make this choice. It’s a small example but proves that a disciplined environment can have a positive effect on a child. So was my mother wrong to stop me joining a Martial Art club as a child? Parents make the best decision they can at the time. However sometimes this can be made without adequate information. In today’s society we are experiencing an escalation of child and teenage crime, quite often violent. Some juveniles do respond to the discipline of the home environment but others require an external influence, in my experience this can be provided by Martial Art. I am not suggesting we have a miracle cure just one that can teach them to respect one another as human beings. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why are martial arts called ‘martial arts’? It is a good expression to use because it neatly encompasses what the training is all about. The word ‘martial’ comes from the name of the Ancient Roman god of war, Mars, and refers to the fact that one of the aims of this type of training is to improve your combat skills. This desire is perhaps at the root of all martial arts and has been or is often the initial motivation for the student, ancient or modern. Incidentally, by the term combat skills I don’t just mean the ability to punch, kick or throw people. I also include those skills concerned with avoiding conflict. Years of training have made me very aware of what is going on around me; turned me into a very fast runner, over short distances; and given me a healthy appreciation of the benefits of not being hit! It also applies to other forms of fighting. The ability to ‘control your breathing and maintain a relaxed stillness before making ~ physical action that could have devastating consequences for an opponent’ applies to pistol or rifle shooting as much as it does to close quarter physical combat. The word ‘arts’ also comes from the Latin meaning, according to The Pocket Oxford Dictionary sitting on my desk, “human creative skill or its application”. Surely there can be no better definition for the art side of what I do: coming up with, or ‘creating’, patterns of movement as intricate as any dance or musical composition. To continue the metaphor, just as a good dancer will move smoothly and efficiently round the dance floor, making what he or she do~ seem effortless and easy, so a good martial artist will make what they do a thing of beauty. I often say to my students that if what they are doing looks good, it generally is good: unnatural or awkward movements don’t flow the same way as natural ones do and, of course, flow is vital to the martial artist in terms of increasing speed and the application of body weight and momentum into a technique. The kata or form is a dance-like demonstration of the art side of martial arts, especially now that modem competitions often allow demonstrations to be accompanied by music. Add music to the paired forms of arts like shorinji-kempo, aikido, and jujitsu and the difference between that and the tango is only one of intent! The comparison with music also applies to how a martial art is learnt. The student will learn the basics, the notes if you like, through imitation and repetition. The advanced student will begin to compose his own works: putting together a series of basic movements into a complicated technique that suits his or her unique style. The word art can also mean cunning or artfulness: using tricks or stratagems to gain advantage. How else would one describe a feint or a ‘sand in the face’ dirty trick? Thus a little time spent considering why martial arts are called martial arts gives the student an insight into many of the concepts vital to their training: combat skills; flow of technique; repetition of correct technique to make permanent; the importance of kata and forms to name but a few. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the great masters of martial arts of centuries ago, these arts have been passed down from master to student through to the present day. I guess in the early days in the Far East where much of what we are taught today originates from, things were a lot different. Then I believe there was far more of a religious connection, martial arts was more a way of life and of course there were tribal and personal wars to fight. Today in the modem west many people of all ages take up martial arts, for varying reasons. Self-defence, fitness training, to do something positive or to lose weight. Although martial arts classes are available to most, there will be only a few that will complete the journey to excellence. Everything around us evolves and so to our techniques for teaching and training. We also should move with modem times. We have a greater knowledge of our own anatomy than maybe 4000 years ago, however the understanding of function of anatomy, i.e. how to develop optimum speed, power and co-ordination is probably a lot less than great masters of the arts 4000 years ago. The masters who have a lifetime dedication, who constantly strives for excellence, who can move with the times and pass on these great martial arts are few and far between. This is one of the reasons I believe that respect and discipline is so important not only for the art but for the guardians of the art who will pass this great knowledge on to us. Moving with the times is also important. The unique fitness and co-ordination the skilled martial artist can be adapted into other sports such as boxing and kick boxing or any other sport that requires stamina, co-ordination and agility. As a instructor, it is important to encourage students through all stages of learning and that learning is a process of correcting mistakes, it would follow that the better the instructor, the faster mistakes will be rectified. So equally as important as having self discipline, self respect and self understanding we need to have self criticism, to understand that to be a good instructor we need to constantly look at our own weaknesses. The Dojo is a place where we focus on our training and learning, the importance of respect for our peers and the art we are learning or teaching should be maintained at all times. To present oneself in a smart gi is important, all part of self-respect and for the others in our class. If you can judge an army on its uniform, then lets look the best and be the best. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You have a black belt now lets begin! Five to seven years of hard work and you’ve earned your black belt, you have it in your hand, you’ve done it. Up to now you have had a focus - a goal to achieve, but now you’ve reached it where do you go from here? Do you look for something new? Or even better! Just look deeper in to what you do and move on to the next level. Black belt is where you actually start to learn but at a different level. Up to now your teacher has built into you all the foundations of your art and guided you through your intermediate stages, then on to an advanced level of techniques and understanding of your chosen art. Now all the above has been instilled into you, you have to decide which road you are going to take. Do you own your black belt and that belt works for you or do you have something in your care that needs to be looked after and passed on to the next generation? As the arts have lasted as long as they have and grown in to what they are today I believe they need to be looked after, enjoyed and passed on to a new generation. I have two teachers of my present art and when I demonstrate a technique to them or perform in front of them I would have thought this would be where my hardest constructive criticism would come from, as they know what I can do and how I can move. But I was mistaken because when you take that step and start to teach to an individual or a class you will meet your biggest critic and it is not those that you are teaching but yourself. In teaching what you have learned of your art to others it allows your skill to grow as your understanding of your technique unfolds due to you checking and double checking your technique, as the last thing you want to do is pass on a flawed move. You look deeper into the way your own body moves, or how the technique feels and makes your training partner move or react physically to your techniques influence. Someone once said to me as a passing remark in a conversation “I can see you have a passion for this” (jujitsu), at the time I thought that’s great what a nice compliment (which it was). A while later I was watching a class of high grades training and I could see the passion most were putting into their techniques, then I noticed a few stood out more than the others. As I watched I could see precision in their movement and realised that these were the people that taught classes. What I’m trying to say is, it is great to train your techniques, and yes you will be good, if you have a passion for your art it will show in what you do. But if you really want to put the devil in the detail try teaching what you do and open up a new world of training. On a final note the rewards you get from watching a student grade whether at a low grade or high grade and seeing them performing techniques you have passed on to them gives you as much reward as actually taking a grading yourself In some cases when someone has worked extra hard but still struggled then managed to pull it all together the rewards are even greater. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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