"Why Study The Martial
Arts?"
“Why is my child doing this anyway?”
An anxious
mother demanded of the instructor (“sensei” in Japanese) that her child
not be “subjected to the pressure” of learning the first ten steps of
the basic Heian Shodan kata form. “My
son should only have to learn four steps. Your
expectations are too high. He
can’t take this pressure. It’s
damaging to him. He can’t achieve
that much….” An on, and on. This despite the fact that innumerable young people… even those
with serious ADD… have learned 15 or even 20 steps of that kata in their
first classes. “Just what are
you teaching him? And why is
my child doing this anyway?” she asked.
So why is that
child doing this?
Self Confidence and Self
Defense
Obviously,
the first answer is to be more confident that one can better defend one’s
self. In today’s world, that skill is extremely important. And in karate, all that starts with the simplest first steps… in
the basic kata forms, steps, blocks and strikes.
But beyond
the obvious, there are a myriad of other excellent reasons for young
people, as well as adults, to study the martial arts.
Independence and Pride
in Accomplishment
The martial
arts, if taught sensibly and sensitively, allow the student… and that
student’s parents… to readily grasp just how much can be accomplished. A student can readily develop a healthy sense
of capability and pride… and parents can readily learn to let their children
achieve to their potentials in an independent environment.
Interdependence and Humility
in Accomplishment
Seemingly
the opposite to the attributes cited above, the fostering of healthy
interdependence in students promotes the vital connectivity of the individual
to his or her family, dojo, community, state and nation. We all need to belong, and the martial arts
prepare us to belong in an optimally productive way.
Likewise,
a healthy sense of pride is balanced and checked by a healthy humility.
Modesty about one’s self and one’s accomplishments serves to help us
avoid unwanted vanity, making us more welcome among those around us.
Gentleness
The martial
arts prepare us to avoid fights if at all humanly possible. As such, we learn to value peace and a “gentler
way” over the path of violence. This
promotes calmness and gentility within us and in our behavior toward
others. Martial artists know
that good manners and courtesy are their best and most effective weapons…
and assets.
Equality and Tolerance
In the dojo
and on the tatame (mat), all students are welcome and equal. In this environment, students come to realize
that race, religion, ethnic origin and sex are really non-differentiators
in terms of the ultimate value we place on people. In short, the martial arts are ideal for teaching
equality and tolerance… inside the dojo and outside too.
Sportsmanship
The martial
arts are an enjoyable sport when we incorporate them into competitive
efforts. Healthy competition
helps students set goals, surmount obstacles and achieve objectives;
most important, it teaches good sportsmanship and sports etiquette. We learn how to achieve through hard work - and how to understand
why we sometimes do not achieve what we wish - and benefit from both.
Coordination and Physical
Health
The martial
arts are an ideal path to train one’s body as well as one’s mind. From the initial “basics” of strikes, blocks
and fundamental kata forms, martial arts students are on the road to
mastering new levels in physical coordination, space and depth perception
and general physiological health. In
fact, after several years in the martial arts, parents of these students
can be heard to remark how surprised they are to be able to easily spot
their own children among the hundreds happily dashing toward the school’s
door at 3:00… “My kid just moves differently now, more erect, more aware
and confident…”
Grace
The natural
outcome of enhanced coordination and physical health, grace – the ability
to move with fluidity – can be seen as the kinetic poetry of physical
fitness. Children who avidly
study the martial arts tend to become much more graceful than the average
child, more comfortable with his or her body and much more adept at adjusting
to the considerable physical and physiological changes of puberty and
young adulthood.
Responsibility
Each martial
arts student should learn early on that he or she is totally responsible
for self-conduct and how that conduct reflects upon the dojo and the
general community or “commonwealth” around it. As martial artists, we take literally and proudly as badges of
our identity our responsibilities to our art, our families, our community
and our country. Martial artists
are contributors, readily giving of ourselves because we recognize
our responsibilities.
Trust
Today, more
than ever before, it is wise to teach students that trust is not a cheap
commodity; it needs to be earned. The
martial arts, properly taught, are an exceptional arena in which the
young learn to trust those who earn trust by imparting lessons
well, lessons that lead students to healthy achievement. And students also learn to earn trust themselves through solid
effort toward realizable goals and objectives. The
martial arts teach us, through our strenuous efforts together, how trust
is earned and who is rightfully worthy of it.
Integrity
At a certain
point, true students of the martial arts stand out from their
crowd not only because of “all their moves” but rather because their
integrity too has made them masters of their craft.
An old master
awarded a beautiful, hand-wrought sword to the “losing” student in a
closely fought competition, a competition so close that the old master’s
failing eyes could no longer discern who really won. “Why isn’t that sword mine, for I am the winner, Master?” asked
the angry victor. The old master
looked down and responded, “Yes, you have the victory, because
your opponent admitted immediately that he felt he was outfought and
that he had much to learn. But he
has the integrity because of that. Your victory will last a few minutes
and will be only yours; his integrity will last his lifetime and will
benefit all around him
Exactly Why
So when
that parent questions why her child is “subjected to the pressure” of
learning the first ten steps of the basic Heian Shodan kata form, these
are the reasons.
This is exactly
why that youngster should take up the martial arts – confidence
in self defense, independence and pride, interdependence
and humility, gentleness, tolerance, sportsmanship, coordination and
physical health, grace, responsibility, trust and personal integrity.
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