GOING BEYOND

 by Yang Shuangxing

Most martial arts enthusiasts hold their instructors in very high regard, at least as far as martial skill is concerned. And if they were asked if they thought they could someday exceed their teacher's level of skill, they'd be shocked and answer in the negative without giving it a second thought.

Consider...what enabled your teacher to achieve his or her level of skill? The first thing is passion; being passionate and committed to learning the art. Many practitioners say they want to learn it – even master it – but they lack the passion. Without that, they won't make it too far. Some start with what they believe is passion but boredom often sets in (often due to the constant repetition of fundamentals), or the path becomes too physically/mentally demanding and the flame begins to wither. The real passion is gone.

Being passionate is one thing, but it must be paired with discipline if it's going to be of any use. One may dream of becoming a concert pianist or NFL star, but without both passion AND the discipline required to put the passion into action, the path comes to a sudden stop. To acquire the same level of skill as your teacher requires both. In fact, acquiring any real skill at all requires both.

So, it is possible; it's a question of how much you want it...