DIFFERENT LENSES

 by Phillip Starr

How do you view the martial art that you practice? That is, what's the main reason that you practice it? Self-defense? Health maintenance? For sport? Is it a kind of social thing for you? Most of today's martial arts enthusiasts never really sit down and consider this simple question from time to time...and it has to be considered periodically because our reasons for training can, and easily do, change over time. And your main reason for practicing deeply affects HOW you practice it. The lenses through which most people view their training today is usually very different than the lenses through which our forefathers saw it.

As little as 100 years ago, our martial arts forefathers practiced primarily for reasons of personal defense. Period. And those who actually created the systems that we practice today created them as a means of self-defense. And that's how they...and their students for several generations, practiced them. Training was very serious, intense, and demanding. After all, one's life or the lives of one's family could very well depend on how effectively one could apply his art.

Of course, they came to understand, probably in their later years, that their training helped keep them healthy; but that was just a side benefit. Sport was never entered into the question and attending training for reasons of interacting with friends and “having fun” never entered their minds. Even today, in a traditional Japanese, Okinawan, or Korean dojo, “fun” is never considered and to say that you “had fun” in class is an insult to your teacher. You may say that you enjoyed class, but NEVER that it was “fun.” God forbid that he should ever hear you make such a statement!

Training there is extremely rigorous and very intense. Bruises, scrapes, bloody noses, and all the rest are accepted as a normal part of training.

So, back to the original question...what is your primary reason for practicing?