I came an article today that took me by surprise. Unrelated to karate, it was about how to keep up new year resolutions. The reason it took me by surprise was that it had been published late in February and I was not expecting to read much about it after January 1st.
I think this highlights quite neatly why I humbly consider the whole concept of new year resolutions utterly ridiculous.The fact there is so much fuss about them in the early weeks of January, with many gyms making the bulk of their money then, and about a month later one does not expect to hear much about them because not much is said about them. It seems to be this idea of setting out to do something, but giving up soon after. I am not criticizing people who do this, I am criticizing the fact it seems to have become a tradition. Because how often do you hear of people sticking to their resolutions in, for example, June. For most, if not all, the answer is never. It seems to be tradition to set yourself a goal and give up on it, not, I gather, with the mentality of being determined no matter what. Even if last year, the goal remained unacheived, people still don't learn from it and do the same thing next December 31st. My Sensei often talks about Einstein's definition of insanity 'repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting different results'.
Although I consider new year resolutions to have very little point, that is not to say I do not apply a similar practice with my Karate sometimes. Usually after a period like Christmas or Easter, where most of us take several days off work or school, I will reflect on how I have been practicing and training, what I need to do more of, gaps in my knowledge that I should research, where I need to alter my mentality, etc... I think it's wise to take the time to look back and evaluate sometimes, just to keep everything 'in proportion' and to know where you stand.
Do I class this as making new year resolutions? No I don't. For a start, I don't just do it in January, but whenever I feel my training and practice becomes disorganized and things need to be reconsidered. I may do it in January if I need to, but with the same mentality of doing it in May. New Year is no better a time to turn over a new leaf than any other point in the year. In fact, one could argue that it's better to avoid turning over a new leaf during the whole 'resolution craze' to avoid falling victim to it. Also, it's small changes and improvements that I normally make, things that are more achievable than the huge goals people often set themselves. If, instead of new year resolutions, once a month we all considered what small changes we could make to better ourselves or the lives of those who are with us on a regular basis, I think that would be more manageable, achievable, productive and therefore less pointless.
It's fair to say that this post is a little off-topic for a blog about karate, but I feel there's an important point to make here about motivation in training. When feeling motivated, it's easy to carry on with karate, but it's an emotion that can't be sustained. So we have to accept that the larger portion of our time training will seem mundane and, at times, it will feel impossible to carry on and that it will be grit determination and a love for what we do that will get us far.
Tuesday 17 February 2015
Monday 16 February 2015
Art or Aggression?
One does not have to have trained for very long, or trained at all, to be aware of the demanding nature of studying a martial art and the kind of mentality training requires. Often, it can be easy to misinterpret this and have a somewhat distorted view of what it means to practice karate (or any other martial art, for that matter).
When some people find out I practice karate, they look mildly surprised. I suspect this is because I do not normally exhibit the aggression stereo-typically associated with studying such a seemingly combative discipline. I do not posses the aggression or machoism that can be very present in the world of modern karate.
It can't be denied that many individuals perceive karate as a system devoted to combat and glorifying violence. First, I should draw attention to the fact that there is a difference between learning to 'fight' and learning to 'defend yourself''. Self-defense(as karate is often portrayed) is used when faced with another individual wanting to inflict serious harm. The point I want to make from this is that defending oneself is not an act of violence. It is used as a result of the use of violence. It is a hostile world out there where people get hurt. A self-defense system can't be blamed for the violence in this world, it occurs as a result of many other things. It's not ideal to have to harm another being, but for those desperate situations that nobody wants to be faced with, we have no choice if we want to leave the situation and still be alive.
That is an example one of karate's more extreme aspects and how it does not encourage anger and violence. But what about more everyday aspects, such as life in the dojo? I think what can alarm many people about dojo training is how the restrictions that appear in most other walks of life do not seem to be there. Take jiyu-kumite (freestyle sparring) as an example, when else do we find ourselves, (most of us),consciously and deliberately attacking a person who is not a threat? For most, if not all karateka, the answer is never. But in spite of this, I think kumite does very little in the way of glorifying violence. The skill it teaches a person is how to improvise under pressure, not how to harm someone else. Also, before and after sparring, it's traditional to bow/shake hands as a mark of respect, a vow to not give your partner too much more than they can take, to avoid injuring them. It's more an exercise in self-control and trust rather than hurting someone!
Where I train, before we go through basics or katas at full speed, my Sensei often says, 'do it like your life depends on it'. I think this sums up very well the type of mindset needed when doing karate full power. The fact that it's combative motions (kicking and punching etc...) done with this sheer conviction make it very easy to project aggression on to karate. Not to mention that, for once in life, not having to maintain a well-mannered, calm facade is very liberating.
I would be naive to say that the world of modern karate is devoid of aggression, necessary or not. But, in spite of my inexperience, I do feel I make a valid point when I say that we should ask ourselves how big a part of karate do anger and violence really make up.
When some people find out I practice karate, they look mildly surprised. I suspect this is because I do not normally exhibit the aggression stereo-typically associated with studying such a seemingly combative discipline. I do not posses the aggression or machoism that can be very present in the world of modern karate.
It can't be denied that many individuals perceive karate as a system devoted to combat and glorifying violence. First, I should draw attention to the fact that there is a difference between learning to 'fight' and learning to 'defend yourself''. Self-defense(as karate is often portrayed) is used when faced with another individual wanting to inflict serious harm. The point I want to make from this is that defending oneself is not an act of violence. It is used as a result of the use of violence. It is a hostile world out there where people get hurt. A self-defense system can't be blamed for the violence in this world, it occurs as a result of many other things. It's not ideal to have to harm another being, but for those desperate situations that nobody wants to be faced with, we have no choice if we want to leave the situation and still be alive.
That is an example one of karate's more extreme aspects and how it does not encourage anger and violence. But what about more everyday aspects, such as life in the dojo? I think what can alarm many people about dojo training is how the restrictions that appear in most other walks of life do not seem to be there. Take jiyu-kumite (freestyle sparring) as an example, when else do we find ourselves, (most of us),consciously and deliberately attacking a person who is not a threat? For most, if not all karateka, the answer is never. But in spite of this, I think kumite does very little in the way of glorifying violence. The skill it teaches a person is how to improvise under pressure, not how to harm someone else. Also, before and after sparring, it's traditional to bow/shake hands as a mark of respect, a vow to not give your partner too much more than they can take, to avoid injuring them. It's more an exercise in self-control and trust rather than hurting someone!
Where I train, before we go through basics or katas at full speed, my Sensei often says, 'do it like your life depends on it'. I think this sums up very well the type of mindset needed when doing karate full power. The fact that it's combative motions (kicking and punching etc...) done with this sheer conviction make it very easy to project aggression on to karate. Not to mention that, for once in life, not having to maintain a well-mannered, calm facade is very liberating.
I would be naive to say that the world of modern karate is devoid of aggression, necessary or not. But, in spite of my inexperience, I do feel I make a valid point when I say that we should ask ourselves how big a part of karate do anger and violence really make up.
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