Mind and Spirit

The mental and spiritual aspects of martial arts are infinite. Martial arts forces you to address lots of problems between you and others because you are in a combative arena. Coming to terms with fear and building trust and self discipline are the basics, but also the core of much human achievement. The aim after all is to be at peace with yourself, and with others.

Let's look at some of the common problems we experience in the club. First the big one - fear. Firstly you're not alone. There isn't anyone in the club who hasn't been fearful during training or more commonly when thinking about training. "What if"s abound. What is it like to be hit? What are the dangers of that? Doesn't it hurt to spar like that? In truth it's the fear of all these things that hurts the most. If you are training properly and consistently then you just get tougher. The actuality of bruises and bumps which are rare are much larger when they are in your head. We have a very low injury rate compared to any other sport or physical activity.

Trust. You've got to learn to trust your training partner and more importantly he/she has got to trust you. The worst type of training partners are not those who are hard: it's those who are variable. One moment they are going easy and then they get fearful and react. Try to be in the moment and go easier. Most of those who go too hard are actually the most scared. Show your mastery of yourself by giving and being relaxed.

Self discipline. Just turning up for class is self discipline itself. At the club we don't dwell on external forms of discipline too much believing that it should come from within. However, basic etiquette and wearing clean training clothes show that you have a respect for both the dojo and your training partners. Always wear a club t-shirt or you won't be allowed into classes. On the home front there is much to do. Daily stretching, concentrating on the breath and feeling what is happening to your body, is a starting point on the road to self knowledge. Breath is the way in to control and understanding of your deeper body so make sure that you are aware of what is happening there.

Goal setting and being positive.

I was fortunate in meeting Clement Stone, a co-author, with Napoleon Hill, of Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude when I was only fifteen, and this approach has been part of my life since then. Whatever your ideology is, simple goal setting really helps. Set minimum and maximum goals. Your minimum could be just to look at this web site once a week and do twenty push ups and your stretching routine once a day till you get time to come into the club. It's important to build on success. Your maximum could be to be the most fearsome warrior on the planet or whatever suits you.
If you are having a problem then that's great as that is when you are going to grow most as a person. I have learnt to see my double hip replacement and my food allergies as a guru who doesn't let me stray from the path. Keeping going when you have a problem, or when age kicks in, is when the warrior is sorted out from the rest. Here at the Academy all instructors can accommodate to your needs so if you've got a problem and can't train a particular area they would be only too pleased to organise other training methods for you. We've taught paraplegics and lots of people with disabilities so there is never a reason to stop.

Remember to break down all goals into easy steps and be kind to yourself. You can't always be the toughest every day: listen to your body and go hard when it feels right. 'By the inch it's a cinch, by the yard it's hard.' Take your time and look for small improvements.