By Rochelle E. Brenner
Martial arts is one of the most rewarding educational pursuits. It teaches discipline, stamina, reaction, fighting courage, resilience, creativity, and respect.
Martial arts is an education. It’s also martial. It’s also an art. Let’s break it down.
Education
Martial arts is a form of education with each dojo emphasizing a particular area of study and degree of difficulty. Compare it to any educational pursuit. A Harvard degree carries more prestige and respect than a community college degree – or even a webinar. Everyone is allowed and encouraged to pursue their education, whether they graduate with honors, need extra time, or never use their degree professionally. Jui Jitsu, kenpo, kickboxing, wing chun and thousands of other styles are all different curriculums with teachers having differing styles. Black Belts even have different meanings in different karate schools. Every style is like a language with some logical moves, some that require more complexity, but all with deep and abiding meaning and value.
The most well-rounded martial arts education is to have some knowledge of multiple disciplines to fully appreciate the expertise. It’s helpful to differentiate the value of a style to know the why behind each move. Martial arts drills and techniques are not universal. What works for one person feels awkward and uncomfortable for another. Some moves simply won’t appeal to you or relate because of your strength, size or personal preference. And some things that you learn will be useless. The goal is to get an education – to memorize, practice, learn, drill, adapt and become more confident and capable. Every math equation and subject-verb agreement does not apply to real world math and writing, just as every martial arts move is not useful to you.
Action Karate is a character-based martial arts school accessible to all ages and abilities. The ultimate goal is to build personal growth through Black Belt training. It’s not an exclusive fighting camp or selective competitive institution. Action students have done international and Olympic competitions, have won fights and defended their families from an attacker. They’ve also gotten improved grades, made friends, gained motivation, and developed confidence. Those daily and lasting improvements in quality of life are the ultimate goal for this martial arts program.
Others interpret the practice of martial arts in different ways.
The result of competence in martial arts is earning a belt. The Black Belt is one of the most recognizable symbols in the world. But the value and knowledge of that belt depends on the training. A Black Belt that takes 4 years is not the same as one that takes 10, just as a college degree that takes 4 years is not the same as one that takes 10– even though the belts are the same color. Think of it this way: An A in 4th grade is different than an A in college. A Black Belt is merely a symbol of completing the program, just as a kindergarten graduation is not a college graduation.
Martial
Martial arts is respectful, honorable, but at some levels, violent.
There’s role-playing, fantasy sport, and anticipation drills, but no one ever practices gouging out eyes, only a simulation. They’re helpful to demonstrate speed and skill. True martial arts is inspired by and based on combat moves.
Context matters when it comes to martial combat. The goal could be to kill, survive or control. All three of those goals are valuable purposes for martial arts training.
Police officers do martial arts to control and handcuff someone. Officers can not gouge out eyes or use any means necessary. A crime victim, however, needs to get away by any messy means necessary. Martial arts includes battles to the death, and regulated fights to the winner. Different goals require different tactics. The age, size and physical limitations of the practitioner also matter. Because martial arts has more benefits the younger you start, younger students are introduced to the principles of self-defense. Gaining confidence, avoiding the fight, and getting away are the top priorities.
ART
We addressed varieties of the martial part of training – different goals from self-defense to containment to sport to military-style conflict. All those styles will change what the practitioners will do and should affect the perspective of the practitioner.
Now for the art. It’s an art. Arts allow for incredible acts of athleticism, accessibility to all and creativity. It must be martial-inspired but a 720 butterfly kick is as relevant to martial arts as a skilled swordsmith making a decorative sheath. The sword is no less a sword. Martial artists are demonstrating the extreme ends of their athleticism whether or not the move has a common practical use. There is zero reason to decorate a sword if its only purpose is to kill. Decorating it does not take away its purpose – but rather adds to its value. The artistry in martial arts adds to its usefulness. The key qualities are the visual, presentation, performance, and showmanship – not “Will it work in a streetfight?”
There is traditional martial arts and modern arts. There are ancient manuscripts and modern novels. Frescoes and modern art. They are not the same, and they shouldn’t be compared to each other. Therefore, modern martial arts logically grew and evolved toward artistry, athleticism and self-defense. There’s a whole segment infused with choreography for film fight scenes and stunts.
Art evolves. Martial arts has evolved for centuries.
Artistic expression includes exclamations – noises – but they are also logistical.. Battles are loud. Even in the movies. Simulated battles are meant to be high-energy. If you’re doing martial arts in the air, you have to show intensity and fierceness. Screaming and “kyias” accomplish that. It’s beneficial for judge’s scorecards – but also true to simulating a real martial battle. In daily self-defense, being loud draws attention, disrupts and distracts an attacker, and forces breathing. Using your voice shows intensity, gets attention and creates energy. Interestingly, hearing your own voice may even help you focus in a stressful situation. You just don’t whisper in a sword fight.
Whatever you do, do it well. That’s the real measure of worth. Train to the maximum peak of performance without causing injury. Every martial art has pros and cons. The best one is the one you do, with an honest assessment of your goals, abilities and risks.
In conclusion
Martial arts is an education. The education combines both martial combat and artistry. It’s a pursuit of knowledge, skill, and pursuing goals for mind and body.