The term “martial artist” is so commonly used that I feel little thought has to what the term indicates. Since it comprises both words, “Martial & Artist”, let’s look at the meanings associated with both and see if we may combine them to understand its fact better.
According to the thesaurus, the term artist refers to creativity, personal appearance, imagination and superior ability. The word martial signifies a battle, armed forces, warrior characteristics, enthusiast or warlike. A fascinating combination of words that are not associated with all martial arts practitioners.
Once the definition of these two words is combined, there is a vision of the warrior who uses creativeness and imagination to grind his enemies. Is this whatever you envision a martial performer to be, or if you are within martial arts, is this you? Otherwise, it may be time to look at yourself in the context of the artist and not just an entire body on the mat.
Here’s a footnote to think about! When I look at boxing, which I consider an actual martial art, have you ever heard of a fighter being an artist in the engagement ring while engaging in the actual “sweet science”? There are batteries, brawlers and bangers.
How does a person who trains in martial art consider an artist? When you initially step onto the school mat, you usually are a total novice with absolutely no understanding of what a martial art is really. With small baby measures, the novice begins to discover the basic techniques of the distinct martial art they are studying. Before too long, these techniques become embedded into the muscle memory.
It’s only after a lot of consistent practice does the amateur become a person who is relatively proficient in the martial art involving his or her choice. Depending on the individual, this process usually takes at least five years or even never. The true spirit of “budo” is a vital aspect of martial arts if you wish to send more out of your art and live it daily instead of a pair of hours a week.
My truthful opinion is that a person who routines a martial art does not grow to be an artist until assumed becomes secondary to spontaneous action. At this point involving his or her training, ingenuity and imagination can be used, built on thousands of repeating motions involved in the martial art approaches that you are practising. This repeating motion involves thousands of distinct body movements, katas, routines and all that make up a precise martial art. There are no cutting corners or miracles.
I sense that many individuals who practice martial arts will never become “artists”. An individual doesn’t need to make it their goal to achieve an understanding of the martial art they may be practising, and it does not cause you to an idiot if you don’t have a clue of what is happening within the mat. What is lacking is the mind’s involvement in your training, which will limit your development. Martial arts do not just occur throughout training but every minute of the day.
Many practice people may be like robots who continue to exercise martial arts without getting to another higher level. It almost seems like they may be plodding along and not taking in the essence of the martial art they are training in. This is an undefinable high quality that is difficult to explain. Require people will give little belief as to why or how a method can be used in different situations towards different opponents, and their recognition is limited to what is on top of them.
They may simply keep training indefinitely without any thought at all and will also attain a black seat belt. Are they artists, though? At a certain point in your exercise, you need to look outside the box to understand better what you find out, or you are just wasting your time, in my view! But I am a purist, and it took my family at least ten years of continual practice to see past the tactics.
You can end up being software on the mat but it is perhaps not the ideal goal you should be striving for; it will indeed show in the execution of your techniques. Stiff, clunky in addition to uncoordinated are just some of the adverbs that describe this type of person’s movements.
The difference between a new plodder and an artisan may be the inherent motivation this drives the individual. If you think of practising martial art as an additional form of a gym exercise routine, then it is evident that the particular person’s development will likely be quite limited. For comprehensive development in a martial art at this time, there needs to be a mental, emotional and physical dedication that is definitely with you on and off the sparring floor. This means that even if you are not trying hard to practice, you should continually have the energy of budo with you.
It is a lifestyle that you should adapt to if you are serious about your martial arts training development. After a while, you will find that it could be integrated into all tasks of your life, from how an individual walks to your awareness of your current surroundings. Only at this point can your term “martial artist” be remotely attributed to you and your abilities.
I would strongly claim that you do not advertise that you happen to be a martial artist because of your words or clothing. We feel that there are many so-called tough guys that observe beating you as another level on their belt, so to speak. Once you know who you are and what your skill is, advertising that an individual train in a martial art is unnecessary. Why draw undesired attention to yourself?
Remember, any sucker punch will take lower any martial artist if the conditions are right, and you will find yourself a loser or deceased! Add a blade or stick to this equation, and then the chances start adding up against an individual. Is it worth your health to appreciate the need to tell the whole world that you simply take this or that martial art and what particular belt you own? I don’t think so yet. It’s up to you to lure fate.
As an artist, you should keep developing internally and externally towards a goal that could never be totally accomplished because there is no perfection. If people ask about your schooling, just say I have whatever martial art and let it stay at that. They will always consult what belt you have. Now all I say is. There are black belts with injuries. No more questions from then on the statement.
Remember that years ago, a martial art equalled mortal combat, where only one person commonly survived in a two-man contest? Often the techniques that worked ended up brought back to the Ryu and school by the victor in addition to being incorporated into the fighting process, and others that were found unproductive were discarded. The term martial artist, I am sure, did not exist back then, but survivor seemed to be probably a very popular term seeing that noun to describe the last man standing.
Read also: https://popthatrocks.com/category/sports/