The Mindset of a Martial Artist

All too often students can be found seeking guidance from high ranking members of the martial arts community. Many of these students routinely operate under the false presumption that there is a direct relationship between a person's belt rank and his depth of understanding. While much of the direction provided by the vast majority of instructors is well-intended, more often than not, the solutions that are presented are designed to fit within the confines of their own particular style of martial art. Even experienced martial artists can lose sight of the fact that the manner in which they respond to a particular set of circumstances is not necessarily the only way. It is simply one of many ways of achieving the same objective.

Rarely does one witness an instructor encouraging the student to critique a situation for himself and to offer his own solutions. The act of dictating what the appropriate response must be for a given set of circumstances deprives the student of the opportunity to genuinely learn for himself. Issuing directives serves only to foster an atmosphere of dependency. Rather than embracing each experience as an opportunity to learn something of true value, the student's focus becomes directed toward gaining the instructor's approval. Such misguided behavior illustrates a failure on the part of both the student and the instructor in understanding that knowledge is not something that can be passed from one person to another, rather knowledge is a genuine understanding that is acquired through independent inquiry.

A widespread belief held by many people within the martial arts community is that knowledge is to be acquired from an outside source (i.e. an instructor, sensei, grand master, or someone else of esteemed position). Often the insights acquired from these outside sources manifest themselves as consistent attempts made by the student to apply this or that technique without regard to the particular set of circumstances with which he is presented. I, however, firmly believe that the source of true knowledge lies within the mind of each and every individual. The most effective way for each student to apply what he has been taught is not to engage in efforts of forcing techniques onto a situation, rather it is to allow the situation itself to dictate what the appropriate response should be.

The relationship between a student and his instructor is of vital importance and often plays a pivotal role in the student's growth and development. The role of a sensei should be that of a mentor, one who shares his insights with the student in such a way that it promotes self-reliance. A true sensei will never allow his thoughts to be confined to the dictates of any particular style of martial art. Rather his focus should be directed toward using the practical aspects of self-defense to dramatically change the student's perspective on life for the better.

The sensei must be accepting of the fact that no two people learn in exactly the same way, and as such he should demonstrate a willingness to assist each student on an individual basis. While all students are expected to consistently demonstrate a desire to learn, the sensei has the responsibility to guide each student along their own unique path to genuine understanding.

A series of mental and physical changes should occur during the course of each person's growth and development. It is my belief that several mental transformations must be experienced to significantly enhance a person's ability to effectively apply basic self-defense principles during real-life situations. The information that is to follow is by no means the only way to achieve an enhanced level of understanding, rather it is simply my attempt to convey the mental transformations that occurred during my own personal growth and development as a martial artist. My experience has been that sharing these insights with others has allowed a significant number of people to acquire a much deeper sense of meaning from their own martial arts training.

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