Recently my adult class underwent rank advancement . As part of their testing criteria, Maria Bernardi, Robert Jinkins, and Clare Williams were asked to write a short essay on a specific topic related to their martial arts study. I am pleased and honored to present these works in this post. I hope that they provide you the same degree of pleasure I had. Great job to all!
My Expression of Martial Art – A Way of Life
by Bob Jinkins
Karate is one of the best known of all the martial arts. In karate we move in fluid motion as we punch, kick, dodge and block while using varied footwork and stance patterns. The martial arts are more than just Karate. Their spirit is included within many styles of unarmed combat and self-defense disciplines including Judo, Small Circle Jujitsu, Tai Chi, Kendo, Muay Thai, Kung Fu and more. There is a common concept within the martial arts that goes beyond the premise of unarmed combat or self-defense. I believe martial arts are meant to be the expression of one’s self. Along with this come the mental and physical health benefits of being fit and living the martial arts way of life. This self-expression properly applied will carry over into how we live, interact and help one another. I’ve found that family, friends and the martial arts way of life (for me; karate & judo) have provided me with a way to positively ground myself.
Martial arts represent to me a philosophy, an art and a spirit. It fosters loyalty and trust among family, friends and our dojo mates. It enables one to find the warrior within, while developing and expressing one’s self. The determination and conviction we apply during training, practice, and with the coaching we receive in martial arts help us to develop our mind, body and spirit in ourselves.
Self-expression in the martial arts develops through practice and coaching so our technique can be automatically applied without thought or pretense. It is a point where mind and body come together as one in a relaxed form so that we flow effortlessly. There is no thought, Sensei tells us, as we move through our complex stance patterns (i.e., “You are thinking too much about it, just let it flow). As you learn to relax and mind body becomes one, you’ll enter the zone. It is important when in the zone; to remember the feeling, savor the moment, and place it away within oneself for automatic use at another time without thought (“Mushin” – no mind). The ability to combine your mind body together with one’s imagination during training will provide a better opportunity to develop and apply automatically your technique, skill and self-expression in the martial art that you practice. It may come for example as you learn to automatically apply bunkai from kata that you know and understand.
Through training and practice, you will have the opportunity to discover things about yourself and others. Every person is unique. Learning about yourself and others may enable you to better understand a situation so that your actions, skills and martial art techniques may be best applied positively. This is an important point to remember, as you become well rounded in the martial artist way of life. Reaching out and sharing your knowledge to help and give back to others is a great way to express oneself in the martial arts way of life.
A famous martial artist expressed, “Running water never goes stale, so you have to keep on flowing”. I believe this means that we should train every part of our self: mind, body, spirit, reflexes, and determination as one. We should also honestly and positively express ourselves. So here I am, learning and training to positively share my martial arts way of life (physical, mental and spiritual) with my family and friends around me. Share the martial arts way of life; may it become part of you and those whose life you touch. - Robert Jinkins
