Many people would agree that the destination for a martial artist is Black Belt.  However, this thought usually comes from those who haven’t trained or only trained for a brief amount of time.  First degree black belt is only one step of many. 

Now that I’ve give you an analogy that is somewhat tiring to put yourself into, let me clarify more.  Though there is no true destination to this journey, it is important to define goals and clarify short-term destinations.  If you’re hiking, running long distances, or climbing a mountain, you know that you don’t want to look miles away and think you have to be there now.   You will de-motivate and possibly wear yourself out…mentally and physically.  Try picking a short-term goal, “I can make it to that tree 1 mile ahead.”  Then pick yourself another one, “Great, I passed that and now I’ll make it to that rock another mile ahead.”  Set yourself mini-goals and the journey as a whole seems less long and more enjoyable.  “I made it to purple belt, great!  Next step, brown belt.”

Martial arts, like climbing a mountain, will have easy and hard parts.  They’ll even have periods of plateaus and steeper climbers.  But when you keep going, you find yourself higher and higher up the mountain, that is, more skilled and a wider range of knowledge.  As you may have heard from different philosophies, it’s the journey, not the destination that matters.  This holds true in martial arts.  Allow yourself to make that journey easier by setting those mini-goals along the way.

Josh Moree

A friend once quoted something to me, he said, “Those who can, do.  Those who cannot, teach.”  I honestly felt insulted when he first said this to me.  I was boggled as to why someone would think such a thing about a teacher.  However, to some degree he is correct.  I often see instructors showing techniques and applications that work wonderfully in theory, but may not actually work in a real fight.  This builds what is called ‘false confidence.’  False confidence, in some cases, is more dangerous than not knowing.  Thinking something is going to work, when it doesn’t, can put you in harm’s way.

If you end up in a situation with someone that has true intentions to harm you, knowledge alone is not enough.  This person trying to harm you is not going to be intimidated that you can recite Kyusho Jitsu’s 5-element application or tell him the difference between vessels and channels.  What matters is what you can DO with that knowledge.  What matters is how you practice with that knowledge.  Knowledge is power, when utilized properly.

In leaving, I do know teachers that I have no doubt can apply what they preach.  They understand the concepts, practice the applications (see previous blog on deliberate practice), and they can DO IT.  In my opinion, we all should strive for this.  Understanding the various concepts of Kyusho Jitsu and the numerous philosophies of martial arts is a long road.  Undoubtedly, it is a road with no end.  I would suggest, instead of trying hard to reach the end (that doesn’t exist), enjoy the ride and become a better driver.

Thanks,

Josh Moree

Practice makes perfect, right?  No.  According to psychology studies, perfect practice makes perfect.  Enhance your skills through deliberate practice.  That is putting your full concentration into what you are practicing.   This as opposed to simply running through the motions or having your thoughts elsewhere while practicing.  Following the pattern of arrested development puts practitioners at the 'acceptable' level of performance, followed by a plateau.  Deliberate practice sets elites apart from amateurs.

Ask yourself, do you want to be an elite, or merely good enough at what you do?

Master Josh D. Moree
Owner, Instructor, Life Coach
www.AtlantaKyusho.com

Information sited from the book Influencer.

One summer evening I was talking with one of my students outside the dojo when a woman carrying a gym bag from a neighboring Taekwondo dojo walked by.  She had just recently been dismissed from class and stopped by in passing. She inquired what we train in at my school.  I started to explain how we train in reality martial arts and began to give an example of kicking someone in the leg.  She gave me an odd look and said, “But isn’t kicking someone in the leg illegal?"

I often talk about the difference between Sport martial arts and Reality martial arts.  Newbies to the arts (and even those training for years) may not even realize there is a difference.  The differences are not negative nor positive towards either.  What you wish to train in a matter of what your goals are.  So, allow me to give a few comparisons from my perspective:

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Sport martial arts mainly focus on tournament training; which is usually very vigorous training, a great workout (muscular and/or cardio), and focus on certain criteria for gaining points during a competition.  Reality martial arts mainly focus on self-defense in real-life scenarios training; again which can include very vigorous training, which may or may not include a muscular and/or cardio workout, but (in contrast to sport) may focus on a broader spectrum of options not regulated by sport rules.  Whereas sports may focus on gaining points or inflicting a KO (depending on the sport and its rules), self-defense focuses on ending the situation as quickly as possibly without the limitations these of rules.

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