Lessons from Martial Arts: Embrace the Process.

Ten Tigers Writing Assignment #8:


“Discuss how martial arts training can be used to make improvements in non martial aspects of our lives. One example would be to take self defense principals and apply it to the food we eat.”

I could write on this one for the rest of my life, and hopefully I will.

I only could make myself attempt kung fu because somehow it called to something long neglected in my spirit. It took a lot of that calling to make me finally get up and do it. Once I began training, I was consumed by doubt, distress, inabilities, and so forth -- but the call kept coming through. As I feared, I soon realized that learning kung fu was the first experience in my life where I could not slide by, I could not pretend to be adequate, I could not act like I understood when I didn't. In all my education (considerable years of it), I was just bright enough to not have to give it my full attention. I found that if I acted like I knew what I was doing, enough people would assume I did indeed know – whether I did or not. Not so in kung fu! So, the first way that martial arts training made improvements in my non-martial life was to make me face myself and my habit of learning at the surface only and, once faced, to develop deeper ways of learning.

I have had to deal with my own learning disabilities, show them in front of others, then figure out how to work through those disabilities anyway. I now know I can only see one thing at a time, so I understand why I have to ask Steven to show me so many times in a row. I can only watch feet, or hands, or the thing in the hands ... and I have to put them together as the pieces I see. Then, and only then, comes the application. Finally, when I see each part of the move, work it into a whole, and then feel the bruise it leaves, I've got it. It's the same for life patterns. At first, and still now, I must have it broken down for me. More and more, I think, I can begin to pick out the parts myself, when I try, from the whole pattern itself. If I practice seeing patterns.

Learning kung fu is the same process of learning anything else well. For instance, literature (poetry, novels, plays) of significance is amazing and beautiful when first experienced – there is a call to the spirit. The call can go unanswered with still much appreciation for the beauty, but to go beyond, to dare understanding, requires much study, much thought, time and effort. And then, once the pieces have been pulled apart, examined for their art, put back together again and experienced as a whole, there comes practice. After I have answered the call and learned, I have to practice. And practice some more. And, it turns out, more even after that.

There is no end. That's the final lesson. I will not arrive, one day, in fine physical shape, able to leap into the air and spin without pulling a muscle, having worked hard, paid attention, and practiced. If I obtain the job I wish for, become the teacher or life-partner I can be – I cannot then stop. Jobs will not stay without effort, abilities will wane, learning will become outdated, and accomplishments will only become stories told of the past, incapable of projecting hopes into the future.

Solid gold. If I don't get beaten, I won't have tried. If I don't keep trying, I will not progress. I will not stop, I will not arrive, I will just embrace the process.

the kung fu spirit

One of the main ideas of studying kung fu for me is that through hard work goals can be achieved. This is not a huge revelation, but simply common sense. Yet, I have found over the years that common sense is easy to put in a statement, but harder to apply in one's life. Kung fu has helped me learn how to focus better, stay motivated, and have patience. These three characteristics have not only helped me with martial arts training, but other aspects of my life as well.

I've always been a multi-tasker. Sometimes that's a good thing, and sometimes it's not. Much of my time is spent working on a film script, grading papers, answering business emails, chatting with friends online, etc., all at the same time. On good days, I can accomplish these things without losing focus and without any additional stress. Yet, I have moments when the cards come crashing down. I'm a human being and I get tired. It's simple as that. My kung fu training has kept these moments to a minimum though. It's given me not only the physical endurance to move on, but the mental training to focus in a chaotic world. I believe this has helped me on film sets as an actor and stuntman, a running coach, a teacher, and a former member of corporate America.

My training has also kept me motivated. I always strive to get a little better each and every day. That is not isolated to just my kung fu training. I believe in the kung fu spirit, which I interpret as working to better your own life and the lives around you. Therefore, I motivate myself to be a better father, husband, and citizen. Also, I motivate myself to be a better runner, yoga practitioner, and scholar. I believe all of these things help me physically, mentally, and emotionally. They help me be a better person and martial artist.

I've also learned patience from my martial arts studies, particularly kung fu. Many martial arts studios promote becoming a black belt in 18 months. How can that truly benefit someone? I guess it could fill the pockets of some and fill up an empty hole with false confidence within others. When I go to a doctor, I honestly don't want one with 18 months experience. Well, I guess it's better than one with 17 months. Anyway, it seems we live in a society that wants to rush things. The old saying, "Stop and smell the roses," had been in our culture and other for centuries for a reason. It's worth living life like that instead of rushing through it. I believe with patience comes the willingness to learn. I always want to have that willingness to learn. This is the attitude I work for in kung fu training, work, and family and social life. I've been fortunate enough to earn goals in martial arts training, but they did not come quick or easy. That made them more rewarding. This applies to my goals and accomplishments in life as well.