Why we train in the martial arts

by Master James Rath

People train in the martial arts for many different reasons.  Some say to get in shape, learn self defense, learn to fight, develop mental attributes such as patience, discipline themselves, study an art, etc.  These are all great reasons to start the martial arts, however if one wants to delve deeper into the core of martial arts training, we need to look further than the surface.  Many people look at martial arts as a system of fighting that was developed in Asia for the sole purpose of combat or self defense.  That is like seeing only the small tip of an ice burg protruding out of the water, the other ninety eight  percent is not visible on the surface!  Humans are made up of three parts:

Body - Mind - Spirit

I would like to give some insight on how important martial arts are to developing oneself in all three parts. While I am not saying that martial arts are the only way to learn and develop yourself into a whole, balanced human being, there is certainly enough knowledge in them to study a lifetime and still learn more each day.

Body:

The first reason to train yourself in the martial arts is your body.  We are young, middle aged and then grow old.  These stages have physical needs that require attention from us all.  When we are very young, our main goal is to learn how to stand, walk, run, etc.  This happens without too much training or effort, its natural progression as a species.  What is not easy for a lot of adolescents is what to do from there.  Many take up sports, which is great and helps develop the body strong and healthy.  But for most, academics and careers eventually become dominant activities and what happens then to their bodies?  And what of the children who do not fit into sports?  Because our technology is so proficient at meeting our daily needs, many young people get no physical activity at all.  The exercise the body needs at a minimum is cardiovascular exercise, strength training and flexibility training.  Martial arts training addresses all of the bodies physical development needs.  When we are young, it is the most important time to address these areas, as the body can develop and improve most during this growth period.  Another important aspect of learning martial arts young is the practitioner learns the importance of exercising on a regular basis.  Consistency is more important than quantity.  Two or three days of training a week on a regular basis is of great value.  And finally, habits learned at a young age tend to stick with a person as they grow older.  Making exercise a habit early on in life then becomes a priority to the person. 

So now your grown up!  What next...

As we grow a little older it is easy to forget about the importance of training our bodies and keep in shape.  As we focus on our careers and family, we tend to devote less time on ourselves.  However, this is when it is most important to take care of our bodies.  Without the proper care, the body starts to deteriorate and health problems will start emerging.  Another aspect of the danger is that if your body is in pain from neglect, it is very hard to give 100 percent to your children, your career and other obligations.  Too often, people approaching middle age spend their time on material objects.  But how can one truly enjoy the fruits of your labors if your falling apart?  When the persons energy goes into healing oneself, there is little energy left over for enjoying life.  The best approach is to balance one's time between all of our obligations, but not neglect oneself as the time spent in our training is like an investment into our future.  A few hours of week spent training is not to much to ask to take care of the wonderful vessel you are walking around in!  Even though medical science has advanced to the point much of the neglect can be repaired, it takes much less time, money and energy to just train yourself, and martial arts has all of the benefits one needs to stay healthy and fit.  Another important consideration is what we put in our bodies.  What and how you eat effects our health tremendously.  Water, nutritional supplements, herbs, etc, all play a large part in our health & well being.  Needless to say, diet and nutrition are just as important as physical training.  Although this topic pertains to maintaining of health, I will refrain from commenting too much right now as my main point is regarding the martial arts.  Many health problems that plague older people start when a person is much younger.  Most arthritis and heart conditions can be prevented with just consistent exercise.  While many do not like to sweat or workout to the point of exhaustion, martial arts like Tai Chi Chuan and Chi Kung can workout the entire body without the strain most other martial arts puts on your system.  The smooth, flowing movements of the Internal Martial Arts stretch and strengthen all of the main joints in the body while at the same time increasing blood flow, especially to the internal organs.  When you think of working out do you consider building up your digestive system?  Or keeping your kidneys healthy?  How you train to keep your inner body healthy is just as / if not more important then how strong your legs or arms are.  While taking care of your family and  other obligations is important, making time fror your own needs should be priority and is not selfish, its respecting yourself.

As we get mature in age!  What now....

Just as there are seasons in the course of the year, so there are seasons in your lifetime.  We might look at the time we are 50 or older as the Fall of our life.  It should be the time to reap the rewards of all these years of working hard and raising families, tending to our careers and setting up our later years.  But again, if we were not diligent in our efforts to keep our mind and bodies young, the time spent in enjoying the fruits of our labors is soured by the necessity to manage our health.  Have you ever seen or known an older person who was just full of energy and love for life?  We all have but it seems they are far and few between.  This is due to the fact that the people who are in good health & spirits are the ones who stayed active.  While nowadays more people are seeing the importance of taking responsibility for their own welfare, many do not and suffer the consequences.  Your doctor or health care provider is not who you should put in charge of your well being, you are solely responsible for you!  In ancient China a doctor was paid a regular fee as long as the patient stayed healthy.  The minute the patient got ill, the money stopped!  When the patient was better, the payments continued.  Our health care system is mainly based on drug companies and large corporations making money from the sick.  The more people sick and dying, the more profit.  Another aspect of modern health care is the treatment of the disease, not curing the patient.  TCM, or Traditional Chinese Medicine, is all about keeping the person healthy through natural means such as diet, exercise and supplements.  When a person is off balance, the main focus is on bringing up the persons energy level high enough so the body can repair itself.  The benefits of martial arts training do not diminish with age, if anything they are enhanced.  Tai Chi Chuan, Qi Gong, Bagua Zhang and the other internal martial arts aims at keeping the practitioner healthy and youthful.  What do we miss the most in life as we get older?  Our youth.  While nothing will be the fountain of youth, certainly the studies prove that practitioners of these arts are at a younger biological age then their counterparts who do not practice.  That is why we see thousands of people practicing early in the morning in parks all over Asia.  They know the value and take action upon it.  In fact, at one time in  Communist China, if you got sick, in many cases you would need to prove you went to a Qi Gong teacher and trained before receiving other forms of treatment.   Some of the many benefits of the Internal Martial Arts are:

1. Mind and Body Meditation / Connection 

2. Relaxation and reduction of stress

3. Internal organs are exercised, blood circulation is improved

4 .Regular practice helps to prevent illness and improves health & longevity

5. Relieves arthritis (in many people, arthritis pain disappeared completely) and increases flexibility of the joints

6.  Improves balance and coordination

7. Improves mental and physical concentration and focus

8. Helps to prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease, hypertension, and diabetes

9. Medical studies have shown that practice helps to prevent falls.

10. Strengthens and improves the body's immune system.

just to name a few!  It never ceases to amaze me that the people need the results from training are the ones who come to it with the least dedication.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound, no make that a thousand pounds of cure!  It is understood that eventually the body breaks down, all form is impermanent, but we do not have to spend the later part of our life in pain and agony.  Some of the most proficient and skilled martial artists I have ever known were all over 50 years of age.  Their bodies moved better than most twenty year old people I know!  Does it take a lifetime of study to receive these benefits?  Yes it does.  But at no matter what age you start training you will reap the rewards.  My oldest student ever was Mary.  She started her martial arts career when she was 76!  She trained three times a week and kept it up until she was 86.  Whenever my younger students complained of how hard the class was, I would always point out Mary and how she was challenged ten times more then they were.  She was very inspirational to me and all my students and a reminder that it's never to  late to start. 

 How much do you value these attributes?

· Curing illness and promoting health.

· Enhancing vitality and developing internal force.

· Promoting youthfulness and longevity.

If I could put these in a pill, I would be the next Bill Gates!  But we can't.  They do not come in a pill, a jar, a potion or any other quick fix method.  They come from knowledge and practice of the martial arts.  These are reasons we promote, teach and train in the martial arts, these are just some of the physical benefits.  And I am just touching the surface on this topic.  As more and more medical studies are showing, the martial arts, especially the Internal Martial Arts, are so helpful for us as we grow old.  But if people do not know of them, how can more people benefit?  By you and I telling them.  The best gift you can ever give someone is to show them how they can help themselves. 

Let your friends and family members know how much you have gained by training in the martial arts. 

Mind:

What is our mind and how can martial arts training benefit it?  First let’s look at what your mind is not.  Your mind is not you.  Your mind is thoughts and images in your brain.  A huge mistake we make is thinking that we are our thoughts.  Our thoughts are words in our head.  If we stop thinking long enough to sense that there is an underlying presence, or an awareness that observes the thinking process, we then know that there is much more to us than a brain full of thoughts and a body to house it in.   In our busy day to day lives we can get so wrapped up in our doing that we rarely have a chance to slow down long enough to just be.  Our minds go round and round like a wheel that never stops spinning, the Chinese call this the Monkey Mind!  Our thoughts and attention jump around like a monkey, never becoming still long enough to find inner stillness.  The ultimate goal of martial arts training is to quiet the mind, find inner peace and stillness.  The martial artists approach is to become a scholar/ warrior.  As a scholar we intellectually learn how the philosophy of the martial arts can be used to improve us, as a warrior we put this knowledge into action.  The philosophy of training the mind can be on many different levels such as developing determination, patience, perseverance, etc.  It takes awareness to proceed with training the mind.  Most of us grow up with no clue on what might be a dysfunction in our thinking.  A martial artist can be made aware of what is going on in their head as long as they are open-minded to the concept.  First and foremost is the recognition of the problem, the mind is not you.  Then what are we?  That question needs to be investigated by the individual.  Without attaining stillness of the mind, that question of who we are will be difficult to answer.  So how then does the martial artist attain stillness of the mind?  Through being aware that our thoughts are just words, just acknowledging this opens up a new dimension of awareness.  When we practice our form of martial arts, we put our focus on the body, our breathing, our intent.  Then we can keep our thoughts on what we doing at the moment thus becoming present to the now, the mind if then fully present and not wandering about.  Remember, the portal to understanding ourselves is in the present moment, we miss the now when the mind is scattered and thinking about past or future.

Another aspect of training our minds is to be aware of how we identify with the ego.  The ultimate goal in martial arts training is to rise above ego and see all sentient beings as equals.

More later……