Wax On, Wax Off: Seven Life Lessons from the Martial Arts

1. You have to trust yourself.
I’ll admit it, I’m frightened of throwing myself to the ground because I don’t want to get hurt (sound familiar? A bit like LIFE, perhaps?). The irony is that, when you commit to something like a roll, your fear of pain is almost always exactly what WILL get you hurt – it makes you hesitate, hold back, and tense up when what you need to do is trust yourself, leverage the momentum and commit. The more you trust your training, your body and the flow, the more relaxed and fluid you are, and the less likely you are to hurt yourself.

2. Power is not the same as brute strength. And you need to OWN your power.
One of my instructors is a lady in her 70s. Looking at her, you wouldn’t think that she could hold her own against a big, brawny chap intent on bringing her down, but looks can be deceiving – she is a very powerful woman who can convincingly hold her own with poise and grace. She brings power to her practice through centering, effectively leveraging biomechanics, and pulling strength from her core. It’s one of the reasons we vocalize (Ki Hap) when executing certain moves in our martial art – when done right, it tightens the core and focuses the energy, maximizing power. It’s also fairly startling in its volume – I have a soft voice normally, but when I use my Ki Hap well, I fill a room (and break boards).

3. Suck it up, Buttercup.
Life can be hard. So can Karate. You’re going to get hurt, you’re going to have to push yourself, you’re going to think you won’t make it or get through. And guess what? You mitigate risk of injury as best you can but you don’t let your fear of it stop you from trying, from giving your all. If you DO push yourself, you WILL get through – and you’ll have accomplished something empowering and powerful. You will have reached into yourself and found strength, resilience, capability and dignity. If you give up just because it’s hard, you’re missing an opportunity to be a better you.

4. Details matter.
In martial arts, form doesn’t follow function, it IS function. Small details matter, such as your stance, how you “chamber” punches and blocks, how you use your body to add torque. Your attitude, your precision, your balance – they all play into each other to create power and stability. When you rush through something to get it done, rather than taking the time to learn and execute it properly, you develop bad habits and increase your risk of injury (to yourself and others) through sloppy application. Take the time and focus on getting it right in practice, starting with the basics, so that when you need to call on your training, you are most effective.

5. Excellence is a habit.
Following on from the previous point – martial artists are big on discipline. Martial arts are not actually about beating people up or being too cool for school. They are about disciplining the mind and body, respecting others, behaving with integrity. Ultimately true martial artists are peacekeepers – they do not resort to violence without cause. But if necessary, they can apply deadly force. That kind of power requires both mental and physical discipline, and the application of good judgment. Discipline requires practice though, and precision. Focused practice builds muscle memory, stamina, strength, judgment. Practice in and of itself is valuable – it can be a kind of moving meditation, helping keep you in the moment and honing your skills. To be a master at anything you need a minimum of 10,000 hours of deep practice – however all masters know the truth of the next point.

6. Everyone and everything is your teacher.
Black belts learn from each other and also from teaching and mentoring the newbie white belts. You learn when you finally “get” a form or a technique after trying and trying and trying. You learn when you misjudge or get ahead of yourself in a sparring match, and receive a resounding blow to the head or are taken down by a more experienced sparring partner. You learn when you watch someone make the thing you’re terrified of trying look so easy. You learn when your instructor calls you out for the thousandth time on a seemingly insignificant detail. Martial artists consider reaching their black belt to be when the real learning starts – we are all students for, and of, life. I’m coming back into my martial art after being away for a few years and so, instead of coming in with my brown belt and assuming seniority, I’ll be training as a white belt for a good year before re-testing to keep my brown. Why? Because this isn’t about ego. It’s about humbly re-learning and applying practice. I’m good with this because, as a white belt, I’m being given the opportunity to go back to the basics and I’m able to more effectively assimilate lessons I may have glossed over in my earlier training. See and take learning opportunities for what they are and grow from them.

7. Be present and pay attention.
Right now I’m going through some tough times on a personal front and I am so grateful for the couple of hours three times a week that I’m in the dojang, focusing and practicing and learning. Just as when you’re working with horses (and I’m grateful for the time every day that I spend with my horse, who also demands my undivided attention), there is no room for daydreaming in the martial arts – not when you’re in the dojang. Focused attention is required, and you must be 100% in the moment. That will keep you safe and uninjured. That will allow you to practice with grace, precision and power. That may one day keep you alive. I’m finding right now that it IS keeping me alive, in a very real sense, by giving me respite from demons gnawing at my heart right now. It’s allowing me to practice mindfulness and it’s creating a healing space in my life. Do you have something in your life right now that allows you to be fully present and focused? If not, find something. Even if it’s 10 minutes at a time, absolute concentration can do wonders for the soul.