Martial Arts is Control:
Published: 1/24/2011
By Spencer sensei
Control is an illusion, yet the essential essence of martial arts is control. The martial artist must control him/her self. Only you can keep you from becoming angry. The body is trained so it can be controlled in sparing. Your mind must be trained to focus.
Life can, at times, go spiraling out of control. A close friend of mine spent decades training and refining his martial arts only to have a tiny mosquito bite send him to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). There is no control in life. It is an illusion. We wear our seat belts not because of our inability to control an automobile. No… they’re worn to protect us from that one impaired driver, or the one that does not see us. You cannot control the other drivers. You can only take measures to minimize the impact they may have upon your life. You cannot control others, but you can control your own actions.
When someone raises the middle index finger in traffic do you get angry? Road rage can potentially get you or innocent bystanders injured or killed. Only you can control your anger. Giving into the rage is allowing the displayer of the lengthy digit some control over you. When performing kata, one should not display emotion because there is no place for emotion in a conflict. In a confrontation emotion is more dangerous than the attacker. In a fight, if emotion is in control, your training is not. Blind rage does not let the fighter make good decisions in the combat. Emotion causes the trained martial arts to lash out wildly leaving himself/herself open to a skilled counterattack. In a fight you must have a quiet mind. When you feel yourself getting angry, stop and ask yourself why? Most of the time when we get angry, it is because our expectations of someone else are not realize. Other people like the driver of the automobile next to you in traffic, cannot be controlled, so why do you get angry when someone does not do what you wanted them to? Before exploding ask yourself this simple question, “Why am I getting angry?” If you’re not preventing catastrophic loss of life by getting hot, then let it go. Not getting angry over silly stuff is a victory in our life. Do not let the adversary control you in day-to-day life nor in a conflagration. Remember you are in control of your anger.
Fear is the next monster a karateka must overcome. Fear can be paralyzing, and it slows the reaction time. Ask yourself,” Why am I afraid?” Mentally prepare your mind and body to respond to any perceived attack before it comes, so you’re not surprised and allow your fear to take over. Fear is a dragon that only you can fight. Every man has been afraid at one time or another, and if someone claim’s never to have been afraid they’re either insane or a liar. The trick is not to allow fear to steal victory in your life. Tell your inner person that you don’t have time to be afraid now but give yourself permission to be afraid later. Training your mind does not only apply to fighting but should be exercised in every facet of life outside conflagration too. Fear comes in many forms. It can be fear of public speaking. I watched a woman in college pass out while giving a speech. You could hear the fear in her voice as it trembled. I’m certain that experience didn’t go a long way to build her confidence and ease her future fears. She needed training to over come that debilitating fear. Permission to be afraid later works in all areas of your life. Martial arts train us for life situations. Only you can control your fear.
You cannot think of two things at the same time. Being afraid or angry, removes your objectivity in a fight. A calm focused mind will give you the advantage in combat. This is a form of “Mushin” or mind-of-no-mind. Mushin is a mind not fixed on any one thing. It is an open uncluttered mind that reflects all that is going on around you like mirror. Once a man or women enters a fight their vision narrows. This is a natural function of the body and mind, but it detracts from the fighter’s ability to fight at a higher level. You must control your vision and not give into fear. Fear tightens your muscles and slows your quickness. It attacks your breathing. It steals your strength. A relaxed mind is a faster reacting body. A relaxed mind is not an unfocused mind. Control your mind.
To generate power the martial artist trains his/her body so that hip rotation and weight transfer are synchronized to deliver maximum power. Years will be spent on building a foundation that enhances the karateka’s fighting skills and confidence, yet when the gloves are strapped on some karateka lose the years of discipline, they fought so hard to develop. They forget their training and lash out wildly. All their training is for naught. Only a relaxed open mind can extract the needed techniques from their years of training. No matter how much time you spend point fighting or in the ring nothing prepares you for a real attack on the street. You’re comfortable sparring because there are rules in the dojo. Remember your training and eliminate anger and fear. Detach yourself from the situation. Analyze the situation and act without fear of the consequents. Your attacker is not worried about the outcome, and you don’t have time to either. Remember your training, and do not let your natural reactions take over. You must control your thoughts.
Being paranoid is not a good life choice but being a little paranoid can save your life. Always look for an escape route at any event. Measure the people around you and know your first move before you need it. That first move may be the one that saves your life. Note unusual behavior in others. Note other’s advanced breathing, widened eyes, or a stranger’s extraordinary interest in the mundane things you’re doing. Practice preparedness in the supermarket, hardware store, or any place outside your home. Don’t drive yourself crazy, but ask that little warrior inside, “What should I do if I’m attacked here?” We learn CPR and think about different scenarios when its application would be appropriate, and that is not considered crazy. Teaching our children to look both ways before crossing the street is simply considered prudent, but mentally preparing for an attack is considered odd. I guess we choose to believe that children get ran down in the street on a regular basis, but no one ever gets attacked without provocation. Being prepared is like wearing a seatbelt. You cannot control the actions of others, but you can minimize the damage to you or your loved ones.
Yes, control is an illusion, but self-control is essential for the martial artist. Don’t let other people, things, or situations allow you to lose your self-control. Your training can be a dangerous weapon if it is not held on a tight leash. Everyone loses control sometimes, but like your training front kick the martial artist must be prepared to ask himself/herself the hard questions that force self-control. If you lose it, move on and work harder so it does not happen again. The only control you have in this world is control over your actions.