Uncle Steve's Rules for succeeding at Martial Arts.
Uncle Steve's Rules for succeeding at Martial Arts.
People often come up to me and say "Uncle Steve, you're a wise individual and taller than I expected. What advice can you give me so that I can become Bruce Lee overnight?"
And so, by popular demand, here are my three rules for succeeding at the Martial Arts.
1 - Practice a real martial art.
It doesn't matter which one it is, but you've got to do more than just watch bad action videos. You don't have to be fit, or choose a violent style, but unless you get practice at the distances and speed involved you just won't be ready when it happens for real. And PRACTICE is the key word.
The next two rules go together, and are from a book by Adam Hall. (The book itself is a spy novel, but the author was a sensei in Shotokan karate). Personally, I don't get on with Shotokan - I much prefer what I've seen of Phill doing the more defensive Wadu-Ryu karate, or some of the softer, more circular Kung Fu that I've found. As I said before, though, it doesn't matter what style you learn: these rules apply to any, from Judo to Ninjutsu.
The character in the book gave these two rules as all you need to know.
2 - Get There.
3 - Be There.
Obscure, yes. And if it all gets too much for you, scroll down to the 'Back to Reality' section at the bottom of the page.
In the meantime, here's what I take these rules to mean:
"Get There" means both physically and mentally. Whatever you're going to do (punch, grab, dodge) really do it. Don't be half-hearted - if you "Sort of throw a punch but don't really mean it", you may as well not bother. You've got to concentrate on achieving what you want, and use your whole body to do it. This isn't only for strikes, it can even apply to dodging.
The two main obstacles to this are fear and uncertainty. With fear nagging at your brain, you won't be able to make decisions fast enough. It'll bring down your reaction times by a hell of a lot, and your movements will be jerky and won't have any power behind them. Uncertainty (mainly due to conscience) hinders you in a different way. If you know what you're doing is wrong, it is very difficult to fight well. This is dealt with more in the third rule, but basically there are two ways around it:
There are plenty of people who choose the second option, and for a while this can work. Unfortunately, if you really believe the "winning is all that matters" or that "you'll be a great martial artist if you can bulldoze your way up the ranks without listening to your feelings", you're wrong. And you're also a psycho asshole. This may get you fairly far while you physically outperform others, but you'll never beat the more advanced students.
Policies like 'Gotta WIN, gotta ACHIEVE, gotta be the BEST' will also make you sound like an American businessman, which can't be good.
(I'd just like to make it clear that the members of GrakkSoc - while being unbelievably lethal - are not Psychotic, or American. Well, actually... nah, that was only the one time...)
"Be there" is more difficult to explain.
Martial Arts are not about twisting your opponents kneecaps through 180 degrees, they're about dealing with life. This rule is about being comfortable with yourself and what you're doing, so that you can get the speed and concentration you need to "Get there".
For high level Martial Artists the goal isn't to become Insane Kicking Machines, the goal is Awareness. Of themselves, of the other guy, the things they could trip on in the room, possible escape routes... but mainly themselves. How you feel and how your body feels is important, and once you take notice of it your skills will improve.
I agree it sounds like rubbish. I agree that being able to kick through a brick wall is always going to be handy. But 'be there' is all you need to go past normal training and beat Bruce Lee. In a way it's about intent: standing back from it all and thinking "I'll try a punch now" is not enough if you want to go past black belt. 'Be there' means really living in the moment - don't hold back. Make the fight and the room all that exists, so that when your opponent attacks you he isn't just trying to hit you, he's changing the dynamics of the whole room.
Whoa. Okay, too deep. I'm finding it hard to properly describe the third rule. Basically, be comfortable, and don't hold back - if you've got a reason to hold back, you shouldn't be fighting the guy. This is why the Samurai bothered with Codes of Honour (Don't prey on the weak, defend yourself and others, etc) if you know you've followed the Code and you still need to fight, then you must be in the right.
I know I'm repeating myself, but I don't want "Don't hold back" to be taken as "That guy spilt your Pint". To 'get there' and 'be there' you have to be happy with what you're doing - if you are, then you'll eventually beat the black belts. Without it, you'll never get that far.
The Quick Version.
I guess it all boils down to the two necessary factors in Martial Arts: Concentration and Attitude. To get the proper attitude and be able to concentrate enough, you have to get rid of the distractions. If you put yourself outside the situation, you won't be involved enough to notice the little details - like the tiny twist of his hip just before a foot comes out of nowhere and takes your head off. At later levels and high speeds you have to be able to concentrate this hard, and be this aware. These rules are one way to do it.
Back to Reality.
If all that was far too mystical for you, here's the alternative rules for getting ahead in the Martial Arts:
