IS IT SOMETHING YOU “DO?”

I began teaching martial arts back in 1967 when I entered college in Fairfield, Iowa.  I established a small club and within a year or so it had grown into the largest club (of any kind) on campus.  In fact, we grew so large that the college actually gave us our own building (!) for our exclusive use.

Of course, I was really just a youngster, full of "piss and vinegar" and ready to grab the world by the short hairs.  I could not possibly imagine what lay ahead of me.  And it’s just as well.

The reason I mention all of this is to show that I’ve been involved in teaching martial arts for a very long time.  I was teaching before most of my current students were born and I guess that gives me some room to speak on the subject of teaching and learning martial arts.

For me, martial arts has always been something I crave; I want to know more about them, develop new skills and refine those that I’ve managed to acquire.  It’s not about rank, not about fame, and it’s most certainly not about making a fortune (if that were the case I’d have to list myself as a terrible failure).

Martial arts have made me who and what I am.  Almost everything about me is the result, directly or indirectly, of my practice of martial arts. To put it simply, martial arts is my life.

Contemporary America is, amongst other things, a land of hobbyists.  This is, I think, something that every martial arts teacher should bear in mind.  In the Orient, people approach the study of martial arts with a very different attitude than that of their western counterparts.  Martial arts are, after all, a part of their culture and even if they’ve never formally trained in a particular martial discipline they have some understanding of what is expected of those who do and what is going to be involved.

For most Occidental martial arts enthusiasts their chosen art is simply something that they "do" on, say, Tuesday and Thursday evenings…kind of like bowling, softball, or any one of a thousand other activities.  In a word, it’s a hobby.  Nothing more.  And for most of them it will never be anything else; it’s just one of several "activities" in which they participate each week and nothing the instructor says or does will ever change that.

And that’s okay.

But.

Students who practice martial arts as a "hobby" shouldn’t expect to get as much out of their practice as those who make it their lifestyle.  As my teacher, Master W.C. Chen, told me, "In martial arts you reap what you sow."  So just as a hobbyist bowler or weekend quarterback should never realistically expect to become a professional bowler or a player for the NFL, a hobbyist martial arts student should never expect to reach the highest levels of his or her chosen art.

Certainly, such students can acquire some substantial self-defense skills, improve their level of fitness, and develop a substantial measure of self-confidence…and there’s something to be said for that.

And you know, maybe that’s all they want out of it.  And if so, then it’s okay.

Lots of people cook, enjoy a day of golf, and play the piano, but not everyone becomes a master chef, a professional golfer, or a concert pianist.  Most people don’t want to.  They engage in these activities to fulfill a personal desire or need and they don’t necessarily want to go any further.  And I doubt if many of them harbor any illusions about joining the PGA or performing at Carnegie Hall.

And so it is with martial arts.

That’s why we keep hearing the same names when it comes to masters of various martial forms.  There just aren’t that many…and the main reason is because the vast majority of students, even in days of old, didn’t want to make it a lifestyle and put in the huge amount of practice that such skill requires.  That’s just the nature of the beast-

It is estimated that only 3-4 students out of every 100 will ever make it to first grade black belt.  Of every 10 first grade black belts, only 1 or 2 will make it to second grade.  And so on.  I suppose this is largely because many people who finally achieve the coveted "black belt" feel that they’ve "made it" even though they know that it’s just a beginning step into the world of real martial arts.  They know they’re not "experts" (whatever that is) but there’s still a certain stigma attached to the black belt, especially in our society.  So they feel that they’ve "made it" and they slack off…and that’s the kiss of death for most martial arts students.

So I think it’s important for each student to ask him or her self if this is simply something that you "do" or do you want to make it a lifestyle?  Either way is okay but it’s important for you to establish a firm answer so you’ll know what you’re really doing and where you’re going.  You wouldn’t take off in a car or ship without knowing where you’re going, would you?  Determine your destination and set a course.  And talk to your instructor.  He’s been where you’re going.

Love,
Sifu