After just over 6 and a half years in traditional kung fu, I’m still very much a newcomer, but gifted with excellent resources, a host of meaninful experiences, and a lot of spare time with which to dedicate myself, I’ve managed to make the most of those years. The truth is the longer you stick with it, the smaller a group you are part of. Most people will quit in their first year or even first few classes. More and more will quit every year after then. For many of those people in the beginning, they quickly realize that traditionally taught martial arts is not what they are looking for. The way I see it, starting kung fu or any traditional martial art, there are 3 main motivators which at the same time are the three things most likely to stop the first wave of beginners.
First, Kung fu gets you in shape. The very name means hard work, and if the class is done right it will kick you around and batter you into the shape it requires you. If that’s what you want, great, if not, you’re out already. Second there is a desire to “know how to fight.” The will to be able to defend yourself is probably the most common motivator for beginners. If it’s not yours, you might be out the first time you take a hit to the face in training. Or, perhaps you expect this to be an easy goal and want it to happen quickly, in which case, there are a host of less-traditional arts that will get you able to punch, kick, throw, and submit in half the time. Whether for the ring or street, there are fast methods to basic proficiency. If that’s your only motivator, you probably are in the wrong place. The last factor is everything else that the traditional martial arts is. This is the movement, culture, and when you’re lucky, the community. If you fall in love with this, you’ve got a good shot of being in it for a while. If you are attracted rather than put off by the complicated movements, esoteric names, and formalities of practice, you might have found a new home. There are endless movements to keep your attention and you’ll get fit and learn how to defend yourself while you’re at it.
Unfortunately, that is not what I set out to write about. My interest is not in those who lack interest in these motivators. What I need to talk about is what happens when you have struggled, gotten stronger, learned a bunch of forms, learned how to hold your own better than the average punk, and then you ask yourself what’s next. I don’t think any of the above is enough to keep you in it, or at least not keep you getting better. No matter what, no matter how varied the class is, you will reach a point where attending class will not make you noticeably more fit or flexible. If you want to be, you’ll train outside of class, and you’ll realize class is just maintenance. If you don’t care anymore, you’ll find it harder and harder to force yourself to get your ass kicked. Endless movements will begin to seem more like a burden than a blessing. Even if you love the movement, you’ll be tempted to stick with what you have rather than progress further, and if you’re sticking with what you got, why keep showing up? You may love the community, and can’t bear to be away, but that wil not keep you working hard and getting better. It will definitely not get you over the next hurdle.
Ultimately martial arts are about becoming a warrior. Not a brawler, a performance artist, or just an athlete. The traditional martial arts aren’t there to help you protect yourself, but to protect others. You shouldn’t be able to just fight one person, but handle situations. All the esoteric mumbo jumbo had a reason. Kung fu must change the way you think, move, and live. This is achieved by uniting those three earlier forces. Your athleticism must be natural in your movement, and your movement must be natural in your fighting. Whatever excuses you might have heard, you can and are meant to fight with the movements from your forms/katas/etc. If you are incapable of using your low stances, arsenal of blocks, and the mind game of movements meant to get through the other guy’s guard, you are not using your art.
Worst of all, you probably know you are not using the art. Pulling off a move from your style is not using your style, and until you can develop the style passed down to you into an effective personal system, you are not really a martial artist. I personally am in the midst of that lofty goal, making the movements of my style my own and maximizing my potential, and I fully expect to be on this stage of the journey for the next few decades. However, there is a serious wall right before this. Before you can make the style your own, you must be able to use the style as it was intended. You will realize if you are kickboxing or using feints and tricks rather than moving naturally in the way you were trained. Having already spent years training, how could anything be more frustrating? The truth is that this might be your stop. You got what you came for and are done. That is the easy way out. You can make excuses, deny the traditional arts or claim that the complicated movements and stances were meant just to train and not meant to fight with, but that is only a justification for not being willing to go further. It doesn’t even matter if you keep going to class, training, holding stances and kicking pads. You can start teaching, win fights, do stuntwork and none will know the wiser. However, you will be doing your style and the meticulous development of previous generations a disservice. You will also be missing out on the feeling of accomplishment that comes with realizing that your natural reactions are guided by the movements you have drilled and that every strike pays homage to your tradition.
I miss a lot of those who have left before they broke through that wall. I feel their frustration and I have wondered for years why they stop and I haven’t. I wonder about teachers and students who’ve lasted longer than me, some who embody their styles and others who don’t. I wish I could isolate what enabled some and prevented others, so that I could better help my friends. The truth is it’s just not worth it for most. To really progress you have to make it into your life. You have to think about it night and day and go out of your way to practice your spare time. I think to excel in anything requires this. I couldn’t keep up with the guitar or basketball when I was younger, but I have no problem training for hours every day doing what I do now. I think it comes down to self image. I never saw myself as a musician; that wasn’t a vision I developped for myself. I do have a distinct, possibly unattainable image of the martial artist I wish to become. Whenever I have neglected my training I feel myself move further from that person I want to be. Everytime my movements are sloppy or I lose my cool when someone is coming at me, I feel I’m insulting that warrior. It may not be for everyone but that thought keeps me at it.
I think in the end it all comes down to what you want and how much you want it. I think everyone has to ask themselves what they are passionate for. It's that passion, that drive that is going to take you the distance, the desire to become better even if you don't know what that better is.
ReplyDeleteI think that's also why it's important to have, or at least know of people that are also passionate for the same thing. It gives you direction. Someone can serve as a guide, to show you the path you want to walk. But I think what's even better is when that guide understands and helps you understand that they can only guide you to where they are at that moment, and that they are on the same journey too.
I use passion as a strong word, it runs deep. It isn't just a fun past time or something new. Passion is what makes you push yourself. Passion makes you realize that good is the enemy of great. Those that settle for good will never achieve greatness, and you need passion to get there.