Pro-Style Martial Arts and Fitness | Kanata, Ontario

More than a belt
Once you begin to study martial arts, when are you a
martial artist? Do you qualify after your first introductory
class? Or are you a martial artist after you enroll in a school
and become an active student? Maybe you are not a
martial artist until you learn a few techniques well. Do you
have to take your first test? Are you a martial artist when
you reach green belt? And, of course, all black belts are
martial artists, aren’t they?
This is a difficult question. An easier question is,
“When do you think that you are a martial artist?” To
answer the question, we must examine the true meaning of
being a real martial artist. Frankly, most people believe the
moment is when they put on the uniform. Becoming a
martial artist, however, requires much more than wearing a
uniform. Participating in exercise fitness classes, throwing
punches and kicks to the latest pop music doesn’t make
you a martial artist either. Neither will you become a martial
artist by training with bouncers and bodyguards, cage
match bullies, and bad-tempered tough guys capable of
pounding someone into dust.
Are you collecting techniques or perfecting the details?
The aim in this topic is not to give a definitive
answer to the question of when you become a real martial
artist. Instead, the intent is to offer ideas that encourage
you to think about your practice. After years of serious
study, you will begin to profoundly understand what it
means to be a martial artist.

In the beginning of your practice, no matter the style or
discipline, you learn basic techniques. Basic techniques
are the building blocks or foundation of the system.
Through continuous repetition of the basics, you will
become a technician. Adding intermediate or even
advanced techniques to your repertoire does not make
you an artist. You simply become a technician with more
tools. Many people develop habits of consciously or
unconsciously collecting new techniques. Indeed, learning
new techniques is exciting…new punches, new kicks, and
new forms. But, you must learn to enjoy the basics. In
order to develop the essence of the art, you must learn to
concentrate on the details. As you practice, ask yourself,
“Is my hand right? Am I striking with the right surface? Am
I relaxed until the moment of focus? Did I drive through my
target? Did I recover quickly? Is my stance right?”
Perfecting all the details is an important aspect of the
art. After all, a student who has practiced more than five
years should know, not only more techniques, but his basic
skills should be better than one who has practiced for only a
year. A student of ten years should have even better basics
than one who has practiced for five years…after twenty
years, better still.

A fighter is not an artist, and an artist doesn’t have to be a fighter. But to be a martial artist, you have to be both a fighter and an artist.