I remember when I first began studying the martial arts, this was a long time ago, I was quite taken by these quick moving ninjas in pajamas, but what kept me going was that they talked to me. I mean, they were tough fighters, and yet they took the time to sit down and laugh and joke with a young kid. I always remember this, from the early days, and try to copy the way they behaved.
Now, that said, there are really four reasons I teach the martial arts. I am speaking from the instructors viewpoint here, so you will probably find what I say a little different than what you might expect. Still, you might find it enlightening.
One, I teach for the sense of power it gives me. The thing is, I am not talking about having power over people, I am talking about the power I feel with the clarity of my thought and the health of my body. While friends I have had over the years grow old and fat, cannot even bend over to tie their shoes, use walkers and oxygen tanks, I run up and down the stairs, eat what I want, and am as active today as I was over forty years ago, when I was but 19.
Secondly, when I teach it empties me. Now this is really quite something, when I teach somebody, if I have been true in my instruction, then I am suddenly empty, and in that emptiness I learn things. It is almost like I have shoved a book off a table, so there is room for another book to be placed upon the table, except that we are talking about knowledge being shoved out of the mind here.
Three, I teach so that I can see myself from outside of myself. I am not the attacker nor the defender, but I am both attacker and defender, outside of them, and this gives me a viewpoint that is virtually unknown in western culture. There simply is no practice, in any kind of teaching I have ever seen, that imparts this type of viewpoint.
Four, I teach so that I can relate to the reality of the world. I see so many people who talk much and say little, or they can talk to people about their work, but not about the world around them. Teaching the martial arts forces a commitment to a deeper level of communication, an intuitive level of communication, a zen level of communication that is so much more natural to my beingness and existence.
So, there you have it. Not all teachers have my same reasons, but you can bet they have reasons similar in scope and magnitude. Always know that whether somebody teaches the beautiful and exquisite arcs and forms of shaolin, or the inspiring internal energy of wudan, or combat oriented Krav Maga, or just fun and games like one would find in the mixed martial arts, know that there is a depth of personality that they are pursuing, and that it would behoove you to similarly pursue. - 30300
About the Author:
Al Case has examined martial arts for forty+ years. A writer for the magazines, he is the originator of Matrixing Technology, which makes the martial arts perfect. You can find out about Matrixing at Monster Martial Arts.
