It’s
More than Punching and Kicking
One
of the many things that I have come to admire about the martial arts are the hands on examples it provides of principles that
we as humans try to develop. Some of these principles include:
The
shortcomings of fighting force with force
The
importance of respect
Looking
deeper than mere surface
The
value of focused work
Understanding
the illusion of limitations
A martial artist
can relate to all the above ideas far more intimately than a non-practitioner. The dojo becomes a laboratory for the students
to better understand the various forms of human interaction. It is imperative to understand that Budo has many subtleties
within its practice and the most obvious ideas are usually the least important. To borrow a term from Randy Pausch (The Last
Lecture), the martial arts are filled with several “head fakes”, the idea that you think you are learning one
thing, when in actuality you are learning something else.
So why practice martial arts?
Simple….To
become a better human being.
Budokan Martial
Arts would like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season.
-Shaun Devoy Sensei
The Telos of Training
Student
Article
By Brandon Scott
In
the recent Journal of Asian Martial Arts, Dr. Hackney likens several of the beliefs of Plato and Aristotle to healthy attitudes
to be maintained by martial artist. While I'm generally not the biggest fan of Aristotelian thinking, I think one point that
was glanced over deserves a little more attention.
Telos, what Aristotle
defined as the end purpose of something, is significant to our training. Teleologically speaking, something's worth is defined
by how well it fulfills it purpose. IE, a grapevine's "purpose" is to produce grapes. The better the vine, the better the
grapes, the better it fulfills it's purpose. As martial artists we should pay careful attention to the telos of our training.
Martial training probably does not have one clear purpose, one "telos".I think
the telos of training is decided person to person Perhaps you train for self-defense capabilities. Perhaps you wish to improve
your stamina or flexibility. Perhaps you wish to improve your discipline. Perhaps you're a security guard or peace officer
looking for something to de-escalate an impractical situation. Kenjutsu practioneers may not have the most practical self-defense
art but if they're seeking something else, like discipline or traditionalism, kenjutsu may be the best art for them. An MMA
practioneer in an kenjutsu dojo could be wasting time if seeking practical empty hand techniques. If your attitude and your
training behaviors do not match this, your grapes will be sour.
At the
Budokan, there is a lot of emphasis placed on attendance and punctuality. Active training is a beautiful thing but if you're
simply showing up, without your goals in mind, without your mind having proper focus, you are simply wasting your time. I
can think of many times I've left my brain in my bag with my shoes.
Take
those few seconds at the beginning of class to clear your mind and focus on why you're in the dojo at all. Time you spend
thinking of problems at home, or that promotion at work while Devoy Sensei is instructing how to properly execute a technique
is time you are robbing yourself of. Make every step purposeful and the dividends will be ten-fold of any training you receive
when your body is present and your mind isn't.
Reference:
Journal
of Asian Martial Arts Volume 18~ Number 4~ 2009.
Hackney,
C. “The Aristotelian philosophy of the martial arts”
Important Dates:
--December 25-27 CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Congratulations
to Brandon Scott and Daniel Hovley for passing a grueling three and a half hour Jujutsu test and earning the ranks of
4th Kyu and 2nd Kyu respectively. (12/5/09)
Please welcome Derek Petersen to our Dojo. Derek will be attending our Ninjutsu
classes.
Would
you like to write something for the newsletter?
Just email
Sensei budokanutah@hotmail.com
Write
something about your experience in the martial arts, insights, or questions.
Famous American Martial Artist Ed Parker (the founder of American Kenpo Karate) passed away on December 15th 1990. We will observe
his passing by teaching some of his self defense principles in our classes on December 15th.
The holiday season is here and it is time to order your Martial Arts Gifts.
You can place your orders online or at the dojo. Please Order Early so they can get
here in time. Keep your eyes open for some Seasonal Discounts.
www.budokanutah.com
Budokan Utah 2009
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