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Fighter vs Martial Artist

February 26, 2010 on 4:39 pm | In Teaching Insights and Lessons | No Comments

A martial artist goes through much more training than fighting. they usually start with some kind of test of character before being accepted as a student. In the old tradition a student might bow at the house of a master for several days to show sincerity to learn. In modern times a teacher might show a few things and see if the student goes deep into it before teaching more. In my case a teacher taught 24 form to see if they could “get it” before teaching the Long Form and didnt talk about themselves and lineage for 2 years teaching strict basics.

A Martial art teacher will that is of true lineage will teach ‘Wu De’ or martial virtue. In the older Chinese tradition a master would “make you a man before martial artist” with teaching things like humility, respect, sincerity, will power, courage, endurance, ect.
some martial arts schools adopted mottos for students, Fu Zhong Wen’s Yongnian Association uses “Diligence, Perseverance, Respect, Sincerity” as quality’s a practitioner must have to develop a high level of Taiji kung fu.*

Many fighters in today’s society are not brought up with this type of mind set. They go right into fighting techniques. This is typical of MMA, BJJ, Kickboxing and Boxing schools. Some old boxing schools and traditional minded schools might have a bit more discipline approach to teaching the fighter, but the goal is fighting for sport and competition sake to help promote the school, style, and teacher usually for monetary gains. fighting takes a much shorter time to learn. A martial artist of a discipline like Taijiquan, the road is longer to mastery and might take up to 20 years to be as good as someone who focuses on fighting only.

Other aspects that are developed by martial artists that might not be developed by the common fighter are internal training, flexibility, qigong, traditional methods of conditioning, Eastern philosophy, principles and theory, history, medical knowledge and healing (TCM), weapons training like sword, saber, spear.

Someone who practices Taijiquan should be one who has motivation to use the art for its original purpose of attaining fighting ability. The forms are combat moves that require combat intent of mind. The mind of the taijiquan practitioner doenst need to be motivated to compete and fight other but to develop courage help those who are weaker that might need to be defended or defense of the self when called to action.

*Zhin- Diligence- Hard work and effort is prerequisite for skilled development. Daily practice on a regular basic will ultimately be rewarded by beneficial results.

Hen- Perseverance- It is important that a long and enduring sense of purpose be cultivated. A sense of purpose combined with regular daily practice will serve to achieve that purpose.

Li- Respect- Respect for your master, teacher, and fellow man is paramount. Deal with others in taking consideration their backgrounds and in the light of their expectations. Mutual respect serves to enhance a sense of community and solidarity in a society where individuals treat each other with respect.

Zhen- Sincerity- Sincerity in attitude or motivation is a prerequisite for learning Taijiquan. In order to achieve, a genuine resolve to pursue your goal must exist. Deal with others sincerely if you want them to reciprocate. Maintain sincerity in the fore of your dealing with others and you will achieve a smooth flow in relationships.

matt