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For most martial artists training today, if you asked them what their ultimate goal would be, I would say most would reply sheepishly and say they would like to be a martial arts master; that they ultimately wanted to master the style they are training in, to know and understand every move and protocol inside out.
It’s a lofty ambition, but one which most of us secretly harbour and to achieve it would be to take the training as far as it can go; or more accurately, as far as you yourself can take it because there is no real end to martial arts training.
How Do We Become Masters?
The question remains though: how do you do that, how do you gain mastery over an art that encompasses so much within it?
The short answer to that question would be: devote the rest of your life to it. Drop everything else and spend all your time training. Sooner or later you will gain mastery over your art.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of martial artists just can’t do that. We all have lives after all, other commitments we have to tend to. Most of us are lucky fitting in two or three sessions a week. So given this, is it ever going to be possible to master an art by devoting only so much time to its practice?
To answer that we must first define what it means to master a martial art. What are the attributes that set apart the masters from the novices?
Attributes of a Master
I guess the first thing that makes someone a martial arts master, in most people’s eyes, is their complete command over the techniques within the system in which they practice. When a master performs a technique it is done with textbook style and grace; every move is perfect, or as near perfect as it’s possible to get.
The second characteristic of a martial arts master is their level of devotion to their art. High ranking masters have generally devoted as much of their lives as possible to the practice of their art. They are not casual practitioners. They generally run their own dojo and conduct a lot of seminars, teaching other people what they know and generally living the martial arts dream.
Martial arts masters are also great teachers. They know every tiny detail relating to their art and they know how to explain and demonstrate this knowledge very well. There is generally nothing they don’t know about the style they are training in.
So in general, a martial arts master is characterized by their great love of what they do, their full understanding of what they do, and their complete devotion to what they do.
Within that framework, we can also say that these attributes come from great self-discipline and self-control. To achieve such mastery takes a lot of sacrifice which means you have to be extremely disciplined with yourself, which in turn means you have to really know yourself and have good control over yourself.
You must possess the ability to set your sights on a particular goal (in this case attaining mastery in the martial arts) and be able to pursue that goal right to the very end. Obviously not everyone has these attributes in their possession, and to be honest, if you have to cultivate them too much then you probably never will have them enough to get anywhere. Some things are ingrained within the personality and can’t be forcibly learned despite everything that is said by personal development gurus about changing the personality to fit your goals.
Full-Time Training
So let’s say you do have what it takes to become a martial arts master. You have the requisite personality traits and skills at your disposal. What now?
Really there is only one answer to this question and it’s this: devote yourself to the martial arts on a full time basis.
And yes, I do mean practice morning till night. We become what we do the most, so it follows that if you practice martial arts for most of your time for the rest of your life then you will eventually become a martial arts master.
Really it is no different from wanting to become say, a writer. If you want to be a professional writer then you write. All the time. It’s really that simple.
What isn’t so simple for most of us is making the decision to actually give everything else up so you can devote all that time to your practice, and in most cases this means quitting your job in order to do so. At the end of the day, mastery is just time served. Eventually you will get there, or as near as your innate abilities will allow. Not everyone has the make up to be a martial arts master, but most people will get very close just by practicing on a full time basis.
Geoff Thompson, a master martial artist in anyone’s eyes (and classed by Chuck Norris as being one of the most influential martial artists around today) once had to make the decision of whether or not to go full time. Geoff desperately wanted to be a master like the people he most admired in the martial arts, so he bit the bullet and made the decision to make the martial arts a full time pursuit and he never looked back. He struggled in the beginning, but eventually he achieved the hallowed status of master of martial arts, completely redefining and updating the whole concept of self-defence in the process. Geoff also said that he knew of others who tried to walk the same path and failed a few times before they were actually able to do it. The point is though they did it and never looked back. In the end, it’s all down to how much you want it and what you are prepared to do to get it. (You can read more about Geoff’s ideas on this in his blog article, The Left Hand Path.)
So it can be done. It’s just having a plan and then having the balls to implement that plan. Only you can know if going down that road is for you.
Taking The Leap
If you are intent on going full time then I suggest you read an article by Steve Pavlina entitled Ten Reasons You Should Never Get a Job. This particular article advocates you quitting your job to do what you love and has gathered quite a lot of criticism from some quarters, mainly because quitting your job to do whatever is quite a bold and extreme move to make in life and one which can get you into a lot of trouble if it isn’t properly thought out. I mean you could end up homeless if you’re not careful here, so think your actions through before making any decisions in this regard. I personally think there is logic in burning all your bridges in this regard, but you have to be very sure about what you are doing and you have to be fuelled by enough passion to counter-act all the sacrifices you’ll have to make in the process. Really it boils down to a matter of controlling your fear. No easy task, but a necessary step on the road to mastery.
I really don’t think there is any getting away from the fact that in order to truly master something you have to devote the vast majority of your time to it, which means making it a full time pursuit. You can get really good just by training for an hour or two every day, but I don’t think you will attain real mastery, simply because you will have too many other demands on your time and energy like a job, a family, other interests etc.
You look at any high ranking master you care to name in any style and they all have one thing in common: martial arts is their life, their job, their full time pursuit. That’s why they are masters.
All over the world there also exists places were students can go and train full time. The Aikidokan in Japan is a good example. Students are required to train full time for ten years before they can leave and travel the world teaching the art of Aikido. They do this because they know it’s what they have to do in order to master the art. They know they have to put the right amount of time into the training.
Desire
If you truly desire to be a master of the martial arts then make martial arts your full time preoccupation. Otherwise, resign yourself to the fact that you will only get so far and that not everyone can become a master. In most people’s cases, including mine, the benefits of training as much as you can within the existing framework of your life are great enough to keep you involved, even if you don’t reach the dizzying heights of grand mastery.
As long as you keep participating you will continue to be rewarded in some way.
So keep training and remember it’s the journey that counts, not the destination.
