Here's an essay I wrote for an Honors English course last semester. It may not be journalistic quality, but I think it'll make you look at martial arts in a new way.
By the way, if you like the essay, feel free to copy it to your own page, but please, credit me and let me know that you've copied it.
As always, Let me know what you think
East Asian martial arts have become a major part of American culture. From full-contact, open style sport fights to Tai Chi programs for the elderly, from children's Judo classes to Mortal Kombat video games, elements of the martial arts appear almost everywhere. Despite, or perhaps because of their high exposure, martial arts still often suffer from the stigma that they are intended exclusively for combat, and any other benefits gained from their study are simply side effects. Many Asian martial arts are indeed some of the most effective forms of combat in the world, but they have been and can be far more than that. For centuries, martial arts have provided physical training, mental conditioning, and even religious teaching to their practitioners. Today, when hand-to-hand combat occurs less often, the main benefit of martial arts is not their usefulness in a fight, but their value as forms of physical and mental training and exercise.
Many styles of martial arts can be great exercise. The combative aspects of the arts provide students with a practical skill and make classes more interesting than more common exercises. Major areas of fitness which more popular exercises improve are also developed by martial arts study, and some areas which common exercises undervalue or neglect have special emphasis in particular martial arts styles. And while most forms of exercise focus primarily on physical fitness and give little or no attention to mental health, the martial arts equally emphasize both physical and mental conditioning.
The prospective martial arts student, or -ka, should understand two important facts about martial arts. First, martial arts are more than just exercise. As stated, martial arts can be combat forms, physical exercise, mental training, and spiritual teaching. Although I am describing just the aspects of physical and mental fitness, one should not enroll in a martial arts class expecting only to get in shape. Students of a martial art receive much more holistic training than they would in an aerobics class. Second, the term "martial arts" is a very broad grouping encompassing a wide variety of techniques, histories, and philosophies. Even popular names for specific martial arts, such as Karate or Kung Fu, are actually groupings of several different sub- styles with similar techniques. The techniques learned, the rate of learning, and the physical and mental demands of a class will vary greatly by style, by sub-style, and even by individual teachers. So students who have a bad experience in one class shouldn't be afraid to try a different one. And people who wish to begin their study are encouraged to visit several dojos and learn something about many different styles. They may find something radically different from what they expected.
In the past two decades, physicians have given special attention to cardiovascular fitness. Many exercises, such as jogging, swimming, and of course aerobics, have been noted for their ability to strengthen the heart and increase lung capacity. Martial arts practice also provide a good aerobic workout, though, at first, the arts don't seem to be aerobic exercise. In real life, a true fight rarely lasts for more than a few minutes before one or both fighters are worn out. Likewise, sparring in a martial arts class rarely continues for longer than four or five minutes. Fighting, whether on the street or in a dojo, typically requires short bursts of anaerobic strength, not longer aerobic endurance. Fighting is a sprint, not marathon. But martial arts do provide good aerobic exercise through kata, or forms training. Kata is the continuous repetition of one or more techniques over a long period of time. An example of kata would be a karateka who executes the same kick over and over for half an hour, or a pair of judokas who take turns throwing one another in the same way. Kata sets are typically practiced anywhere for anywhere from ten minutes to an hour, rather than just a few minutes. While the primary purpose of kata is to develop of high level of coordination and precision on motion, good kata practice also raises the level of aerobic activity and keeps it high without "burning out" the student like sparring does.
An important aspect of fitness undervalued in many exercises is bone strength. Bone is not a static frame. It is dynamic living tissue which must be exercised as much as the muscular or cardiovascular system. As we age and our bodies weaken, our bones deteriorate at a faster rate. This accelerated bone loss is known as osteoporosis and is considered all but inevitable in most older people. As bones degenerate, they are more likely to break in the event of a fall, and may fracture spontaneously if sufficiently weakened. And once broken, osteoporotic bones mend much slower than healthy bones, and sometimes never fully heal. Older people who suffer hip fractures generally require some sort of walking aid afterward, and broken vertebrae in the spine are never fully repaired.
Research has shown that stressing the skeleton increases bone mass. As more weight is placed on the bones, they adapt by absorbing more calcium than they release. Older people need to engage in exercise which stresses the skeletal system sufficiently to build new bone tissue and make up for the accelerated rate of bone loss. And younger people also need to strengthen their bones in order to increase "peak" bone mass prior to old age. Any weight-bearing activity stresses bones, while non-weight bearing exercises do very little to strengthen the skeleton. Walking stresses the skeleton more effectively than cycling. Step aerobics place more pressure on bones than swimming. Martial arts such as Judo and Hap Ki Do, which involve a great deal of throws and full-contact ground techniques, can be especially effective at stressing bones. Students have the impact of being thrown to the ground and then must support not only their own weight but their opponent's as well. And the wide variety of ground techniques use every part of the body, and thus stress every part of the skeleton.
Of course, people whose bones are already weakened wouldn't want to be thrown or wrestle on the ground. Tai Chi is an art recommended for older people with osteoporosis. While Tai Chi originated in China as a form of combat, today the fast and deadly techniques have been slowed down and serve to develop precision and calmness rather than combative ability. Tai Chi is low- impact, yet its techniques slowly move joints through their full range of motion over a long period of time. So it exerts continuous force on the bones without the sudden, quick impact of a throw or the added stress of wrestling.
Many osteoporotic fractures come from falls, and many falls can be avoided simply by developing a better sense of balance. Younger people might take their senses of balance for granted, but when one is senior citizen, with weakened bones, slack muscles, and stiff joints, simply putting one foot in front of the other can be a difficult task. And even in youth, a better sense of balance results in better distribution of weight in the body, and can reduce unnecessary stress on bones, muscles, and joints. Yet few exercises, especially those which are not specifically designed for senior citizens, actively develop a good sense of balance and coordination.
Those two interrelated aspects-balance and coordination-are keys to the martial arts. For example, Karate involves very few grappling or ground fighting techniques. As a result, a karateka who wishes to excel in real combat must learn how to avoid an opponent and stay on his or her feet despite whether an opponent strikes, pushes, or all-out tackles him or her, even if he or she is executing head high kick at the time. One of the most effective techniques in Judo is the Ippon Seoi Nage, or one arm shoulder throw. It requires the thrower to turn his or her back to an opponent, pull the opponent off balance, load the attacker onto his or her hips, and then simultaneously raise his or her hips while pulling the attacker over his or her shoulder in order to throw him. When executed properly, the Ippon Seoi Nage works independently of the relative size of the attacker and defender. A 140-pound judoka can easily throw a 200-pound attacker, because Seoi Nage is a not a measure of strength, but of good technique and proper distribution of weight, an essential part of balance. And certainly, a person who can execute a hip throw at fifty is less likely to fall and fracture a hip at seventy.
The three related arts of Jujitsu, Judo, and Aikido are especially effective at developing good balance. These arts are based on the concept of ju, a Japanese term which roughly translates to gentleness or yielding. Jujitsu, Judo, and Aikido students are taught to act with rather than against an opponent's force. Students constantly try to pull their opponents off balance by their opponents' own force. By learning how to exploit others' overextensions, they develop excellent coordination and balance themselves.
One of the best and yet least understood aspects of the martial arts is the mental training it provides. There is a great deal of scientific evidence that physical exercise improves a person's self-image, relieves stress and may be useful in treating mental disorders such as chronic stress, depression, and substance abuse. While most forms of exercise focus on physical training and view the mental benefits of exercise as almost a side effect, most martial arts equally emphasize both the mental and physical aspects of training.
The arts do more than develop a good attitude. They introduce students to a whole new thought process that is as useful in a daily routine as it is in a fight. Many arts still incorporate Zen meditation into practice and encourage students to act by intuition rather than conscious thought. This intuitional thinking is sometimes referred to as the mind of no-mind. It's a way of keeping a clear, open mind, remaining fully aware of what is happening right here and right now, and acting without consciously thinking. It is vital in combat. A fighter doesn't have time to actively examine a situation determine his options, and then decide on a proper reaction. He just has to do it. If he wastes even a second of time in indecision, he runs the risk of losing the fight, so he takes his or her actions without forming conscious thoughts.
This is not to say that a martial artist never thinks or is unaware of what is happening. He or she is simply not distracted by conscious thought. A Zen mind is not blank. It is clear. For example, if someone bumps into a person knocks him backward, that person immediately shifts on foot back to keep from falling down. He doesn't actively think, "Move the foot back." If he or did, he would fall. Almost like an instinct, moving the foot goes directly from mental impulse to physical action without pausing to become conscious thought. As another example, a good ballroom dancer doesn't think, "Left foot here, right foot there..." with every step. If he consciously thought about every step, his movements would appear too deliberate and mechanical. The dancer has practiced so much that he simply knows where to go without dwelling on each step.
This Zen mind has practical applications outside the martial arts. An open mind is less likely to become locked into one pattern of thought, and is able to view a difficult problem from multiple viewpoints. A clear mind doesn't dwell on a problem. Just as a fighter doesn't think about the punch he just blocked, or the kick he just delivered, but moves smoothly from one action to the next, so a clear mind doesn't spend too much time worrying about problems which have already been solved or are not relevant to the situation at hand. Because it isn't distracted by old or upcoming problems, it can better concentrate on whatever task it is doing at the moment.
The whole effect of the martial arts is to develop a way of being both calm and strong simultaneously. Many aspects of Western culture imply that tight, tense muscles and minds are strong while loose, relaxed muscles and minds are weak. Martial artists learn the exact opposite. They understand that a fighter who tenses his muscles when he fights tends to become locked into a limited range of movements and wastes energy even when he or she is standing still. A fighter who relaxes saves his energy and allows himself more freedom of movement. In the same way, a relaxed posture, thought process, and overall life allow a person to constantly accomplish more without limiting his options or wearing himself out.
From the beginnings of Asian civilization to the modern day, East Asian martial arts have developed as both deadly combat skills and rigorous physical, mental, and spiritual training. Within the past century, these arts have crossed the Pacific and established themselves as notable aspects of American culture. In order for them to be fully accepted and understood by Americans, the arts need to be explained in American (read: scientific) terms. Martial arts instructors cannot expect modern students to understand concepts such as ki or Tao without explaining them in a logical manner which American students can understand. Granted, many of the concepts in the martial arts cannot be adequately explained in words, and must be learned by experience; but students need at least an elementary understanding of the concepts before they can truly experience them. I hope this essay has to some extent achieved that effect. While much of this work is my own conjecture rather than tested fact, I hope that I've shown a new perspective on the martial arts and encouraged others to take a new, non-combative view of these combat forms.
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