Of Winning And Losing
Is winning a bad thing?
I believe the original impetuous for martial arts training had very little to do with winning or loosing. Historical development was centered on survival skills
which, once the immediate requirements of food and safety were satisfied could be expanded into a system of exercise and self-defense. Martial art techniques were developed by individuals or families and often included only one or two techniques that were closely guarded secrets. The need for secrecy was crucial as the survival of the family or village may depend on this one technique and the skill of the practitioner. Friendly Competition with such techniques was impractical, as the only measure of success was severe disability or death.
Although martial arts were not originally developed as a sport, competition has become an increasingly important aspect of current training methods. The trend toward competitive training techniques and the emphasis placed on winning began almost simultaneously with the introduction of Martial Arts to North Americain the late forties and early fifties. There was at the time and continues to be a basic philosophical difference between traditional Asian martial arts training and the training methods employed in North America. There’s a good reason for this. All of us are a function of the societies in which we were raised. North American culture values competition as an excellent and necessary media for demonstrating personal prowess and achievement. We are a competitive society! Traditional Asian training on the other hand is more internally focused, and values self-improvement and the development of inner strength. Two fairly divergent concepts! Martial arts competitions were the answer. It allowed the use of some traditional training techniques and satisfied our need to compete. Without competition the number of people practicing Martial Arts worldwide would be dramatically reduced and vast numbers of individuals would not have been exposed to the many benefits of training.
There are however dangers with an increasing emphasis on competition. Without the discipline and emotional maturity which is the cornerstone of traditional martial arts training we teach only the physical aspects of our art. We are building strong bodies without emphasis on the ethical constraints necessary to build a strong mind and ensure intelligent use of the techniques. If winning competitions is the primary goal of training it becomes increasingly difficult to recognize the importance of a well-rounded approach to martial art practice. We need a training approach, which encompasses both the Asian and North American emphasis.
Is winning always better than loosing, Probably not, but having the depth of character to examine the issue requires more than just physical training! The concept of Yin and Yang is more than just a black and white pattern. It is the representation of the circular nature of the universe. There are both good and bad inherent in all things. If we teach only the physical/external/Yang portions of the Martial Arts we shortchange our students. Eventually all competitors loose, as good instructors it is our responsibility to ensure they have the strength of character to survive a lose, and to cope with the many other trials that life will throw at them.
After all, this is the primary reason we teach!
Sa Bum Nim Jon Simonds
I believe the original impetuous for martial arts training had very little to do with winning or loosing. Historical development was centered on survival skills
which, once the immediate requirements of food and safety were satisfied could be expanded into a system of exercise and self-defense. Martial art techniques were developed by individuals or families and often included only one or two techniques that were closely guarded secrets. The need for secrecy was crucial as the survival of the family or village may depend on this one technique and the skill of the practitioner. Friendly Competition with such techniques was impractical, as the only measure of success was severe disability or death.
Although martial arts were not originally developed as a sport, competition has become an increasingly important aspect of current training methods. The trend toward competitive training techniques and the emphasis placed on winning began almost simultaneously with the introduction of Martial Arts to North Americain the late forties and early fifties. There was at the time and continues to be a basic philosophical difference between traditional Asian martial arts training and the training methods employed in North America. There’s a good reason for this. All of us are a function of the societies in which we were raised. North American culture values competition as an excellent and necessary media for demonstrating personal prowess and achievement. We are a competitive society! Traditional Asian training on the other hand is more internally focused, and values self-improvement and the development of inner strength. Two fairly divergent concepts! Martial arts competitions were the answer. It allowed the use of some traditional training techniques and satisfied our need to compete. Without competition the number of people practicing Martial Arts worldwide would be dramatically reduced and vast numbers of individuals would not have been exposed to the many benefits of training.
There are however dangers with an increasing emphasis on competition. Without the discipline and emotional maturity which is the cornerstone of traditional martial arts training we teach only the physical aspects of our art. We are building strong bodies without emphasis on the ethical constraints necessary to build a strong mind and ensure intelligent use of the techniques. If winning competitions is the primary goal of training it becomes increasingly difficult to recognize the importance of a well-rounded approach to martial art practice. We need a training approach, which encompasses both the Asian and North American emphasis.
Is winning always better than loosing, Probably not, but having the depth of character to examine the issue requires more than just physical training! The concept of Yin and Yang is more than just a black and white pattern. It is the representation of the circular nature of the universe. There are both good and bad inherent in all things. If we teach only the physical/external/Yang portions of the Martial Arts we shortchange our students. Eventually all competitors loose, as good instructors it is our responsibility to ensure they have the strength of character to survive a lose, and to cope with the many other trials that life will throw at them.
After all, this is the primary reason we teach!
Sa Bum Nim Jon Simonds