Control – The goal of martial arts practice
It’s been over 48 years, when I was introduced to Japanese karate, during my Boy Scout years in Iran. Learning karate in Iran was tough. You had to prove yourself at every class. It was extremely physical and sometimes punishing. The environment in Iran was to weed out the weak, and to only tolerate and develop the strong.
In less than a year from my karate initiation as a teenager, my family moved to United States and eventually settled in Granada Hills, California. I was privileged to take classes with a Sensei who was also a scholar. A true philosopher, Shihan Dean Picard was working on his dissertation in philosophy, and was teaching philosophy and karate, at the Los Angeles Mission College, and in many of the colleges in Southern California.
It was under his tutelage, that I learned to look and think beyond the mere physical technique, and about the philosophy and the intent of Karate training. I was introduced to the art that was the subtle undercurrent of this violent looking set of movements, techniques, and exercises.
The material that was presented to me to study, were at times overwhelming for my young mind, but the seeds were planted to question, search and discover. To be inquisitive, to study deeper meanings of movements, and how they affected the practitioner internally. It made me question why I was so drawn to this art form. Why after practice or a specific set of movements, I started to feel and differently. This feeling was not either good or bad, but it was more akin to becoming aware.
Why were these movements an art form? How could something so violent in presentation and physical application, be a form of art? Many other questions emerged as I went through the process of learning and discovery. The more I searched, the more I had to reach within. By the time I understood the meaning of the answers, sometimes partially to one question, another question would arise.
The answers took time, and they came in the form of many wonderful and sometimes painful experiences. I found out in time, that these answers are “my answers,” and do not necessarily apply to everyone else. They were “my truths.” As I started teaching, I found many of the answers I was looking for, and was confounded by many more questions. I made many mistakes as I was learning to be a teacher, and I’m sure I will continue to make more mistakes (although I hope with less severe consequences). Teaching helped me not only to understand the mechanics of the technique, as I had to relay the knowledge to different people, with different abilities and limitations, but also, to relate to the people, at a deeper level. To understand them and to help them find their own truths.
So the question remains with many people, as they ask: “why martial arts?” What is the mystique, why some people (myself included), believe that martial arts, specifically traditional martial arts, are necessary in our daily life.
To me, the ultimate goal of martial arts is “Control.” The concept is as simple as it is deep. Understanding of it takes more than just words, it takes application and commitment. It is like sailing. I can describe it to you, but until you cast your own sailboat into the sea, you will not truly understand any of it. You have to experience it.
In martial arts, I dare say in all arts, the movements are used to discipline the mind. The mind and the body are brought to work together, to achieve perfection through coordination. This is an arduous task at times. Be it a stroke of a pen of calligrapher, the brushstrokes of a painter, the forming hands of sculpture, the movements of a dancer, or the forms or kata of martial artist. It is about the connection and coordination of mind, body and spirit.
Understanding that perfection will not be permanent, and may only exist in sporadic and fleeting moments, events or performances in time, the artist seeks through repetition to create those fleeting moments and experience it yet again. To bring about the control of their body movement, by controlling their mind and coordinating with a specific muscle or group of muscles. In controlling the mind, the artist learns to control their feelings, to understand them, and channel them properly.
Whether it’s frustration, fatigue, anger, desperation, or glee. In order to have a control on their feelings, the artist must endeavor to control their thoughts and examine their beliefs. I would further venture to say, that the root of our actions, are in our thoughts and our belief system. The former, dictates the latter. If you manage the thought, you can change the belief, leading you to control you words, actions and the net result of those words or actions, on your life.
By learning to understand our thoughts, we learn to change our perception. How we perceive things, triggers thoughts, which in a domino effect, influence our feelings, our words and our actions. The pursuit of the martial artist, and I dare say many artists, is to perceive things as they are, in their purity and without prejudice or undue influences. To understand, reflect and express that which they experience from the world around them.
Artists see and feel differently. Their expression of their truths is what makes them unique to others in the society.
This endeavor indeed takes a lifetime. For the martial artist, it all starts with the technique. Repeating, honing, and perfecting it. Persevering through hard sessions of training, and enduring challenging workouts. As the techniques expand out of the body, the martial artist mind dives deep within.
The physical efforts manifest themselves, in a mental search for endurance and understanding of both physically and the spiritual. The “art” in the martial arts therefore, is in the creating of a new, more intelligent, developed, understanding, complete human being. Sculpting a better “self.” Compassionate and passionate, ethical and logical, sympathetic and empathetic, connected yet objective, present, aware, and participating in life.
Bruce Lee is contributed by saying: “Before I learned the art, a punch was just a punch, and a kick, just a kick. After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick, no longer a kick. Now that I understandthe art, a punch is just a punch and a kick is just a kick."
I’m still on this journey. What people find amusing and at times strange, is that there is not set “end” to this journey. It is about constantly evolving, and discovering many different facets and dimensions about yourself, that is simply amazing. As an example, working with disadvantage children, or special needs individuals, has given me new insights to who I am, what differences I can make, and how fascinating martial arts can be.
May your journey be as adventurous and as rewarding, as mine has been.
Shihan Bruce Hojati
Chief Instructor
Hojati Karate Academy
USA Branch Director
Japan Karate-do Maruyoshikai Organization
