Martial Artist as Athlete

As I move through my day-to-day life, I am forced to reflect on my life in martial arts and training and how it all fits in to a bigger picture. Martial arts is more than just something a person practices and forgets, but it is a way of viewing the world and living life in each moment. It is a philosophy that you adopt. It does not mean you have to wear it on your shirt every moment of every day, but the general discipline pervades your life and influences your decisions and how you approach things. 

As an athlete, coach, trainer, and teacher, it is not hard to adopt a martial arts philosophy to help guide me through my day. The life of martial arts is a way of training, of perseverance, of understanding, and growing as a person. I believe that is what makes a martial artist different from a generic sport fighter. Sport fighters are great athletes, but not everyone of the sport fighters adopt the philosophy that is consistent with the way of the warrior. you need the right teacher or coach to help you understand that you are doing. It is also true that a general athlete can adopt the mindset of a martial artist if the coach has walked the path and practiced that philosophy.

Sports and the warrior mindset really do go hand-in-hand. The two are completely compatible for those that are willing to receive the information and the training in that manner. The training of warriors goes back centuries, and the traditions even in western civilization mirror that of athletes today. We have no further to look than the ancient Greek Olympics. The original games often mirrored activities of soldiers and traditions were based on martial activities. So, if the activities mirrored the soldiers, why not the philosophies? Today's military train the soldiers at athletes so they are ready for combat.

So, ,the way of the warrior, and athlete, go together. But it is up to each person to figure out the philosophy that they follow and how they proceed to live their life with it.

One of my goals as a personal trainer is to help al martial artists obtain the athlete's mindset with their training. It is an art that requires a lot of practice and discipline, but it is also a physical activity the demands the best of each person's body to practice it at the highest level that is possible for each person. Whether or not you are in a combat sport is irrelevant. It still demands we all carry ourselves as athletes when we step on the floor. That is for the benefit of ourselves and our training partners. 

Martial Arts and Fitness: A Need for Diversification of Training

 

At the time I created this draft, I think I had some different ideas in my head. That is all well and good. Its a natural evolution of things to progress forward somehow, and if content changes, that is ok. If anyone knows me at all, I am expanding out from martial arts into more fitness related areas, so a diversification of ideas and content is a natural thing to talk about at this point. One of the ways I am trying to achieve this is to reach more people so I can help them with my knowledge. It is a process. Knowledge does not equal influence. Those are two different concepts entirely. A diversification of what you do and share will allow one to find greater influence with more people if those people can be reached.

To that end, I have tried to use Instagram, or rather have tried to understand Instagram, to that end. That is an interesting experience all its own. What I see happening there is not so much about knowledge is more about creating click-bait and trying to get people to grab on to a catchy post and see if you can convince them to follow you. Maybe I have it all wrong. Maybe I understand it perfectly. I am not sure either way. 

What I do know is that I have nearly a quarter century of teaching experience alone, not even counting all the experience I have in sports, fitness, and martial arts. I believe I have a wealth of knowledge that can be shared, but it only matters if I can reach people and share it with them. So, to that end, I focus my efforts. I don't think I am so concerned about huge numbers of people as I am concerned with providing a great experience based on my knowledge and willingness to help others improve themselves. 

To that end, I think the diversification of training, be it in martial arts, fitness, sports, or whatever else I have to offer, is my greatest tool. I can provide an experience that would prove interesting for others to follow, if they are so interested in that. 

I think diversification is a hidden tool that we have at our disposal that can really attract people and hold their interest. It is also an essential way of training for anyone in martial arts. It keeps us interested. It provides a variety of skills and experiences that make us more well rounded. it is my hope that I can reach people to share this knowledge and way of training with them to enrich their lives. 

As always, I thank you for reading and hope we can connect at some time to share ideas.

Keep Training!

Jesse