Why do we do this?

Why do we do this? Train martial arts, that is. Why do we put so much time and effort (and sweat and a few tears) into something which is generally misunderstood by our peers, and sometimes even our friends and family? I just had a conversation about that very subject with one of our black belt students. “Why do you do this?” his wife asks him on occasion. “Because I can,” was the simple, perfect answer.

 

I have found myself on many occasions trying to find the right answer that question too, and being a teacher, as well as a storyteller (writer and filmmaker), I usually end up with a much more involved answer. I end up going into the great and amazing history of this art form; the awesome feeling of confidence, knowing I can handle myself (and protect a loved one) in a bad situation; the excellent health benefits which get better over time; the incredible feeling of perfecting a difficult technique.   

 

But to be true, I think I like this black belt student’s answer better. He was a student of mine as a beginner about 15 years ago, and I was very pleased (and proud), that a student of mine from so long ago would still be training after all these years. After teaching for many years, I took some time away from the studios to go back to school and finish my degree at USC.  Now that I’m back, it’s a real joy to see so many familiar faces in the classes, still working at it, still putting that tremendous effort into achieving their goals. Maybe that’s also part of the reason why I do this, and why I continued to train so hard while on my own for several years – that I know there are others out there, not so different than myself, who are doing the same thing.

 

So, why do we do it? Why do we train so hard, sweat - and yes, on occasion when a mistake is made, bleed -to perfect ourselves in this quest to achieve a black belt, or another degree of black belt, or even, dare we say, to try and Master this deep and seemingly boundless art form? Why do we do it? Because we can!

 

S.L. Sylvian

3^rd Degree Black Belt

Moo Pai Apprentice under Master R. Jones