Martial Expression

One thing I have learned to value through the years is that martial arts is indeed an art. I have been an artist all my life but it took me many years to truly understand martial arts as a true art. Art is simply expression. Just like a painter beautifies a canvas or a musician creates a beautiful melody we too should be expressing something beautiful. Martial arts is meant to be pure but can easily be perverted into something violent. I believe that each artist should eventually create his own interpretation while striving and seeking for purity. Those who stepped out of the box and looked for the reality of self-defense brought all whole new outlook on martial arts. Look at Bruce Lee or Helio Gracie who both made a huge impact in the martial arts world. They expressed themselves as artist. You would never take an art class were your teacher told you to paint like them and only like them. You would learn to paint but eventually be encouraged to express your own master piece. This is what I encourage you to do as martial artist. Learn the fundamentals, build a solid foundation but then express your self as a true artist. There is an old quote from the book of the Samurai that goes


"It is spiritless to think that you cannot attain to that which you have seen and heard the masters attain. The masters are men. You are also a man. If you think that you will be inferior in doing something, you will be on that road very soon."

Tsunetomo, Yamamoto. Hagakure.


Expression is what martial arts is really about. Whether it be for self-defense, competition or for recreation, martial arts is always art. Just like there are many different reasons why a person may paint, there are also many reasons one would train martial arts. It doesn’t matter why you train but how you express yourself through your training. Another quote I like from Jose M. Fraguas goes like this,


"A true martial arts practitioner like an artist of any kind be they a musician, painter, writer, or actor, is expressing and leaving parts of themselves in every piece of their craft. The need for self inspection and self realization of who they are becomes the reason for a journey in search of the perfect technique, that great melody, that inspiring poetry, that amazing painting or that Academy Award performance. It is this motivation to reach that impossible dream, that allows a simple individual to become an exceptional artist or master of their craft."

In order to truly and honestly express your self, self inspection is required. The things we do and how we do them unveil who we really and truly are to ourselves and those around us . I wrote a blog on this a while back. If you want to get a better grasp on what I mean check out...


http://warriorsmentality.blogspot.com/2005/09/character-check.html

When we approach martial arts as an art and not a prideful, egotistical tough man contest then it becomes something beautiful and pure. This approach of exploring and expressing ourselves through martial arts is also the path to expanding and evolving as martial artist.