Interesting Articles

The Warrior Mind-Set

Grand Master John Pellegrini. Combat Hapkido: The Martial Arts for The Modern Warrior, 2009.

Self - defense includes basic and obvious principles such as awareness , prevention and avoidance . These preventatives have been taught and discussed at length by many personal - protection experts, security and law - enforcement agencies, and even the media for as long as crime has been a concern of society. Locking the doors of your house and car, not walking alone at night , not visiting a bar in a rough neighborhood, not flashing money or jewelry, and not getting intoxicated at a party are all sound and timeless advice for living a safer life anywhere in the world. The ability to talk yourself out of a bad situation is also a smart and recommended course of action. But the warrior mind-set goes way beyond that.

Awareness and readiness alone will not always be enough in a fight. Likewise, just because you train in a self-defensive martial art doesn't mean you are guaranteed to succeed in the face of danger. This is when the core of the warrior mind - set comes in. It is not just about the ability to be aware and ready to fight or to have the ability and skill to fight. It is about the will to do so. This is not as cut and dry as it seems, and contrary to what many believe, it is not true that some people have it and others don't. The truth is that most human beings will be affected differently by many specific factors at different times and will react accordingly. It has been demonstrated that under certain stressful and dangerous conditions, a tough guy may crumble, while a normally meek or passive individual may react with the fury of a tiger. This is often observed when everyday people are faced with mortal danger or catastrophic events. They become unlikely heroes and perform deeds of incredible courage, strength, daring and sacrifice. Anyone familiar with troops in combat can also attest to this and will tell you that the soldier with the warrior mind - set does not always look or act like Rambo.

Potentially, everyone can develop a warrior ethos, but in reality, only a small minority of people do develop it. The reasons for that are many and complex: family upbringing, peer influence, genetic makeup, philosophical and religious beliefs, social conditioning, etc. So, the bottom line of all this is that just because someone is a student of the martial arts doesn't mean he will rise to the challenge and fight back when attacked. Of course, all things equal, it is always better to have self - defense training and skills than not. They car certainly help and might reduce the damage . But the unwavering will and determination fight back and survive are indispensable ingredients of a successful outcome. The warrior mind-set naturally includes elements of courage, commitment, moral imperative and righteous justice. It also contains a little-understood element of great strategic value that is much harder to neatly define. It can be called "calmness of mind." This is an emotional and intellectual state wherein the individual facing the threat or danger remains calm. In fact, the individual not only remains calm but also is able to instantly silence, or at least ignore, the disrupting background noise of passions, fears, preconceived judgments and other distracting concerns.

That person is then capable focusing completely and absolutely on the task at hand. In the case of a combat-hapkido practitioner, he is able to face the threat and effectively synthesize the concepts in chapter with his technical training .

Some Japanese martial arts have a very specific term for this aspect of the warrior mind-set: Mushin. Like many other Eastern conceptual words, is probably impossible to translate exactly but the closest approximation is “the mind of no mind.” What the definition coveys is the somewhat abstract concept of not letting your ordinary, everyday thinking process interfere with and negatively affect the necessary, uncluttered calmness of mind and spirit required for lightning-fast appropriate physical action in combat.

To illustrate Mushin at work, let’s look at the following simple example. A visibly larger and stronger opponent who is ready to initiate a physical confrontation approaches you. Instead of calmly focusing on the best course of action – avoidance, escape, selection of targets, most effective technique, etc.- your mind is busy or over-whelmed by thoughts . You may be thinking things such as , He is so big… He is too strong… He will hurt me… I can wind up in the hospital seriously injured… My technique will not work on this guy ... I should not have come here ... etc. You get the picture. This is much more than lack of confidence or normal and natural fear . It is the debilitating confusion emotions and preconceived notions clouding your mind , sapping your spirit and possibly paralyzing your body. Under those conditions, fast, decisive and accurate responses are extremely difficult to employ even if you have the technical knowledge. On the other hand, someone who has made Mushin an integral part of his warrior mind-set will instantly banish those detrimental thoughts from the mind. Ideally, at the most advanced levels, the warrior will not even have to do that; he will no longer consciously experience the process.

It is also vital to understand that Mushin is neutral and works both ways. In a situation opposite to the one already described, say you are confronted by a smaller, weaker-looking individual. Now the thoughts clouding your judgment may sound something like this: "Oh, he is so small ... He looks like a wimp ... I could easily kick his butt ... I will teach him a lesson ... etc . "

The concept of Mushin teaches that those thoughts are just as damaging, undesirable and even dangerous. Simply put , do not ever overestimate or underestimate the threat. Do not be overly confident or lack confidence entirely. The warrior mind-set requires an analytical mind that calmly assesses the situation in realistic, not emotional, terms. It helps you take into account equally all factors (yes, including the size of your opponent) and instantly formulate the proper response, drawing on your internal energy, experience, skills and unshakable resolve. When Mushin becomes part of your overall warrior spirit, you will have many strategic and tactical advantages. Your calm, focused mind will quickly anticipate attacks , find escape routes, suggest the right verbal persuasion, discover available improvised weapons, select the most vulnerable targets, choose the best technique, and ultimately help you resolve the confrontation in your favor with the least amount of violence possible and without devastating legal consequences .

When will you get your Black Belt?

When are students ready to test for their Black Belt? Is it after they have attended a certain number of classes? Is it when they have reached a certain age? Is it after they have trained a certain number of years? The answer to those questions is no, no and no. Training in the Martial Arts is both a, physical and mental process. I believe that rather than just earning a Black Belt, a student Becomes a Black Belt.

Becoming a Black Belt is an attitude as well as a measure of physical accomplishment. Your instructor evaluates your physical progress at every class. He knows how well you can kick and punch, and he knows if you've memorized your techniques. But, he also knows how hard you are trying. He watches your attitude and has a pretty good idea of your dedication.

Your instructor will not invite you to test for your Black Belt until he feels that you have developed the Black Belt spirit. He is looking for leadership, he is looking for perseverance in training and he is looking for someone who is confident, patient, respectful and humble. Most of all, he is looking for your ability to handle the responsibility of wearing the symbol of Martial Arts accomplishment recognized throughout the entire world.

When you tell others that you are a Black Belt it reflects on the quality of your instructor, the reputation of your school and on the standard of excellence that the general public expects a Black Belt to show.

Start picturing yourself as a Black Belt now. Reach out to help your fellow students, practice your techniques outside of class and most importantly, remember that people's respect has to be earned through your actions and attitudes at all times.

By Rich London

Black Belt and Beyond

So you finally made it! You're dripping with sweat and you're exhausted. You did everything you instructors asked of you. All of your years of training have culminated in this moment. All of those nights when you really didn't want to come to class have finally paid off. You stand in front of the promotion board and your Master or Senior Instructor steps forward with a Black Belt over their shoulder. He removes your Gup Belt and straps that very coveted piece of dark cloth around your waist. For the first time, you are introduced to you classmates as a 1st Dan.

The change is subtle, but they will never look at you quite the same. You're not just a student anymore-you're a Black Belt, and they look at you as an Instructor now. When you earn that first Black Belt, you become a member of a very elite group. I came across a statistic once, which, is based on my personal experience, I believe to be pretty accurate. It goes something like this: For every 1000 people that join a martial arts class in the United States, about half will drop out after the first session of classes. Of those that remain, half will quit after 6 months. Out of that group, about half will make it to the one-year mark. That's 125 students out of an original group of 1000. And of those 125 students, how many do you suppose continue to train for the additional time that it takes to earn a Black Belt? One. You read that right it's not a typo One.

Earning a Black Belt in any Martial Arts school that applies legitimate, credible testing criteria is a very, very special achievement. In fact, it is perhaps the most important moment of your Martial Arts career. Why, you ask? Because now you have a very difficult question to answer: What's next? Unfortunately, for a lot of people the answer to that question is "nothing". "Hey I got my Black Belt, that's what I set out to do, now I'm going to do something else golf, softball, bowling, whatever." Fair enough, but if you feel that way, I would say, with all due respect, that you've missed the entire point of what you’ve been doing for the last several years.

Here's an analogy: You go to medical school and learn to become a surgeon. You graduate with flying colors. You're a member of an elite group. And then you walk away and take a job as a widget salesman. Now I have nothing at all against widgets or the people that sell them. Any job well done is an important job. But if you wanted to be a widget salesman, why the heck did you study to be a doctor? So am I taking all of this Martial Arts stuff to seriously? Watched one to many Bruce Lee movies you say? I don't think so.

This is serious stuff guys. The techniques you're learning Properly executed can do very serious injury. They are to be utilized with great caution, control and discretion. We're talking about hand to hand (or hand to weapon) combat here. This isn't about batting some ball around. Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong, with softball or golf or any other recreational activity that you might happen to want to pursue. They're fun and have tremendous positive benefit, for one and all. I participate in some of them myself and they are a very important part of my life. In fact, I encourage my students to cross train in other sports because it almost always improves their Martial Arts techniques. But these are activities and are not, and never will be, the same as studying a Martial Art particularly an ultra-realistic Martial Art like Combat Hapkido.

Studying a Martial Art- truly studying - requires a greater commitment than any of these other endeavors. You see a true Black Belt approaches his or her art not as a hobby, not as a pastime, not as a recreational activity, but as a way of life. Training should feel as natural to you as getting out of bed in the morning. It's not something you have to do, it's something you just do, period. I'm a Black Belt I train. That's me, that's who I am. The thought of not training has never crossed my mind. As long as I am breathing, I will train. That's the attitude that you need to have. So let's go back to the statistics I cited above and extrapolate a little: How many 1st Dan Black Belts ever see their 2nd Dan, 3rd Dan, or 4th Dan rank? Well I've never read any statistics on that, but again, based on my personal experience, I'd have to say not many. Why is That?

There may be many reasons and some are very legitimate: injury, illness, relocation, a new, more demanding job, college, family demands, dissatisfaction with the school or Instructor, etc. But you know what? Most of the time, it's not any of those reasons. Most of the time, people just make excuses and drift away. I'm not sure why that is I've seen it happen time and again. I think part of the reason is that we live in a society now that thrives on instant gratification.

Once you achieve your first Black Belt, the waiting/training for testing expand considerably- they tend to be measured in years, not months. People get bored they always want to be shown something new, they want to be stimulated. Well guess, what? That's not what this is all about. It's not about always showing you something new and attaining that next rank. Let's face it- there is an infinite amount of techniques that's going to work for the average person. One of my absolute favorite quotes is from the late Ed Parker, a Martial Arts pioneer and the founder of American Kenpo Karate: “I'd rather have 10 techniques that I can fight with than 1000 techniques that fight me." Think for a moment about what Master Parker meant when he made that statement. The average person is only going to be able to assimilate and effectively internalize so much, after a certain point it all becomes so much extra baggage that you have to keep track of. Does that mean that you don't learn any new techniques at Black Belt? Of course not you learn a lot. It just doesn't come with the same regularity that it did in the Gup ranks. Once you've attained your first Black Belt you need to focus on perfecting the techniques that you learned coming up through the ranks so that you can teach them to others. You need to continue attending Seminars and training with Grandmaster P. Why? Because you're being watched that's why! That white belt that just joined the class looks at you and you're Black Belt with a sense of respect and awe and expects you to show him/her the way. And you have a responsibility to do that. If all you want is that next new technique or that next rank, then I say again that you're missing the point.

For the life of me, I have never understood why someone would enroll in a Martial Arts class, invest all the time, all the effort, all the sweat and all the pain, earn their Black Belt and then just quit. You're just beginning. You've finally arrived and you turn around and leave what are you thinking of? What have you really achieved if you just quit? Are you a Black Belt? Yes, I guess so- on paper at least- but are you really? Do you really believe that you're going to be able to defend your-self effectively if you quit training? Because I've got news for you you're not! We tend to measure our lives in years, days, hours, etc. When is the last time you heard someone say something like that movie lasted 7200 seconds" (about 2 hours)? We just don't think that way. But guess what? In a real self-defense situation, your life and safety will be measured in seconds and fractions of seconds. Your "reaction time" in any self-defense situation will be the most critical component of your response. And God forbid if you're faced with a weapon. Your reaction time may be the difference between safety and being horribly injured or even killed. And how do you minimize and improve your reaction time? You guessed it Training, training, and more training and just for good measures some more training.

You see, what many Martial Arts Instructors don't tell their students is that much of what you learn will not work unless it is done with a great deal of speed and without thinking. It has to be an automatic response just like jerking your hand away from a hot stove. And there's only one way that it becomes automatic, folks- I don't need to say it again there are no shortcuts. So here's the answer to that very important question that you all will face someday: ' What's next?" Training, and then some more training after that. Don't let your skills rust. Refine them, make them quicker and more effective. Will you perfect every technique you've ever learned? No- let's be realistic no one ever does. We're not blessed with enough time on this earth to do that. But if you keep training, you will perfect enough technique to make you a very formidable opponent. And that will make you a true Black Belt.

By Timothy R. Bevevino