Whaddaya Want?!
This is shamelessly cross-posted from another blog I maintain.
As you might guess by reading this blog, martial arts have a near and dear place among the chambers of my heart. Were you to look at my schedule, you might not think the same thing. I get to the dojo once a week and spend a little bit of time every day practicing.
I've been thinking a lot about time and martial arts practice, and I thought I'd discuss it here.
My training time allotment is quite different from most of the true masters I've examined. I'll pick the arguable progenitor of my own art, because he serves as a pretty good example. People often talk about how Ueshiba Morihei seemed to have a level of skill so high it bordered on magic. They speculate about his what sort of cosmic energy he may have tapped into, or what sublime mind-state he might have reached.
Like a good criminal lawyer, my speculations range more to the mundane. From many reliable accounts, the man trained every day for somewhere between three and five hours. He maintained this practice for the better part of forty years. That investment of time seems to me like a much more likely explanation from his skill than divine blessing from the kami.
(Mind you, the man might have played checkers with the kami, for all I know. I don't know, I can't prove it, so I don't bother speculating about it. I focus my study on the things I can understand. Look elsewhere for theological arguments.)
There seems to be a cult of "genius worship" that exists in martial arts and other fields. There is the myth of a person that is somehow innately able to perform certain tasks with the greatest of ease. These are special people. They are "born with it". While there might be some truth to innate predisposition, I favor Mssr. Einstein's quote (really a ratio) vis a vis genius and perspiration.
If you examine the entirety of human endeavor and isolate the "gifted people" in a variety of fields, you'll find one common thread: large investments of time.
Of course, if my theory is right and genius does consist mostly of perspiration, that doesn't decrease the admiration due to those we label "genius". Hell, you've got to admire that work-ethic and the spirit of sacrifice. Giving that much of oneself and one's life to a specific endeavor is very difficult and, in my opinion, highly admirable.
All those hours Ueshiba spent training, he wasn't playing with his kids, having backyard barbecues, or working as a Public Defender.
But that gets us back to me. Despite my above theory, I don't plan on making any huge modifications to my practice schedule. Due to a thankful employment opportunity, I will be able to get to the dojo two or three times a week, instead of once, but other than that, things will stay the same. Just a half-hour to an hour on the off days, with occasional forays into blogging.
Why? Because I know what I want. I don't want to be a martial arts genius. I don't what my name uttered in hallowed whispers. I study aikibudo for three reasons:
1. To become a better person and get along with my fellow man.
2. To have a realistic and effective method of self defense, given the hazardous nature of my clients.
3. To have fun with my friends.
That's it. You'll note that attaining genius status wasn't on that list. I respect the hell out of people who study this with the goal of reaching sublime and epic levels of skill, but that just ain't me. The only thing I want out of the bargain is a good life. And since my good life includes aforementioned barbecues, children, and public defending, there just ain't the room for aikido genius.
That's fine.
- Ken
As you might guess by reading this blog, martial arts have a near and dear place among the chambers of my heart. Were you to look at my schedule, you might not think the same thing. I get to the dojo once a week and spend a little bit of time every day practicing.
I've been thinking a lot about time and martial arts practice, and I thought I'd discuss it here.
My training time allotment is quite different from most of the true masters I've examined. I'll pick the arguable progenitor of my own art, because he serves as a pretty good example. People often talk about how Ueshiba Morihei seemed to have a level of skill so high it bordered on magic. They speculate about his what sort of cosmic energy he may have tapped into, or what sublime mind-state he might have reached.
Like a good criminal lawyer, my speculations range more to the mundane. From many reliable accounts, the man trained every day for somewhere between three and five hours. He maintained this practice for the better part of forty years. That investment of time seems to me like a much more likely explanation from his skill than divine blessing from the kami.
(Mind you, the man might have played checkers with the kami, for all I know. I don't know, I can't prove it, so I don't bother speculating about it. I focus my study on the things I can understand. Look elsewhere for theological arguments.)
There seems to be a cult of "genius worship" that exists in martial arts and other fields. There is the myth of a person that is somehow innately able to perform certain tasks with the greatest of ease. These are special people. They are "born with it". While there might be some truth to innate predisposition, I favor Mssr. Einstein's quote (really a ratio) vis a vis genius and perspiration.
If you examine the entirety of human endeavor and isolate the "gifted people" in a variety of fields, you'll find one common thread: large investments of time.
Of course, if my theory is right and genius does consist mostly of perspiration, that doesn't decrease the admiration due to those we label "genius". Hell, you've got to admire that work-ethic and the spirit of sacrifice. Giving that much of oneself and one's life to a specific endeavor is very difficult and, in my opinion, highly admirable.
All those hours Ueshiba spent training, he wasn't playing with his kids, having backyard barbecues, or working as a Public Defender.
But that gets us back to me. Despite my above theory, I don't plan on making any huge modifications to my practice schedule. Due to a thankful employment opportunity, I will be able to get to the dojo two or three times a week, instead of once, but other than that, things will stay the same. Just a half-hour to an hour on the off days, with occasional forays into blogging.
Why? Because I know what I want. I don't want to be a martial arts genius. I don't what my name uttered in hallowed whispers. I study aikibudo for three reasons:
1. To become a better person and get along with my fellow man.
2. To have a realistic and effective method of self defense, given the hazardous nature of my clients.
3. To have fun with my friends.
That's it. You'll note that attaining genius status wasn't on that list. I respect the hell out of people who study this with the goal of reaching sublime and epic levels of skill, but that just ain't me. The only thing I want out of the bargain is a good life. And since my good life includes aforementioned barbecues, children, and public defending, there just ain't the room for aikido genius.
That's fine.
- Ken