There’s a trend in today’s world to pick up some familiarity with as many martial arts as possible without completing the system. Reminds me of that old saying: Jack of all trades, master of none!
Last Spring I met a young man who was fighting in amateur kickboxing matches. He had attended another local school (mostly wrestling and other ground fighting techniques), but quit for various reasons. At the time he had a friend of his supporting him and helping him prepare (in a local gym) for his kickboxing fights.
Well, he came to me for two classes, and after becoming familiar with the very basics of center-line theory, he moved on to start learning from yet another school. He is an example of what I opened this blog referring to.
People like this never master a system. Believing, foolishly, that they’ve gotten the “idea” of the martial art down, they move onto other things, also believing that they can apply that familiarity (of idea) toward any fighting situation they find themselves.
In the end, like the young man in this example, they’re proven wrong. Luckily for this young man he was proven wrong in a fighting competition and not on the street (where the outcome would have been much worse).
There’s something to be said for an honest determination that sees one finish what they start. There’s, also, a respect that’s due them.
This is true of anything in life. Whether we’re talking about one’s career choice, a martial art system, a rehabilitation from some addiction, marriage, …. you name it. And, as with all of these things, there’s also a sense of accomplishment, joy, love, strength, wisdom, skill, ability, and other positive conditions of life. And, these things usually don’t stop with the person mastering a system; they end up being funneled through that person to the benefit of others, who come along seeking the same things we did when we were learning, mastering, maturing….
So, don’t sell yourself and those around you short by giving into the delusions of an ego-driven gutlessness, weakness, flightiness, complacent-focused disposition of maturation and mastery of martial arts.
Empower yourself to life!™
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