Questions Asked

Having been around the martial arts as long as I have been, there are a few common questions that I get asked. Here’s two of them.

Why did you start martial arts?
I wanted to have the bravery and discipline to pick up the burning cauldron and scar the tiger and dragon symbols into my arms. For those not old enough to recognize the reference, it was part of the opening credits for the Kung Fu television show. It was lots of years ago. It also includes being influenced by Star Trek, Batman, and The Green Hornet.

The reasons behind this, now that I look back, are quite varied. One of the reasons probably came from elementary school where I got teased pretty bad for the eczema that I had. Kids can be cruel and horrible without realizing it (or when they want to be).

Another reason is that I never was, and still aren’t, anything more than a mediocre athlete. It played to my advantage in team sports that our school was small. Well, that is because I liked those sports and the coach needed as many as possible to play. The glitch was that I just really liked to play and didn’t view winning or losing as really big deals. That probably didn’t set well with some of the better athletes and their beliefs about sport.

The exception to this was finding Curling. There was enough individual challenge as part of a team to fit my personality. This lasted 13 years before putting it aside to focus on martial arts. I will say that Curling has affected how I present the martial arts. There is a very similar “team” feel in the martial arts as in Curling. We work to better ourselves AND support others.

Why do you continue now?
Because I owe it to the next generation to pass on what I’ve come to understand. Well, that’s the short answer. Included in this would be that there is much more to learn and document. It is unfortunate that some much of the history gets lost as the first generation students are no longer around. Personally, I put some of this loss on the sport focus within the culture. Learn enough to win trophies and medals but not dig into the history and biographies of those who brought the art to today.

So, my interests lie well in the history and people that have developed the arts that I train in to what they are today. This isn’t the only thing within the martial arts. There are many other parts – technique, application, personal protection/self defense, and fitness plus several more. While I may focus on the history, I still train. I hope that I instill the same idea into my students. “Although I am interested in [blank portion of the martial arts], I still train.” This should help ensure that all the different portions of the martial arts get continuing development. This has a bunch of different ways to happen but that’s another post.

Why do I continue, well, there always is that part of my personality that tends to be obsessive. What are you interested in? Is it serious or passing? Is it something that you’d dedicate time and effort to? Are you the next one in line to lead the growth?