The First Reason to Study Martial Arts

I started learning martial arts thirty years ago in a karate club called Vilcat, in the city of Makati, Philippines. I didn't know what to expect on my first day. My mother had tailored for me a white gi, which everyone there called kimono, made of thick cotton cloth. She received advise to make it thick and strong so it would not tear. These thoughts added to my anxiety.

It turned out I had nothing to fear on that first day. I recognized a few faces from the commercial district where I worked. They looked relaxed in their white gi (kimono). Some smiled at me and that made me feel better. Some approached to shake my hands and said I was welcome to be one of them. They pointed to the instructor who was joking with other students and said, "The instructor is very friendly, you will like him."

At exactly seven o'clock the instructor moved to the front center and shouted, "Everybody, line up!" Everybody moved but I didn't know where to go. Two students looked at me with a smile and pointed to a spot next to them. I went there right away. I looked at the instructor, who gave me an approving nod, and I felt safe.

And then, with his loud but pleasant voice, the instructor asked the question, "Why do we study martial arts?" A loud shout from students filled the air, "Because life is precious!" The instructor followed that with, "That's right. We study martial arts to protect our lives and the lives of others. We do not study martial arts to harm others."

Each karate session that followed started with that same question and answer. I really liked that. It gave me purpose for coming to class. I thought that indoctrination alone was already worth the money. The techniques, drills, and sparring, were gravy for motivation.

I shared this story to Richard Morris, grand master and founder of shizen-na karate, the first time we met in Fort Worth, Texas. He enthusiastically said, "I like that. That is also my belief. All my teachings are founded on that principle." I have since attended many learning sessions with him and he proved it. As a Christian, he always started his sessions with prayer, and then followed with a true story of someone who recently saved a life, or someone who made a grievous error resulting to injury to himself or someone else.

It is fascinating that two martial arts instructors, without knowing each other, and on opposite sides of this planet, believed and taught martial arts on exactly the same principle. Gichin Funakoshi, considered father of karate in Japan, in his book Karate-Do My Way of Life, tells of how his first karate teacher in Okinawa molded his philosophy of martial arts. His teacher gave him small approval when he masters a kata. But whenever he tells his master of a recent incident where he avoided a fight by using diplomacy, his master would smile and give not small but big approval of him.

Is this really a martial arts universal principle? Apparently so. I have read many books on martial arts this past thirty years, and I found that the most common principle taught by grandmasters is this: "The quickest way to end a fight is to not start one in the first place."

Ray Colorado
Brown Belt, Shizen-na Karate under Richard Morris

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