I remember when I first began the martial arts, this was a long time ago, I was impressed by these quick moving ninjas in pajamas, but what kept me going was that they talked to me. I mean, they were so tough, and yet they took the time to sit down and laugh and joke with a young kid. I always remember this, from the early days, and try to emulate my instructors behavior.
Now, having said that, there are four specific reasons why I teach the martial arts. I am speaking from the viewpoint of instructor here, so you will probably find what I say a bit odd. Still, you might find my reasons enlightening and educational.
One, I teach for the power it gives me. The thing is, I am not speaking about power over people, I am speaking about the power I feel with the health of my body and the clarity of my thought. While comrades grow old and fat, use walkers and oxygen tanks, cannot even bend over to tie their shoes, I run up the stairs, eat what I want, and am as active today as I was forty years ago, when I was but 19.
Secondly, when I teach it empties me. Now this is really quite something, when I teach somebody, if I have been true in my instruction, then I am suddenly empty, and in that emptiness I learn things. It is almost like I have shoved a book off a table, so there is room for another book to be placed upon the table, except that we are talking about knowledge being shoved out of the mind here.
Three, I teach so that I can see myself from outside. I am not the attacker nor the defender, but I am both attacker and defender, outside of them, and this gives me a viewpoint that is almost totally unknown in western society. There simply is no practice, in any kind of teaching I have ever known, in western society, that imparts this viewpoint.
Four, I teach so that I can relate to the reality of the world. I see so many people who talk much and say little, or they can talk to people about their work, but not about the world around them. Teaching the martial arts forces a commitment to a deeper level of communication, an intuitive level of communication, a zen level of communication that is so much more natural to my beingness and existence.
So, there it is in a nutshell. Not all martial arts instructors have the reasons I have, but you can bet they have reasons similar in magnitude and scope. Always know that whether somebody teaches the beautiful and exquisite arcs and forms of shaolin kung fu, or the inspiring internal energy of wudan based arts, or the die hard , battlefield techniques of Krav Maga, or just the fun and sweat soaked sportsmanship like one would find in the mixed martial arts, there is a depth of personality that they are pursuing, and that it wouldn't hurt you to similarly pursue. - 31491
About the Author:
Al Case has taught martial arts for forty years. A writer for the magazines, he is the originator of Matrixing Technology, which makes the martial arts perfect. You can find out about Matrixing at Monster Martial Arts.
