May 02 2009
Traditional Karate: The Holistic Nature of Martial Arts
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard about the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Mixed Martial Arts is the newest trend in area of martial arts. It combines the disciplines of several martial arts in order to create a sport that is reminiscent of a sanctioned, commercialized fight club.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I really like MMA and consider it a great modernization of the application of martial arts, while at the same time bringing martial arts back to the wholeness that was inherent in the original martial arts. For example, most people know about the slow, fluid movements of Tai Chi. But not many people know of the history and martial applications of Tai Chi. It would possibly surprise a lot of people to know that there is a area of Tai Chi which focuses on grappling, holds and breaks, called Tai Chi Chin Na. It is not at all the passive, gentle art that is usually portrayed and what comes to mind when someone mentions Tai Chi
Along those same lines, many people may not realize that there are other aspects of the individual martial art disciplines that make up Mixed Martial Arts. When taken as more than just a fighting art, the individual disciplines become a way of life. I personally practice Traditional Shotokan Karate-Do. The “Do” connected to the end of a martial discipline will generally let a would-be practitioner know that what is taught is a way of life that incorporates the martial discipline.
In the same way that ancient Samurai were well versed in the arts; whether it was painting, poetry, gardening, etc and lived based on a code of conduct, traditional martial arts, such as traditional Shotokan seek to impart a code of conduct and a holistic attitude. This helps the practitioner to be a more well rounded person. And, a well rounded person is a whole person. Being and more importantly, living as a whole person is the essence of a person living a holistic life.
In traditional Shotokan karate, there is the discipline of following proper etiquette, showing proper respect to each person and relating the training and techniques that are learned within the dojo or training area to every aspect of life. So, what I see is that training in traditional martial arts is holistic by nature. I’m not just training to be a fighter, but I’m training to be a warrior. A warrior is one who seeks to avoid physical confrontations and would prefer to reason in a volatile situation. But, if necessary, a warrior can defend not only themselves, but those around them. He sees the inter-connectedness of all things and thereby live holistically. And, it is the disciplines of training in a traditional martial art that helps to develop and re-enforce the holistic lifestyle that is by nature a part of traditional martial arts.
