In the November
2014 blog, I discussed the importance to research martial arts beyond the
physical and the fact this was an important aspect to mastering a martial art.
What else is required
to actually master a martial art?
I recently read a
book “Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment” by George Leonard
who is a master in Aikido. He describes
five keys to mastering a skill:
1. Instruction
2. Practice
3. Surrender
4. Intentionality
5. The edge
Many of these
concepts we have talked about in class or I have written in blogs (although may
not have used those terms), but George Leonard does a really good job of
pulling these concepts together to really drive home what it takes to master a
skill.
Instruction
For the most part
this is self-explanatory. It is finding a credible instructor that you can
learn from. And as I have mentioned it
can also include study from books, tapes, and discussions with people. But as I have said you cannot master from
books or tapes, and the one-on-one or group instruction is the best means to
learn. And most importantly it is the
willingness to continue to learn, being open to learning, as I have noted in
class and written about in several blogs. George Leonard writes “Lifelong
learning is the special province of those who travel the path of mastery, the
path that never ends”.
Practice
Why it may also
seem obvious that practice is required to master a skill, to truly master a
skill, practice is a way of life. The
“Do” in Tae Kwon Do means The Way; meaning the road or path. I really like how George Leonard describes
practice, “For one who is on the master’s journey, the word is best conceived
as a noun, not something you do, but something you have, something you are.” He goes on to write, “A practice (as a noun)
can be anything you practice on a regular basis as an integral part of your
life – not in order to gain something else, but for its own sake.”
Surrender
What does surrendering
have to do with mastering a skill?
George Leonard writes, “For the master, surrender means there are no
experts. There are only learners.” It means giving in to the process and letting
go of your ego so the learning and the journey is the most important part. It means being okay with looking foolish at
times in order to learn, or taking several steps back to move forward again in
time, it means being willing to be uncomfortable at times in order to get to
the next level.
Intentionality
Intentionality is
your mind set. It is the attitude and
energy you bring to the dojang each time we have a class. As discussed in class and I have written in
several blogs, thoughts are energy and our thoughts matter tremendously. Your mind set is the difference in breaking a
board or not. Your attitude is the difference
in how quickly you learn a new skill/form or not.
The Edge
The edge is about
pushing your limits (while staying safe and not necessarily injuring
yourself). It means pushing your power,
your speed, your strength and challenging yourself. You will not get faster unless you try to
perform techniques faster. George
Leonard writes, “The trick here is not only to test the edges of the envelope,
but also to walk the fine line between endless, goalless practice and the
alluring goals that appear along the way.”
George Leonard also
describes pitfalls we can fall into on our path to mastery as well as what can
stop us from mastering a skill. To
either get you on a path of mastery, or keep you on path, I highly recommend
reading this book as a resource.
Regards,
Kelly
“A man who has attained mastery of an art
reveals it in his every action.” ~ Anonymous
“To take the master’s
journey, you have to practice diligently, striving to hone your skills, to
attain new levels of competence. But
while doing so-and this is the inexorable fact of the journey- you also have to
be willing to spend most of your time on a plateau, to keep practicing even
when you seem to be going nowhere.” ~ George Leonard (1923-2010), an American writer,
editor, educator, and co-founder of the Aikido of Tamalpais dojo
References
- Mastery:
The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment” by George Leonard
