Sunday, December 1, 2019

Four Important Mindsets of a Martial Artist- - Chief Instructor's Blog December 2019



Martial artists have various mindsets they use to be effective in learning and performing martial arts.  Each of these mindsets are important to learn and practice as a martial artist to maximize your learning and effectiveness.  Four of these mindsets I contend are probably the most important: Shoshin, Fudoshin, Zanshin, and Mushin.

Shoshin

Shoshin refers to a beginner’s mind.  It means coming to every class with an open mind and no preconceptions.  It means being inquisitive and maximizing your learning in every session as if you were a white belt every day.  Sometimes, the higher in rank we are the more we think we know and start to resist learning something new or a new way of thinking about something you thought you already learned and understood.  A lifetime is not long enough to understand all there is to know about a specific martial art. Martial arts is like an onion – it has many layers and while you may be well versed in one layer, you must always think there are more layers that will undercover more depth or breadth of a subject.   I have said many times in class, that by becoming a Black Belt, you have now reached a state to really learn.  By keeping a beginner’s mind throughout class and during your practice, you keep open possibilities you may have been closed to if you already thought you know all there is to know.


Fudoshin

Fudoshin refers to an immovable mind.  When I teach board breaking, I test to see if a student is ready to break a board by asking if they think they can break it.  If they are hesitant, then they are not ready, because if they do not think they can break it then most likely they well not.  For a martial artist, fudoshin is critical in self-defense where your mind must be locked in on the goal to defend yourself and stay safe.  To get out of a conflict alive, your mind must never waver, hesitate, or doubt your ability to defend yourself and remain safe.   


Zanshin

Zanshin refers to a remaining mind.  For a martial artist, this means always being ready and alert.  It means not letting your guard down and staying focused on the task at hand.  This is also critical during self-defense, where a martial artist does not stop or relax until they are safe.


Mushin

Mushin refers to no mind.  For a martial artist, mushin means reacting based on the physical training and not allowing the thinking mind or emotional mind to interfere.  A student can achieve a mushin mind only after they are proficient in their techniques and can perform them effectively without thinking as a reaction versus having to think about it.  Bruce Lee describes mushin as being like water: I also discuss Mushin in my November 2010 blog “Free the Mind – Be Like Water” (http://hanmookwan-svl-chiefinstructor.blogspot.com/2010/11/).


To be proficient in each of these mindsets, a martial artist must be aware of each of them and consciously train to achieve.  Therefore, I challenge each of you to do just that each and every class.

Regards,
Kelly

“When the swordsman stands against his opponent, he is not to think of the opponent, nor of himself, nor of his enemy's sword movements. He just stands there with his sword which, forgetful of all technique, is ready only to follow the dictates of the subconscious. The man has effaced himself as the wielder of the sword. When he strikes, it is not the man but the sword in the hand of the man's subconscious that strikes.” ~ Takuan Sōhō (1573 –1645), Legendary Zen Master