As
I stated in last month’s blog, balance is one of the key skills to master a
martial art. In that blog, I discussed
the physical aspects of balance and ways to practice/improve. In this blog. I will discuss the other
aspects of balance besides being physical balance: emotionally, mentally, energetically.
Emotionally
As
a martial artist, to be effective, you cannot let your emotions control
you. You cannot let anger, fear, pride,
passion, anxiety result in how you react.
While emotions can help motivate or help move you to action, it cannot
control your reaction. If you are
running high emotions, you cannot be in control of your techniques, you will
not be precise, and you will not be effective.
In addition, if you react based on emotion (for example, if someone
makes you angry and you react by striking them), this is not honorable and this
is not what martial arts is for or about.
So, as a martial artist you need to understand what triggers you and
practice controlling your emotion before responding, especially
physically. The best thing to ensure
you are controlling your emotions is by controlling your breathing. By practicing deep, smooth, and even breathing, it will
decrease your heart rate and improve your ability to control your emotions,
even when triggered or under high stress.
For more information Emotions in the Martial Arts, read my January 2015
blog, Emotions in the Martial Arts.
Mentally
As
a martial artist, being balanced mentally is also critical. This includes being able to remain focused, disciplined,
and have attention to detail not just during martial arts physical training but
in other aspects of your life. By being able to maintain same mentality in all
aspects of your life it will become who you are regardless of the
situation.
Being
balanced mentally also means equally practicing and being proficient in the
four mindsets and of a martial artist:
Shoshin, Fudoshin, Zanshin, and Mushin.
For more information on the four mindsets, suggest you read my December 2019 blog, Four
Important Mindsets of a Martial Artist.
Energetically
For
martial artists to be energetically balanced:
(1) You should strive to be
grounded at all times
(2) Your energy not only
matches your intent and the intent needs to be appropriate. If in class, and with a partner, appropriate
level and intensity of energy depending on your partner and drill, so not to
harm your partner or yourself. If
defending your life from an attack on the street, energy and intent should be
to do damage with each technique until you feel safe.
(3) Your energy matches what
your mechanics can handle (e.g., if you are flowing too much energy and you are
not aligned or grounded physically, you will be pulled off-balance)
(4) Your energy is constant
and consistent. If your energy level
goes up and down as you move through forms or during sparring, every time it
goes down, you leave yourself vulnerable.
A
key to maintaining consistent and even energy is to ensure consistent, constant
breathing.
In
the end to be truly balanced your mind (focus), body (mechanics), and spirit
(energy) must all be integrated and acting in unison.
Regards,
Kelly
“To gain mastery you must unite the qualities of spirit, strength, technique and the ability to take the initiative.” ~ Sadami Yamada (1924-2010), 6th Degree Balk k Belt in both Judo and Aikido, author of The Ancient Secrets Of Aikido and The Principles and Practice of Aikido
