Courage and the Martial Arts

Acceptance is the art of learning to be okay with what you are doing right now. Even when what you are doing is fighting.

“It's good when your plan is working, but....Everybody has a plan until they get hit. Then, like a rat, they stop in fear and freeze.” – Joe Louis

You must be able to accept that sometimes bad things happen. This Floating Bridge state of being requires your entire self, and so no part of you can be cowering in the background, hiding from the thought of what could happen...or what is happening. To stand on the Floating Bridge you must be able to accept the idea of loss. You could be hit. You could be cut. You could be embarrassed. You could loose an eye. You could disappoint your teacher. You could be killed.

"Moreover, a beginner cannot possibly avoid losing and defeat, so if you fear defeat you may as well not even begin. If you want to study, begin by investing in loss. An investment in loss eliminates any greed for superficial advantages.” – Cheng Man Ching

You must also be able to accept the idea of hurting the other person. Even if you are not afraid to hurt them, you still may not actually need to. If you are afraid – of any outcome at all – that fear will give you internal tension, and it will give you cold limits to hamper your freedom of movement and of thought.

When you are fine with every outcome, you are free to face the situation as it is. If you are okay with everything, you won't have any part of you squirming away from the situation at hand.

You must all be able to accept what you are doing.

When you don't need to ram your I'm-going-to-strike (or throw, or whatever) feeling through layers of I-shouldn't-hit-people, will-it-hurt-me, can-he-counterstrike, how-do-I-look, etc,...you don't have to push very hard to make a strike happen. You don't have to push it, tensely, through your body. You don't have to push it through your psyche. If you are totally free to strike at any instant, with any limb or weapon, then you develop a strike that doesn't have a huge cartload of baggage behind it.

A strike, in fact, that is very, very hard to see coming.

If all possibilities are acceptable, then you are free to perform properly.

Acceptance is also a good inoculation against the freezing power of fear. Fear solidifies things: it locks them up. It locks brains into either blankness or a tiny, frenzied cycle of repeating thoughts. It locks up the muscles in bodies, stealing range and flexibility. It locks feet in place or makes them move jerkily, stiffly, with a huge expenditure of energy.

The person who has truly accepted it is not afraid even of death.

Acceptance, in fact, requires great courage to even contemplate.

“When you follow the Way, do not be afraid of dying.” – Miyamoto Musashi

“Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.” – Luke 17:33

What do you do if you are afraid anyway?

Accept the fear. Don't fight it. You cannot change who you are this moment. Accept yourself. Breathe into and then through the fear. Let it settle outward in your body, float away from the center. Consciously settle your weight downwards, relax your muscles. Look outward at your opponent: refuse to lock your attention up in yourself. Embrace the adrenaline rush and energy that fear (and excitement) gives you.

And know that the practice you have now will make you stronger and stronger against your fears, until they day comes when you can learn to set them aside or let them go. You can never change who you are in the present, but what you choose to do now will determine whom you eventually become.

“There is something to be learned from a rainstorm. When meeting with a sudden shower, you try not to get wet and run quickly along the road. But doing such things as passing under the eaves of houses, you still get wet. When you are resolved from the beginning, you will not be perplexed, though you will still get the same soaking. This understanding extends to everything.” – Yamamoto Tsunetomo

“Do not be too eager to strike. Do not be afraid to strike. One who is afraid of getting hit will finally be hit.” – Ip Man

“You should always have readiness to hit if necessary. Then they'll be no doubts. Because you're always ready to strike if needed. It doesn't mean aggressive or wound-up, just ready. You have to be 'cold'. … Acceptance is actually the key to greater safety. … You're ready to fight means you're okay, you agree with the fight if it has to happen. Acceptance. No matter what, you need to know this about yourself: 'I'm okay to fight.'” – Vladimir Vasiliev

“Do not look upon this world with fear and loathing. Bravely face whatever the gods offer.”
– Ueshiba Morihei