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Cannon_Fodder
Not so Fiendish Admin
106 Posts |
 Posted - 10/10/2006 : 16:39:07
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In a view to let me understand a little better:
What do people hope to get from a years training? Understanding in techniques? or Just better movement? Or maybe something more philosophical?
Seems appropriate as the term has started and for most people it means a year of new promise.
Also to those out there What keeps you coming back week in, week out?
Matt
In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switerzland they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock
Orson Welles
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ivesjz
Banging On A Bit
75 Posts |
 Posted - 11/10/2006 : 15:49:48
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Good question 
I train so that I will be able to defend myself, or my loved ones, if I ever have to. I'm not looking to understand techniques any more than is required to understand how and why they are effective, and to understand that I can effect them. I'm only looking for better movement insofar as it can help me become more effective.
I suppose I'm training now out of utility rather than out of the love of the 'art'. I've started to see it less as an art form (though that is not to say it cannot be one), and the value that I place on traiing now corresponds to how useful it is to me. Maybe this comes from a review of priorities now I have a slightly more demanding lifestyle.
Anyhoo, I reckon that my answer to 'why do I train and what do I want from training' influences very much the way that I want to train. So, perhaps I can tack on another question to Matt's. Once you have said whay you train and what you want to get out of it, maybe you could share your thoughts on how you thnk that affects the way you train.
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"Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action
arises by itself?"
Lao Tzu (Dao De Ching)
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PaulB
Overfiend
50 Posts |
Posted - 25/10/2006 : 15:59:04
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Interesting thread matt, I'll try to convey my thoughts as best i can!
I've found that during thirteen years of stumbling through the martial arts my opinions/feelings have inevitably changed several times, and in the past i've mainly trained with specific long-term goals in mind (and who knows, may again in the future).
However, since finding (or being found by??) ninpo, i've realised i no longer train with any particular goal in mind, or with any idea of what i want to 'get from training'.
This is because i find now that for me training is both the process and the goal.
It is its own reward.
By which, i mean it's for the training itself that I continue, rather than wanting to achieve anything by doing it, not even for the purpose of improving taijutsu, though that of course is a natural byproduct when you keep going..
Not very clear, I know, but the more you try to capture something like this in words, the further from it you go, so I'll leave it at that.
In the words of Hatsumi Sensei, "Gambatte" (keep going!)
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"Although we may be meeting for the first time, I accept everyone as a friend.
In truth we already know one another, profoundly, as human beings who share the same goals:
We all seek happiness and do not want suffering"
-HH the Dalai Lama-
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Cannon_Fodder
Not so Fiendish Admin
106 Posts |
Posted - 26/10/2006 : 10:29:23
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People appear confused at the fact that i can start interesting threads 
How about a few more, maybe some newbies (by my standard then I'll repost with my answer)
Matt
In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switerzland they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock
Orson Welles |
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Owen
Old Hand
22 Posts |
Posted - 26/10/2006 : 18:07:31
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Never one to shy away from a challenge...
My reasons for training are perhaps a little different from the norm. In fact, the main reasons I came along at the start of the year were to have fun an meet some new people (I often seem to spend all my spare time at home doing nothing, particularly bad if you also happen to work from home!). After a couple of weeks training I'm still enjoying it, and so I'm still training. I think the fun and enjoyment of training probably holds true for most people on some level, otherwise what's the point? If you dislike or resent what you're doing then it's very unlikely that you'll gain anything from the experience (just think about being forced to do cross-country running at school!).
Having said that, of course there is a certain satisfaction gained from knowing that what you learn in the dojo could help you defend yourself in time of need, or at the very least give you the presence of mind to avoid (and/or escape from) combative situations.
As an answer to Matt's expectations for the year question, I'm certainly hoping to gain an understanding of the techniques, but what I'm really looking for in the long run is something to bring a little balance to my life. I tend to be very impulsive in my decision-making and also have a habit of flying off the handle rather randomly. Now you've got to learn to crawl before you can try to run, but I'm hoping that eventually the physical aspect of training combined with an exploration of some of the philosophical and meditative concepts can guide me to a more peaceful and objective approach to life (of course what I've just outlined is indubitably many many years of training and study, but hey, you've got to start someplace!).
Off topic slightly: Paul, your aproach is very interesting. This might be a really obvious question (sorry if it is!), but would you consider it a mental extension of relaxing the muscles when receiving techniques? That is, if you think too hard about what you're trying to achieve you can become restricted and are more likely to be hurt?
Anyway, that's enough rambling for now!
Owen
(P.S. Apologies to any cross-country runners out there. I'm sure it's a wonderful sport. No, really...)
"It's true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?" - Ronald Reagan |
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The What in the long term . . .
