The Art of Winning
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What does the Art of Winning mean? There are a lot of different ways to decide what this means personally to any one individual. For some getting a trophy or contest of some kind means winning. For others, this can mean having great material success, having lots of money, multiple houses, etc. Still for some, the Art of Winning is having a happy and fulfilled life, and this is as different from person to person as can be.
So how does this pertain to Martial Arts training? Well some instances are more easily understood than others. Being involved in a style that promotes fighting and titles, like Mixed Martial Arts, gives an easily understood example. Being in a style that promotes tournament competitions, via sparring, kata, etc. also are easily recognizable.
To me, the Art of Winning and the lessons around that are to help others find what their “WIN” is and help them develop the tools to get there. I have more than once referred a potential student to another school because of what their goal or “WIN” was. Some wanted to be involved in cage fighting while others competition judo. There is nothing wrong with these “WIN”s if you will. There are just better places for getting there. Still for the majority of students I have crossed path with, the “WIN” for these students is not about material things or temporary achievements. It is about growing, either their discipline, their fitness, developing better self protection skills, being more centered and aware, among others and traditional schools are better for these goals. That is not to say that there isn’t overlap a traditionally trained Martial artist can be as effective in a fight as a “trained” fighter. A trained fighter can find other things through their practice as well.
From my experience, some of the most important lessons in traditional martial arts is all about just “being there” and learning the tools that can help each student find their “WIN,” so they can achieve what is important to them.
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