Blog#9 The art of Martial

Martial is defined as war, suited for war, war like, military acts. Art has many definitions, my favorite being an expression of the souls outward manifestation in this material world. So when I look at the words together “martial art” I see two words that are so beautifully suited to be next to each other. In Martial arts we can see the first word meaning war or warlike, when combined with the second word of art at first glance looks as if they do not belong together. But for a martial artist it is so clear that they must. If we look at martial art as a martial expression of ones uniqueness then it truly is an art form no different than music, painting or poetry. The medium for expression has just shifted from a canvas or instrument to where one is painting or creating music to a mat where you are working out and expressing your own uniqueness through some kind of combat scenario. Bruce Lee had an idea for martial art that was to express oneself honestly, not lying to oneself. Meaning if you had a more aggressive nature, your martial art would express itself through that emotion. If you have a more passive personality then maybe your expression of your art will be more through a deeper understanding of the more philosophical aspects of Martial art. In BJJ you can feel someones personally as soon as you start rolling with them. You can feel what kind of day they are having if you consistently train with them. This is why sometimes BJJ practitioners will refer to the art as the “Truth” Non different from someone who wants to express their-self through music which has so many different genres. One of my teachers of yoga was a part of hardcore band and they expressed their version of spirituality through that medium of music which was fast and aggressive by many peoples musical standards. They were primarily singing about deep spiritual truths from a tradition that was thousands of years old. They were expressing themselves through in their own way and had something to create. In Martial arts we can express ourselves just like a musician, A famous Martial artist and fighter Huey Cambelin said “ eventually you start to realize that after years and years of throwing kicks and. punches, that you are no longer just throwing kicks and punches that you are really working out your spirt, this because its the spirts energy, everything is energy”