{"id":317,"date":"2015-01-12T23:47:11","date_gmt":"2015-01-12T23:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dev.karateberkeley.com\/?page_id=317"},"modified":"2016-10-31T14:33:06","modified_gmt":"2016-10-31T14:33:06","slug":"317-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.karateberkeley.com\/?page_id=317","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Applications of Philosophy in Training in the Martial Arts<\/h1>\n
\n

by Anastasia C.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"anastasia_press\"<\/a><\/span>Testing always provides me with a personal mental and emotional forum to assess my martial arts training to date.\u00a0 For me the act of testing, of demonstrating my proficiency in cumulative techniques, principles, and philosophy, is the punctuation of my training experience.\u00a0 It gives me the opportunity to reflect on my progress along the way, and to acknowledge strengths and weaknesses, and areas for self-improvement.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been training in Cuong Nhu for almost eight years.\u00a0 Martial arts is my main form of exercise, stress release, and the ticket to a good night\u2019s sleep, it is also one of the few things in life that gives me a deep sense of fulfillment and happiness.\u00a0 The pleasures and benefits of training are not just physical in nature.\u00a0 Training provides me the opportunity for self-reflection, self-awareness, and self-realization.\u00a0 It connects the physical and spiritual and allows me to develop and grow as an individual.What I\u2019ve come to realize over the years is that I make me<\/strong> a better person by training by being aware of my self, my motivations, of recognizing and overcoming mental and physical challenges, and being open to learning from myself and those around me.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

When I first started training in Cuong Nhu several years ago my goals were to learn self-defense, get in shape, and \u201cimprove myself\u201d.\u00a0 At the time, my impression of training in the martial arts was that there was some sort of special thing that made you a better person.<\/p>\n

One of the special things about Cuong Nhu is the philosophy.\u00a0 It gives meaning and depth to martial arts training.\u00a0 If training were merely physical in nature is would be just sport.\u00a0 Similarly, philosophy requirements are not just words we are required to memorize and spew back out on a test.\u00a0 The philosophical concepts that we are required to learn at each level of training help to make martial arts practice a whole experience.\u00a0 Realizing these concepts and putting them into practice connects the mind, body, and spirit.\u00a0 The connections and realizations that I make reflecting on my training spill over into other areas of my life, positively affecting how I respond in difficult situations and how I react and relate to other people.<\/p>\n

Because this paper must be brief I\u2019d like to share just some of the Cuong Nhu philosophy that has been meaningful to me since I started training and in particular while preparing for my black belt test.<\/p>\n

The \u201c3 Os\u201d<\/h3>\n

I learned open heart<\/strong>, open mind<\/strong>, open arms<\/strong> my first week of training.\u00a0 These ideas are simple but so important.\u00a0 I realized early on that if you want to get the most out of training, and life in general, you have to check ego at the door and approach learning with an \u201cempty cup\u201d attitude, which means being completely open to ideas, suggestions, feedback.\u00a0 Only by being open and honest about my training have I been able to learn from my teachers, classmates, and myself.\u00a0 Having an open heart and open arms creates an atmosphere of acceptance, harmony, and love- ideal conditions in which to learn and grow.\u00a0 I think that most of us Cuong Nhu practitioners embrace these concepts- this is why training at my dojo, Tuyet Tan (Moon Dragon Dojo), and attending Cuong Nhu camp is so special.\u00a0 The 3 O\u2019s are definitely the food that we must feed our souls in order to thrive in the martial arts and life.<\/p>\n

Another basic set of philosophy concepts that I treasure is the \u201c5 A\u2019s for Self-Defense<\/strong>\u201d.\u00a0 They are like tools that I carry in my pocket wherever I go.\u00a0 I travel for work and have found myself in different cities all over the United States: strange cars, highways, neighborhoods, parking garages, hotels, etc.\u00a0 No matter what time I arrive in an unfamiliar destination, my mind and body snap to attention as soon as I leave the crowd.\u00a0 Awareness<\/strong>.\u00a0 Am I wearing comfortable enough clothing and shoes to run in if I have to?\u00a0 Will I have to walk through a semi-lit parking garage to get to the rental car place?\u00a0 Am I being followed?\u00a0 During one business trip I decided to walk to a restaurant that I\u2019d been to previously.\u00a0 I had an idea where the restaurant was but I was on foot whereas the time before a friend picked me up and we\u2019d gone by car.\u00a0 I ended up walking through a very quiet part of the downtown area and was a little lost.\u00a0 I recall being surprised and a little unnerved because during the day this area was bustling.\u00a0 It was still light out and I felt relatively safe but I had this very heightened sense of awareness, picking up visual and aural information from block to block until I got to the restaurant.\u00a0 Nothing happened but I felt as if I had escaped something.\u00a0 It was a creepy experience, which I\u2019ve been more careful to avoid<\/strong> during subsequent travels.\u00a0 I still enjoy experiencing new cities by foot; however, now I inquire about the safest routes with staff or obtain a map prior to venturing from the hotel for a long walk in an unfamiliar neighborhood.\u00a0 Alertness<\/strong> prepares me for the things that I haven\u2019t thought of such as someone suddenly striding up behind me.\u00a0 A couple of weeks ago, as I was leaving the dojo a man strode up quickly behind me.\u00a0 I was carrying a small folded umbrella and was thinking \u201cif he grabs me from the side or behind I can do a right sided back stance and thrust the blunt end of my umbrella right into his mid-section like that move from tambo 3\u201d.\u00a0 This scenario went calmly through my head in about two seconds.\u00a0 Thankfully there was no need for any of this and the guy just kept moving quickly right past me.\u00a0 It was reassuring that my body and mind were in sync anticipating having to act.\u00a0 Self-defense is multi-faceted.\u00a0 The 5 A\u2019s, which represent both physical and mental activities are not about being paranoid but about being smart about your immediate surroundings and about using your mind and your sensory tools.\u00a0 I don\u2019t go anywhere without them.<\/p>\n

The \u201c5 D\u2019s of a Winner\u201d<\/h3>\n

\"anastasia_break\"<\/a>I would not be writing this paper today without the big \u201cD\u2019s\u201d.\u00a0 Direction<\/strong>.\u00a0 I\u2019ve gone through periods of passivity in my training and have come to conclusion that you get nowhere fast with out having goals, or direction.\u00a0 The means towards the goal is the just as important as defining where you want to take your training.\u00a0 By making the commitment to training for this next rank I had to mentally and practically pave the way for success: making sure that I\u2019m able to come to class regularly, that I cross-train, maintain a healthy lifestyle (a.k.a. fortifying my body), and learn and drill the material for which I\u2019m responsible.\u00a0 This has required stores of discipline<\/strong> that I didn\u2019t know I had.\u00a0 Because of having to re-visit techniques that I don\u2019t count among my strongest having a non-defeatest attitude is essential to keep me positively focused on my goal and to not getting hung up along the way by negative thinking.\u00a0 So my discipline is mental as well as physical.\u00a0 Dedication<\/strong>.\u00a0 Training in the martial arts and particularly Cuong Nhu is special.\u00a0 By devoting myself to training in this art and working my way through the ranks I dedicate myself to a physically and spiritually noble purpose by always trying to improve myself and my abilities and setting a good example to those around me.\u00a0 Determination<\/strong> means that I stay firm and resolute in the desire to meet my short and long term goals.\u00a0 Do until death<\/strong> speaks for itself.\u00a0 As stated in the 2nd Code of Ethics: \u201cTo develop the people into morally, physically, spiritually strong individuals takes one hundred years\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 My long-term goals are to stay committed to the Way- growing, learning, and sharing.\u00a0 In reflecting on my own experience with these concepts the thing that is most dear to me is observing these ideals demonstrated by my selfless and generous teachers and classmates.\u00a0 There is great synergy played out by our mutual dedication and commitment to teaching, learning, and love of Cuong Nhu, which only underscores how special our art is.<\/p>\n

I chose to write about Cuong Nhu philosophy because it comprises important concepts that give our style substance and depth.\u00a0 For me, having to internalize and actualize these ideas over the years has made my training more profound and helped bridge the gap between training only being in the dojo to training positively affecting other areas of my life, personal and professional, and for this I am confident that I am a better person.\n<\/p><\/div>\n