Is Martial Arts study important?
As an owner of a Kickboxing club, I am hugely biased as I started doing Martial Arts at eight years old. I love it. I also have a lot to thank my parents for keeping my training going.
It has pretty much changed the course of my life and benefited me in so many ways. It is also part of my family’s life, so please let me share this with you.
There is, in general, a strange impression the public has of us.
The class has a hustle about it and can be unwelcoming. Learning how to deal with Violence has a way of putting people off and is why the students are there testing themselves.
They Dedicate themselves to overcoming fear whilst socialising with fellow students. All with a deep-seated bond of trust that lasts a lifetime.
There are subtle lessons that cannot be seen straight away by an outsider. Once the journey begins, its revelations applied to life in many ways can be breath-taking.
I try to look at these elements with an open mind and ponder how to translate them from a very different perspective.
There were classes, lessons and ways in which certain teachers taught that I struggled to interpret.
You see, not every lesson I had were good, as I recall my first Judo Sensei shouting a lot. That was scary. There have been many more positive classes that I attended-without it. They felt great.
I refuse to shout at Students as no one likes it. I have seen this kind of behaviour served up by many idiots as they demand respect.
In my opinion, Martial arts clubs are for people to get away from Bullies. I find that a firm and friendly approach gains a lot more attention.
Perhaps these individuals lack something in life.
Respect works both ways, meaning if you give it, you get it. Having a healthy amount for others is a gift.
Respect, once given, will return. Nurture it so it can grow.
If you train in a Club where you are shouted at and do not like it- search for a new one or stay as you are paying for it.
Rather than dismiss that style of teaching, I chose to run my classes with a different perspective.
Now I wait for the reactions and engage if they struggle with my concepts. We adapt and overcome.
Neither was I a gifted Athletic specimen. I was very unfit, underweight, and not physically strong. Determined to do what the other more experienced students were doing was enough to keep me immersed in the programme.
It was called a Syllabus.
Its pages guided me from White to Black Belt, kind of like the textbook I had for my GCSE school curriculum.
I was working on Martial arts related to Physiology, Biology, Physics, Psychology and Social Dynamics.
I picked up Qualifications along the way and became a Level 3 Sports Coach. I am a First Aid Qualified personnel too.
So not quite the first impression you had of us?
It was tough going like school and took ages to graduate, eight years to be exact.
I could not have done it without practising my form from home with my family, studying late at night in some instances with homework and turning up for class as much as the club was open.
After work, I was always tired from a long shift. This feeling soon disappeared the moment I stepped into the Dojo in my training uniform.
Learning this new art was addictive and very healthy. A Physical Transformation happened as I started to grow into the body of a performance Athlete. That is a nice side effect with lots of benefits gained from my attendance and determination.
I ate Healthily and gave up smoking 30 cigarettes a day. That had a positive effect on my Physical and Mental Health.
When I was finally eligible to grade for my Black Belt Exam, I developed a new kind of super focus. I trained so hard for the day- nothing stood in my way. I was so determined not to fail. The rigorous 4-hour exam was the most challenging thing I have had to deal with in the whole of my life. FACT.
Equally, it was the most rewarding.
Soon after this, I started to run my first Martial Arts school. It is so true that good things are waiting for those who put in the effort.
As mad as it is when I was challenged into doing it all again in another Martial Art- of course- like a crazy man, I signed up for it!
The doors this has opened have been huge for my life, so why not?
More to the point- why don’t you?
TMKA Kickboxing Black belt,
Goshin Jitsu Black Belt,
ECKA Karate Black belt.
Currently, I am studying Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and hold a Blue Belt!
John Tomsett Aged 48.
