An important early concept in martial arts is that it's easier to control your own actions than it is to control your opponent's. But if you've spent enough time in martial arts gyms, you know the beginner tendency is to try and lift someone up if they're lying on top of you. It's often futile, but attempting to control others is what occurs to us. It's what's been conditioned. And if we can't control others, we feel like we've failed. I'm failing at sparring; I'm failing at this new martial activity because I can't dictate what my opponent does. Then what is our initial concept of success? Controlling others, and if we can't, we're failures. How debilitating is that? How wrong is that?
Being Small in Martial Arts
Being Small in Martial Arts
Being Small in Martial Arts
An important early concept in martial arts is that it's easier to control your own actions than it is to control your opponent's. But if you've spent enough time in martial arts gyms, you know the beginner tendency is to try and lift someone up if they're lying on top of you. It's often futile, but attempting to control others is what occurs to us. It's what's been conditioned. And if we can't control others, we feel like we've failed. I'm failing at sparring; I'm failing at this new martial activity because I can't dictate what my opponent does. Then what is our initial concept of success? Controlling others, and if we can't, we're failures. How debilitating is that? How wrong is that?