A Master's Perspective
The Average Martial Artist
Master Instructor Joseph Cimador with Son Joey
The Average Martial Artist
Master Instructor Joseph Cimador with Son Joey
If you pick up any of the popular magazines of the martial arts, you may see a wide array of boasts and claims of accomplishments from winners of competitions to the ultimate self-defense technique. This type of publicity may confuse the majority of people interested in taking the martial arts, as to what the real goal of a martial artist should be, since the average martial artist will never be recognized by the public for their achievements.
The average martial artist will never feel comfortable taking place in boasts or exaggerations that would weaken their art. The average martial artist will probably never get a shot at fighting on national television. Instead s/he will most likely fight common trivialities in pursuit of personal excellence within their art. For instance, s/he will have to give up other stuff they like to do to make time to train. The average martial artist will feel like quitting about a thousand times, endure countless bumps and bruises, and will probably learn something “the hard way” many times. The average martial artist will probably get stuck on plateaus, and will struggle with their own humility. The biggest opportunity they may have is a few moments of notoriety for accomplishing a rank level. This may not seem worth it to most people.
When the average person examines some literature claiming to be the “best martial art system ever” or the “most dangerous” or “winning fighter of all time” they may be mislead as to the real daily goals of a martial artist. The average martial artist usually goes about his/her business with quiet dignity. They are just ordinary people that do things in an extraordinary way. Whether it be folding the laundry or closing a business deal, the goal of the average martial artist is to live life facing all things with integrity, discipline and humility. Getting the job done and moving on, putting others ahead of the self and pushing themselves beyond personal barriers is the stuff that won’t get the average martial artist rich or famous.
The average martial artist will at some point look around and find themselves in the “extra mile.” There are no trophies or plaques in the extra mile. There are no secret death touch techniques or financial kickbacks. Additionally, there is no competition in the extra mile. What you fill find there is just the average martial artist, a lot of sweat, a lot of bumps and bruises, and the essence of inner peace that comes from knowing you are on the right path to true success.
Maybe you fall into this category of being just an average martial artist. You’ll probably never be on the front cover of a magazine, nor will you be likely known for possessing the best grappling moves of all time or winning a bunch of trophies at the international competitions. You’ll probably never earn much money for all of your sweat, or your teaching techniques, or for spreading the brotherhood and justice of the martial arts to others. You probably just keep doing your thing, quietly and with dignity. You’ll probably even experience all of the thing s that cause people to drop out of the martial arts, and just keep on going: Right into the extra mile.
If you do feel like this, then you should have an inner peace knowing that you are on the right path. You’re just an ordinary person, doing things in an extra ordinary way. You’re probably just an average martial artist, and I salute you and thank you for being just who you are.