The True Science of Martial Arts – Musashi
The famous Japanese Samurai Miyamoto Musashi once wrote, “The true science of Martial Arts means practicing them in a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in a way that they will be useful in all things”. Musashi was writing in the 17th century and his Martial Arts of choice was the use of a Katana sword. Nevertheless, the words of this immortal quote ring true in every Jiu Jitsu academy around the world today.
“Practicing them in a way that they will be useful at any time”
Jiu Jitsu’s boom in popularity can be attributed to many factors. The wide spread appeal of the UFC and other MMA promotions, its low impact training style, and the increasing number of highly skilled instructors and training partners for example, have all contributed to its growth. Jiu Jitsu’s rise can also be attributed to its usefulness as a self-defence system and martial art. To train and learn BJJ you only need a safe matted area, its simplicity makes it easy to generalize. While some moves employ the use of the Gi (traditional jacket and pants), all Jiu Jitsu techniques can be applied to real life situations, meaning it will be useful at any time. At Eastside, we endeavour to teach all techniques in such a way that they can be applied to any opponent, in any situation and at any time.
“Teach them in a way that they will be useful in all things”
When you spend time and energy learning martial arts you will learn to apply lessons learned to all areas of your life. As a practitioner becomes more proficient with Jiu Jitsu, they will learn important lessons. They will understand how to remain calm in the face of sever pressure, how to wait for the right opening, how to adapt, how to control their emotions and how to remain humble in all situations. These are lessons that can be easily adapted to all areas of one’s life. Teaching martial arts is more than showing a student an arm bar. The true beauty of Jiu Jitsu is how it can positively affect all areas of life, how it can be useful in all things. Another Musashi quote simplifies this perfectly, “If you know the way broadly, you will see it in everything”
