No Other Sport Gives You As Much
Monday 07 February 2022
The world of sport generally is to be commended and encouraged in the continuous battle against unhealthy lifestyles. Most disciplines, however, whilst being very focused, are limited by that very focus. Take the average gym, for example, full of state-of-the-art machines and weights. How much running-on-the-spot, up-and-downs, in-and-outs can you endure before wondering whether there is something a bit more interesting or ‘three-dimensional’?
We don’t offer martial arts as a replacement for any other sport you enjoy, but would simply point out that Meiji Martial Arts can touch and enrich so many parts of your life, both in the Dojo and outside in the big world.
We have a saying at Meiji Martial Arts: “As in the Dojo, so in Life”. Fitness of mind and body enables us to cope better with our inner and outside worlds.
Becoming accustomed to challenge
At some time in our lives, most of us will have been apprehensive, even fearful, about challenge and confrontation. In the Dojo, however, under responsible supervision, you’ll get used to having an opponent, even look forward to it. Because here, your opponent isn’t an enemy but a collaborator. This is what ‘pre-arranged sparring’ is all about. Teaching you to expect the unexpected. Learning to recognise an attack, and knowing the correct response.
Then there’s the challenge of your next belt. Always something to strive for, and the satisfaction of achieving it and wearing it.
Improvement that can be measured and rewarded
The disciplined environment of Meiji Martial Arts ensures that you can see and measure your improvement and growth. Both are endless, not only in your training but in the belts system, which provides a continuous upwards pathway. The more you put in, the more you take out.
Ego morphs into humility
We always say, you leave your ego outside when you enter a Meiji Martial Arts Dojo. The only person you need to prove anything to is yourself. We are never impressed. Rather, we will take pleasure in seeing you progress and grow, and in helping you every inch of the way. Like all of us, the reason you learn humility is that you come to see that, the more you know, the more you realise you don’t know. The quest for knowledge is infinite, and realising this humbles everybody.
Humility morphs into confidence
This is the ultimate irony. It’s why we bow to the Dojo and to each other. There is always something and someone who is better than you. Although competitive as a sport, martial arts is essentially the sharing of wisdom and skill. As you grow in these disciplines, so your confidence grows. But you never lose the humility of learning that all of us are just a speck in the universe, united and stronger only by our respect for each other.