A Martial Artist must be flexible, if they are not flexible, they are not Martial Artists, they may be something else, maybe a Boxer, a Fighter, a Gang Banger, a Bodybuilder, a Power Lifter, a Football Player, etc. But they cannot be Martial Artists without being flexible, flexibility is the physical representation of the appreciation and importance of yin/soft training within the Martial Arts that creates the necessary balance. It is like having a car without wheels, the car is not complete without the wheels, the wheels are very important, the wheels enable the car to move, flexibility allows the Martial Artist freedom of movement, this creates gracefulness.
I totally agree.
ReplyDeleteI don't really agree maybe some people cant get flexible that doesn't mean they aren't martial artist.Maybe they have physical problems that doesn't allow them to be as flexible as others.
DeleteANYONE CAN BE AN ARTIST BUT NOT ALL WILL BE GREAT
ReplyDelete“I don't really agree maybe some people cant get flexible that doesn't mean they aren't Martial Artist’s. Maybe they have physical problems that doesn't allow them to be as flexible as others.” Shinobi Gabriel
Who has the right to set the standard to determine who is a great Artist and who is not? Sure somebody may not be flexible because of some physical limitation but all professional athletes in any sport can use that excuse as to why they are unable to achieve a certain standard of proficiency. Fact is, you cannot be considered one of the greatest in basketball if you have a broken leg. You cannot win the Tour de France with a torn ACL. You cannot win the 100 meter dash in the Olympics with a broken ankle. You cannot be one of the greatest ballet dancers if you are not flexible. You cannot be great in the bench press with an injured elbow.
Greatness in sport requires optimum performance in your physicality with the muscles of which are required in the respective sport. Anybody can practice Martial Arts, you can even practice Martial Arts in a wheel chair, but to achieve greatness as a Martial Artist, you need to be in optimum total body athletic performance. That is why very few people can be considered one of the greatest in Martial Arts, not only is it the most physically demanding, but also mentally, and spiritually as well.
Sure we can say that everybody in this world is a Martial Artist, no matter what level they are physically, mentally, or spiritually, but in doing so we diminish the meaning behind it. I would rather go the opposite way and set a standard so high that nobody in this world is a Martial Artist because nobody in this world is perfect, with that perspective, we as human beings will have an endless journey towards self-development.
And interestingly enough, this way of thinking goes against the spirit of the Martial Arts, this is anti-meditative. The desire to better yourself and having goals is against the spirit of the Martial Arts, and it is. But if you can still train and excel without knowing that you excelling, that is exactly what makes a real Martial Artist, that is what creates genuinely humble Martial Artists. So basically a real Martial Artist can only be a real Martial Artist if he does not know he is a Martial Artist, as soon as a person starts thinking he is a Martial Artist, he is not really a Martial Artist.
Umm... My opinion in a bit more detail is that regardless of one's physical limits, I still think that stretching should be practiced. But it doesn't even just have to be physical flexibility. It could be adapting to one's surroundings in a real life self defence situation. Or using limited resources to train all parts of the body in strength, speed and coordination etc.
ReplyDeleteGetting back on track, I believe that ideally a Martial Artist should be physically flexible to the point of acquiring full splits. In reality however, this just can not be the case with all people. So I think that a Martial Artist should become as physically flexible as he/she possibly can as an individual. What TRUELY matters is the effort that the individual puts in to reaching their own physical limits and maintaining that personal level of excellence.