Sincerity in Your Martial Arts Training by Instructor Ma
Sincerity in Your Martial Arts Training by Instructor Ma
As martial artists we are heavily influenced by the character development aspects of our arts. Being a native of Beijing, China I have been surrounded by the teachings of Confucius, Lao Tzu, and Sun Tzu my entire life. Culturally we learn that sincerity is the act of speaking from your heart, fully accord with your word and actions. As a martial artist we understand that it is taken as the act of doing the right thing at the right time regardless of what other people think or say. When sincerity is spoken, motivation is impacted. When people are sincere about themselves, especially children, they can talk and act truthfully.
I will share with you my thoughts on this process from the standpoint of being an instructor of children because that is my experience in our school.
In martial arts, being true to oneself is an essential piece of being successful. In our school we teach the sincerity skill to children by demonstrating it with our own actions. There is a deeper aspect that goes beyond techniques in the art. Anyone can go through the motions and even master the physical components virtually. The broader aspect of the art brings about the need to enroll in martial arts classes.
In children, martial arts call for doing the arts wholly and entirely, with all the heart and spirit: this is a confirmation that the art requires one to be sincere. For success in the art, one must make it their own but not just do things because the instructor is instructing you. To a beginner, doing the art because they are being instructed can be a weakness in them, but as they learn to be sincere to themselves, they understand that the art is not done to please anyone but for their benefit.
All martial artists must possess sincerity character. Since it may be hard to endorse the character to an already grown up, there comes the need to enroll the children in the classes to benefit with the character. The artists must demonstrate sincerity in and out of their school. Be sincere with their compliments as dictated and taught.
Martial artists must be sincere in their approach to practice; be sincere with others; be sincere with their training partners. One can’t act simply or discuss sincerity without other points of sincerity in the martial arts code such as courage, loyalty, and righteousness.
All those in martial arts are not warriors, and all warriors don’t practice martial arts. Being a warrior comes from within and requires one to travel through a narrow path which isn’t easy and requires the strength of spirit which all involves being sincere to yourself.
Having a great teacher is the best in impacting the sincerity attribute to children. Sincerity that shows what is right without effort and obtains understanding without thinking. As taught to the children in the school, being sincere in their pursuit is a great virtue in martial arts which allows them to develop the need to focus, concentrate or have that urge to accomplish the skills which are performed with safety and control.
As the children attempt to achieve the perfection in martial arts and progress from first courses to the higher courses, they should be sincere in their effort to learn and understand the techniques. From physical practices of the art, children can develop better control of themselves which helps them be able to monitor others and life situations bringing out the need for their enrollment in martial arts classes.
About the Author: Instructor Ma is a 3rd Degree Black Belt in the Korean self-defense art of Hapkido and a 2nd Dan in Traditional Taekwondo. She is a professional sports and fitness model and full-time Nursing student. She is the World Martial Arts Congress Language, Culture, and Leadership Development teacher. You can learn more at https://www.worldmartialartscongress.cn Follow us at https://www.facebook.com/worldmartialartscongress
