THE ABILITY TO CONFRONT WITH PLAUSIBLE, POSITIVE, CONCENTRATED MARTIAL ARTS DIRECTION.
By John Dawson F.S.M.A.
In all walks of life, I feel it is pretty safe to state that there will be one single incident or a phase of elemental danger in the course of one lifetime. It is a moment of inert, unprovoked threat, dread, anger or fear brought about by sometimes uncontrollable, unpremeditated circumstance. It is the natural course of man or womankind to feel, to experience these emotions and incidents and is very much part of nature�s make-up to survive, to learn and draw from such things. The fabric woven by the Martial Arts, through its technicality and philosophy, teaches us to deal with such instances. We are taught to deal with negative energy with a calm, clear mind, insuring our success through this plausible technicality and effect of each our individual art forms.
Mentally, believability instils in us an air of confidence through our teachings and constant practise thus the mind and body are, if informed correctly, unified as a conscious, positive defence mechanism. Actual confrontation best describes a cause, to engage or meet, face to face. Confrontation in Martial Arts term has many different meanings, different symbolic definitions depending on what you practise the arts for. To the layman the ability to deal with an actual offensive confrontation is of course the utmost reason for the origin and practise of the Martial Arts. Proof of this is all too apparent within the structures of Martial Arts syllabus technique, its methodical pre-meditated attack practise such as patterns, katas, sets, the presets, drills and such like are designed to physically and mentally prepare the exponent for the prospective storm to come.
At grass roots levels of logic traditional Martial Arts systems inform us it is far better to evade, block, redirect an attack than to actually confront, which in reality is the best philosophy, it�s good sound advice. Martial Arts styles were devised mostly with the unarmed and weak in mind. It is with this aspect the combat arts have their greatest strengths, the realistic, no nonsense, effective techniques of the Martial Arts. In self-defence reality logic holds the greatest power, we may panic, we may worry or fear, though if taught correctly the mind�s eye implies to us a way to survive such things into a reflexive mode. This again is only made possible by believability of Martial Arts technical effect, �I think, I believe, therefore I can�. Doubt will mar any plans of success and confidence, believability will propagate the greatest defence arsenal you will ever possess.
However, there is a breed who choose to live on the razor�s edge, that is of course the fighter. The fighter delights at the thrill of an actual confrontation with all its emotional and elemental danger, the persistence to feed an adrenaline race is of the highest order. The danger, the chance to test one�s ability, one�s nerve in a controlled environment validates an almost real test of confrontation. World Champion Alfie Lewis captivated the fighter in his own words when he termed this need to confront as �facing the dragon�. This described the fighter as confronting not an opponent as such but our own individual fears. We are trying to provoke a form of self-defence test through the fight scenario itself, its danger provides a testing ground for a reality of individual logic and technical proof that the Martial Arts really work. The Martial Arts contain a wealth of creativity and development within their folds but the technical content inside are only useful to the open positive eager mind. Confrontation does not meet aggression with aggression, aggression is controlled by the calm calculated logic of the Martial Arts. In conflict all emotions race � fear, anger, dread; try to meet these states of mind and emotion with passive, positive, conscious reality that is the very roots of all self-defence orientated combat art-forms. In all, the clear, positive mind is the greatest tool you will ever possess.