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First, since karate is a martial art, you must practice
with the utmost seriousness from the very beginning.
This means going beyond being simply diligent or sincere
in your training. In every step, in every movement of your
hand, you must imagine yourself facing an opponent with
a drawn sword. Each and every punch must be made with the
power of your entire body behind it, with the feeling of
destroying your opponent with a single blow. You must believe
that if your punch fails, you will forfeit your own life.
Thinking this, your mind and energy will be concentrated,
and your spirit will express itself to the fullest. No matter
how much time you devote to practice, no matter how many
months and years pass, if your practice consists of no more
than moving your arms and legs, you might as well be studying
dance. You will never come to know the true meaning of karate.
Secondly, try to do exactly as you are taught without
complaining or quibbling. Only those lacking in zeal
and unwilling to face up to themselves resort to quibbling.
Often their foolish complaints border on the pathetic. For
example, in teaching the back stance, I come across people
who say they simply are not able to learn the stance, no
matter how hard they try. They ask me what they should do--after
practicing for less than an hour! Even if one fervently
practices the back stance every day, standing until one's
legs become as hard as rock, it would still require six
months to a year to learn it. It is ridiculous to say, "No
matter how hard I try," without first working up a
sweat.
You cannot train through words. You must learn through
your body. Enduring pain and anguish as you strive to discipline
and polish yourself, you must believe that if others can
do it, you can do it too. Ask yourself, "What's stopping
me? What am I doing wrong? Is something lacking in my approach?"
This is training in the martial arts. Important points taught
us by others may quickly be forgotten, but the essence of
the knowledge acquired through personal hardship and suffering
will never be forgotten.
Thirdly, when you are learning a new technique, practice
it wholeheartedly until you truly understand it. Do
not crave to know everything all at once. Practice painstakingly.
Karate has many techniques and kata. Do not fall into the
trap of thinking that because there is so much to learn,
you should quickly learn everything in a general way. It
would be quite impossible for an inexperienced person not
knowing the meanings of the kata or the techniques contained
in them to commit them all to memory. The kata would be
nothing but an incoherent jumble of technique. Learning
each movement and each technique independently, the student
would fail to see how kata interrelate with kata and how
kata integrate movements and techniques. Learning one thing,
forgetting another, their final reward would be total confusion.
Fourthly, don't pretend to be a great master and don't
try to show off your strength. It is absurd that many
of those practicing the martial arts feel they must make
a show of being a martial artist. Picture a man, shoulders
raised high, elbows swinging, swaggering down the street
as if he owned it, with a look on his face that says, "I'm
the greatest hero that ever lived." Even if he were
that, one's respect for him would drop by at least half.
And, of course, if he was not a man of great ability but
simply a synthetic hero, the situation would be too ridiculous
for words. The tendency to act big or superior is usually
most conspicuous among novices. By acting this way, they
degrade and ruin the reputation of those seriously practicing
martial arts. "Their smiles can win even the hearts
of little children; their anger can make a tiger crouch
in fear." This succinctly describes true martial artists.
A fifth point to remember is that you must always have
a deep regard for courtesy, and you must be respectful and
obedient toward your seniors. There is no martial art
that does not stress the importance of courtesy and respectful
manners. Courtesy and respect should not be confined to
the dojo. Is there anyone who willingly follows the orders
of their seniors in the dojo but completely ignores the
words of their parents and older siblings? I hope not. If
there is such a person, they have no right to practice a
martial art.
Sixthly, you must ignore the bad and adopt the good.
When you observe the practice of others and discover something
that you should learn, try to master it without hesitation.
If you see someone sliding into idleness, examine yourself
with strict eyes. When you see someone who is particularly
good at kicking, ask yourself why their kick is so good.
How can you learn to kick like that; how does your kick
differ? In this manner, you should be able to devise a method
to improve your kick. When you see someone who does not
seem to improve, again ask yourself why. Maybe they do not
train enough or maybe they lack determination. Ask yourself,
does not the same hold true for you?
This attitude does not apply only to improving one's technical
abilities. We all have our good points and our shortcomings.
If we are sincere in our desire to improve ourselves, everyone
we meet can be a role model and a touchstone for self-reflection.
An old proverb says, "When I walk along with two others,
they may serve me as my teachers. I will select their good
qualities and follow them, their bad qualities and avoid
them."
Seventh, think of everyday life as karate training.
Do not think of karate as belonging only to the dojo, nor
only as a fighting method. The spirit of karate practice
and the elements of training are applicable to each and
every aspect of our daily lives. The spirit born of bearing
down and gritting your teeth against the cold in winter
training or blinking the sweat out of your eyes in summer
training can serve you well in your work. And the body that
has been forged in the kicks and blows of intense practice
will not succumb to the trials of studying for a difficult
exam or finishing an irksome task. One whose spirit and
mental strength have been strengthened by sparring with
a never-say-die attitude should find no challenge too great
to handle. One who has undergone long years of physical
pain and mental agony to learn one punch, one kick should
be able to face any task, no matter how difficult, and carry
it through to the end. A person like this can truly be said
to have learned karate.
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