Choosing the Path in Martial Arts …and in Life
“A path is only a path, and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that is what your heart tells you . . .
Look at every path closely and deliberately.
Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself alone, one question . . . Does this path have a heart?
If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t it is of no use.”
Carlos Castaneda
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Are you willing to learn a martial art but you don’t know which one?
Are you already taking classes but you don’t feel very comfortable with what you are learning?
Often in martial arts we hear people talking about which style is better or stronger, but as a matter of fact there is NO better or stronger martial art.
Who really understands the meaning of martial arts doesn’t ask himself which one is better or stronger. Instead he will try any path and absorb the essence of it to make it its own.
As in the famous quote from Castaneda, “a path is only a path“. The heart you can find in it is the meaning that yourself put in that path.
We can’t compare different fighting styles because it would not be possible to do it in proper way.
Even if you had 2 identical twins trained in 2 different martial arts in the exact same effort, the result of the fight would be random based on the quality and quantity of their individual acquisition within that specific discipline.
The most important part is the emotional content they would use into the fight. Because the winner have found heart and meaning in the path of that specific training, the winner of that fight would have won even if the fighting style was the same as the one of the opponent.
The best path, the one that will give you the results you want, is the path that has a meaning for you, the path that you really love and is always within you.
Many martial artists start training because they see fascinating and well choreographed movies about Kung-fu and Karate, and this is ok until they find themselves a bit “closed” inside that bubble.
Repeating movements and imaginary situations that sometimes don’t really match real life fights. It is good to try out other things, expand the knowledge and keep awareness of other paths.
The one you have followed until now took you here and it will guide you trough the next one.
It will be a memory to treasure and it may be your path again in the future, as long as you feel it within yourself.
In order to succeed in martial arts there is no only one way, one style, one path. There are infinite ways, styles, paths. Every way, style, path you try it will give you something, doesn’t matter if good or bad, but something that is important for you to understand your own path.
The path that will allow you to completely train any possible movement in any possible direction for every situation, for you and for you only.
Enjoy your training.
Tags: blog, castaneda, choosing the path, life, marital, path, way of the warrior