Lessons from the Mat

An Essay on Impact of the Martial Arts on my Life
(this may be familiar to some folks as it was originally written for my first Journey to Black Belt Poster in Fall, 2007)

I have always been drawn to the martial arts, from the time I was very young and even before I really understood what they were all about. I don’t remember any specific instance of seeing someone do something amazing that made me want to pursue the study of martial arts, but I was the type of kid who always had his nose in a book, and so had read about arms, armour and fighting techniques before I ever conceived of doing it myself.

When I was a child, probably about 8 years old, my mother signed me up for Judo classes. It lasted a week, and I forget now if it was that I didn’t want to go or my mom either couldn’t afford the time or money to take me. I signed up for judo again when I was twelve, and that lasted a couple of months. It was enough time to learn how to fall, roll and do some basic throws, and also long enough to realize no matter what they tell you in judo classes, size does make a difference: it’s very frustrating to try and learn judo techniques when you are the smallest person in class.

But even at that early age, one of the things that struck me about the martial arts was the calmness that you can achieve with them. The few moments at the beginning of class when we would sit and meditate, focusing on our breathing and centering ourselves in preparation for what we were about to do were the high point of the experience. I was a skinny kid with breathing problems, so handling the physical side of class was usually beyond me, but those moments of peace were what would pull me back to the martial arts years later, when I knew that I wanted to train my body to do things I had seen done in the movies, or read about in books.

From age twelve to thirty-eight I’ve traveled a lot, and studied – buffet style – several different styles of martial arts – Tai Chi, Aikido, Tae Kwan Do, and a Jeet Kune Do inspired mix of Tae Kwan Do, Wing Chun, Kali, Boxing and Savate. But before I started training physically, I knew what I hoped to find spiritually: a sense of honour, dedication, and commitment. What I did not know when I started was that I would find a camaraderie amongst martial art students that was fairly unique – people who were training to better themselves, but who were also interested in helping others. It’s this aspect of the martial arts that helps to inspire me when I find roadblocks in my way.

What I re-discovered when I returned to the martial arts after a long break, was that time training on the mat is time away from the world. I have always felt that training halls, dojos, dojangs are all magical places. There is an invisible veil in place across the mats in them. When you step through the veil you leave your outside life behind. Then, for however long you are there, you can focus on something outside your life, and live in one particular moment in time. Some people I know find a similar experience in church, or camping, or running, but I have not found that experience anywhere else, and it is what keeps me coming back to training again and again.

The martial arts have created in me a sense of purpose, lifted me up when I have been depressed, and linked me to people who mean the world to me. It was a shared interest in the martial arts that helped bring my wife and I together. It was the certain knowledge of the positive aspects of character development and ethical behavior that would be taught in great dojos that encouraged my wife and I to seek out a school for our son, and it was the realization that I missed having the martial arts in my life that brought me back to training after a 12 year hiatus.

The martial arts have helped make me who I am today. However, I know that I could not have gotten here without the help and support of the teachers and students who were a part of my experience. Whether it was all the hours I spent training at McGill, or the time on the mat at DeSantos, I could not have achieved anything without my teachers, peers, family and friends. They are the real reward of martial arts training – focus, commitment, physical fitness and some awareness of self-defense are just fringe benefits.