In a world of karate movies and MMA fighting, it should come as no surprise to learn that many people decide to begin martial arts training for the wrong reasons. Teenagers and adults often visit their local Northeast Ohio dojo with the belief that they’ll be taught the same moves they’ve seen in action sequences on TV. However, learning how to handle a dangerous situation is very different than learning how to get in a fight.
Parents often enroll their children in martial arts classes because they’ve heard that such extracurricular activities can lead to an improvement in behavior, self-confidence, taking responsibility, and coordination and this true. Unfortunately, many don’t realize that it takes consistent training to see results. With over five decades of experience, our Master instructors have gained a significant amount of martial arts wisdom that they strive to share with their students. What these Master teachers have discovered over the course of their careers may just shed some light on what exactly it means to study one of these ancient Asian art forms.
One of the most common misconceptions about martial arts training is that it’s meant to teach students how to “beat up” others. In reality, it’s more about learning how not to fight. Martial arts practitioners gain power through their studies, but they also discover that there’s a great amount of responsibility that goes along with that power. How you handle a negative or outright dangerous situation will vary depending on the scenario, but it’s important to remember that your ego should never dictate your actions. If a confrontation with another person primarily consist of name calling, it’s better to walk away than cause that person serious harm. And if you’re forced to defend yourself against an attacker, you should always aim to do the least amount of damage possible. This may contradict what you’ve seen in movies and on TV, but what martial arts training is actually designed to do is build up a person’s strength of character and self-esteem. A true martial artist can walk away from a minor confrontation without ever throwing a punch.
Our Twinsburg Academy of Self-Defense Masters will be the first to tell you that martial arts change your life. Though some people believe that participating in Minna Jiu-Jitsu, Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Aiki Jujutsu, and T’ai Chi Ch’uan is just a fun extracurricular activity rooted in self-defense, experienced martial arts teachers and students know that it’s a way of life. Years of consistent training at an establishment like the Academy of Self-Defense system of 3 schools in Akron, Twinsburg, and Mayfield Heights Ohio can help transform a student into a true warrior—a warrior that seeks peace but isn’t afraid to stand up for what he or she believes in.
An important piece of martial arts wisdom that our Masters share with their students is that studying any of the ancient Chinese, Japanese, or Brazilian art forms can alter the way you view yourself and the world around you. Those committed students learn to move in stillness, not allowing fear to overwhelm them. Eventually they learn how to be in the moment where there is no thought and no doubt, just action. Since fear is a projection of the future, those who master stillness are better able to handle dangerous situations, and lead happier and more peaceful lives.
Though participation in martial arts classes can and will teach students how to handle dangerous situations, the primarily goal is to build character, confidence, and self-esteem. Our Masters and our whole Black Belt staff offer up their martial arts wisdom to those interested in a more accurate view of martial arts training. That way they can determine whether they’re ready to seriously commit to the lessons offered by the Masters.
