I’ve never been in a serious fight in my life, nor do I ever plan to be in one. I’ve recently however been thoroughly enjoying meeting up with some friends to practice martial arts.
There is a lot of knowledge among the people I’m meeting with (especially two of them… not me), and the training is very practical. It’s based on Jeet Kune Do concepts which follow the philosophy of Bruce Lee, “Take what is useful, disregard what is not, and add what is uniquely your own.” With this idea, we learn concepts and skills from a lot of different disciplines, then spar with them…. a lot.
The more I talk to other people in the group, the more I realize that this is very different than many formal martial art structures. Some you have to train for years before sparring, and some avoid it even then. The structures are also often far more rigid, learning specific moves instead of concepts that you get to play with in sparring practice.
Here’s the interesting thing. Let me reiterate, I never plan on getting in a serious fight the rest of my life. I know there’s always the possibility; but I’ve managed to avoid it for 36 years, I can easily see myself doubling that and then some. However, the practicality of the training makes it more fun. There’s a richness that comes with learning something functional whether it’s ever used or not. I’m learning a lot about movement and my body. This learning is not only theoretical, but experiential as well. I’m getting and giving kicks, punches, knees and elbows. I’m having someone swing a stick at me and come at me with a knife. I not only know how I’m supposed to respond, I’m learning how it feels; and I have the bruises to show for it. It’s fascinating and frankly, beautiful.
The most important part of the practicality comes with sparring. This is where we’re able to simulate situations that are closer to real self defense scenarios. Where I get to have a trusted friend swing a stick at me or throw a punch at my head so that I can feel myself block it… or miss. The neat thing about sparring is that it’s not a competitive venture, it’s collaboration. The goal isn’t to beat the person you are sparring with, the goal is to help each other practice. To provide the exact level of intensity and type of movement to optimize each others growth. This fosters relationships with awareness and sensitivity that is amazing, beautiful, and enables us to play extremely fun games that would otherwise be impossible and unsafe. The experience of these relationships is worth the practice in and of itself. The practice helps me to grow in other areas in my life that I could go on about for quite some time, but even that is a secondary benefit compared to simply getting to experience these types of relationships that come from practicing martial arts in a practical way.
One of the goals of Playful Living could be considered showing the practicality of fun, the practicality of play. At the same time it also seems, that practicality is more fun.
What are some experiences you’ve had where practicality has made something more fun?