ON TRAINING

Summary:

The provided text is an excerpt from "The ABC of Martial Arts" by Bogdan Heretoiu. It explains the author's philosophy of martial arts, which he describes as "Attacks Become Conversations" (ABC). He believes this approach, which involves focusing on emotional, mental, and physical adjustment to resolve conflict, can be applied both in martial arts training and in everyday life. The text argues that martial arts training should be focused on fostering empathy, communication, and relationship building, rather than solely on self-defense or physical aggression.

After more than 40 years of practice, study, and clumsiness, my approach to Martial Arts is now almost entirely exploratory and fundamentally educational.

I use the movements, the techniques, and the partner work involved, to explore Life, to engage in a study of human interaction, and eventually to learn mutual respect and tolerance as I become more adept at resolving conflicts rather than escalate them. Martial Arts have become an intrinsic part of who I am as a human being, as a parent, as a teacher, and as a member of society.

Of course, everyone knows that Martial Arts are supposed to be about fighting in one way or another, but just like a blade can be designed for different use cases (i.e. surgery, chopping wood, butter knives, etc), I believe that Martial Arts can be repurposed for different applications beyond fighting. In that sense, everything can be repurposed, which is a GREAT thing!

From that exploratory perspective, for me, the philosophy of Martial Arts is quite simple: the ABC of Martial Arts means “Attacks Become Conversations.”

I believe that in this simple statement, lies a fundamental human quality, and also the essence of Martial Arts. In three simple words I can see an entire storyline of human connection.

Every time I practice, this is the motto of my training: Attacks Become Conversations.

The two major aspects of Martial Arts as generally and currently interpreted are about (1) self-defense and (2) personal development. This article explores the self-defense aspect and leaves the personal development for later writing and exploration.

As Self-Defense, if we repurpose the training intent (and thus the way we practice) from a method of stopping attacks with as little harm as possible to ourselves into an “attacks become conversations” approach, then Self-Defense becomes an Emotional, Mental, and Physical Adjustment (Manipulation) Training Harmonization Methodology.

Self-Defense as EMPATH Methodology, requires a conscious choice to listen, to open ourselves up to other people’s perspectives and experiences, to be able to physically, mentally, and/or emotionally harmonize with the people we encounter.

This transforms our encounters into opportunities for change and personal growth, and allows them to shift from a state of separating conflict to one of relationship.

Generally, practitioners usually are focused on the technical aspects of training, they spend a significant amount of time refining movements and working towards an enhancement of skill, precision, speed, and power. The goals are clear, forms are standardized, results are easily quantified through competitive means.

However, training for ABC is a process in itself, slightly different than how martial arts are traditionally practiced. While the “canvas” on which we train is still the human body and its virtually infinite ways to move, the focus is consciously and strategically placed on the coordinates of our mental state within the spacetime context of our lives. In other words, what we do comes from who we are at that very moment in space and time, as opposed to coming from a predetermined technique.

Training for ABC requires tremendous adaptability of how we position ourselves in relation to our task, be that a partner, a drill, or any circumstance we are facing in our daily life.

For attacks to “become conversations” we need to function from a very specific mindset approach, then, the result of our actions becomes an Emotional, Mental, and Physical Adjustment through harmonization techniques.

By now you may wonder what this is all about and who can even do such things. My answer is very simple: everyone can do this, but not everyone is aware of the possibility of doing it.

Let’s give an example that will help placing these concepts within a context we all relate to, most likely, either as parents or as kids.

As a parent, your child may reach their limit and burst into a tantrum. They begin throwing words and even objects, culminating in possible hitting. As a parent, and also because you are dealing with a child, you cannot hit back. You should not. However, you can now operate from a mindset that includes your safety, your child’s safety, and a path to resolution where the child finds balance again.

From this mindset, you will use body placement (shifting position to the most advantageous place in the conflict area), you will use body language to express yourself, and you will use some verbal communication to possibly engage with your child on that level. In other words, you will use yourself as an instrument to modify your child behavior.

If this sounds familiar, it is because we naturally act in this way, or at least we acquired the skills to negotiate conflicts in this manner. We also care deeply about our children.

What may seem less familiar is how this exact approach can be applied in Martial Arts, especially when training with partners, and if it sounds too philosophical to have a practical application please consider the following advice from one of the most influential Karate master in history:

"The goal of martial arts is to affect the mind and spirit, not just the body." Gichin Funakoshi

It wouldn’t be a leap to flip the script around and consider that practicing Martial Arts by ourselves or with partners can affect the mind, spirit, and body of those involved in practice - including ourselves.

There is a great deal of information and skill that cannot be translated into words in an article. There is a huge amount of information that can only be fully effective when transmitted via our bodies. Training the body and the mind is not exclusive to one another, but complementary.

I would even say that for a true practice to be fully embodied, the mental and physical training must merge into one. The physical aspect goes beyond flexibility, power, and speed by bringing in values such as health, longevity, and balance. The mental aspect goes beyond will power by reaching into philosophy, civic values, strategy and critical thinking.

In martial arts, when attacks become conversations, we engage with another human being on all levels of our humanity. This engagement leads to continuous transformation through learning, but also affects all of us in the ways we carry ourselves about the world and throughout our lives.

When attacks become conversations, we create the opportunity to know one another, to help one another, to relate to one another - and in doing so, we make ourselves available to the world, in a way that brings peace and cooperation closer to everyone involved.

When attacks become conversations, we embark on a more profound journey of mutual respect, and every practice becomes part of an Emotional, Mental, and Physical Adjustment (Manipulation) Training Harmonization process affecting each one of us connecting through that practice.

© 2024 Bogdan Heretoiu. All Rights Reserved.

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