Oli Nejad defines what it is to perfect a positive mental attitude when it comes to martial arts training and seeks inspiration from an unlikely source.

In any form of training, not just in martial arts, a correct and positive attitude is necessary to successfully progress. The definition of “correct” attitude will differ depending on the individual (and this, of course, is a good thing). But how does one find the right attitude when it comes to training in the martial arts?

Well, first, one has to establish what is meant when we use the term “attitude”. The psychological definition of attitude rests simply at “a hypothetical device, used to convey a person’s feelings towards an item/task.” This makes sense and could be applied to martial art. But it certainly doesn’t say all that it could. It is, in essence, too literal. Too logical.

In the context of the martial arts (a much more hypothetic medium), it is much more than any simple device. It is a vehicle for all kinds of emotive and moral applications. This article speaks with the latter definition in mind.

I set out to write something on this subject long before now but could find no way of expressing it correctly. That is to say, no way of expressing it in a way that I felt communicated my thoughts in a satisfactory manner. Then just last night I picked up an old, dusty copy of Rudyard Kipling’s Epitaphs of the War and found this passage, which says it all:

“Body and spirit I surrendered whole / To harsh instructors - and received a soul . . .”

Of course Kipling in his literal intention refers to the army drill instructors of the Second World War, yet its relevance to martial art rings true on many levels.

Let us start by breaking this up and putting it into a “martial” context.

“Body and Spirit I surrendered whole...”

In this, Body and Spirit need to be dedicated wholly to the practice of martial art to truly and internally progress.

Now what do I mean by “truly and internally progress”? Well, one way to look at it would be to say that every martial system has within it a message, or a philosophy on life. Very few practitioners of any style understand these messages or even notice them. Having the correct attitude towards one’s training allows a clearer look at this message.

Now, my view remains that, without spiritual and deep understanding, physical prowess is of little value in martial art. One can know all the ‘Kata’, all the correct posture(s), but without knowing what the kata means or why it is there, the stylist is left lacking something. And this can have a detrimental affect on one’s inner progression in the martial arts.

So we could conclude from this that the first step towards properly conveying the correct attitude to one’s training is to allow oneself to become completely engrossed in the joy of learning. No?

Student - Dedicate yourself to every aspect of your training, be a sponge, take in everything!

Teacher - Expose the student to everything the system has to offer.

Now let us put the second phrase into context, although it remains fairly simplistic.

“To harsh instructors…”

With something so physical and rigorous as the martial arts, a challenge is essential. In the process of martial arts training, if the student is not being challenged, the student is not gaining anything (except a proficiency at a level of understanding from which they will never progress).

So in terms of the ‘martial’ or ‘correct’ attitude the student must strive to push himself not only physically, but also spiritually and mentally. The student must, through their learning and practice of martial art, project an understanding of challenge, a subsequent tolerance of it, and a longing for it.

Perhaps just as importantly, it would be good to establish what we can define as ‘harsh’ instruction. Again, Kipling is referring to a military learning environment, an environment notoriously Spartan in nature. But in the context in which I refer to, harsh instruction could be taken to mean any form of teaching that challenges all aspects of the student’s being - physical, mental and spiritual, with particular focus resting on the latter. Look at it as nothing quite so literal as ‘harsh’ in the Spartan sense, but more as ‘thorough’.

Student – Forever seek challenges in your training.

Teacher – Be thorough in testing all aspects of the student’s being.

Now, let’s put the third and final phrase into context.

“…and received a soul”

Kipling’s literal intention on this one is less clear. Perhaps he speaks from a religious viewpoint though I highly doubt it. It seems more likely he is describing the “Combative” Spirit. That is what we all ultimately strive to achieve in martial art, is it not? An understanding of oneself and one’s surroundings through the process of disciplined training.

Now, what do I mean by the “Combative Spirit”?

Again, in the ‘martial’ context we could conclude that this ‘Soul’/’Spirit’ refers to something an old friend and teacher once described to me regarding the ‘spirit’ of martial art:

“The whole point of learning and practicing the martial arts is so that you never have to use it in the combatative sense; it gives you far more in terms of personal growth and personal virtue. The combatative is simply a means of realising this.”

So, we could conclude that the “correct” attitude to one’s training, somewhere along the line, encompasses the three virtues expressed so eloquently in Kipling’s verse. Of course, in this article I use my interpretation of those words. However, I encourage any martial artist, student or teacher, to use this verse in some aspect of their training… as its relevance to martial art knows no bounds, regardless of how it is interpreted.

The three virtues of the ‘correct’ martial attitude: Dedicate, Tolerate, and Seek to Understand.

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