Written by Kevin Hans Samuel
In the entertainment industry today, there is no shortage of action films and many great action movies will have fight scenes. Over the years we have seen different martial arts being portrayed on screen by different stars. Some of which are in fact real martial artists off-screen as well. I’m sure you must have heard of Bruce Lee before, right? Bruce Lee is actually the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a martial arts expression that was personal to him and is known as The Way of the Intercepting Fist (Bruce Lee Family Company, 2019).
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But the things we watch on screen and experience off-screen are two very different things. In movies like John Wick and The Matrix where both fictional characters are played by renowned actor Keanu Reeves, the fight scenes are all choreographed by experts. The scenes are then practiced over and over again until the director gets his perfect shot. But in real life, self-defence takes more than just fancy moves and good timing. When we think about martial arts, we often think of it as an aggressive form of fighting.
The way movies like John Wick and Fight Club show it, it makes people wonder just how brutal martial arts can be.
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Not to mention Mixed Martial Arts or MMA for short. People who watch the UFC will say that martial arts is too violent and is only for fighting. But that is just superficial. Look at arts like Aikido, the Way of Harmony. It is considered non-aggressive martial art because unlike MMA which the fighters are looking to subdue each other, Aikido practitioners look to defend themselves without causing injury to the attackers (Midwest Aikido Centre, 2019).
Martial arts have been around for centuries and it has always been about defending oneself. But defending oneself isn’t just about the physical aspect. It is also about the spiritual and mental aspects. People forget that martial arts have always been about the body, mind and soul. In today’s society, the people who are going to attack you aren’t going to be some random jocks from that shady alley you’re passing by or that nasty looking dude with the dragon tattoo from across the street, but the people who you mingle with every single day.
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At work, you will encounter problems every now and then. In the corporate world, if something goes wrong, people are quick to point fingers. And at some point in time, you will be at the other end of the finger. At home, if you’re closing in at 30 years old, your parents, siblings and family relatives will ask if you have a significant other or not. They will want to know if you will be married soon or not. These are the kind of attacks you will have to defend yourself from.
And if you don’t know how to defend yourself properly from these attacks, you will react in a way that you will regret. In your defence, you might try to fight back verbally because you are emotionally enraged or triggered. But if you say the wrong thing, you will get into more trouble.
“You will continue to suffer if you have an emotional reaction to everything that is said to you. True power is sitting back and observing things with logic. True power is restraint. If words control you that means everyone else can control you. Breathe and allow things to pass”,
-Bruce Lee-
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This quote has been floating around the internet for quite some time now but it is not without meaning or purpose. We are no longer in times of war. The need for physical combat has greatly plummeted. But the need for self-defence in the mental and spiritual aspects are skyrocketing. But the people around us aren’t even talking about it let alone being taught that.
In a dojo, all Japanese martial artists are always taught to have a sharp mind and always be ready. To only react when the attack happens but not before. This teaching has been taught throughout the ages from teacher to student but the interpretation has changed a bit since we are now in modern times. The path of martial arts will always be about improving one’s own being. And in a dog eat dog world like ours, I say we better start learning self-defence the proper way.
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