Black Belt Project - Research Summary and Conclusions

Summary and Conclusions

In this research project I was set a number of areas to look at to help me develop my Karate training, knowledge and skills towards attainment of my Black Belt. The key findings and conclusions are summarised below:

The influence of different kinds of soft martial arts and what we can learn and apply from them

I've looked at a number of different martial arts, focusing on various Chinese soft martial arts including Chi Kung, T'ai Chi, Hsing I and Pa Kua. At the heart of all of these styles are the eight principles of Feet, Posture, Mind, Breath (Neigong)  and Internal, Power, Wedge and Spiral (Qigong). These principles sit a the core of a martial artists skill base and being mindful of each of these principles in both yourself and an opponent is key.

Different types of pushing hands and how we can use them training in a 'hard style', 

I've covered the Eight Gates and Five Steps (also know as the 13 Dynamics of martial arts) which are the main applications within pushing hands and T'ai Chi. These are the next 'skill' layer than sit above the eight principles described above but below what we would normally call techniques in different styles of martial arts (e.g. straight forward kicking, punching, blocking etc). These are important fundamentals to master as they enable the practitioner to fully apply the core 'soft style' principles into hard style techniques and make your martial arts skills much more effective.

The relevance of pushing hands for self defence purposes

Pushing hands is highly relevant for self defense as it not only equips you to deal with attacks through much more subtle blocking and deflection of force, but also keeping in constant contact with an opponent enables you to be able to sense their balance, strength and general body condition in order to then exploit any weaknesses.

Chin Na and its importance and relevance to training

Chin Na methods of locking or disabling an opponent have been covered, which enable you to incapacitate an opponent without major risk of serious injury to both parties. Many are fairly easy to learn and do not require a high level of skill, so are particularly relevant for self defence. The various techniques described can also be combined with many of the pushing hands applications very effectively.

The holistic nature of martial arts, it's heath benefits and how to undertake training to promote these benefits whilst minimising risk

The benefits of practicing martial arts extend across physical, mental and spiritual aspects. Through practicing the core 'soft' fundamentals with discipline and having high levels of self awareness, it is possible to still be a very effective, if not better martial artist whilst being able to minimise risks of injury to yourself and to others.

A Personal Reflection on the Martial Arts Learning Journey

Throughout the course of undertaking the research for this project I've thought a lot about my own personal martial arts journey from when I started to learn Karate around 4-5 years ago. I remembered a model that I came across through my day to day work some time ago which basically defines how both individuals and organisations learn. This is summarised below as a favourite of MBA students the world over - the good old 2x2 matrix!

I think this is particularly relevant for the eight principles and 13 dynamics discussed previously, because they are so fundamental. Many students learn their particular style of martial arts from the 'outside in' learning the traditional techniques specific to each discipline, sometimes without even being aware if these inner fundamentals. How then do you get from this point to having built the eight principles into your training?

1. Unconscious Incompetence - this is a state of 'not knowing what you don't know and low skill'. Here there may be some external stimulus which makes you suddenly aware that there are ways you can develop or learn. More important is to have the right attitude in your training and constantly be open minded to learning new things and setting yourself development targets.

2. Conscious Incompetence - 'knowing what you don't know and low skill'. Where you may now have an understanding of how you need to develop. Thought needs to be invested into how you can progress and action then taken to learn. This may include doing some of your own research and practice, or speaking to your coach about how to build this development into your training (alternatively your coach may have already identified the development area for you and mapped this out in classes). In any case, your skill level at this stage is low and this can be quite a frustrating phase to go through, so determination and focus is key especially when it can seem that many around you have the skill set. It can also be common to feel as if you are on a 'plateau' in this box for long periods of time and not making progress, especially once you have mastered the basics - for me this was around the time I hit brown belt.

3. Conscious Competence - 'high level of knowledge and medium/high skill'. Where you have mastered some or all of the development areas identified but still require a high degree of thought or effort. Here it is also important to spend time to reflect on your training and skill level in order to make changes that may be required - this is more 'fine tuning' than the leaps required in stage 2.

4. Unconscious Competence - 'high level of knowledge and high skill'. This is where the skill becomes a natural part of your martial arts and requires very little or no thought to make it happen (almost instinct). If you have the right attitude to development in your training you should spend relatively little time in this box before ending back up in 1!

This latter point is definitely in line with my own personal experience, where on occasion it seems that upon climbing a mountain to master something you reach what you think is the top only to find another summit to tackle!

The Holistic Nature of Martial Arts and it's Health Benefits

It's reasonably well known that practicing martial arts can provide a number of health benefits, and is seen as holistic in nature because these extend across physical, mental and spiritual aspects. However, given the nature of the various disciplines and techniques involved it is also essential that consideration is made in training to minimising the risk of potential injury.

Health Benefits of Martial Arts

Physical

Through practicing martial arts you can improve general fitness and  cardiovascular health, improving heart rate while increasing blood flow through the body. This also strengthens the heart muscles and helps keep blood vessels flexible and open. Benefits can include reduced blood pressure, improved circulation and increased stamina. A weak cardiovascular system can lead to fatigue, shortness of breath, weakness and lethargy.

Regular training can also help you lose weight, build muscle, strength, improve flexibility, agility and reflexes. Through practicing some of the key fundamentals explained under the Eight Principles it is also possible to improve co-ordination and posture. In addition, being able to channel energy correctly through the body shift weight easily and smoothly will result in a much improved sense of balance, with ability to change directions quickly and easily. An improved state of 'body awareness' is therefore one of the key benefits.

Mental

In the Eight Principles we also talk about 'Mind' as one of the key fundamentals and how constant awareness or mindfulness can help improve levels of focus and concentration. This 'body and mind' exercise regime can also help to greatly reduce levels of stress. Self-discipline is also an essential component of martial arts and it can help you maintain control over yourself and your environment. It teaches you to handle emotions, stay calm and have the willpower to stay focused.

The process of learning a martial art is also a great self development tool and can help to build confidence and self-esteem. This is especially relevant for kids, where martial arts training can also help build not only self-discipline but also respect for others (helping to address issues such as bullying etc). It can also help build socialisation skills and getting people to work outside of their comfort zones can be a highly effective way to build character.

Spiritual

The spiritual benefits of martial arts like T'ai Chi are also well documented. Many soft arts are deeply concerned with Chi, the vital energy that flows through the body and aim to bring balance to body, mind and spirit. The Chinese believe that a blockage or interruption to the flow of Chi can cause sickness (both mental and physical), and one of the first principles of the soft arts is to prevent such blockages and to help the Chi flow freely.. This is achieved through natural deep breathing, relaxed and controlled exercise and through sustained concentration. Many of the position and moves in the arts are designed to affect the movement of energy, to help it travel around your body and nourish you internally and externally.

Minimising Risk whilst Training

The very nature of martial arts is that there is inherent risk in practicing them. To a degree, as soon as you step onto the mats in the dojo, you have to accept these risks and train with them in mind. Importantly, this is not just the risk of you getting injured, but also of you injuring others. This is especially relevant as you get older - it's very easy to try to train as if you think you have the body of a 20 year old when in fact you are a decrepit old 43 year old (guilty as charged!). The reality is that as you get older you are more prone to picking up injuries which can then take longer to recover from (niggly finger, knee and shoulder problems have all impacted my training in the last year).

Self awareness is perhaps then one of the most important aspects of martial arts to enable you to train safely. This includes awareness of your body condition, in particular if you have any injuries. Listening to your body is key - in general if something hurts then you need to change the way you are training to accommodate or stop altogether until fully recovered. As the body ages it can also take longer to recover from intense training sessions, making both warming up and warming down a key part of any training regime. Flexibility is also one of the first things to decline as you age, so it's a good idea to try to supplement training with an additional stretching routine (yoga can be good for this).

The type of training you do may also need to change with age - 'more is better' may work when you are younger but with a reduced capacity for recovery when older, training must be approached more intelligently. This can include simply practicing techniques more (e.g. kihon or kata) instead of sparring. It can also mean not necessarily picking the toughest and strongest person in the dojo to train with who is always injuring people.

Reflexes slow with age, as well as reduced physical strength and speed. This is an additional reason why it is important to train 'smart' - using many of the soft principles covered in this research it is possible to develop your martial arts skills to replace out and out strength with subtly generated internal power; fast sweeping blocks kick and punches with much more effective smaller movements that can have a greater impact on an opponents body condition or enable you to intercept and absorb/redirect strikes.

Practicing your martial arts in a soft style also minimises the risk of injury to others. Many techniques, for example Chin-Na can be highly effective ways of disabling an opponent without major risk of injuring them.

Self awareness also means being able to recognise your state of mind e.g. if you are tired or having difficulty concentrating. Balancing the demands of work, family, friends and training can be challenging so it's important not only to try to maintain this balance but also to make sure things like diet, getting enough sleep and not drinking alcohol excessively are considered, which all impact both mental and physical condition.

This for me is why principles of soft martial arts discussed in the research are so relevant. Through practicing these core fundamentals with discipline is is possible to still be a very effective, if not better martial artist whilst being able to minimise risks of injury to yourself and to others.