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Ritual: A customary procedure.
Everyday martial artists train in ritualized confrontations, complying with each other as they train.
Never realizing that what they do may condition them to fail against an adversary that will not comply.
They may not be able to “Turn On” or worse yet, they may freeze up due to indecision and the adrenaline rush.
“Violence of Action” the intensity and full commitment of going after a target will not be present as the adversary attacks at 100% intensity.
The martial artist will find that his flashy techniques and movements do not stand up against the onslaught of a committed attacker. What went wrong?
In ritualized confrontations the danger or element of death is not present or does not exist.
Emotion or intensity is not challenged and put to the test.
Once rules and familiarity enter, the confrontation soon becomes a “Game of Skill” and not true combat training.
It is not the same thing to fight for survival as it is to fight for ego based gratification set by rules which are respected by both combatants.
And yet it is another thing to know the difference.
All martial artists must be cognizant of the knowledge they posses and its usefulness in real combat.
The traditional movements of their style long ago forgotten and used for something it may not have been intended for in actual combat, never truly tested or questioned.
If they’ve been trained in the art of “Ritualized Confrontation”
(Rules, Sports, Win or Lose) they may be in for a rude awakening
when fantasy and reality clash.
Remember the difference between fantasy and reality is reality has bad breath and hits hard!
The martial artist may find that the opponent he is facing in the street does not comply with his fighting style or he fights with 100% intensity and feels no pain.
Or worse yet, the one opponent may well be many and carrying weapons.
It is then that the “Foolish Illusion of Reality” hits him right square between the eyes and the school of “Hard Knocks” will be in session teaching a new student the fine art of survival.
It has been said “Experience is what man calls his mistakes” and if this new student survives, he will have learned a lifetime of experience in one session.
When the smell of death and uncertainty is in the air, your training will lay bare, naked for all to see.
And you will know what is real and what is illusion.
It is when the shackles of tradition and theory are cast off that you soon discover what it takes to survive.
When this epiphany illuminates the dark and secret areas of your heart and mind and you come to know the truth.
You will find that “Life and Death Conflicts” are their own entity, different from the dojo and the ring.
What you do with this knowledge is up to you, but know this, you will never be the same again.
You will possess what every warrior before you has known for centuries, “You are Mortal” and the illusion of invincibility will not be there.
So train hard, intensely and most of all truthfully and never fall for the complacency of ritual.
Everyday martial artists train in ritualized confrontations, complying with each other as they train.
Never realizing that what they do may condition them to fail against an adversary that will not comply.
They may not be able to “Turn On” or worse yet, they may freeze up due to indecision and the adrenaline rush.
“Violence of Action” the intensity and full commitment of going after a target will not be present as the adversary attacks at 100% intensity.
The martial artist will find that his flashy techniques and movements do not stand up against the onslaught of a committed attacker. What went wrong?
In ritualized confrontations the danger or element of death is not present or does not exist.
Emotion or intensity is not challenged and put to the test.
Once rules and familiarity enter, the confrontation soon becomes a “Game of Skill” and not true combat training.
It is not the same thing to fight for survival as it is to fight for ego based gratification set by rules which are respected by both combatants.
And yet it is another thing to know the difference.
All martial artists must be cognizant of the knowledge they posses and its usefulness in real combat.
The traditional movements of their style long ago forgotten and used for something it may not have been intended for in actual combat, never truly tested or questioned.
If they’ve been trained in the art of “Ritualized Confrontation”
(Rules, Sports, Win or Lose) they may be in for a rude awakening
when fantasy and reality clash.
Remember the difference between fantasy and reality is reality has bad breath and hits hard!
The martial artist may find that the opponent he is facing in the street does not comply with his fighting style or he fights with 100% intensity and feels no pain.
Or worse yet, the one opponent may well be many and carrying weapons.
It is then that the “Foolish Illusion of Reality” hits him right square between the eyes and the school of “Hard Knocks” will be in session teaching a new student the fine art of survival.
It has been said “Experience is what man calls his mistakes” and if this new student survives, he will have learned a lifetime of experience in one session.
When the smell of death and uncertainty is in the air, your training will lay bare, naked for all to see.
And you will know what is real and what is illusion.
It is when the shackles of tradition and theory are cast off that you soon discover what it takes to survive.
When this epiphany illuminates the dark and secret areas of your heart and mind and you come to know the truth.
You will find that “Life and Death Conflicts” are their own entity, different from the dojo and the ring.
What you do with this knowledge is up to you, but know this, you will never be the same again.
You will possess what every warrior before you has known for centuries, “You are Mortal” and the illusion of invincibility will not be there.
So train hard, intensely and most of all truthfully and never fall for the complacency of ritual.
