Page 50 - Martial Science Magazine Oct/2015 #11

plete martial artist. There are no shortcuts, and the
path requires great dedication and long term com-
mitment.

When I hear questions like “Does this work?” or
“Is this practical on the street?” in their various
forms, I often also witness a form of distraction on
the part of the student. I believe this distraction is a
misdirection of the student’s attention on the par-
ticular technique rather than their own develop-
ment. It is tempting to go into a deep dive into the
context in which a technique might be used, along
with a variety of “what if” caveats, such as “what if
the attacker is shorter /taller /stronger /faster/...?”
The analysis at this point can be endless, and in my
opinion, meaningless. In the intensity of conflict,
all that discussion goes out the window, and what
is left is one’s training: pure and simple.

I suggest an alternative approach: let’s not get dis-
tracted about which art is the best (for whatever
purpose the student has in mind). Let’s assume that
most of the martial arts out there are excellent for
whatever their purposes are. After all, many very
talented people dedicated their lives to ensuring
those arts would be very good indeed, and can offer
countless examples as proof. Let’s instead assume
that each person is attracted to a particular mar-
tial art because of the complex variations in their

Is My Martial

Art Effective

By Soke James Neiman,
So much has been written on the merits of each Founder of Shugyo Aikido
martial art: there are countless opinions on why w ww.ShugyoAikidodojo.com
one martial art is effective or another is not. Cer-
tainly many people have had their attention con- humanity and personal history, and leave it at that.
sumed by technical analyses and comparisons of My assertion is that it doesn’t matter which art one
various martial arts. chooses: it matters a great deal what one does with
the training.
I have been teaching martial arts for many years
and have trained in several, and over the decades I believe this situation is a great opportunity to
have had a chance to explore numerous areas and encourage students to examine their dedication. I
put together an image of what it takes to be a com- would suggest offering students who ask such ques-

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