Be like Water!

A question many of us martial artists ask ourselves is whether we are "any good" at our chosen field. Are we truly improving and how do we decide when it’s the right time to try something new? Or, do we stick with the current flow?
 You see, my reason for writing this is that, during a recent seminar I was awarded a Black Belt under very unexpected circumstances and in the presence of a number of talented Martial artists which left me that day questioning “do I deserve this”?  or “am I even worthy”?

Over the years I have had the opportunity to train with some of the most influential martial artists in their field, believing that, if you are to be the best, seek out the best. In suggesting this, I’m not actually saying that someone who earns 7 Black belts in 6 years isn’t worth their salt, I’m just trying to question how much understanding they have, and how much is passed on to their predecessors.  

I have trained in around 10 styles, would I like to master any of them? Yes, naturally has to be the answer because I would like to feel that I am competent at whatever style I am using at that time.

So why do we practice martial arts? I do it to better myself, to break through the barriers of what I feel is possible and to see what I am genuinely capable of. I train in Martial Arts to “express myself” just as others use their voice, a musical instrument or dance to express themselves. I like to express myself through movement within martial arts. I feel comfortable and relaxed in the grace of movement.

 When I train in a technique I like to have grace, and to be able to flow which brings me back to the question of am I “any good?”


 Bruce Lee said “Be like water, water can either flow or it can crash”.

 I prefer to flow which requires hard work and discipline in any chosen martial art field. Once we are ‘good’ at our chosen art the movements will flow and will be one with our body, naturally flowing rather than a crashing movement that is unnatural and unpractised.

We all like to see a return on our hard work. We train hard to run races and if we have worked hard enough we may win a medal, we diet and we lose weight, we study we gain a qualification. We feel that all of these things show us if our hard work has paid off.  What if, in Martial Arts today there was no grading system, how would we know if we were progressing?

If you’re anything like me it always feels difficult to judge yourself. In fact I err on the side of thinking that I’m not good enough hence the surprise at receiving a black belt.  A good friend of mine who had been learning tai chi a little longer than me and almost double my age sadly passed away recently. Her movement certainly flowed and she was graceful within in her form. She gave me an important piece of advice which was to “never underestimate how good you are.”

For years I’ve questioned myself, and so I looked at the meaning behind this piece of advice and have come to the conclusion that, it doesn’t matter how others perceive me. It’s about putting the work in, enjoying my training and keeping a positive and focussed mind. Through thinking constantly that we’re not good enough we are undermining our training. If we listen to our teachers and improve where necessary then we will improve.

Perhaps some people look at a range of martial arts and see a violent past time but most martial artists know that in essence it’s about using a combination of the heart and the head whilst training.

The head in order to master and use the correct techniques and then feeling it in your heart so that, as Bruce Lee says, your movements flow rather than crash.

I have accumulated almost 30 years of martial arts experience from age four to present day and in that time I have earned 2 Black belts, by others standards that’s not much of a time to reward ratio. What do I take from this?

 For me I have recently realised that what holds the most importance for me is that I am mastering myself. When I train within a style I believe I am overcoming my difficulties and trying to better what I already know, using what is useful and leaving behind what I know to be useless.

 It’s all up to us. In our hearts do we have the determination to succeed, to achieve, not for materialistic gains but simply for the love of our art and to know that we are all that we can be!

Paul Miller in a Traditional Chen Dan Jian posture.