Friday, June 5, 2009

You're Strong Enough!

By Al Case

I am about to say something that is really rude. I'm about to say you're doing something that is all wrong. It will be interesting to see whether you can take it.

Read through the martial arts magazines and you will come across lots of ads that appeal to your desire to get stronger. Maybe they tell you you can beat up the sand kicking bully, or maybe they tell you will get the girl if you can just be stronger. The problem is...they're wrong.

Your muscles are quite strong enough as they are. You are strong enough to do just about anything you might want to do right now. No increase in your strength is really necessary, either to do the martial arts or anything else...including defeating that bully.

Real strength can be defined in many ways. There is the real strength you possess as measured by the number of friends you have. This is a strength that will never end, and is opposed to the fellow who takes martial arts just so he can beat people up.

Then there is the strength of energy, which you cultivate by breathing and stretching and slow motion. This strength lasts ten times longer than muscle strength. This strength will never slow you down or bulk you up, such as can be experienced by many types of weightlifting methods.

This energy strength is available through the practice of forms. The slower you go when you do the form, the more strength you will have. The reason for this phenomena is because doing forms cultivates awareness.

Awareness is the ultimate strength. When you do something, maybe do a form stance, you become aware of how your legs work. Thus, you learn how to make them work better, and all sorts of other things, and the legs become measurably stronger.

Yes, simple exercises of the weight lifting type give you a little strength, but you tend to become aware of the iron that you are lifting, and not of your body. When awareness becomes focused on the body, this makes the body stronger, and gives you more real strength. It is awareness that will make you as strong as you can ultimately be.

Awareness of how your body works, instead of the endless lifting of iron. Awareness that is not concentrating upon your desire for self-image, but rather on the seeking of self-improvement. Awareness, but, unfortunately, most students are mired in such ruts that they are unable to seek out methods that increase awareness.

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