Lo quiero todo y lo quiero ya.
We live in unique times. Some 30 years ago, obtaining extensive information on a particular subject was a relatively arduous task. Today we can access a staggering amount of information instantaneously almost anywhere and we are becoming accustomed to that kind of life where immediacy and instant gratification are the norm, making it difficult to focus on long-term projects, and increasingly, the lack of consistency in modern life is becoming more and more common among us all.
These habits encourage concepts such as efficiency, which we interpret as “wanting results as quickly as possible”, but we must realise that there are areas where this concept is modified and the method of achieving results is different: In the case of Bujinkan and martial arts in general, we must adopt the mentality of “cultivating” this activity through perseverance.
Not being consistent when practising a martial art or sport can lead to not reaching our goals and not getting the desired results, which will probably have an impact on our motivation to continue practising it, which could also reduce our health and thus a domino effect of negative consequences.
This post is an extended response to some of the most frequently asked questions from our Ninjutsu community: you can read the rest here.
Benefits of consistency.
Whenever a practitioner decides to train Ninjutsu, he or she is committing to a long-term learning process. This means that time, effort and sacrifice must be made in order to achieve the desired accomplishments. According to many martial arts masters, determination is the key to long-term success. This means staying motivated and dedicated to the practice of Ninjutsu despite difficulties. It is also important to be consistent in research, reading and practice in order to develop a deep understanding of the discipline.
Among the virtues of perseverance, we highlight:
- It helps to improve aspects of our character such as our self-control, resilience, discipline and sense of responsibility. All of the above usually have an impact on our self-esteem and will help us feel more confident when we are alone or in an unfamiliar situation.
- Problem solving: Perseverance helps us to develop a solution to the problems we face. This is achieved by adopting a disciplined approach and persistence in finding the right solution as some of the things we learn do not produce short-term change but help to develop different views of a problem and to learn from difficulties.
- It allows us to access increasingly complex learning. Keep in mind that in Ninjutsu there are very precise movements that require special coordination, they come from techniques that masters with exceptional skills spent a lifetime developing, it is normal that they require time. If we try to do everything quickly we can get injured, bored and often end up crushed! Some training, such as particularly complex techniques, requires physical and mental recovery.
- Like all physical activity, it provides benefits such as improving our endurance, strength, coordination, balance and flexibility. This helps to develop better posture and fitness and reduces the risk of injury, which has an impact on overall health and wellbeing.
- It improves our personal relationships and our ability to work as a team: Day in and day out, we will find ourselves training with other colleagues, people who have strengths and weaknesses and if we watch carefully, we can learn at least one different thing from each of them. One can fall into the error that the difference in level can hinder one or the other, but the task of a Dôjo is to share: that we all learn from each other will make the newcomers advance faster and the experts reflect on how and “why” things are done. Or as an old proverb says: “If you want to go fast walk alone, if you want to go far walk together”. Besides, without our companions it is not the same!
The way
When talking about martial arts, we always hear references to the “way”.
The way is an important concept in the world of martial arts. It refers to the pursuit of a common goal through discipline, hard work and practice. It represents the progress and growth of the practitioner as they advance in their training.
Martial arts practitioners continually seek to improve their technique and skills, and the path is a metaphor for this learning process. An interesting thought is that there is no end to the road, there is no maximum level because, even if we could know everything, the philosophy should be to always try to improve on what we already know, always research, always ask questions, always practice. The ideal should be to face a never-ending road. Besides, if it’s something we like, what’s the hurry to finish it?
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