Caveat: This post is mine and mine alone. I the author of this blog assure you, the reader, that any of the opinions expressed here are my own and are a result of the way in which my meandering mind interprets a particular situation and or concept. The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of other martial arts and/or conflict/violence professionals or authors of source materials. It should be quite obvious that the sources I used herein have not approved, endorsed, embraced, friended, liked, tweeted or authorized this post. (Everything I think and write is true, within the limits of my knowledge and understanding.)
Ever hear of that shugyo training done in some martial communities whereby training and practice are conducted in extreme weather conditions like very cold ice and snow covered environmental dojo’s? Well, shugyo exists in many forms and for those entering their winter years, approximately sixty years by Chinese standards, must endure many changes that contribute to shugyo.
First, mentally, as in mind-set or mind-state, we have to take into consideration that as we age, our bodies change in those winter years and our minds age we have to make some adjustments so that we remain strong, energetic and proficient in our practice, training and teachings.
Second, mind-set/mind-state is considered our strongest martial technique and to disregard that our entrance into the winter years means changes, uncontrolled and immutable, will happen. This goes for our journey through those winter years.
An example from a personal view is recently I was practicing when I first heard then felt something like an explosion or better described as a rupture. Now, I have been a weight lifter/body builder, a Marine and a Martial Artists all my adult life and part of my more youthful years say from fifteen to nineteen and I consider myself at the very least heathy and fit. It turns out that a tendon/cartilage ruptured just above the back of my knee on the upper leg. The entire area turned black from the blood and it took months to heal enough where I could begin a light training and practice session on that leg. In my spring and summer years it would be about a week and I would be back out there plugging away but not now as I enter and travel the path of the winter martial artist.
In case you are not fully aware, winter years for most begin at the age of sixty. This is the way some of the historical ancient classics of Asian studies equates the aging process. I have articles elsewhere about this aging stuff, i.e., spring, summer, fall and winter years for a full cycle of human life and existence.
Part of martial arts mind-set/mind-state training is a kind of reality check. In this particular case, discussing the aging process in the winter years, we need to tell our ego that just because we can’t lift weights or run or spar like we did when we were twenty-four does not mean we are losing our capabilities as martial artists. It just means we have to change our path a bit and follow one that is conducive to our aging efficiency and proficiency. It is a bit like my Sensei would say, “As I get older I switch from being physically dominant to being a real sneaky bastard.” He was saying that to be sneaky we have to develop our full and complete martial arts where muscle is less and principles, etc., are more or rather develop a solid balance where no one aspect dominates so when one fails or is lost the others quickly fill in the void.
I am sixty-one and that rupture really drove this home that I needed to be smart and make adjustments for a solid, enjoyable and learning path that embraces my journey through the winter years of life and it also lets us all know why martial arts properly disciplined takes us through the entire aging seasons of life. Consider this an extended winter shugyo training model.
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