80/20 Rule

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If you ask a karate-ka what percentage of karate is physical, is mental and what percentage is spiritual you will get as many answers that will shout out that the biggest percentage is this one thing. If you take a close look you will find the truth is the opposite of the general consensus.

Almost 90% of karate-ka will immediate say karate, any martial arts, is ... wait for it ... "Physical!"

My conservative estimate is karate, and other martial disciplines, are, at a minimum, 80% ... wait for it ... "Mental," with about 10% of that made up of spirit!

I find that only 20% is about the physical but I have come to theorize that the reason we perceive and assume it is physical is because it is the easiest, fastest and most gratifying and satisfying part of karate. In short, quicker results; quicker gratification and easiest to test and get the coveted black belt.

In truth, if we actually spent the time and considerable effort to "Fist Learn" the mental most would never take up the proverbial sword.

Everyone wants to be Bruce and now, not study, understand and build the bridge of knowledge to understanding so we may achieve great things of the spiritual, mental and physical.

You see, we of the West failed to see that karate and martial disciplines of Asian heritage come from a mirror perspective, i.e., the opposites. We westerners assumed we understood when the Asia mind simply stated within its harmonious stasis for the sake of harmony.

Our assumptions and opposite perspective lead us down the wrong path headed in the exact opposite direction.

If we had understood then we would have put more emphasis on our spiritual-mental while embracing the physical - 80 to mental to build a foundation to lay the stone work for the physical.

Bibliography (Click the link)

“In order for any life to matter, we all have to matter.” - Marcus Luttrell, Navy Seal (ret)