"Empty Your Cup" is a martial arts aphorism that virtually every student has heard. It refers to the idea that students should put aside their own thoughts and opinions and diligently try to do exactly as their instructor asks them to do. Whether one studies aikido, karate, jujitsu, or kendo, the requirement is the same: diligently and enthusiastically perform the techniques of your martial art, over and over, trying to match all the checkpoints provided by your teacher. The idea is that you should adopt a beginner's attitude, rather than an expert's, even if you are very accomplished. If you do so, you will find that your understanding and ability improve at a remarkable pace. There are several hurdles to achieving beginner's mind, however.
Previous training in a martial art can impede your ability to perform the checkpoints of your new art. In fact, it's more than your mind that keeps you from doing your new art correctly; if you've studied another martial art, the chances are good that you learned things in a different way. The old movements are programmed into your nervous system, and can take time to unlearn. By staying relaxed, focusing on the relationship between the technique and the principle that makes it work, and trying to work slowly and systematically, you can dramatically decrease the time it takes to unlearn the old and learn the new.
Inner dialog is another impediment to effective learning. Most of us have a sort of continuous conversation with ourselves, in which we constantly analyze, compare, discriminate, and predict. In situations where intellectual analysis is required, this dialog can be beneficial. However, when learning a physical skill, the dialog can actually impair our ability to experience the techniques in all their fullness. Martial arts are physical skills, and if our complete attention is focused on the moment, we are much more likely to absorb the subtle aspects of the techniques. Learning to quiet the mind is essential on the way to becoming an advanced martial artist.
Ego is one of the biggest hurdles to learning new skills, especially for those who have studied other arts previously. It's common for martial arts students to strongly identify with the system they've studied, and when they are offered new ways to accomplish martial arts goals, those new ways can seem strange or threatening. It's normal to experience a defensive reaction when asked to try something different, but the accomplished practitioner will learn that the reaction need not be acted upon. Instead, one can recognize that the reaction is a product of "self," a body of reflexive thoughts and feelings that may not actually represent who we are, and move through it toward the desired technique. Recognizing that learning to do things in new ways does not threaten who we are is an enormous step in becoming accomplished martial artists.
Outside the dojo, the attributes of a good martial artist - confidence, open-mindedness, positive attitude, and awareness - are tools for success. In life, as in the dojo, we keep what we embrace, and lose what we reject. A human being with a big heart has room for many wonderful things!
15 comments:
Beginners mind is something I can really relate to because of my previous training. One additional hurdle I have is that I also instructed in one of my previous martial arts, which makes it very difficult for me not to offer help to others.
Fortunately, I realize that others may not want my help and I must keep this in mind. Even when offering help I must remind myself and those who ask for it that I too am a student, so my advice should be considered accordingly.
I do not offer help without first asking if it is wanted. But when I see someone doing something that I have been working on correcting myself, it is very difficult for me to ignore. I want to help, but realize that I need to know the techniques better myself first.
My cup is now empty enought to realize that I have much to learn in this new art. I spend many humble rides home reflecting on my previous training sessions. One of the other blog topics talks about improving on just one thing, but we must first clear our minds and be willing to start over.
Improvement will happen when we allow ourselves to be like a dry sponge. A saturated sponge will not absorb any more liquid even when submerged. But an empty sponge readily accepts more.
Two years ago I had left a MMA Dojo in Ann Arbor because I was disappointed in both my training and the overall cost. Seven months ago a friend of mine, also a fellow JMAC student, talked me into sitting in on a class and observing. By the end of the class I was so impressed with the way Sensei Suino taught and interacted with all the students I was ready to start that evening. Since joining the Dojo my self confidence and positive attitude have sky rocketed. After every class I always feel good both physically and mentally.
It's interesting that previous training in martial art can impede learning in a new form of martial arts. This is my first time studying any form of martial art and I find learning all of the basic movements remarkably foreign. I grew playing several different sports and tended to pride myself on having good body control. However, with jujitsu, I find it a constant struggle to learn completely new motions, program my nervous system, and allow my muscles to easily remember the movements.
I suppose that this ties together with Ego and "Empty Your Cup." As I have no previous training, there is little to no reason for any form of ego within martial arts. It makes it very easy to walk into every class with a clean slate: ready to learn, ready to try anything new. The only downside is that it seems no matter how much I learn or think I've learned, it always seems that there is a great deal more to learn. There's no concrete level of mastery. It's consistently working to train, rehearse, and improve.
With regards to the inner dialog, it is something that I struggle with on a consistent basis. I tend to approach most situations by carefully analyzing before actually attempting anything. While this can be helpful, it makes learning movements and actually experiencing the techniques much more difficult.
The concept of "Beginner's Mind" has been one of the greatest challenges and benefits for me in studying martial arts. Coming to the dojo straight from work, I always find that my mind is bubbling with thoughts when I walk through the door. Some days it can be a struggle to set those aside and focus on the martial arts.
Once I have managed to set aside the thoughts from outside the dojo, the next challenge is to achieve the proper focus on the techniques being studied. For techniques that are new to me, I have to let go and just do them and see how the body movements work. If I spent too much time trying to think my way through them, nothing comes together. For techniques that are familiar to me, I find that I must remember to approach it with an eye to what needs improvement, rather than just running through without any thought. This balance of being mentally engaged without overthinking is the essence of the empty cup for me.
Beginner’s Mind
The concept of training with a beginner’s mind has been discussed extensively in books, blogs, and dojos. I have found that the usual meaning of the concept certainly applies in my case as I have had the opportunity to study several martial arts over many years. It didn’t take me long to realize that in the larger scheme of things I really don’t know very much! It seems that the more I learn about a subject (in the Dojo or outside) the more I realize how much more there is to know. One comes to the realization (somewhere in the vastness of middle age, for me) that total mastery of any complicated subject is almost impossible to achieve. Since there is no endpoint to knowledge, the journey itself (towards mastery) has to be stimulating and fulfilling. We spend our entire lives as students of one thing or another and the excitement of learning combined with the comfort of what we have learned makes this journey worthwhile.
Recently, I have come to understand another way to look at the concept of the beginner’s mind. In the past I have had the privilege of training new students and sharing some of the knowledge that I have learned. It has always been said that you learn more by trying to teach someone something than by studying it yourself. I have always found this to be true. However, I realized as I was helping students with the physical techniques of a martial art, that I was learning something far more important about life. One of the most remarkable events occurs as we bow before stepping onto the training mat. We mentally shed thoughts of our outside lives: family, friends, jobs, the good things and the bad are temporarily tucked away in a corner of our brain. They will emerge again later, after we are through training, but for now we are ready to learn with a clean slate, an open mind, an empty cup.
Our training partners have come from a broad cross section of life, but once on the mat, none of that matters. While we all have different innate physical abilities, we are now dressed alike and have a similar desire to learn. In the outside world, when we meet someone new, our first impressions are very often influenced by societal attributes. A person’s clothing, car, job, career, education or perceived financial status may all influence the way we think about a person. In the dojo, while wearing our baggy white cotton clothing, none of those attributes can sway our feelings. The only thing of importance is the inner self. Discovering a training partner’s true self is a slow, convoluted journey all its own. I have found that first impressions can very often turn out to be quite misleading. If you were to look at yourself in the mirror would you be satisfied that a stranger would be truly able to judge the strength of your character with just a short glance? Probably not. Could this stranger judge your ultimate martial arts potential after a few weeks of practice? Hardly. (Some of the best martial artists in the world were not naturals, they just worked harder and longer than others). I have found that I can fumble around with the best, make mistakes that no one thought possible, practically forget my last name when asked a question in front of my peers, all in thirty minutes. I try to laugh at my foibles, and as a result, I cut my training partners (and wife, kids, and the dog) plenty of slack. Like Gyokuro green tea, great training partners (and true friendships) take time to reach their full potential.
I've switched Martial Arts schools about four times in my life now. When I was younger I found it difficult to "Empty my cup of tea" There would many times be a discrimination between what I was learning at the present time and what I had previoulsy learned. Had I been able to "Empty my Cup" I would have realized there are many ways to accomplish a task and at that particular class I was working on one way of doing something. After some time I was teaching and I would have people tell me "Well this is the way we did it at my old school" or "In class last week we blocked a punch like this and did this counter" and work on those thechniques in class instead of what I was teaching. It was after these moments I could reflect back and realize I had the same issue of not being able to "Empty my cup" When going to a class or new teacher I now always keep the attitude that I am there to learn from them and what style they are teaching, that carrying my previous bagage will only hinder my learning. I must put asiade what I previously learned and attend class with a beginners mind focusing and what is presently being taught.
I definitely have a problem with "Beginner's Mind." I tend to have that constant dialogue running in my mind. In the past I have found it very difficult to quiet that voice.
I am happy to find that during class, it is becoming easier to quiet that voice and concentrate more on the things that are being taught. Having not done any other martial arts or many sports previously, it is calming and quieting to concentrate on the technique and see how my body is functioning at each checkpoint.
I am excited to continue training, not only in the physical, but in the mental. Finding a quiet place in my mind can not only help in my martial arts training, but also in life outside of the dojo and I am looking forward to seeing how it will change me for the better.
"Empty Your Cup"
This is such a challenging journey to travel. The mind is so full and cluttered with things that we have collected as we have gone through our lives. It spills over, and often makes a mess, as we go through each day. It creates an anxiety that prevents us from feeling a peace inside ourselves. It interferes with our ability to concentrate on each precious moment. It prevents us from getting everything out of life we can. People have called this many things, such as baggage, inner demons, etc... To me this is the more real of an enemy and the one I truely train to fight. One day I may have to face a person in physical combat that I could not prevent from happening, but I hope not. My last fight was in 3rd grade and was not that serious. But we face our own inner demons everyday, wether we are aware of it or not, this battle is always happening.
It feels good to go in the Dojo and try to empty my cup. It can be frustrating with how difficult it can be, especially when the day is not going well at work or at home. However, by the end of practice I feel at peace and less anxious. I want to smile, I feel calm, I take in more of the moment, time seems to slow down just a little and I feel a sort of appreciation. This may only last a short while, but I cherish it. It is worth more to me than any material thing.
One of my main hopes is that the more I practice the more that feeling will be present during my day, even when I'm far from the Dojo. That I will be able to keep the cup empty no matter where I am or what is happening. That my inner demons will know that I am strong and will face them without fear, that I am prepared to battle them anywhere or anytime, and even if I get thrown down that I WILL get up! I feel lucky to find a Dojo where I can practice such a thing, where the teaching and training partners are so solid and generous. It is a good day when one can be in the Dojo.
Having taken several years of Tae Kwon Do before beginning Iaido, I definitely had to "empty my cup." While mentally this was not much of an issue, I had definite physical hurdles to overcome.
Issues with stepping, pivots, and hip rotation, simply because my previous training had ingrained different muscle positions and movements in my head.
I found that the only way to overcome this issue was simply dilligent practice, it was not easy, but I approached it with an open mind and did my best to overcome my previous influences.
While it has not entirely gone away, I can certainly feel that I have adapted to my new art, and that previous techniques are subsiding.
Mentally I have always approached new things with the understanding that I know next to nothing in comparison with my fellow students and instructors, and I approached Iaido with the same mindset, and I still do. It helps me to develop with an open mind and and "empty cup!"
Beginner's Mind - "Empty Your Cup"
The idea of "emptying your cup" is a very powerful one. One that makes me realize that my cup is empty and I have much to learn in this art. I am often humbled by what I really know and this motivates me to improve. I try to constantly improve the technique of the movement, sometimes this is easier said than done, and I also realize that there is such a great deal more to learn to master the technique. The statement "it is a marathon and not a sprint" could not be more true. This idea can and should be used throughout the course of life when one tries to master something new.
I am still catching myself in too wide of a stance when in the forward position, a product no doubt of some previous martial arts instruction. This is despite not having practiced that art for several years before beginning iaido, and so a clear example to me that old methods do persist and significant effort must be turned toward unlearning them.
I've found that the best help for me is to accept that I will make many, many mistakes and not to feel embarrassed or apprehensive about making them. Instead, I should take each one as a natural opportunity to learn and grow.
On the other hand, although it has certainly given me additional obstacles to overcome, I do think that prior study of another martial art helped to prepare me mentally. Certain themes - such as discipline, respect and humility - are common to both (and, I expect, to most martial arts).
In regards to "Inner Dialog" On my way from work and driving to the Dojo, I try to switch my brain over from all the daily chatter from work and life and refocus my mind onto the Jujitsu. But even sometimes i tend to over analyze in class and my inner dialog hinders me from executing something. I am learning to to just do it, and free my mind up some.
The beginner's mind has been less of an obstacle than I anticipated...at least so far. With seven years of training in another discipline, I expected to have difficulty unlearning certain things. However, starting from no training vs. different training can be viewed as the same thing. Whatever my learned or natural tendency might be, it is clear that this new discipline will require different skills. I try not to relate too much of what I learn to the previous discipline, although some of the same, basic principles, like balance, distancing, and power, are still at work in similar ways. If anything, my previous training has given me greater confidence that I can learn the new skills, perhaps more efficiently than the first time around.
I can relate to beginners mind through my practice in another sport, golf. It is similar in golf to perform your techniques over and over going through your checkpoints. But after 25 years of playing I am still learning and trying to perfect my game. It takes a beginners mind not to become frustrated not achieving immediate success. Only though patience, hard work, and constant instruction can one hope to improve and reach a level of skill they are satisfied with.
For Battodo/jutsu I would say Toyama Ryu and Nakamura Ryu would be more famous as these batto styles were taught to soldiers during world war 2
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