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Post by capoeirista on Aug 26, 2012 11:27:16 GMT -5
When I was a young grasshopper karateka, I asked my sensei how long it would take to become a master at karate. He replied "It'll take you at least 3 lifetimes, maybe 2 if you're lucky." Which brings the question: is it possible to actually master an art completely? And how would you define mastery in martial arts?
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Post by rollingrock128 on Aug 26, 2012 14:03:30 GMT -5
in my opinion no. mastery is knowing it like the back of your hand. you never make a mistake you know every attack and every counter flawlessly. everyone makes mistakes even doing something they have been doing since they were a child.
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aaronj
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Yondan - Shurite Karate Jitsu, Chen Taijiquan
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Post by aaronj on Aug 26, 2012 14:16:49 GMT -5
This is entirely subjective... When you are studying a martial art well through the years of simple fighting concepts you are studying self...
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odee
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Post by odee on Aug 27, 2012 16:16:23 GMT -5
It's not possible to achieve perfection either but that doesn't mean it isn't worth trying.
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Post by jwbulldogs on Aug 28, 2012 3:27:22 GMT -5
This would depend on the definition of mastery. As far as I know there is no single definition of mastery when speaking of martial arts. I believe there is always room for improvement. Therefore there is no mastery.
I've been told as a child that practice makes perfect. But as I matured I discovered that that is not true. Many practice and never reach any level of perfection. Then I came to a realization that perfect practice leads to perfection. But does anyone ever practice perfectly all of the time? No. But we should strive to do our best.
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Post by the tank on Aug 28, 2012 10:36:48 GMT -5
As it was said, this is subjective.
To the eyes of others, perhaps. I see high level teachers and I see their technique and execution to be perfect, but they would disagree.
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Post by Possum on Sept 2, 2012 20:04:35 GMT -5
Curious... what is everyone's definition of "master" (and "mastery") ?
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Post by jwbulldogs on Sept 3, 2012 1:36:21 GMT -5
I don't think I could define mastery. It might be somewhere on the idea of perfection, flawlessness. It is an idea, but not concrete. The fountain of youth is an idea, but we can never really have or obtain the fountain of youth. Many seek it but they never reach it. Science tries to create it, but they can't. They can only work towards it. The same thing might apply to mastery. We work for it or towards it. But there is always room for improvement. We are humans and we are flawed.
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Chef Samurai
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Post by Chef Samurai on Sept 5, 2012 1:48:49 GMT -5
When the exponent's style has manifested itself in the exponent's martial arts, he will not be restricted by the fixed and rigid Lower Tier skills. His martial arts will instead be based on the primary principles of his style and his skills will be derived instead of memorized. Styles are an abstract expression of martial arts. Styles cannot be taught. Styles can only be guided.
The predictibility of the exponent's moves will decline and eventually break down and he will not have specific skills which can be studied and neutralized. He will be able to use his skills freely and naturally as the inflexibility contained within his martial arts will break down and he will have access to the higher echelons of martial arts.
Of course an exponent just beginning on the Styles stage without great proficiency in the Lower Tier divisions may not be superior to an exponent who has good mastery of the Lower Tier divisions but has only slight proficiency the Styles stage. Still, practitioners of the Styles stage will have an edge over practitioners of the Lower Tier stages.
According to the philosophy described by Fuxi, the Styles stage can be summarized by this principle:
无极生有极, 有极是太极, 太极生两仪, 即阴阳; 两仪生四象: 即少阳、太阳、少阴、太阴, 四象演八卦, 八八六十四卦
Working backwards, the first and most basic level in the Styles stage would fall under the 64-Hexagrams stage ( 八八六十四卦 ), where an exponent's style can be classified under one of the 64 different 'themes'.
Thereafter, the exponent's advancement will allow him to be classified under one of the 8 major styles corresponding to the 8 Trigrams or Bagua ( 四象演八卦 ). The exponent's martial arts need not conform totally to the characteristics governing a certain style but is classified based on the main composition of his martial arts.
The 8 major styles are : 1. Qian ☰ - Heaven 2. Dui ☱ - Marsh 3. Li ☲ - Fire 4. Zhen ☳ - Thunder 5. Xun ☴ - Wind 6. Kan ☵ - Water 7. Gen ☶ - Mountain 8. Kun ☷ - Earth
Following that, when the exponent utilizes more than one of the 8 major styles with nearly equal proficiency in two of the 8 styles whereby the main composition of his martial arts can no longer be classified under a single style, his style is now classified under one of the "Four Phenomena" ( 两仪生四象 ), consisting of Greater Yin, Greater Yang, Lesser Yin and Lesser Yang.
Further advancement will bring the exponent to the Yin-Yang level, where his martial arts can only be classified as either Yin-based or Yang-based ( 太极生两仪, 即阴阳 ). The next level will be the Taiji stage (Taiji in this case refers to a techincal term in Taoist terminology and not the martial arts system known as Taiji or Tai Chi). In this stage the exponent's martial arts cannot even be classified as Yin-based or Yang-based as the exponent's martial arts would already have enveloped all the 8 major styles of the Bagua.
Yet at the Taiji stage ( 有极是太极 ) the exponent cannot be considered to have reached the Formless stage because although Taiji is a smooth and refine compound of all the styles, the styles are still visible and the forms and structure of the styles remain preserved.
Finally, at the Formless stage, the exponent's style will culminate in the pinnacle of combat martial arts, forming the Formless Style. The highest level of formlessness, the Ideal Formless Style, corresponds exactly to the Taoist principle of ad infinitum ( 无极生有极 ). The very nature of Formless itself is governed by one single law - Formlessness is infinity.
The Formless Style is the most difficult style to describe due to its exceptionally profound nature, comparable to the so-called singularity of physics. In this stage there is supposedly no techniques, no principles, no styles, no predictability. Formlessness is everything and yet nothing. The actual appreciation of this stage can only be left to our imagination.
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odee
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Post by odee on Sept 5, 2012 8:50:29 GMT -5
And all that can be summed up to "No it can't be mastered because you find new heights to chase after".
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Chef Samurai
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Canadian Catch Wrestling
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Post by Chef Samurai on Sept 5, 2012 13:39:39 GMT -5
yeah but that leaves out the incoherent babbling that has nothing to do with the subject that equals 99% of the text lol
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Post by jwbulldogs on Sept 5, 2012 17:41:26 GMT -5
LOL
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odee
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Post by odee on Sept 6, 2012 6:40:39 GMT -5
It's a problem I suffer at university. I have to remind myself of all the crap that comes with a subject to flesh my essays out from a three sentence answer.
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Post by jwbulldogs on Sept 6, 2012 15:20:15 GMT -5
LOL
In the university you must show not tell. I recall the days that I had to take a paragraph and turn it into a 6 to 10 page paper. I thought those days were over. Then last semester I had some teachers that co-taught an interdisciplinary class of about 4 subjects. My responses were brief. As far as I could tell based upon the question it didn't require much content. The teachers made some comments about my work but never said what they wanted. Then one day in class it finally came out that they wanted more. The question were question like how do you feel about something or what is my opinion about a book or movie. I could respond with a few sentences....lol That is part of my character to keep things brief. But if you want more I can give more. Even on YA in the beginning all of my responses were brief. Because of school I ha to get into a habit of writing more. I don't like a lot of details therefore I don't give a lot of details. It drives my wife crazy. She want details. She drives me crazy trying to give me useless details. Just tell me what happened. I don't need a character analasys.
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odee
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Kyokushin 10 years - Brazilian Jujitsu 3 years - Muay Thai 2 years.
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Post by odee on Sept 6, 2012 18:15:47 GMT -5
Perfect match. She rambles and you cut to the chase and both of you drag the other back to middle ground. Your friends must love that.
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