Training the Mind in Martial Arts: Why is it Important?

So, you’ve been training some martial art now for a while.

You know the techniques, you know the concepts and theories of your style. You can spar under pretty intense pressure, so you feel confident you’d be able to defend yourself on the street, because in the gym all your techniques work just fine. Sound like you?

But, let me ask you an important question.

Body and Mind Training

You train your fist but do you ever train your MIND for dealing with a self defense situation? I mean a REAL self defense situation; one in which the other person is seriously trying to hurt you?

It’s one thing to do techniques in the controlled environment of your own gym. It’s quite another to perform them against an attacker who is only focused on one thing, trying his best to hurt you or kill you, for whatever reason. I can tell you from experience, if your mind is not ready for the confrontation, all those fancy techniques you think you have in your pocket, will mean nothing on the street.

Meditation is the Key 

Meditation is the key to training your mind, the key to being able to see and think clearly so that when faced with an actual attack on the street or where ever it happens, you will remain clear and focused. Only then will you have a genuine chance to effectively defend yourself or your loved ones.

In the old days of kung fu training, the old sifus taught that meditation was the essential key to training. They taught that the martial artist MUST understand and train his mind as well as his body.

Unfortunately, these days most martial arts teachers don’t know about this essential aspect of training. What they don’t know, they can’t teach. They can only show the physical techniques and don’t talk at all about how to understand the mind or it’s critical role in a saving your life.

The Problem with “Self-Defense” Courses

Yet, the world is full of “self defense” classes and courses. These courses, offer short-term training in a grab bag of fancy techniques. You depart with a certificate and the erroneous belief that now, after taking this short, fun course, that you will be fully able to defend yourself in a real life-or-death situation. Not once do they approach training the mind. These courses are dangerous because they set people up for disaster in the street.

Real self defense training, in order to be effective, must be on-going. It must involve in-depth training in a system of martial arts that includes the mind as well as the body. You must learn a formula for self defense, not just a dozen or so fancy techniques shown by a charismatic instructor, leaving you to figure which technique to pull out of the bag at the moment you need it…I’m sorry, but you had better just run…because it won’t work.

What We Teach at the VSTDA

At the Ving Tsun Self Defense Academy, we teach you how to train both your mind and your body because we are committed to offering effective self defense that works under pressure when your life may be at stake. We train you to understand how the two must be in tune with each other to empower you to make your Ving Tsun really work when you need it.

Meditation is essential for getting the mind to settle down, focus, and be in the present moment, so you can think and act from a place of clarity, not panic. Awareness is needed. Moment by moment awareness and single pointed focus of your mind. That training comes only from meditation practice. Learning to meditate will also change your life in other ways, helping you to relieve stress and stay focused on whatever task you are doing, in school, at home, in sports, etc.

So, if you want to learn kung fu that will work for you when you need it, come learn at the VTSDA. We’ll show you how to control your mind as well as your body, helping you realize your full potential as a martial artist and a human being.

Thanks for stopping by. We hope to see you at the Academy soon.

Sifu Matt Johnson

Sifu Matt with his teacher, Master Ip Ching in Hong Kong at the VTAA
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