Transcending Style in Martial Arts
Why The Question Which Martial Art is the Best? is Irrelevant
Sep 30, 2009
When a novice student asks, “What is the best style of martial art?” the best answer is “The one you enjoy, because that is the one you are most likely to stay with.” The answer for the more mature martial artist however, is different. To understand the answer for the mature martial artist, one must first understand the concept of “style.”
Understanding Martial Art Styles
The word “style” in regards to the different martial arts means a set of rules; a framework against which one can secure their martial arts training. Examples are the named disciplines, such as taekwondo, judo, karate, kung-fu, etc. Style is absolutely necessary for the beginning student. To become a master, however, one must transcend style.
Examples of Transcendence
To transcend something is to surpass it, to grow beyond it, without discarding it. Transcendence is not a loss of the old and gain of the new, but a retention of the old and addition of the new, where the new becomes paramount. A good example of transcendence appears in biological evolution. When creatures evolve, their DNA doesn’t lose the information of the earlier incarnation. When (most) primates received an improvement upon the non-opposable thumb of their ancestors, they didn’t lose the thumb, they gained new articulation. When humanity gained speech, it didn’t lose the ability to make non-language vocalizations (“ki-yah,” anyone?), it simply gained the ability to form words in the throat, mouth, and mind. Likewise then, to transcend style is not to completely discard style, but add to it a new level that takes precedence. For martial arts this new level is no-style.
Advancing to No-Style
No-style is the letting go of adherence to style. Adherence to style is the attitude of “this style is the best,” or “One can’t do that technique in this style.” This type of dogmatic thinking not only protects one from learning new and interesting techniques, it is far too mindful to be useful in a self-defense situation. If a martial artist were fighting for his or her life, would he or she refuse to employ a technique because it didn’t conform to the chosen style? If one did, it could be a lethal stupidity.
The martial art master must act thoughtlessly, and focusing on the limits of style is the antithesis of thoughtless action. To achieve this level, martial artists must practice using the rules of their chosen style until they can do so without conscious effort. Then and only then can the martial artist move beyond style into no-style: the state of natural action. As you read these words, you no longer need to examine every letter and slowly vocalize them. You have practiced reading enough that you can look at a word and immediately recognize it. You use no conscious effort to sound out the words: you read them thoughtlessly.
Just as sounding out every letter as when reading is regressive, anyone believing adherence to style is the goal of martial arts is not only completely wrong, they are limiting their growth as martial artists. Style is like the scaffolding on a ship in dry dock. The ship is a person’s development in martial arts. To build the ship, one needs the support provided by the scaffolding; the hulls of skill must rest against the scaffolding of style for support as practice builds them. However once completed, the ship must leave the scaffolding behind in the dry dock for it to sail. So too must the mature martial artist let go off adherence to style in order to voyage into self-mastery.
