Helping Others - The Hidden Gift of Training in Martial Arts

People start training in Martial Arts for many reasons. For some, it is to learn how to defend themselves. Others want it as a way to get fit or improve their self confidence. No matter what the reason though, it is always typically for what the individual wants to take from their time in training.

This marks the first step in everyone’s Martial Arts journey. What makes an individual walk through the door in the first place is the thing of most importance to them at that point.

Getting Started

As a coach and gym owner of many years, I often say to people new to training,

“you get what you want from Martial Arts, but more importantly, you get what you need”.

What do I mean by that? Most people have their own perception of what training in Martial Arts entails. Maybe from what they have seen in films or on television. From what their friends or family have told them. Or even sometimes, just from what they have garnered watching videos on social media.

As such, people usually look for the easy to see benefits of training. Increased physical fitness, skill, self-confidence, self-defence are all typically what individuals look for when they first start out.

Understanding the Why

What someone needs from training though, is not always the same thing as what they want. An example of this might be an individual starting training because their aim is to get fitter but then finding that the self-empowerment that comes through Martial Arts is what they get most from it.

Thus, one of the most hidden gifts from training in Martial Arts (yet likely one of the reasons that keeps people training throughout their lives), is actually that of helping others.

The physical nature of training means that people have to work together in order to develop their skills. This activity requires that in order to be successful over the long term, you need to be able to connect with those around you.

The Secret to Success for Training in Martial Arts

No matter what the gym, club or academy, the student body will be made up of varying levels of age, ability and experience.

The most successful coaches understand that the ethos of helping each other in training is vital. Not only for development on an individual level, but also for both the group and overall longevity of the gym as a whole.

Beginners and new students can often be overwhelmed by the various skills, physical conditioning and co-ordination they need to develop when first starting out. The coach seeks to ease this process with the system of training, education and drills they have developed or learned.

But, it is often down to the existing group to really help transform new students and beginners into capable Martial Artists. How does this occur? Even those with little experience can help an individual new to training by educating them on the small things i.e. etiquette, names of techniques etc.

Those who have been training for a lot longer will be able to correct, guide from experience and offer assistance across the board to partners who are struggling at any point.

Both are capable of helping the individual feel connected to the group and feel like they have found somewhere they can belong.

Even when students or practitioners are equally experienced in training, this ethos and approach continues to pay off. Pushing each other and then reflecting on what was done well or could be improved by both allows the opportunity for never ending growth. Ego is the enemy.

The Martial Arts Journey

This for me is a huge part of the Martial Arts experience. We of course take a lot personally from Martial Arts training. Whether that is getting fitter, stronger and more skilled. Through practise, sparring, rolling or competing. We strive to be the best that we can be. We are always looking for ways to self-improve.

Knowing what we have got from training, we of course then want others to get exactly the same benefits for themselves.

This is exactly why I started the Warrior Collective!!

Outside of the gym, we become the passionate advocates for Martial Arts training to all those that will listen. We share quotes, videos and techniques of anything we want others to learn and/or feel inspired by.

Inside the gym, when we are not pushing ourselves, we are looking to see who else we can assist. We want our community and everyone in it to grow.

This is often the journey most people go on before becoming a coach themselves. We realise that by helping others on their Martial Arts journey, we are also vastly improving our own.

We rise by lifting others

Robert Ingersoll

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