Mental Training

Mental training is just as important as physical training, if not more. Training the mind is not something that we usually consider, but proper mental training is vital to our physical training and helps us, in some cases significantly, progress along the path of budo. All professional athletes use mental techniques to train the mind and body and there is no reason why we should not do the same.

True budo involves facing and overcoming interpersonal violence and all of the emotional states that come with it. Many people have never been in a fight, seen combat, or had a gun pointed to their head. But we all know that these situations are dangerous and could lead to physical injury, pain, or even death. This causes us to avoid these situations at all cost or, in many cases, when faced with them, freeze due to emotional paralyses from fear.

To become a true practitioner of budo, we must train ourselves to overcome these mental states of avoidance and paralyses caused by fear of violence (or anything else for that matter). This does not mean we go out into the world and seek violence. What it does mean is that we do the best we can to simulate this violence in the safe environment of the dojo, one step at a time, so that if we are faced with it outside of the dojo, we can overcome it. Fear is a very powerful emotion. Fear can cause us to do things that we would not normally do. Most of us are not used to situations that invoke true fear as we choose in our daily life to avoid these situations. Our training should be designed and conducted to develop us mentally to overcome this fear so that when faced with it, we know what to expect, and can work our way through it.

There is an interesting way to test your body's reaction to a situation like this. Sit down in sieza or any position that is comfortable but will not make you feel as if you want to go to sleep. Still your mind by focusing on your breath for a few minutes. Once you are calm and comfortable, imagine that you are walking alone down a city street at night. You turn a corner and are immediately faced with a large man in a black ski mask and a knife. You can feel the presence of a person behind you. You look and see that two more men have surrounded you blocking any escape route you might have had. The other two men have knives out also. The man to your front asks for your money. As you reach to get your wallet from your pocket or your purse, someone grabs you from behind in a choke hold and says, "We don't care about your money. We just want your life," or something similar. At this point, come back into your body and pay attention to your heart rate, breathing, muscle tension, facial expressions, etc. Are you still relaxed? Or is your body tense?

The primary weapon a martial artists has against violence is their mind. Within our mind lies the ability to think our way through situations provided we remain calm and collected. If we have been training for awhile, confidence in our abilities as a martial artist is also a mental weapon we can use. The ability to project confidence in situations where most people would be meek, scared, and accommodating cannot be faked. (Bravado has absolutely no place in the practice of budo.) This projection of confidence is a superb weapon in itself and will usually throw the average mugger, robber, bully, etc. off balance because they do not expect it. In many cases this is enough to resolve the situation without any further physical escalation.

Do not neglect mental training. Whether it be in the form of active visualization or focused meditation, all of it is beneficial. On the mat during practice, mental training should always be a consideration and a priority. Everyone loves the flash of technique. But your technique will be much more confident and effective if you add mental training to your regular training schedule.