I first got interested in the martial arts back in the 70’s watching Kung Fu. As amazed as I was at the fighting scenes the things I remember most are the lessons of Master Po, the blind teacher who’s awareness was so great he could “see” without his eyes. Back then martial arts was much more than just fighting.

Today if you ask people about martial arts they either talk about little children in black belts or on the other side of the spectrum, muscle bound men in speedos fighting in a cage. These are only a small part of the martial arts. Happily there are still teachers like Master Po. The lessons of the martial arts have not been lost. Below is a short excerpt written by To-Shin Do An-Shu Stephen K. Hayes:

The Differences Between Self-Defense, Fighting Skills, and Martial Arts
•    Self-defense “personal protection” training is preparation for winning in situations where you suddenly and unexpectedly find yourself under siege. You do not see the fight coming, and as quickly as possible you need to recognize the attack, overcome it, and escape to safety.
•    Fighting skill “hand-to-hand combat” is seen as related to but different from self-defense. You know an assault is coming, but escape is not a possibility, and you intentionally engage your attacker(s) with the goal of subduing them to bring the assault to a close.
•    Martial art training is a realm beyond self-defense (you do not expect the attack…) and combat skills (you know you are going to have to fight…). Through martial arts study you explore the grander deeper lessons and principles that prepare you to win in all sorts of situations, even those not physical in their threat. The path of the noble warrior is the path of the protector, and your life increasingly reflects the depth of the qualities that you seek through your study. Such is the highest goal of To-Shin Do training – perfection of character, betterment of the world, and attainment of personal peace.

Here in NH at Shinobi Martial Arts we are proud to be a SKH Quest Affiliate School teaching Stephen K. Hayes’ To-Shin Do Martial Art.