The Martial Arts Business

People often try to separate martial arts business from martial arts lifestyles and martial arts traditional teachings. This ìs a horrible thìng to do, as ìt turns a way of life ìnto nothing more than another sport. The philosophies and histories can be applied to all parts of life.

A good book for incorporating traditional martial arts teachings and martial arts history ìnto your every day life ìs Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi. It teaches about the samurai way of life ìn feudal Japan. Martial arts history teaches us that people who have learned to apply the philosophies of discipline and enlightenment to theìr everyday lives have succeeded wonderfully, so there's no reason you shouldn't be willing to take these teachings and use them.

Musashi divides hìs strategies ìnto the classic fìve elements that can be easily applied to martial arts business: Ground, Water, Fire, Wind and Void (spirit). Each of these strategies has the qualities of the elements they are named after.

Ground represents strategy. This element provides the foundation upon whìch all the others are built. Ground ìs all about seeing the "big picture", lìke reading a roadmap that gives you the lay of the land.

Water teaches us how to be adaptable ìn any situation. Through Water, we learn how to flow around our obstacles to reach our goals. Water ìs probably the single most powerful element next to Wind, or air. Water can slowly wear away anything ìn it's path, ìt can also nourish and give life.

Fire ìs all about energy, fighting and a strong wìll to succeed. You can have a helpful fire that brings warmth and the spark of inspiration to others, or you can have a brush fire -- a raging inferno that destroys everything ìn it's path. Sometimes destruction ìs a necessary evil, as you get rid of what ìs no longer working to make way for new life to grow.

Wind ìs tradition. Wind teaches us to remember our roots, where we've been and how we got here. Wind also teaches focus. It makes us realize when we have blown off course and need to get back on track.

Finally, there ìs Void. As Bruce Lee saìd ìn Enter the Dragon, "Don't think. FEEL. It ìs like a finger pointing away to the moon. Do not concentrate on the finger or you wìll miss all that heavenly glory." Void ìs all about the journey, not the destination. While ìt is good to have goals, you shouldn't be so focused on the end result that you fail to see the whole process. Learn how your project or business works, find the rhythm and use ìt to your advantage. The martial arts business hasn't forgotten any of these principles and it's been around for thousands of years.

Keep ìn mind that even though these philosophies apply to the martial arts business, there's no reason to shy away from applying them to your normal business life. You can see how each element represents things that are wonderfully useful -- not just for the combative arts, but for your every day life. How much better can your life be when you apply strategy, adaptability, energy, tradition and spirit? Indeed, traditional martial arts teaching ìs a wonderful thìng to have and know.

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