昔の剣今の菜刀
Mukashi no tsurugi, ima no nagatana
Once a sword, now a vegetable knife
Warriors aren’t complacent. Short-term soreness is a sign of growth as the muscle micro-tears and is reborn stronger and healthier. Warriors love to be sore, but this soreness isn’t masochism. This soreness is the soreness that comes after a good training session. Normal people don’t like pain, but martial artists aren’t normal people. Martial artists are people of character and they believe in the power of doing. Soreness is a sign that we cared enough about ourselves and our craft to put in the work. The only people who don’t get sore are those that don’t really apply themselves. When a person gets out of shape, they lose their effectiveness and when that happens, the Japanese say, “Once a sword, now a vegetable knife.” Regardless of who we are, with age, our mind, body and skill are in a steady state of decline. I once read a study that a professional athlete begins to lose conditioning after 10 days of inactivity. The average age of a professional athlete is 33. I wonder how quickly a person who is 50 or 60 begins to lose conditioning or how easy it is to become a vegetable knife. In class, we are supposed to push ourselves to our physical limits so that we can grow. If we are not pushing ourselves, we are not growing. We push ourselves so that we can be effective when the time comes and that comes with a bit of soreness. Furuya Sensei used to refer to this mentality as, “Cry in the dojo, laugh on the battlefield.” Soreness is what a martial artist uses to temper the sword of their character. A regular person can procrastinate, but a warrior doesn’t have the luxury of tomorrow. The only true path is paved with effort and the reward for that work is soreness. Soreness brings us back to the now and reminds us that we are still alive or that we are still a sharp sword. Warriors enjoy being sore because they won’t accept complacency.
Today’s goal: Don’t accept complacency. Realize that soreness is a privilege only afforded to the living. Enjoy it, it’s a sign that you are still alive.