In the martial arts, the successful student is the one who can master the moment. In order to master the moment, we have to be good at sente (先手) or “seizing the initiative.” Sente translates as “first hand” but it’s supposed to mean taking the initiative. When we match up with our opponents, we should be constantly scanning them for suki (隙) or “weak points.” Once we discover an opening, we need to act quickly to seize the opportunity and, hopefully, the victory. Seizing the initiative is thought to be the best way to dictate the outcome and defeat our opponents. Life is like that as well. Furuya Sensei would often admonish us by saying, “there is no time left.” If we lived to be 101 years old, then we would have only lived 36,500 days. Doing the math is shockingly sobering. Sensei was right to admonish us because the opportunity to live our lives is right now - not tomorrow. Tonight is hatsukeiko or “the first practice of the year.” For a martial artist, January 1st shouldn’t be that big of a deal because although the date might change, the path still remains the same. However, coming to hatsukeiko is a symbolic gesture. Sometimes we stumble or sometimes we need to reaffirm ourselves and so by coming, we are symbolically saying that this is the path that we are choosing to take. We are seizing the initiative with the opportunity that being alive has afforded us. Martial artists train themselves to live following the Japanese proverb “issun no kouin karonzubekarazu” (一寸の光陰軽んずべからず) or that “not a moment should be wasted.” Today we are alive and able and thus we train because that is what we choose to do with our lives - we seize the initiative. Writer Alice Morse Earle said it best, "The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it is called the present.” That is why the best martial artists master the moment.
Today’s goal: Seize the day because tomorrow might not come.
Watch this video to better understand seizing the day.