A good martial artist makes mistakes wisely. The crux of learning is to make mistakes - no one is above this maxim. If we are not making mistakes, then we are not trying hard enough to succeed, or our goals are not lofty enough. Also, if we are not making mistakes, then we are not growing either. Growth is a function of shikosakugo (試行錯誤) or “trial and error.” Mistakes pave the way to achieving our goals. All martial arts techniques are based on kata (方) or “a set of predetermined moves.” Many, if not all kata, were born out of trial and error where someone needed to find a solution to a problem and through the process of trial and error came up with a solution to their problem. For instance, in the 1870s, Jigoro Kano studied Tenjin Shinyo-ryu Jujutsu while in college. One of Kano’s seniors, Kanekichi Fukushima routinely defeated him. Kano became so consumed with defeating Fukushima that he thought about it day and night. Kano tried everything from unorthodox Jujutsu techniques to Sumo techniques, but nothing worked on Fukushima. The more Kano studied and tried, the more he failed and sometimes failed miserably. Then one day, Kano happened upon a book about western wrestling in his college library which showed a throw called a Fireman’s Carry. Kano worked out how to use the Fireman’s Carry in Jujutsu and practiced it all night. The next day, when the time was right, Kano sprung it on Fukushima, and it worked. Jigoro Kano went on to create Judo and that throw became known as kataguruma or “shoulder wheel” throw and is still a part of the Judo repertoire today. A mistake is only bad if we either continue to repeat it or if we don’t learn from it. Mistakes aren’t personal - they are just part of the process. Whenever I make a mistake, I try to remember a quote I read in a book on tea ceremony: “Be rebuked, stand corrected and learn. This is the basis of a successful life.” Everyone makes mistakes, but only a good martial artist makes them wisely.
Today’s goal: Go out and make some mistakes but try to learn from them as well.
Watch this video to better understand mistakes