Confidence

One of the greatest benefits of regular martial arts practice is that it develops confidence. Many of my fellow instructors emphasize that martial arts develop self-confidence. I don't completely disagree, but I believe that the development of self-confidence alone leaves a person seriously deficient.

Self-confidence is but one aspect of confidence. And in my opinion, it's the least important. Each of us has limitations. No matter how skillful we become, there is a practical and finite limit to what we can accomplish ourselves. And self-confidence alone will not even allow us to reach this limit. In order to make a technique work, I must not only have self-confidence -- confidence in my ability to execute that technique correctly -- I must also have confidence in the technique itself.

Confidence in the technique requires confidence in its underlying principles and mechanics, as well as confidence in those who created it and taught it to me. If the technique has a fundamental design flaw, or it was taught to me incorrectly, then my own ability to execute it correctly will be inadequate to make it work -- and my self-confidence will have been misplaced.

Similarly, my confidence in the use of a weapon, such as a katana, is based upon confidence in myself, the technique being employed, and the weapon itself. If the weapon is flawed or damaged or inappropriate for the use I am making of it, then no amount of self-confidence will bring a successful outcome.

Thus, to be a complete martial artist, one must develop confidence in things outside oneself.

That confidence extends from technique to weapons to our training partners to our sempai to our sensei and all who have preceeded us in the martial arts in which we train ... to the forces of nature under which we operate, the science by which we understand those forces, and the philosophical principles that guide our application of that science. We must have full confidence in all of these or the foundation of our technique will be no more stable than a house of cards.

Confidence is a byproduct of repeated experience. It is the foundation of the scientific method of analysis. If an action can be repeated with an identical outcome each time, then we develop confidence in it -- in science, in martial arts, in human relationships, and every other facet of life. If we repeat an action with a different outcome each time, we will lose confidence in it. Yet, ironically, if we lack confidence we will act hesitantly or alter our technique in some way to make up for our lack of confidence in it, and -- as a direct result of our lack of confidence -- fail to produce a consistent outcome and lose confidence. So, in another of those wonderful paradoxes we so frequently encounter in martial arts, one must have confidence in order to gain confidence!

And the majority of that confidence is in things outside yourself! This is another reason we devoted a chapter of Katsujinken: Living Karate to developing a more robust spiritual life. Our most fundamental beliefs are the source of our greatest confidence. If we believe in a deity, then we place our utmost confidence in that deity. If we believe in nothing outside the physical universe, then we place our utmost confidence in the forces of the physical universe.

It is therefore vital that every martial artist devote a considerable part of his or her training to their spiritual development. At the very least, martial artists must ensure that their training is consistent with their religious beliefs. Whether you are a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Zoroastrian, Rastafarian, or Atheist, if your martial arts practice is not consistent with the principles and ideals of your faith, then you will not be able to develop sufficient confidence to master the techniques of your art.