“Some martial arts, or combat sports at least, offer a career path that includes fame and riches. An Olympic gold medal, perhaps. But that is not true of ours. I train martial arts because they can offer moments of utter transcendence. The ineffable made manifest. This is traditionally described as “beyond words” or “indescribable” but, as a martial artist and a writer, that would feel like a cop-out. I will take this feeling and wrestle it down onto the page, or at least give it my best shot. It is a moment when every atom in your body is exactly where it should be. Every step you have taken on life’s path makes sense, and is part of a coherent story. The pain of every mistake is made worthwhile by the lessons contained within. There is a feeling of physical power without limit; strength without stiffness; flow without randomness; precision without pedantry; focus without blinkers; breadth and depth; massive destructive capability, but utter gentleness; self-awareness without self-consciousness; force without fury; your body alive as it has never been, all fear and pain burned away in a moment of absolute clarity; certainty without dogma; and an overpowering love, even for your enemies, that enables you to destroy them without degrading them. For a religious person it is the breath of God within you; for an atheist it is a moment of attaining perfection as a human being.”
Quote by Guy Windsor
Work
Swordfighting, for Writers, Game Designers and Martial Artists
Browse quotes and source details for this work. more
Author
You May Also Like
Source: Bulldozer on Duty
Source: Leadership And Training For The Fight: A Few Thoughts On Leadership And Training From A Former Special Operations Soldier
“Simply believing a technique is above failure guarantees its failure.”
Source: Breaking Through: The Secrets of Bassai Dai Kata
“the best way to ruin a perfect moment is by letting it continue.”
Source: Maps of Our Spectacular Bodies
“I waited for the perfect moment, but it got bored and left without me.”
“There was something that resonated on a deep… spiritual level… about cutting a man in half.”
Source: Super Ninja: The Sword of Heaven
Source: Super Ninja: The Sword of Heaven
Source: Confessions of a Military Wife