***Meaning behind Martial Arts***

I do martial arts for many reasons. It's a way of life for me. I began at 15 learning Spanish Sabre fencing and moved onto other WMA styles, then began iaido at twenty two, which is an art I will practice until I die. More recently I've taken Hapkido (still am), a bit of Kempo and have just started in FMA.

The arts allow me to focus and better myself as a person physically, mentally and spiritually. They're also something I have in common with my better half, as is sword collecting. The arts also give me a connection to things much older and more permanent than I am and that's reassuring, for whatever reason. So, my answer was 'other'.

-MidoriKurogami of Sword N Armory.

This is the very first thing we taught in the class. It is titled The Ethic. It is the most important thing that can be taught, since it will keep a person out of a lot of trouble in self defense.

THE ETHIC OF TRUE DEFENSE
The class is getting ready to start. Uniforms have been assigned, the perfect shoes have been picked, and everyone is totally excited. This is the start of a great adventure... learning how to defend one's self is not just about fighting. It is more than that. A fight must be avoided whenever it is possible. We will be learning that the confidence level found within ourselves will prevent most fights, as fear can be eradicated. Fear is the cause of more fights than anything else. Fearing some one will harm you will cause you to react in haste. One must act, not react. One must decide one's own actions, and not need to respond to the actions of another. Winning a confrontation is not about defeating the opponent. Winning is about not getting harmed, which is even more of a win if no one gets harmed. There is no winner in a war, only the second loser. Both sides suffer loss, suffer pain, sustain damage. We won WW1. We won WW2. Did we really? Or did we just lose less than the other side? This is something we need to really think about in our aproach to learning self defense. This why MARTIAL ENTERPRISES philosophy is one of true defense. Truly defending one's own self and others who cannot defend themselves. There is no acceptance of being weak enough to not be merciful. No allowance for hurting someone else, even an opponent/ attacker, just because you can. Do all you can do to stand strong, and when you have done all that you can do, still stand. You don't have to knock the opponent to his knees to prove that you can stand... if he is standing and so are you, then you have stood. Remember, once you have defeated an opponent in his disgrace and humiliation, and hurt him bad enough, he will plot his revenge and you will have to fight him again, and again. But if you kept him from defeating you, with his dignity intact, he will not be as apt to try to get even. Bruce Lee found this, when in college, he defeated an opponent, that later became his first student in America. Be vigilant and watchful, as this scenario will not fit every case. That is why there will be offensive maneuvering taught... but it should never be used unless you have exhausted all other resources of defense. A violation of this ethic, in class or out of class, will be immediate terms for dismissal from further learning in this class. This is our teaching, our ethic, our mandate. Get ready for the adventure of your martial arts life time.

I chose "OTHER." I haven't practiced martial arts for a while now. I studied 8 years of Okinawan Karate starting in high school. Even though I stopped training, the philosophy of improving oneself has always stayed with me. If you use martial arts training as a blueprint for life, I reckon you would be pretty successful. I'm not saying that's the only way to go, but it works for me.