Pace Patience Perfection

Nunchaku, also known by their common “nun chucks” have been around for centuries. Two sticks of various sizes joined by a chain or rope. Nunchaku were actually used as a farming tool in places like China and Okinawa, sort of “flail” for harvesting rice, wheat and other plants.

Of course, the nunchaku were made famous by the great Bruce Lee and anybody who saw one of his movies instantly wanted to know how to use that weapon. I was no exception. I had only been training in kung fu for about two months when I asked my teacher if I could start using the nunchaku and she wisely said, “No. Learn how to use your arms and legs first.” Naturally I didn't believe I needed to wait the two or more years she suggested before I started training with this weapon, so I went to another school and bought a pair of “chucks” without telling her.

VHRs and video tapes were still pretty new back then, but I did have a copy of the movie, Enter the Dragon and I watched the nunchaku scenes over and over until I thought I had it down. I went out into the garage and started swinging those sticks just like Bruce Lee…well, not exactly. Funny thing about two sticks connected by a chain; they are really hard to control. I found that out pretty quick when I clobbered myself in face so hard that it knocked me down. Two days later I went to class at the kung fu school and my teacher took one look at me and said, “You bought a pair of nun chucks, didn’t you?” So much for looking like Bruce Lee.

I think it’s very difficult for westerners, especially Americans to get used to the idea that some things really do take time. Our culture is predicated on getting things done as quickly as we can so we can move on to the next thing. We tend to be impatient with life in general because we’ve been conditioned to acquire as much possible as fast as we can. And if things don't come quickly or easily enough, we give up and move on to something else. It happens with college degrees, relationships, cars and other life pursuits - like martial arts. This is one of the reasons why "fast" fitness gimmicks and fad diets are still a thing. But hurrying up and “getin’ er done” can have some bad consequences.

I’ve had many students over the years with athletic backgrounds who were used to acquiring physical skills quickly. Invariably some of these folks would get really frustrated with themselves and and some times, with me. They could not understand how “simple” martial arts moves and techniques were so challenging. I’m not necessarily talking about punching or even kicking; most people can learn how to strike at a fairly fast pace. It’s the mechanics of those seemingly simple tasks that people have a lot of trouble with.

Posture, breathing, grounding, energy conservation and a host of other foundational skills take a long time to learn and perfect. Learning how to roll and fall is difficult for most people unless they’ve had a background in wrestling or gymnastics. That's why we start new comers on their knees - less chance for them to get hurt. I’ve lost a few beginning aikido students from time to time because they get bored with all of the initial rolling practice, even though I try to tell them that one bad fall can affect them for the rest of their lives. Furthermore, your ability to fall properly and safely precedes your ability to throw anybody. Yet, there are folks who, despite my instruction and warnings, will do things their way at a pace that is often unsafe and leads to unnecessary frustration or injury. I find this particularly true when teaching people how to throw an opponent for the first time. There's no magic to throwing people to the ground; it's really just mechanics and leverage. But you have to take time to allow your body to learn it. Let me share one of my favorite quotes I learned while studying judo: "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast." I don't know if that quote is actually a judo thing, but my coach said it all the time.

One of the most significant aspects of traditional martial arts training is learning patience. I love having conversations with students when they finally arrive at the conclusion that just because it looks easy, doesn’t mean it is. Most people are genuinely intrigued by that and they realize they have to settle in and get accustomed to taking it slow. Some people never do and they are the ones who either get hurt, leave or both. This is one of the reasons I am still passionate about training in budo. There is always something I can improve on, some way for me to continue to grow and develop but I have to take my time. I also have to be ok with getting frustrated, even though I've been at this now for over half my life.

So, be patient and enjoy the ride. Don’t hurry up and try to learn the next kata before you've really taken your time with the one before. Don't try to get your black belt ASAP. Any school that does that for you is not a dojo. Take your time, perfect each skill…and put those nunchaku down until you’re ready to learn how to use them.

Dave Magliano

Tatsu Dojo

Jissenkan Budo

Dojo Cho