Where Ya Been Doesn't Matter

Traditional martial arts is wrought with the idea that your training lineage somehow increases your skill and fighting ability. In other words, if you trained under a well-known master, surely you have far more skill than the next guy. Or, if you have a shelf full of trophies from days gone by, you are way more formidable than somebody without all the trophies. Or maybe you studied in Japan or Okinawa or China for a number of years. You’ve got to be far more skilled than the old guy teaching karate out of a strip mall who never even left his hometown, right?

Well, yes and no. What you have are life experiences that add to your ability to convey your art to others. If you’ve won a lot of competitions, chances are you know what it takes to be a winner. If you studied martial arts in the Orient, you most likely have a better understanding of the cultural aspects of what you teach than someone who did not have that experience.

However, all of those things don’t make you better today. What you do today makes you better…today.

The best physical therapist I ever worked with was a guy named Joe Rogers. Joe had a bachelor’s in physical therapy from a prestigious school in New York City (when all you needed in PT was a bachelors). Joe was a smart and caring therapist. He was also extremely well-read and extraordinarily knowledgeable. Working with him was like being in school every day, but in a good way. He taught me a lot about therapy and medicine.

Here’s the thing; Joe would be the first to tell you that he learned his craft after he graduated from that fancy, expensive school. He sought people out that knew more than he did and did his best to learn from them. He also took opportunities to explore his career that others had not. He didn’t just graduate and go work; he graduated and started to learn. And he never stopped. His bookshelf at home was like a library. He was always reading, always learning. And he gave me one of the best examples I could hope for.

How many times have you been seen by a doctor or specialist with all of the degrees, plaques and other objects associated with their education but left the office feeling less than cared for? Or maybe you weren’t happy with the treatment plan but your physician was offended by doubts you may have had and proceeded to ask where you went to medical school?

I’ve known a few high ranking martial arts masters who are equally impressed with their own background and legitimacy. They studied with other great masters and they are not shy about telling you who they trained under or what they’ve accomplished. And some of these guys were skilled, but their egos were so big they needed their own zip code. Some students are mesmerized by all the hoopla at first, but realize sooner or later that we all pee and poo the same way. Everyone Poops. Good book.

When I returned from Japan after studying aikido almost exclusively for four years, I thought I was “all that and a bag of chips.” That is, until I decided to spar with an out-of-shape kempo dude who knocked me on my ass. It’s not that he had more skill than me…it’s that I hadn’t really been sparring or training in percussive arts for a while. I also tried to apply aikido where it didn’t belong. I did a lot better the next time we met several months later because I got back on the karate train.

The older I become and the longer I continue to train, the less I am impressed with people who tout their martial arts rank or past experience. Likewise, I’ve had the privilege to study with some true masters of their arts but you’d never know the extent or depth of their ability and experience. Like my mentor Joe Rogers, they didnt let their past determine their present. They kept training, learning, and pushing themselves. They lived one day at a time but lived in that day, not days past. Those days are gone and nobody cares.

It doesn’t matter where you’ve been. It’s what you do that matters. This isn’t just about martial arts, it’s about life. I don’t care how holy you were last Sunday in church if during the week you are judgmental, selfish, prideful and lustful…and then have the audacity to tell me I should get to church.

Come on, man. Do you know why religion in general and Christianity in particular are struggling so much right now? Because it’s not so easy walking the talk.

It’s what you do that matters, not what you’ve done. Legacies are nice, diplomas and trophies record a moment in time. But living in the past disables you from living in the present. It’s ok to be proud of past achievements, but as one instructor told us, “you should be quietly proud, not loud and proud.”

Maybe you think I’m wrong, and that’s ok. But let me ask you something: When you are lying on the other side of the dirt, how much is that little black belt really going to matter?

Dave Magliano

Tatsu Dojo

Jissenkan Budo

Dojo Cho