At every level of martial arts training, we will encounter obstacles. If we treat them as outside the scope of our training, something to avoid or get rid of so we can get back to training, we will be defeated by them. If we make them part of our training, we can triumph and move on.

At a mountain pass where the road narrows, we see a single warrior make his stand against what seems to be an endless series of enemies.

One by one, they come to challenge him. One by one, they are defeated. If the hero were to face them all at once, he would succumb to their massed power. By taking them on one by one, the hero becomes the victor.

But if he loses even one battle, he loses everything. The opponents are numerous and relentless. The hero fights alone.

This is how our training goes.

As beginners, we face many unfamiliar opponents. Our feeling of awkwardness in a room filled with skillful people. Not knowing the techniques, the movement sequences, the formal etiquette of the training hall. All of this can be intimidating. In fact, it can be so intimidating, that it defeats some beginners. They never defeat this first opponent.

We will face sore muscles.  Injury. A change in schedule. Work pressures. Personal pressures. Health, family, money. Events inside the dojo and out, in our body and mind, all will come to the fore, one by one or several at a time, and appear as obstructions to our training. We need to persist in the face of these obstacles. They are not separate from our training. They are the substance of our training.

Someone may believe that their legs are not strong enough for martial arts. They may decide they do not have the speed or flexibility it takes to be effective or excel at their art. If they yield to these doubts, they give up the possibility of achieving anything. But if they train sincerely and consistently, they will prevail.

People discover resources of physical ability they never knew they had. They become stronger. They become more flexible. Their balance and speed improve.  By consistently practicing, they can overcome the opponent of doubt.

But like the hero battling the series of enemies on the bridge alone, another opponent will appear when one is defeated. Perhaps the desire for a higher level of performance. Maybe a challenge to the ego. Maybe an uneasy feeling that other people are having an easier time. You feel too young. Too old. Too thin. Too fat. Too different. Too much the same. Maybe you feel your own achievements are going unrecognized, despite your merit.

These all will appear as obstacles to training. For a while, they will appear as inherent qualities of martial arts practice, rather than something which will be encountered and defeated, or simply outgrown. This mistaken belief makes some people give up training.

There will be more opponents ahead. At all stages of one’s martial arts career, the heart of practice is a series of challenges. If your dojo environment is a healthy one, these challenges will make you strong.

Facing each new opponent as it appears does not mean creating a life that is an endless series of battles. It means creating a life in which we are not intimidated by difficulty, in which we consistently accept the challenges we face on the path we have chosen.

That way martial arts practice stays fruitful and meaningful. It does not turn into a corny pursuit of rank or approval. In this way martial arts can be a way of life.