The Role of Shugyo in Modern Martial Arts

[Groinstrike]

This post was originally published as an article in a dedicated KarateForums.com Articles section, which is no longer online. After the section was closed, this article was most to the most appropriate forum in our community.

The word shugyō when translated to English basically means deep, prolonged training of both the body and the mind. Using this definition, we can see a wide array of training activities that could be considered shugyō. For example, both a three hour marathon belt test and a day at the pistol range could both be considered shugyō by this definition. The term musha shugyō refers to a samurai warrior's pilgrimage or quest in which they would wander the country side dueling, training and expanding their skill set. My question is this: What role if any should shugyō play in modern martial arts?

As I said previously, shugyō can take on many forms. Physical shugyō can be used to strengthen a martial artist's resolve through intense and repeated training sessions where a martial artist is asked to push his or her limits. It can be difficult to truly know what you are capable of until you are bloodied, exhausted and bruised. I also believe spiritual shugyō has an important place in strengthening any martial artist. We must meditate on techniques, values and situations where our courage, honor and integrity may be tested. It is important that a martial artist thinks deeply on "what if" scenarios in order to prepare one's self for a worst case scenario.

I would make the argument that training should be in all things and shugyō should be in all things. We as martial artists do not have the luxury of thinking like a normal human being. In every part of life, we should see an opportunity to learn. We should also not learn passively, we should seek out these opportunities as a pursuit of knowledge and higher understanding. As human beings it is very easy to fall into a rut in training, to get in a comfort zone. That is why it is so important to travel in our training. Visit different schools, train with different people - there is an opportunity to learn in all things.

If you're a grappler, check out a Goju ryu class. If you're a kickboxer, try some tai-chi. Once we understand that an open mind is necessary to receive knowledge, we stop being dismissive of other styles and schools. I see so many martial artists who are only willing to train one style with one group of people; due to this they are stunting their growth. One must not be afraid to step outside of their comfort zone. Yes, there is a possibility one may be put in a situation where they will be outclassed on the mat; this is a good thing. We learn much more from a defeat than a victory in my opinion.

Shugyō can also be a useful tool in creating a "warrior mindset." If you have never experienced what it is like to throw your best technique at someone and have your opponent crash right through it, you have never experienced shugyō. The phrase "adapt and overcome" has become a popular mantra for many units in the United States Marine Corps; this idea should be at the heart of every martial artist. No fight will ever be the same, a fight is constantly changing so as martial artists we must always be willing to adapt to any situation.

Your opponents will always have different strengths and weaknesses. If you fight the same no matter the situation, it is likely that you will not be able to adjust when the situation changes. Shugyō is key to this thinking. Learning how to fight while exhausted, to keep fighting while cut, bleeding and dying, to learn that it is a real possibility that no matter how often you have practiced a technique, it can fail when you need it most. These are all things we must meditate on and accept.

Shugyō is necessary in order to illicit fear and pain responses during a combative situation. Being outmatched in a fight is a scary situation, but by putting ourselves in an uphill battle in training. we may save our lives when faced with it on the street. This is where we learn to change tactics, to escalate or deescalate a situation, to accept the fact that we may have to kill another human being to live. We must accept that being in a fight, a true fight, is not a fight at all. It is combat.

When training we must harden our bodies and minds in order to deal with the fact that the world we live in can be a dangerous place. We must meditate on the harsh realities of life on earth. We must embrace the scary fact that no matter how much training we have had, no one of us is invincible and no magic technique or no-touch knock out will save us against a determined assailant that lacks fear or reason. In these situations, we must use our most basic, brutal instincts to survive. You may not be able to execute that great powerful hip toss when you need it the most, it may very well be that the only thing that can save you in a fight for your life is the realization that you must brutally maim or kill your opponent by any means necessary. This means clawing, gouging, ripping, tearing, biting or stomping your opponent until the assault has been stopped. Anyone who has not thought deeply on this subject has not practiced shugyō.

Shugyō should not be an excuse to simply beat up on those students ranked below us. Long training sessions filled with sweat, blood and vomit can bring a group of students closer together. Believe it or not, it can be fun to push yourself. I prefer to view shugyō as a way of obtaining a higher consciousness and understanding of ourselves and our arts.

Some of the most important times in my martial arts career have involved me barely being able to stand, swinging wildly at an opponent as we are both snarling at each other like dogs. As you will find, clean crisp techniques often go out the window when fatigue sets in. Instead what often results looks more like a hockey fight than a sparring session. Other times I have found myself standing in sanchin-dachi, taking repeated throat strikes in order to build durability and the ability to breathe through punishment. All of these experienced have made me a better, more well rounded and humble martial artist.

This brings me to my conclusion: I believe the most important thing shugyō can give a martial artist is humility. It can be a pretty humbling experience to have your clock cleaned over and over again for 3 hours. Too often we live in a martial arts landscape ruled by ki-knockout artists, hot shot point fighters, thugs trying to pass themselves off as amateur MMA fighters, and "masters" that are too "dangerous" to even spar with their own students. Shugyō has a way of weeding out those with no humility and this, I believe, is what shugyō does for us as martial artists. It finds our weaknesses and exploits them, making us stronger the next time.

Thanks for reading, take care and be aware!

[Patrick]

Thank you for the submission, Clay.

Patrick

[ninjanurse]

Great article! Shugyo can take many forms in the modern dojo-any activity or event that stretches a student (of any age) beyond their perceived capacity helps them grow. Parents can be an obstacle though as sometimes they need to be stretched just as much as their kids LOL!

[sensei8]

Great article across the board; I thank you for it.

Shugyo has a special place in my heart because since day one, almost 50 years ago, I've had Shugyo in my MA life, in and out!! Our Dai-Soke, Takahashi Sensei, defined Shugyo to mean this...

"SUCK IT UP!!" Don't complain, don't whine, don't murmur, don't try to short-cut it, and certainly, don't quit!! "...And if you do, I'll make sure that you'll never want to cry about it in the future. Karate-do is SUPPOSE to be hard; so, SUCK IT UP!!" ~ Dai-Soke

Again, my eyes welled up while reading it because your article brought many emotions back to the surface. Emotions that I've tried to harness in a positive manner, but, because of your great article, I found myself emotionally challenged. I miss my Sensei, I miss my MA dad, I miss my mentor, I miss his smile, and most of all, I miss my friend!! This is a good thing because his legacy lives on inside of my heart.

Thank you for your article; it means the world to me, and these aren't just idle words...I mean them with all of my heart and soul.