How do you "play" your martial arts training?  More importantly, how do you "play" your every day life?  If you read my blog post on "being transformed," I'm going to pull this particular  consideration into that lesson by the end.

IHere's what I mean: Do you play martial arts as if it were tic-tac-toe?  Do you play , or train in martial arts, as if it were checkers?  Or, do you train as if it were chess?  It becomes apparent when you considering your intensity level, focus, enthusiasm, and "how" you do it.

Of course, this is an analogy for beginner, intermediate, and advanced students..  We recently tested a large group of students to black belt rank.  We now literally have more black belts in our adult program than any other belt.  This gave me pause, as I consider how the students "play" their training.....

Now, if we pull this same 3-level(s) of training into our transformed lesson, we'd consider the following:

1.  Beginner level = laborer = tic-tac-toe = you do martial arts with your hands and feet.

2. Intermediate = strategist = checkers = you "play" martial arts with your mind.

3.  Advanced = transformed = chess = you "become" the movement because you've trained your body and MIND what to do in a given situation.

So, how does that meld with our walk with Christ?  In John 15:4 it states, "I am the vine, and you are the branches, If you abide in me, and I in you, you will bear much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing."  The key here is our ability to bear fruit resides in us abiding in Him, or  living a Christ centered life.  As branches, we receive our nourishment from the vine,  As we live in Him, we are transformed because we have trained ourselves instinctively through following Him.

True transformation in our martial arts training means we've focused our efforts on abiding in Him, and our souls are transformed by bearing fruit for others.  Then, we are no longer playing tic-tac-toe, but have begun the real "advanced" game of martial arts, in life.

In Him,

Chabutee (Chiburi)