Garry commented this in my post on The Art in Martial Arts:

While I agree that its impressive when you meet or train with a naturally talented athlete and almost impossible to compete with them on a level playing field, personally, I’m no longer as sure about the “art” element in martial arts. I think that the influence of scientific method on the study and practice of martial arts has become the standard starting point for students on their journey of discovery and I’m not sure whether this will prove to be positive or negative in their evolution. Many principles of movement are common across styles even if their emphasis and application varies. The moral and ethical principles prevalent in a society will always inform the way people learn and practice and create. Today, knowledge is everywhere on the Internet and people don’t have to undertake epic journeys to find competent martial practitioners. As to how many of these powerful warriors are ” artists ” I am not sure. Perhaps Oscar Wilde’s comments best elucidate my point, ” All art is completely useless “. By their very nature, martial arts are practical methods for self defense and therefore, are not art in the Wildean sense. I think martial methods or practices is a better generic term. But then again, what do I know, relatively speaking I’m fairly useless myself.

I think it depends on your definition of art. I touched upon it in the first part of my post already; for me it’s about skill and talent coming together. It’s what differentiates the commoners like us from the artists I listed. It’s one of the ways to define “art” and has been valid throughout the ages. A quote form that page:

Traditionally skill of execution was viewed as a quality inseparable from art and thus necessary for its success; for Leonardo da Vinci, art, neither more nor less than his other endeavors, was a manifestation of skill.

That’s what I’m talking about: Skill of execution is just as important as the end result. My whole point was that most of us don’t get to that stage, where we can perform our martial art at such a level that it becomes art. Much in the same way as Baryshnikov or Nureyev could take pretty much any ballet performance to a higher level.

Bringing it back to the topic: I’m just as impressed by Kaman’s sense of timing in the ring as Risuke Otake’s mastery of the blade. What they do isn’t as important as how they do it.  To get to that level of skill, you need not only talent but also enormous amounts of training. [Read more…]

Yesterday, I talked to somebody about an item on my 25 questions list. He hated opera and couldn’t understand why I enjoyed listening to some fat guy shouting incomprehensible words at the top of his lungs… Straying a bit from my usual posts on MAs, here’s some more on that.

I tried to explain to him that:

• I like all kinds of music: I listen to anything from Entombed and Slayer to whatever is playing in the hit parades. Rap, Latin music, you name it, I like it. Opera is just another one on a long list of musical genres I enjoy. Though, for the record, I hate (most) country and (all) reggae music with a vengeance. Keep your “Yah man!” crap and smoke it…
• Pavarotti being fat is irrelevant. How he looks has nothing to do with his singing. He could be built like a Men’s Health cover model or look like an alien from another dimension, as long as his voice has the magic, I’ll listen to it.
• Most classical operas aren’t written in English. So? Get over yourself you self-absorbed Anglo-centric cultural barbarian! :-) (Sorry, just wanted to say that out loud. Moving on…) Many of the classical composers were Italian or French. Ergo, they didn’t write in English. What’s the big deal? Look up the words, read a translation and enjoy the music. It’s no big deal.
• You might also notice that it isn’t all that common to see opera singers using a microphone. They have to project their voice across the whole opera house so whispering isn’t really an option for them… Besides, in stark contrast to most pop singers, they actually stay on key when they turn up the volume.
• Opera works are stories, stories that encompass human emotions and situations. Some serious and heart-tearing, others light and humorous. I like stories. I like them in books and movies but also in opera. Not so much stage plays though. For some reason, I never really enjoyed those.
• “Nessum Dorma” is IMHO the best part of Puccini‘s “Turandot“, which is a piece about a wickedly cruel woman (haven’t we all known or loved one?) and a prince falling in love with her. You can translate it with “None shall sleep” which rings in my ears as a powerful yet elegant sentence. Did I also mention I love good writing? :-)

Here’s my favorite rendition of it by Pavarotti. Some people might prefer other performances of his (he did plenty so you have your pick) but this is the one for me. I especially enjoy the sustained final note, even though it might come off a bit like showing off. More on this in a bit, here’s the maestro:

What on earth does this have to do with martial arts?

Glad you asked: it’s all about skill and talent meeting training. [Read more…]