Intro: Karate instructor draws parallels from TRP to Martial Arts

Body:

Most people stumble into TRP because of relationship problems: they can't get the girl, can't get laid, stuck as Mr. Nice Guy. They soon discover that we're not a PUA group, but more along the lines of a self-improvement group. Martial arts are very similar in the fact that what may start as an inquiry into self-defense unfolds into a life-changing activity that changes you far more than learning to punch, kick, and grapple.

I have compiled a list of parallels between the two disciplines that I find interesting. For brevity Martial Arts will be shortened to "MA".

Section 1: Self-improvement

1: The only enemy is yourself

At first blush, the opponent in MA appears to change between each match. This type of thinking is only true on the surface. In the long run, the only opponent you have is yourself. You may spar Joe today, and you might win. You may grapple Steve tomorrow, and you may lose. These petty victories and defeats mean nothing; as long as you are better than you were yesterday, last week, or last month, you're winning. When you take a few days off, get rusty and slow, you're losing. Embrace the philosophy of Kaizen: You're not going to become Don Juan Pookmaster Alphacock overnight. You're not gonna squat 4 plate first try. Trying to completely consume TRP in it's entirety at once is too much. Focus on getting 1% better everyday.

“Little strokes fell great oaks.” -Benjamin Franklin

2: The road to success is paved by failure.

As men we are competitive creatures by default. No matter how anti-confrontational we have been conditioned to be by BP mentality, at our heart is a strong Kiai: warrior spirit. This is the core of our masculinity. Now, of course we want to win. Blue Belts love to win. They've been training for about a year or so and they're becoming strong and skilled. However, Blue belts hate to lose. They feel personally defeated because they have not yet accepted the first rule that the true opponent is themselves. Blue Belts will make excuses (denial phase), become emotional (anger phase), try to learn a quick fix technique (bargaining) and consider giving up (depression), and only by going through these steps can they learn to enjoy losing and focus on self improvement (acceptance).

On the other hand, Black Belts love to lose. That is because Black Belts never lose: they either win or they learn. Only by being defeated by a stronger or more technical opponent can we grow. You'll learn far more by losing to a master one time than by defeating 100 White Belts.

“I Never Lose. I Either Win or Learn.” – Nelson Mandela

3: You must walk before you can run.

This one is for all you TRP white belts out there. When we first discover MA, we see all the techniques (game, shit tests) and sparring matches (field reports) of the Black Belts and we want to be Black Belt so badly! We know if we can just emulate these Black Belts we'll win matches (sex and relationships)! So if you watch a Blue Belt spar, you'll see some crazy stuff: jump back spin kicks, double jumping kicks, tornado kicks and even the wonderful Mr. Miyagi crane kick. They'll try everything they've ever learned in a three minute span. Most of these crazy moves will whiff and open them up to a counter-attack; or worse, they'll lose their balance and fall. Blue Belts don't understand! Why can Black Belt hit with a spin reverse roundhouse kick (skittles) and they just get punched in the face?

"First learn stand, then learn fly. Nature rule, Daniel-san, not mine." - Mr. Miyagi (The Karate Kid)

You must go slowly in the beginning. Follow the 12 Levels of Dread, starting with maybe 1-3 and add a step each month or two (belt promotions). It's very tempting to try to be Chad the moment we swallow the pill, but you can't throw a crane kick without learning the basic front kick first.

If you are new to TRP: Lift and read. Developing frame, dread, OI, game and the rest will come with practice and time. Patience is key.

Credentials: I am a 3rd Dan Black Belt Karate instructor and a Blue Belt in BJJ. I have been instructing classes for 7 years, from 4 year old kids to advanced adult classes.

Pending community approval, I'd enjoy writing more about TRP and the MA. This post is a response to a call for more material on TRP.