The ancient masters taught that martial arts practice was the key to expanding the mind as well as strengthening the body. Now scientists are starting to understand why.
It seems that consistent practice actually creates significant changes in the brain.
“Recently Claudio Del Percio of Sapienza University in Rome and his colleagues reported the results of a study in which they measured the brain waves of karate champions and ordinary people, at rest with their eyes closed, and compared them. The athletes, it turned out, emitted stronger alpha waves, which indicate a restful state. This finding suggests that an athlete’s brain is like a race car idling in neutral, ready to spring into action.” (Carl Zimmer, “The Genius of the Jock,” Discover Magazine Presents the Brain, Spring 2011)
Of course martial artists identified this phenomenon hundreds of years ago. The Japanese call it “mushin,” the Chinese call it “wu shen.” Both these terms translate roughly to “empty” or quiet “mind.” It’s no coincidence that some of the traditional forms practiced at the Black Belt Mindset Institute are called, from the Okinawan dialect: “Pinan,” a word that means “peaceful mind forms.”
The ancient masters knew that practice quieted the mind. Practice reduces the conscious effort needed to perform a technique and allows room in the processing regions of the brain to handle and process more data quickly.
“Even as practice changes the brain’s anatomy, it also helps different regions of the brain to talk to one another” the Discover article continues. “With practice, the prefrontal cortex grows quiet. Our predictions (about a task) get faster and more accurate, so we don’t need so much careful oversight about how to respond.”
Every moment you spend in practice strengthens your brains ability to process information quickly and more accurately! This is the natural progression of novice to master; from Think Like a Black Belt…
“…Practice. That’s the “secret” if you’re looking for one, and it works as well in business and real life as it does in martial arts.
“A few years ago I was at a martial arts convention. One of the sessions featured Master Yamazaki, a renowned master of Japanese sword craft. In fact, his family was part of an unbroken line of instructors to the Imperial Family of Japan. Master Yamazaki taught most of the session through an interpreter, but he mustered enough English to tell this story, which I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I’ll do my best to share it as accurately as my concussion damaged memory will allow:
A young swordsman asks the Master to teach him how to become a great sword master.
“Simple,” says the Master, “you only need to follow three simple rules.”
“What’s the first rule?” asks the student.
“Rule number one” the Master continues; “Basic practice!”
“OK, rule number two?” The Master answers again, “Basic practice!”
Rule number three?
“MORE basic practice!”
“A huge grin spread across Master Yamazaki’s face and in his thick Japanese accent he boomed out…
“Like-a-Nike! Just do it!”
As it turns out, this story that has been handed down for generations, albeit with Master Yamazaki’s addition of the Nike reference, has a sound scientific foundation. Maybe the most valuable part of martial arts practice is the particular attention we pay to the value and benefit of the process of practice itself.
Zimmer also notes: “…even the most genetically well-endowed prodigy clearly needs practice- lots of it- to develop the brain of an athlete. As soon as someone starts to practice a new sport, his brain begins to change, and the changes continue for years.”
The act of practicing has long lasting effects and any martial artist will tell you those benefits extend well beyond the constraints of the mat! Whatever you want to achieve in life, the secret is practice.
“That’s it! The same secret works if you want to become a doctor, actor, lawyer, or janitor in your local high school. All professions are admirable, provided you treat your job as a profession. That means taking meaningful action and practicing your trade as an art. Practice is really the ultimate action; it’s the beginning, the middle, and the end. Practice is what transforms any action into artistry. It is the trademark of the Master.” (From Think Like a Black Belt.)
That mastery can be applied in any area of your life including work and school.
The evidence is now clear! Science proves that every time you practice your technique you’re tuning your mind for high-performance! Martial arts training does strengthen the mind as well as the body!
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You can “Think Like a Black Belt at work and on campus too- and you don’t have to kick and punch to do it! Book Jim Bouchard for your next event and learn how to “Think Like a Black Belt!” Follow this link for more information!
Thanks for the really interesting post. I’d often wondered what the ‘mokuso’ was all about and you’ve answered my question.
Many thanks,
Goju-blogger
Glad you enjoyed it. We appreciate the comment!
[…] Apparently alpha waves are what our grey matter exude whilst we are in a semi-prepared state of mind – not completely relaxed or sleepy, but quieted. Like when you are reading a book just before going to sleep. This helps us focus and generally improve the way we handle pressure, think creatively and innovatively. You get alpha activity when you do mundane, automatic stuff like having a shower – this might explain why the best ideas we have are whilst taking a shower. […]