The Samurai Way... Bushido 武士道

Life is a marathon and not a sprint. I used to go the gym as part of my lifestyle and in fact got to the point people thought I was a trainer and on some evenings I'd wind up helping out with a few people who knew I was not qualified for that but needed someone to give them a hand. On a couple nights a week at my old gym they would have senior citizens and also some people doing physical therapy and it was a pleasure to be able to just show them around a bit and point them in the right direction. Now I just have a compact and effective home gym that was gathering dust.... till now!

• Just because someone says you can't or aren't able to do something does not make it necessarily so.

Samurai Ladies/ Google images/medium

In a round about way the seasons starting to change have made me reread and revisit the the code of Bushido. Bushido is akin to a set of morals or ethics that the Samurai used and it is as relevant today as it was when Samurais "were a thing". Sometimes you must amputate unhealthy people, habits , negativity and low level ways that are anything but constructive. The path of least resistance can be the easiest but also the least disclipline inducing imho. Cleansing mind and body has already increased my resolve and gotten me back into some training in a very short time. ;)

In both competitive sports and training it is crucial to maintain that much sought after balance betweeen competition, ethics and willpower. Here are the Seven Principles of, "The Way of the Warrior". This is the a very concise and short version of what they all in entail but perhaps it will reach out to someone reading this.

Bushido Laws/Google images

Martial Arts in one form or another incorporate into their matches and the sport and art form. It takes skill to utilize your body as both the immovable object and the irresistible force. Even writing on here is a form of exercising self-discipline! Keeping ones eye on the ball and prize is both humbling and fulfilling and that is a beautiful thing.

In future posts, I am planning to share with you a more in depth look of the history and culture that the Samurai and various discliplines embodied. For any Martial Arts enthusiast it will lay out timelines and the evolution of what some can argue has become an athletic "philosophy" for quite a few of us. Reading some of your posts on here is lighting a fire that is going to have me to dusting off my well intentioned home gym/workout station. For now I am going to go brush up on the virtues...especially Jin and Gi. (Benevolence/Mercy and Decisiveness)

I hope you enjoyed this post and if so, then feel free to check out my prior ones...

• https://www.sportstalksocial.com/sportstalk/@battleaxe/super-helpful-post-for-the-sports-talk-fam

• https://www.sportstalksocial.com/sportstalk/@battleaxe/karate-and-tokyo-olympics-looks-can-be-deceiving

• https://www.sportstalksocial.com/sportstalk/@battleaxe/krav-maga-gird-thy-loins