This is an abridged version of a note, that I recently emailed a young student, who has just been through an ordeal and had to rely solely on himself for the first time in his life. In that situation he reflected on how his martial arts training, at JRRMAS, has had an effect on his ability to deal with the stress of it all.
Him sharing his thoughts with me reminded me of why I've dedicated my adult life to teaching this stuff, in spite of all the hardships that, that entails.
"After reading your letter, I can appreciate that you now have a deeper level of understanding that one of the main ideas, in what we practice and teach at JRRMAS is to help one get through the toughest of times.
Once a practitioner recognizes that and contemplates it in their daily practice, than things really start to change. At JRRMAS the main purpose of training is to maintain (or develop) 'robust health', mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually and to train for those times of great pressure and crisis.
So consequently, we train to stay calm, first and foremost, as that will allow us to be balanced, centered and strong, to believe in our self, keep a clear head and act decisively, with compassion"
Sifu
"Martial Arts training doesn't start until we confront ourselves"
Sifu