Statement of Philosophy
In any statement of philosophy, one must answer the big questions. Why study
the martial arts? Why our school or our system? There are many schools today
vying for attention and mind-share. What do we offer that is distinct from them?
Every prospective student must answer these questions for themselves. We will
attempt in the brief space allowed here to provide insight into what we feel are the
guiding principles for our organization and system.
Why Martial Arts?
To get a good grasp of the substance of this question, one must look back
through history to find how others answered this question. There are many
useful sources for the history of martial arts training around the Internet. Simply
put, most people have studied for mainly 2 reasons; to become effective fighters in
hand-to-hand combat, and for self-improvement. For those you are serious about
the fighting aspect, an honorable path to his end would be to join the armed
services. We support our troops in their efforts to secure freedom and peace
around the globe.
With the regard to the second reason for martial arts, self-improvement, we
believe this is much less understood. Ancient Middle-Eastern, Indian and Chinese
practitioners understood very well that martial arts is an invaluable tool in
developing the body and the mind, and also to assist in the pursuit of their
respective faiths. Today, we have many outlets for physical self-improvement;
weight-lifting, running, etc. But these do not engage the mind. For the mind,
there are many kinds of schools such as colleges and universities. But these do
not engage the body. We believe that martial arts can not only develop the body
and the mind, but also the spirit. What we are discussing here is nothing less
than an extreme makeover! The martial arts is not so much about becoming a
better fighter, but a better person. Gichin Funakoshi, the famous Okinawan
karate master who founded Shotokan, said, “The ultimate aim of karate lies not in
victory or defeat, but in the perfection of the character of its participants”. This
“makeover” can lead to successes in every area of life; at home and at work.
Why the Rising Son Association?
As an organization, we are dedicated to the improvement of our participants
through the proper use of martial arts training and a biblical philosophy. Our
philosophy begins with the understanding that a wise man will build his house
on a solid foundation. A solid foundation is able to withstand the storms and
circumstances of life which seek to destroy it. A wise man will learn that his
greatest source of strength is not within, but outside of himself in God. With
regard to martial arts training, we feel that one aspect of this foundation can be
found in repetition of basic techniques and proper stances. All drills and
advanced kata are sequences of basic techniques and movements. If the
foundation for training was not chosen wisely, the kata performance will be
sloppy and ultimately ineffective in defense against an attacker.
Our philosophy also understands that self-defense means defending against
ourselves. We can be our greatest enemy at times. This struggle occurs in all
three areas; body, mind and spirit. The body breaks down if we don’t actively
work to improve it. The mind loses sharpness without continual effort. The
spirit seeks self-gratification at the expense of others. How do we overcome this
tendency towards self-destruction? For the body, diligent discipline and exercise.
For the mind, we must be slow to speak and quick to listen. (Rigorous kata
training helps here, too.) For the spirit, we must be slow to anger and quick to
love. We must give our teachers and mentors respect and attention. We must find
our peace and rest in God. We must learn discipline and patience, and be
disciplined in our training and our lives.
