Fill In the Blank... "The Most Important Skill In Martial Arts Is..."

[Jenna]

I like these answers so far. I think the most important skill in martial arts is...

... The skill of discernment.

With discernment you will appreciate from the beginning what is the right and wrong art for you, the right and wrong teacher for you and the right and wrong way for you to train.

Discernment will allow you to view your weakness without the fear that causes denial of that weakness. With discernment you can work your weakness to become better. Or the best. Of course, discernment will show to you that even if you are the best you can still be beat. Then again, it is discernment that will persuade you that even if you cannot be the best, or are no longer the best, you can still be the best that you are.

The easy question to answer is what is the most important skill. I think the more difficult question to address is one that asks about acquisition of that skill.

 

[Steve]

Everyone is missing the single most important characteristic of a good martial artist. The ability to fart on command.

Because no one wants to train with Sensei Farty McSmellington in a hot sweaty dojo. So squeeze 'em out before you step into the dojo.

In BJJ, that's just a little extra momentum. Every once in a while, you need to turn on the afterburners.

 

[Tez3]

Everyone is missing the single most important characteristic of a good martial artist. The ability to fart on command.

Because no one wants to train with Sensei Farty McSmellington in a hot sweaty dojo. So squeeze 'em out before you step into the dojo.

This is a closely guarded secret technique in MMA, it causes your opponent to disengage very swiftly, sometimes though grappling makes it happen all by itself...by all accounts.

 

[Zenjael]

but acceptance that the things you are being taught have value (will work) when learned correctly. If you can't, you must be in the wrong MA or lack humility.

Do people really do the former? Even techniques I have decided to be impractical I will still practice for the arts sake. Can't imagine a technique which didn't have some utility, in some fashion.

 

[yak sao]

This is a closely guarded secret technique in MMA, it causes your opponent to disengage very swiftly, sometimes though grappling makes it happen all by itself...by all accounts.

Ahh, isn't this the indication of true mastery...when it happens all by itself

 

[Steve]

Do people really do the former? Even techniques I have decided to be impractical I will still practice for the arts sake. Can't imagine a technique which didn't have some utility, in some fashion.

Yes, and in a style like BJJ, it actually makes a lot of sense. Most techniques fall into one of a few categories. There are techniques that are immediately applicable. These are the ones that are similar to (or maybe extensions of) techniques you're already comfortable with.

Then there are techniques that need some time. These are the ones that are foreign, but are within the physical realm of possibility. Drill, drill, drill, and then work them into your game. With time and intent practice, these become effective.

Finally, there are the techniques that are, for you, physically not an option. For example, while I can invert and regain guard, I'm not going to work from an inverted guard, folded in half like some of these kids. I'm not working a game like Caio Terra or the Mendes Brothers.

The key, though, and you touch on it, is trusting your coach. As a student, I don't always have the experience or perspective to distinguish between techniques I cannot execute and techniques I cannot execute YET.

 

[seasoned]

Power; Because if You can hit hard, even if you cant call on anything else Youve learnt, You can get by.

It's funny that you mention this. I had the honor of training with two sensei's. My original one and in later years my original sensei's instructor.
It was the second one that always said "the only secret to martial arts was, you have to hit them hard". We all know there is more to it then that, but, he was a big man, and one hit from him was very meaningful.

 

[yak sao]

My old WC si sok liked to tell the story of the time he asked his sifu about pressure points.
His sifu's response was " every place I hit you is a pressure point"

 

[Buka]

Yes, and in a style like BJJ, it actually makes a lot of sense. Most techniques fall into one of a few categories. There are techniques that are immediately applicable. These are the ones that are similar to (or maybe extensions of) techniques you're already comfortable with.

Then there are techniques that need some time. These are the ones that are foreign, but are within the physical realm of possibility. Drill, drill, drill, and then work them into your game. With time and intent practice, these become effective.

Finally, there are the techniques that are, for you, physically not an option. For example, while I can invert and regain guard, I'm not going to work from an inverted guard, folded in half like some of these kids. I'm not working a game like Caio Terra or the Mendes Brothers.

The key, though, and you touch on it, is trusting your coach. As a student, I don't always have the experience or perspective to distinguish between techniques I cannot execute and techniques I cannot execute YET.

Great post. And that is one hell of a great last line. That's fricken Gospel.

 

[ks - learning to fly]

I think the most important skill is the 4th tenet - self control - it's always necessary and is the mark of a good teacher..

 

[WC_lun]

I have to go with Gnarly's answer. Everything is secondary to the ability to truly listen. The ability to really work is also a plus.

 

[tayl0124]

Relaxation!!

 

[Cyriacus]

Relaxation!!

...ehehehe.
Right.
So, Youre saying, that so long as Youre relaxed, everything else just takes care of itself?

I, Good Sir, am Living Proof that that is not the case

 

[pgsmith]

In my opinion, the most impertant thing in any martial art, indeed, in anything in life, is desire. I've seen any number of natural, athletically gifted folks drop out of martial arts because they lacked desire, not skill. I've also seen folks that I thought were shooting at the moon, but desire saw them through.

If you desire something enough, you will overcome the obstacles that stand in your way. We can't learn a thing without the desire to learn.

However, it must also be said that desire alone will get you nowhere. The desire has to be coupled with determination to achieve that desire, else it's simply dreaming.

Just my thoughts on it.

 

[Gnarlie]

I'd like to put forward a second answer to this question:

The most important skill in martial arts is.......................................................................................................using the ignore function.

 

[Supra Vijai]

Listening has come up a few times. Sometimes it goes beyond just listening for the sake of listening though, actually paying attention and understanding counts for far more. Learning is another and a key part of listening, probably the main one IMO. More specifically the willingness and/or maturity to accept learning in any shape or form, at any place or time whether in the Dojo or on the forums here or elsewhere and understanding and accepting that no matter how long you've trained, how good you (or others) think you are, you never truly stop learning. If you find that you do stop learning, it might be time to step back and re-evaluate....

 

[Gentle Fist]

humility - everything else will fall into place after that is realized...

 

[the system]

all very good and duly noted in my opinion i think and have learned from my mental training performed for other reasons that will and determintaion though not the most important skill to develope is one of the criticle skills needed to ascend to any level of mastery whether the ring the art you choose or and more important than anything else self mastery without the fiery will and determination to succed at any cost to prevail in any situation learning any art is hard not enjoyable and about as pointless as bouncing a ball off of a wall and it is almost never brought up or encouraged in the arts anymore oh and one more a skill i learned while working with navy seals intro the tadpoles like rotc for the navy seals is s.o.g more method than a skill it stands for small observable goals start small focus with full will and intent and any thing is possible

 

[Supra Vijai]

all very good and duly noted in my opinion i think and have learned from my mental training performed for other reasons that will and determintaion though not the most important skill to develope is one of the criticle skills needed to ascend to any level of mastery whether the ring the art you choose or and more important than anything else self mastery without the fiery will and determination to succed at any cost to prevail in any situation learning any art is hard not enjoyable and about as pointless as bouncing a ball off of a wall and it is almost never brought up or encouraged in the arts anymore oh and one more a skill i learned while working with navy seals intro the tadpoles like rotc for the navy seals is s.o.g more method than a skill it stands for small observable goals start small focus with full will and intent and any thing is possible

Ummm... could you please repost that as individual sentences? It's quite hard to read and follow any one stream of thought. That said, if learning your art isn't enjoyable for you, then you are learning the wrong art. Simple as that. Also, if learning an art is as pointless as bouncing a ball off a wall (I believe that has a point by the way, it's great for hand eye co-ordination and reflexes), then why learn it in the first place?

 

[Supra Vijai]

Primary Art and Ranking: jkd tkd systema ninpo taijutsu life long white belt

This doesn't inspire much confidence by the way, just so you know. Pick one primary art not 4. Why a life long white belt? That may explain why training isn't enjoyable if you don't think you are getting anywhere or achieving anything