One of the things that came out on the seminar yesterday was the importance of the structure of learning, putting in the important base layers right from the start.

We all advertise and discuss the importance of character training in the martial arts and yet many don’t teach how to educate and alchemise the character and only make vague references to it. We should look to the teacher and their senior students to see how the training system has worked for them.

The most important base layer is emotional intelligence, as an angry or frightened martial artist is a danger to themselves and society.

We start with deep breathing to calm the body, then the emotions and finally the mind. We can’t breathe correctly without good posture and need to develop an aware, focused, sensitive and intense mind. Mindfulness is the key and it starts the education and alchemy of the chemistry and energy of the body.

The student then understands that this is the base layer of their training and how to develop the ‘soft front and strong back’ that’s required to become a powerful martial artist and develop a healthy mind and body to become a useful member of society.

This base layer is then developed right the way through their training giving them the depth to become that ‘iceberg instead of a mountain’.