What MMA Taught Me About Healing
The Master’s Path - What It Taught Me About Growth
I’ve recently become convinced that everyone would benefit from pursuing mastery in at least one field - ideally two, with the second being completely distinct from their primary passion.
I’ve practiced mixed martial arts for the last year and a half. It’s incredibly difficult, time-consuming, physically and mentally exhausting, and offers powerful, visceral and immediate feedback on what works and what doesn’t.
Spiritual and creative work is sprawling and rarely linear. Feedback is unreliable and often distracting. A somatic endeavor like martial arts, sport, or music provides a much better education in how to learn - and what it means to grow and get good. Additionally, the training structure of a gym or music lessons offers a much tighter and more supportive container than what one usually finds when trying to master life, relationships, or business.
If one insight has truly emerged from this training period it’s the absolute absurdity of the idea that a single trick, rule, or protocol is the key to success in any field. As obvious as this might sound I spent years, particularly around spirituality and emotional healing waiting for one therapeutic breakthrough, listening to podcasts or audiobooks for the one tip that would unlock success and fulfillment. But, in real engagement with a craft the sheer vastness of mastery becomes clear.
When I first started training I wondered if there was a principle I could apply immediately to make huge progress in my skill. I may have irritated my coach with something to that effect. “What’s the secret to fighting?” A question like that makes no sense now. What position is my opponent in? Side control? Do I have one elbow in? Two? None? Each situation invites a cluster of potential responses, which will be met by another cluster on the opponent’s side, and thereby a third cluster on your end. There is effectively an infinity of options. No trick, no shortcut.
Even high level spiritual practitioners like Eckhart Tolle share stories of their own enlightenment - in a brilliant flash of light, seemingly preceded by nothing out of the ordinary. How many have become enlightened reading The Power of Now? How many have learned to fight from a YouTube video?
Beautifully and maddeningly there seems to be no end, no final awakened stage or belt promotion where there’s nothing left to learn. So if you’re finding yourself struggling with no seeming reward, you’re not failing. You’re simply in the ecstasy and incredible drudgery of practice, practice, practice.
