Psychology of the master archer:

The definition of “martial”: relating to fighting or war. Synonyms: brave, combative, aggressive. Antonyms: civil, peaceable.  

When I started martial arts training at the age of 23, my initial drive was to be tough and to be seen as tough. Prior to my first class I was interviewed by the sensei, he made it clear that kindness, courtesy and respect was the basis for training. In essence, the diligent practice of training to be a fighter was in fact a process of self refinement more than it was an exercise in physical prowess, it required melding one's mind, body, spirit into a unified whole. 

 In “The way of archery we’re instructed to, “scrutinize every element of your technique so that you can eventually develop your form into a cohesive, intuitive whole. Whenever possible, you should practice with like-minded friends, being open-minded and receptive to their good advice.” 

Back to the definition of martial, “brave, combative”, versus “civil, peaceable”. 

In essence, civility with oneself and others is the greatest form of combat, “do I not destroy my enemies by making friends of them”, (Abraham Lincoln). It took me many years to understand that a mind at peace is a mind which is ready to win without fighting, and when required to physically do what’s required to win - the chances of success are optimized. (That said, winning isn’t always possible, “not losing to oneself is what we train for”). 

Not losing to yourself requires mastering the basics, here’s a basic example: 

To throw and land a straight right, you need to earn the right to be in range to even throw the shot, posture must be correct for the footwork required to be correct. Personal poise must be correct for the angle and line of attack to preempt defensively responsible movement off the likely line of counter attack. 

 The delivery of the shot starts at the rear foot and is expressed as a singular motion during the striking phase, but that’s not where the shot ends - the recoil of the shot leads the right hand to be positioned against the jawline with the elbow sitting flush over the liver - that’s one shot. 

 With boxing as in business or life, every shortcoming/ failure to execute on the basics will be exposed whether you like it or not, better to fix what you can in practice rather than rely on your ego in a fight. In this respect, pain is a tremendous teacher… until you become the student of the pain you face/ create, the lesson will not provide you with the will or the skill you require to master the combination you face or deliver. 

 When one accounts for the presenting lesson, pain has a purpose, in fact pain with a purpose is where the emotional reactivity to being hit begins to die. For me, this is the fundamental requirement for becoming a fighter, “it’s not how hard you get hit, it’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward”. 

 “The better the fighter, the better they are at managing themselves, the space and shots of their opponent.” In the fight or in life, self and relational management is a never ending journey of diligent practice. 

For the next phase of our discussion, I can do no better than introduce you to Chinese archery and its relevance to yourself via the work of General, Wang Yangming (1472--1529). 

 "A Note on Observing Virtue" by Wang Yangming (Ming Dynasty)

When the gentleman is practicing archery, his inner will must be correct, his outer body must be straight, and his handling of the bow and arrow must be focused and solid. Only then can he talk about hitting the target. That is why the ancients used archery to observe and develop virtue.

1. With impatience in his heart, his movements are reckless.
2. With wander in his heart, his vision is superficial.
3. With regret in his heart, his breath is starved.
4. With negligence in his heart, his appearance is lazy.
5. With arrogance in his heart, his expression is conceited.

These five things do not preserve the heart. Those who cannot preserve their heart are not learning.

When the gentleman learns archery, it is to preserve his heart. That is why if his heart is upright, then his body will be correct.

1. If his heart has respect, then his expression will be serious.
2. If his heart is peaceful, then his breath will be comfortable.
3. If his heart is concentrated, then his vision will be focused.
4. If his heart is coherent, then he will be timely and principled.
5. If his heart is clear, then he will be deferential and respectful.
6. If his heart is grand, he wins but is not overzealous, he loses but is not deflated.

With these seven things in order, the gentleman’s virtue will be complete.

The gentleman will always find utility in their study, and through archery we can see the results of that effort. That is why they said:

• For the father, being a good father is his target.
• For the son, being a good son is his target.
• In archery, you shoot for your personal target. The target: your heart.

Each person shoots for their own heart. Each is obtaining their heart alone. That is why they say “you can observe virtue”. 

Understand and master each of your roles in order to understand and interpret the role of the "adversary" you’re facing. Winning cannot be guaranteed, but as long as you’re not losing to yourself, all will be as well as it can be. 

If you like this article, your friends, colleagues and network will likely like, comment and share too, that’s good for them, me and you. 

War(m) regards

Robert :)

Credit to: http://thewayofarchery.com for the treatise in archery. 

Dedicated to: Eric Saiget and Dr. Loch Forsyth