Arrogance and Its Role in Martial Arts
Today I have the privilege of sharing a few thoughts with fellow martial artist and author, Duane Emsley. Duane, who’s from the UK, and I have been friends on Facebook for quite a while and he recently approached me with a fascinating idea.
Duane said, “I have an idea to share with you, how would you like to write a joint article about martial arts, it can be about anything (your choice – you can start it off and I continue) and we share the finished piece… I’m excited to see what our minds could come up with.”
My immediate response was, “Yes!”
In a world where negativity prevails, bringing two like minds together is a blessing and I, too, was excited to see where we could go with this back and forth banter. What I learned is that, together, people can grow with each other. I picked a difficult topic and somehow, in the end, it all came together. The topic of arrogance is not an easy one and I hope you will enjoy what Duane and I discovered about it in our writing session.
Andrea:
Arrogance is made up of conceit, pride, self-importance, and egotism. Even using the word “arrogance” in the same sentence that includes the words “martial arts” might make you cringe.
Martial arts are often called fighting arts, but when we look more closely, they are more of a defense system than a fighting system. Some martial art training requires a lot of internal reflection. The way of the peaceful warrior is a common topic explored when people delve into martial arts. Not every student wants to fight. Some want to understand themselves better, and that is a purposeful and prudent self-reflection.
In this regard, there is no place for arrogance in martial arts. How can you be peaceful or defensive and arrogant at the same time? Shouldn’t the martial artist be humble, serve others, and use martial arts for a greater purpose? The answers to these questions are yes, yes, and yes.
Is there a place for arrogance in martial arts, or are there moments when pride and self-importance and egotism could be necessary? The real question is to what extent does arrogance make sense, if ever?
Arrogance in the Real World
Andrea:
Could arrogance have a place in martial arts? Or, is it confidence? There can be a fine line between the two. In all practicality, some level of arrogance might be revealed. I am no expert in combat, but could arrogance ever come into play? Several have commented on this topic, that arrogance is a false sense of who you are and can actually put yourself in more danger. You should always consider that your opponent is better than you and fight smartly.
Should you practice arrogance in martial art training?
Andrea:
There really is no way to train for arrogance of any kind in martial arts. It is the opposite of everything for which any martial artist typically trains. There are not many times when you will have the opportunity to be arrogant and get away with it. To understand arrogance, you need to understand its opposite, humility.
If you are humble, you are on one end of the spectrum. Arrogance is way on the other side. Arrogance is like every other opposite, or like Yin and Yang. It exists in all of us and can be called to duty at any times in our lives, but is that ever the right thing?
How much more do you appreciate the sunshine after days of rain? Or how much more do you love someone after being apart? And if something is out of reach, how much more do you want it? Keep arrogance at a safe distance in everyday life and in your martial art practice.
Ego is a Part of Us
Duane:
Continuing from Andrea’s previous piece, this topic leads to some thought-provoking searching. Ego is part of our human make-up. It wears many hats and is stronger with different personalities. You could go really deep here but, for the nature of martial artists suffering from ego or struggling to tap into it, it can boil down to your confidence as a person.
Being a man (not that this matters) I have trained around other men with ego. The worst kinds are the ones who use it as a power and, in return, damage the martial arts essence. A martial art to me is an amazing voyage of excitement and discovery, similar to the journey in the 80’s movie, Flight of The Navigator. It should be fascinating enough to pull the curiosity from any shy cat that prowls from the shadows of uncertainty.
Growing up I had many hardships and thankfully through the discovery of Martial Arts and writing, I was able to strengthen a focus. This laser beam focus became my superpower, but just like Superman III, it must be for the greater good. If not, then ego will find you and burn you out. It is about knowing yourself emotionally. Self-awareness helps you to distinguish what triggers you, positively or negatively.
I believe novice or expert martial artist of any style can improve along the same scale. To me, we are one family with a cause to fulfill in ourselves and our lovely families. We choose to train, choose to improve, and now we must carry that eternal flame for as long as we can. We get to teach, educate, and share part of ourselves with the world, in the hope that our energy is enough to ignite, inspire, guide and help others who are not there yet.
The Various Types of Arrogant People
Duane:
Just as we first struggled with direction and then we somehow just knew, others need others to be as others and to create more others, from another’s mother! (Phew that was a mouthful).
There are arrogant people who know they are arrogant, but don’t care. Then there are arrogant people who do not know they are arrogant. And finally, there are people who are insecure but cover it up and, as result, come across as arrogant when, in fact, they have a certain type of ego that worries what people think about them; so they adopt the cover of the wolf.
In addition, to these types of ego, competitiveness has the ability to breed ego!
There is nothing worse than the Black Belt who has arrived at a high level, only to entrain himself at the expense of lower grade students. This brings us to what we know as “controlled aggression.” It is possible for a martial artist, regardless of rank, to learn how to dig back in with heels and tweak some internal sinews.
The key with this is not the strength of your ego, but the strength of your leash on your ego. All will depend on your nature as a person.
On the street, or in fact anywhere, we see many angry people out of balance for different reasons. How can we deal with all these personalities, emotions, and actions that present threatening ego? The average fair-minded person will weigh the effects of such an encounter, such as getting hurt, going to court or jail, or long-term psychological damage. The mental turmoil could be just as bad if you become a victim.
How does the gentle side of martial arts, the health benefits, and philosophy, fit into the picture?
Duane:
As martial artists, we love to adhere to the gentle side of the arts, the health benefits, and philosophy, don’t we? I know I love it all, nature and symbols. It’s great. I also have seen first-hand that sometimes aggression is needed to face aggression.
I’m not saying this is noble, but I firmly support the need to give birth to a new kind of ego, a pretend one that can be controlled at will, like your other techniques.
Imagine that, a new modified dinosaur that is not in a movie. Sometimes, it is not what you can do, but what you can say. We train for counters in physical defense, so why not allow a quiet ego to give off a confident flare when necessary?
Andrea:
Duane and I agree that ego is a piece of who each one of us are. Like anything, it can be used for good or bad, intentionally or unintentionally, by martial artists and by non-martial artists. Let us not pretend to be mightier than others when it comes to arrogance, because it will make itself known in all of our lifetimes.
The good news is that arrogance can be controlled. While It can swell to a roar if we let it, in most instances, as Duane stated, it can be a quiet ego with a confident flare. In martial arts, we must always temper arrogance, ego, and self-indulgence with the much bigger picture of helping others. If we focus on others and not ourselves, arrogance rarely reveals its ugly head. In that mode and train of thought, it will quietly maintain, but it will always be on guard.
What do you think about the place of arrogance in martial arts? Please let us know in the comment section below!
By: Duane Emsley and Andrea Harkins
Editor’s note: for other articles dealing with ego in the martial arts, check out Thermodynamics, Ego and Confidence in the Martial Arts by Ron Amram or Ego in the Martial Arts by Daniel Hartz.
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Duane Emsley is a martial artist and holds a diploma in short story writing. He has written articles for Martial Arts Illustrated Magazine and was awarded top fighter award at the MAI Hall of Fame. He is also the author of Kickboxing in Paradise and Still Waters. Available on Amazon and Lulu.
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Thanks guys for your great article it was very inspirational and I made a 46minute video for you guys on youtube talking about it and reading it live so you can watch the video to hear my thoughts if you have time – I will post it on my channel later today and I will also share this link to your article in the description for all to read and enjoy