The timid martial arts student

When I saw Hinata's ordeal in Naruto I was reminded of a student in our dojo. The Sensei told him to be more aggressive and not to duck or turn his back on his opponent.

After a while of quitting our club he went on to study Jeet Kune Do and when he sparred again he actually surprised his former classmates with spinning techniques and slipping and ducking techniques.

Being overly timid is as much a problem as being over aggressive in martial arts. A lot of fighting sports coaches urge their students to be pumped up with aggression. That mental attitude may come in handy if your sole occupation in life is going to be cage fighting.

True Martial Arts strive to cultivate a state of mindless awareness and being able to act without hesitation when needed to. An aggressive fighter will always lose against a fighter like that.

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