Happy New Year! 2013 the Year of the Snake

Today is Chinese New Year and May your Year of the Black Water Snake be a happy and fulfilling one. For many Chinese martial artists there is the tradition of learning the Lion Dance to be performed during the various lunar festivals throughout the year. These dances are frenetic, flawlessly synchronized, and are incredilbe displays of athleticism. They are also monumental exercises in teamwork.

The head and tail of the lion have to work in harmony. The ego has to surrendered to the dance. Very often in martial arts we tend to forget the value of teamwork. In my school we practice a lot of sparring. However when we spar it is not a competition. It is not a fight. It is an exercise where we help each other learn. Many people value the idea of just putting on gloves and beating each other up but that is such a long and inefficient way to learn. Cooperative exercises develop self-defense skills far more efficiently and effectively than just jumping around and bashing.

Many people will argue that this is silliness and pure fantasy and that one cannot learn to fight this way. For them I point to the Muay Thai boxers of Thailand. When they practice they go easy on each other. They work on technique, they spar lightly, and they give each other feedback. The reason for this is very simple if a boxer gets hurt in practice then he loses out on the ability to fight in a match and matches are where the money is made. A single match can earn a successful fighter the equivalent of five years of wages. Muay Thai fighters are considered to be some of the best sport fighters in the world.

Teamwork involves working together to help other members of the team to improve and accomplish goals. This is often forgotten in today's fast paced overly-competitive world. Our combined efforts are so much greater than our individual attempts. The lone wolf or the star of the show idea is inefficient and leads us into alienation and loneliness. If we all work together like the head and tail of the lion then we can accomplish amazing things. So ask yourself today as we enter the Year of the Snake how you can work with others to accomplish greater things than you are capable of alone.