 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Many Sri Lankan martial artistes are obsessed with the term Master. Some acquire this title by force while it is bestowed on a handful. There have also been great debates on what the criteria is for a person to say he is a master in martial arts.
Renowned martial arts guru of Sri Lanka Free Style Martial Arts fame, Antony Charles says that anyone who calls himself master has to be a complete martial artiste.
In an interview with ‘Sunday Island - Sportstar,’ Charles recalled how his charges began calling him master at the inception of his career.
"I had just begun teaching martial arts at home and my students started calling me master. I felt very uncomfortable then because I knew very well that I didn’t qualify to be associated with the title of master," he said.
On His Own –
At present, after several years of dedicated practice towards perfecting the art of fighting, he thinks it is appropriate to have the word master in front of his name.
Charles has learnt from many renowned gurus but he had started making rapid progress the day he decided to explore the world of martial arts on his own.
"Some masters look into the family background and ones’ character when enrolling students. A true master shouldn’t do that. I say this because a person with a dismal past will not survive when training gets hard in the dojo (training hall). He will leave the hall by himself, after some time," Charles said.
There are many instances when martial arts teachers have been quoted in interviews and in public saying that a person can associate himself with the word master if he can throw a punch during a fight without thinking. Charles disagrees.
"I believe one can’t do anything without thinking. I think what people are talking about here is the process of thought happening at a very fast pace," he opined.
Other Traits –
Charles said that there were other characteristics of a martial artiste which showed that one might have reached the status of master.
"I have observed that masters don’t hit opponents even when there is an opening. An experienced martial artiste will fight another being mindful not to injure his opponent. This is because a punch thrown by a master can be really powerful. The effects of such blows can be felt immediately or some time later," he said.
Charles is an exponent of competitive fighting. So he stressed that holding back punches wasn’t applicable when taking part in a tournament. He said that he disapproved the thinking of differentiating karate as ‘sports karate’ and ‘traditional karate.’
"It is my belief that both these forms of martial arts are parts of one. The problem with what we fondly know as sports karate is it had the tendency to influence fighters to go for points, so they develop speed and neglect building power. If sports karate is made the ultimate goal, fighters who are born through this system won’t be physically strong," he explained.
Need for Good Form –
Charles’ and his students have all fought in international tournaments and won awards. We see martial arts gurus neglecting their training and instead channeling their energies towards teaching their charges. He said it was a must for martial arts teachers to keep in trim form if they wanted to be called master.
He sited the training of Master Masutatsu Oyama of Kyokushin karate fame as an example of a complete martial artiste and a true master.
"Master Oyama is said to have trained till the last days before his death," said Charles.
He said he trained students at his dojo at home, in Kadawata, with the aim of teaching them the deep philosophies in fighting.
"I try to pass on my philosophy of fighting to students in the simplest manner. It is essential that a student goes deep into martial arts and experiences the true meaning of fighting," he said.
Arguments –
In this field of martial arts, there are so much disagreements going on about what’s effective and what’s not. The situation is so bad that a group practising one style will not wish to be even seen with martial artistes practising a different style. In this backdrop, Charles recalled a relationship he has been maintaining with a person whose name he said was Master D.D. Hopkins.
"What’s most striking about this man is that he can accommodate all martial artistes, whatever the styles they practise. He is ever ready to open up to the philosophies and fighting methods of other fighters. He is a true master," said Charles.
He credits Hopkins, a British national, and the Founder President of the World United Martial Arts Association of UK, for his success story in martial arts. According to Charles, Hopkins had been impressed by his performance in the film ‘Blood Sports 3,’ filmed in Sri Lanka, and given him guidance to take part in international tournaments.
Master or Not? –
Charles has been fortunate to travel the world and share his knowledge with martial arts masters of repute. He once told this writer how impressed he was, not of the knowledge they possess of their respective fighting styles but of the friendliness they showed when dealing with people whose philosophies in fighting differed greatly with theirs.
"There are slight differences in every martial art and it’s these differences which give them their identities. If you study other martial arts closely, there seems to be nothing wrong with them," said Charles whose fighting style greatly revolves around karate and kick boxing.
Asked whether he considered himself a master in martial arts, he said: "After taking into account all the hard work and years of training put in, I say yes. But I remind myself all the time that this learning process of being a martial artiste continues till the day I go to my grave."
