Apply this inspiring martial arts concept in your life

What is “Shuhari” and how to apply it

🏷️ Categories: Personal stories, Continuous improvement

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I was about eight years old.

I had seen my brother practice taekwondo, I admired his agile movements, without knowing it, he awakened in me the curiosity for martial arts. It wasn't long before my mother took me to the small neighborhood dojo for the first time. I remember how the sounds of the dry punches and the energetic shouts of the fighters echoed in the room. In my brand new outfit, I was excited about the experience I was about to have.

I quickly realized the slowness.

My teacher insisted that I repeat the same instructions over and over again. For weeks, I only worked on the position of my feet and the angle of my arms and legs. Nothing else. In my child's mind, I longed for the freedom to fight, to improvise agile movements and face opponents.

However, my teacher knew that before letting me fly, it was necessary to build a solid foundation, a structure that would bear the weight of later learning.

As the years went by, my understanding of martial arts expanded.

I understood that he was right. It was the right path.

Taekwondo was my main focus, but my curiosity led me to look into other disciplines such as karate, aikido, and judo. I began to understand that each art is a philosophy, a way of understanding the world. It was in that search that I came across a concept that resonated with me instantly. A fundamental principle of aikido, with 700 years of history, and which is key to personal growth.

Let's talk about "Shuhari."

The concept was born around the 14th century by Fuhaku Kawakami, who was inspired by the plays of Zeami Motokiyo. It was a concept initially linked to the theater and the tea ceremony, but then moved to the philosophy of martial arts when aikido emerged (Yamazaki, 1984).

Shuhari is a concept of 3 Japanese characters: 守 (“Shu”, obey), 破 (“Ha”, break), and 離 (“Ri”, leave or separate). This is the way to describe the 3 stages of learning, ranging from obeying and preserving traditions, to breaking away from them, and finally separating and creating one's own style.

Shu (守): obedience and preservation.

We are all apprentices in some field, no one gathers complete wisdom.

When starting something new, you start from ignorance and need those who have achieved mastery in that field to guide you through the elementary concepts (Shumabukuro and Pellman, 2007). Take the wisdom they offer you, you do not have the tools or the criteria necessary to question, you must trust your teacher.

In psychology, this corresponds to the initial stage of Dreyfus' (1980) skill acquisition model. In the beginning, we rely on rules to guide us.

So, at first, you learn by imitation and follow other people.

Ha (破): breaking and exploring

To build on solid foundations, you need to question the fundamentals.

After imitating your teacher and adopting his style and knowledge, it is time to look back and reflect on what you have learned. You now understand the concepts he or she has given you and can question them. Effective learning happens when you reflect on your own experience and adapt the knowledge to your context (Kolb, 1984).

You move from learning by imitation to learning from experience.

Ri (離): separate and create.

Your knowledge comes from your ancestors, but it is your obligation to go beyond.

Now you understand other points of view, not just your teacher's, you see the relationship between concepts and the why of things. At this point you separate yourself from your reference to follow your own learning path, find your own style and, perhaps, inspire other new learners. Once you get here, you not only apply what you have learned, but also contribute new ideas, improvements and changes, that is “self-directed learning” (Garrison, 1997).

This phase is unlimited, as the road to wisdom never ends.

We are all teachers and learners at the same time

If you think about it, we can transfer this philosophy to many areas of life.

It is a way of expressing the humility of those who learn and recognize that they do not know everything, but at the same time aspire to leave a legacy even more valuable than the one they received.

• Writing: We begin by imitating our favorite authors, adopting their style and admiring them. Then we find the courage to try different techniques and question what we have learned until we create our own style.

• Music: Everyone starts learning traditional pieces and then explores other works and genres. Eventually they know the whole picture and are skilled enough to create something original and valuable.

• Education: We have all learned from our father, mother and teachers. Over the years we begin to test their lessons and explore the world on our own until we become self-sufficient, emancipated and begin to act freely and maturely.

To grow is not only to accumulate knowledge, but to transcend it, to leave even more value than you were given and to inspire those who come after you. Never stop learning from others even when you blaze your own trail.

We are all learners and masters at the same time.

It just depends on the context.

That is shuhari.

✍️ It's your turn: where are you starting out, and where are you approaching mastery? I'm still scratching the surface of what it means to be a writer.

💭 Quote of the day: “Sometimes we learn more by looking for the answer to the question and not finding it than by learning the answer itself.” Lloyd Alexander, The Book of Three.

Thank you for opening this letter,

References 📚

1. Dreyfus, S. E. (1980). A Five-Stage Model of the Mental Activities Involved in Directed Skill Acquisition.

2. Garrison, D. R. (1997). Self-Directed Learning: Toward a Comprehensive Model. Adult Education Quarterly, 48(1), 18-33. https://doi.org/10.1177/074171369704800103

3. Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. [Enlace]

4. Shimabukuro, M., & Pellman, L. (2007). Flashing Steel, Second Edition: Mastering Eishin-Ryu Swordsmanship.

5. Yamazaki, M. (1984). On the Art of the No Drama: The Major Treatises of Zeami. Princeton University Press.