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A term found in marital arts that helps the practitioner understand what personal traits are necessary to achieve mastery in the arts. It is about character, temperment, courage, best effort, coping ability, fortitude, moral fiber, determination, resolve, grit, fearlessness, and resolve. This is about spirit of the mind, body, spirit triad of martial arts.
When we tell practitioners martial arts creates persons of strong mind, body and spirit we can readily perceive what is meant by mind and body but it takes a bit more to convey and instill the concept of “spirit or martial spirit.” We assume it is similar to what coaches teach in sports such a football where one must have spirit to succeed and win.
The traits described in the first paragraph provide a more definitive definition of what martial spirit entails and through the mental and physical challenges along with a philosophical study one achieves greater spirit.
Add in what spirit means to the individual, such concepts and traits lean heavily toward a very personal understanding much like the study and interpretations of the ken-po goku-i. It is another trait best explained as a Zen like koan that comes from the study, practice and application of martial arts where its end meaning is developed and accepted toward martial spirit. The third leg that forms the wholehearted, stable, balanced one that is mind, body and spirit of martial arts.
Martial spirit is the essence of martial disciplines and philosophies that are due to the motivation and intention of the practitioner where their true nature, disposition, mind and heart are born from their training, practices and applications not only in the dojo but in their daily lives as well (see Kunshi [君子] as well).
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