For my next five posts I would like to talk about the five elements and what they mean to the martial artist. The elements represent states of mind which can make or break a martial artist of any style including kenpo karate. In ascending order of power, the elements are earth, water, fire, wind and void. A student of kenpo karate or any other martial art must progress through these mind-sets if their goal is to become a full martial artist.
To begin, earth is an element that represents solidity, unwavering, resistant to change. In terms of mind, earth is confidence; in terms of emotion, earth is the desire for things to remain the same. This is the state where all students of kenpo karate begin, and for many it can be a struggle to grow and rise to the water mindset.
The world is always changing. It is something that can not be stopped. In battle, our opponents do not use the same techniques over and over, they use their entire repertoire of techniques to win. Not only that, but a skilled opponent uses their knowledge to its fullest and can defeat an artist in earth mindset easily.
In terms of mind, a student of kenpo karate must evaluate their confidence. With little confidence, a student can do little; with much confidence, a student can do much.
This is a major problem with students of martial arts or in school or at work. Confidence can also be evaluated as self-esteem or faith. Having a weak earth mindset is dangerous and can harm you in the future, but having a strong earth mindset can mean one of two things: easy adaptation to the next level (water) or eternity in earth mindset.
In order to progress, in order to defeat the earth mindset and move to the next, the mind must be bendable. Accept that the world changes and that in order to grow, you must change and learn. You can not remain the same. This goes for all students of life. In order to succeed in kenpo karate or in life, the mind must be open and moldable. Only then will you find your way.
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