Most skills learned in life open doors to other opportunities and accomplishments. As children, when we learn to spell, we are not stuck spelling c-a-t, or d-o-g, but rather we understand that these building blocks, in this case letters, enable us to begin to spell many more words. The very same concept holds true for martial arts, and is the basis for a concept called sogobudo, which translates to total martial sciences.
Author’s note: This article expands on concepts presented in previous articles, linked below for your convenience.
In a sogobudo approach to martial training, emphasis is placed on not just learning a movement or technique, and then isolating it and learning something else from the ground up, but on learning the basics of each technique, which are commonized movements with other applicable movements, then piecing together these common movements into full techniques, just as a writer combines words to form a sentence.
In a sogobudo approach to martial training, weaponry, grappling, and striking are all equally emphasized. During each technique, highlighted common movements are pointed out (or students are instructed to discover), and it quickly becomes apparent that training in one thing is actually training in all things. In fact, instructors will sometimes demonstrate a technique, allow their students to practice it, then teach another technique with weapons. The students who have learned the sogobudo mindset know they are doing the exact same technique as before.
Searching for a dojo, many people come across instructors with credentials that are wholly impressive. They have multiple belts in multiple arts, usually with multiple ranks. This was not necessarily accomplished by forgetting everything they knew about Martial Art -A when starting Martial Art -B, it was done by applying the concepts learned to what was being taught in the new art, and focusing on their similarities, not their differences.
If people are considering starting or enhancing their martial studies, look for a dojo that embraces the concept of sogobudo. Learning multiple “lessons” from every new concept is a far more efficient and effective way to explore the martial arts.
Here are some resources on the concept of sogobudo:
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