Terroir and Martial Art
Introduction
In French agriculture there is the word "terroir",
meaning "area, region". The term has become internationally known in
connection with viticulture. In this context it stands for the
interaction of (natural) factors which determine quality and
character of a wine. Among those are soil composition, topography,
rainfall, sunshine duration, temperature profiles, frost, fog,
etc.
In addition to long-range forces there are also locally
limited influences, e.g. the microclimate, microbiological
properties, variations of sun exposure, different mineral content,
different heat retention and soil moisture fluctuations on one
hillside, because on the opposite slope there is a farm within
earshot, so birds get startled by the squeaking of pigs and
therefore move to the calmer side to peck for food, thus causing a
bit more erosion which influences the flow of
water. In principle there is an infinite number of potential
parameters. And so it is possible that, in spite of seemingly equal
conditions, neighboring plots yield quite different
results.
Cultivation and
Rearing of Martial Artists
are likewise shaped by a large number
of influences. There is the overall climate in one's club and in
training sessions, the ground of the gym and its changing
temperatures and the mental erosion of members and officials in
clubs and associations. Is the training hard or rigid or dynamic or soft or weak, are there
quality checks, belt examinations or rank giveaways, progress or
stagnation with color change, illusion or reality, are practitioners
pampered or given a wake-up-call, what are the instructors doing,
how is the behaviour of other students, brakes or boosters, sport
paradigm or perspectives, are there phoneys or role models
?
Besides the general characteristics of the training
process, there are also very local and temporary influences, which
sometimes only last minutes or seconds but which can have decisive
impact.
More specific: there is this guy who blocks so strongly
that it hurts and causes bruises, one rather avoids him or tries to
practice with him for toughening, and then there is the guy who
deliberately misses attacks, that is so snug or futile, and
then there is somebody who is so fast that one cannot parry, that is
frustrating or motivating, and one teacher always shows the stuff
which one is not good at and which one does not like, and with a
different teacher one feels so sovereign, and one can only practice
things necessary for belt tests or go and see what else there is,
and one can curtail exercises to be finished earlier, and one can
look for the rank examiner with the lowest failure rates, and then
there is this awfully nice instructor who never corrects mistakes,
or one gets straightened out by some other vintner in order to
receive proper fertilisation, and ... or ... or ... or ... and ...
and ... and ... and ... .
But
analogies must not be stretched too far. Above all,
there is one fundamental aspect where the comparison does not apply,
where everyone ought to let the comparison fail, namely the
relevance of the grape variety. In winegrowing it plays a crucial
role. In martial arts it should become less and less important over
time.
For more on this topic, see also the
article "Advantages and Disadvantages".
And so
anyone can
enter or prepare his personal terroir and decide
whether he wants to become a Château Latour, a
Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon, a
Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a
Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta, a Penfolds
Grange, a Fontodi Flaccianello or some diluted sugared glycol
swill Pont Bonheur du Clochard. Or rather one does want to
become a Château
Mouton-Rothschild. Let it be understood "to
become". Because nowadays, prestigious labels are often awarded to
any
plonk.
