The Beginners Mind at Empower Martial Arts Lincoln

Having the beginners mind, regardless of experience level, is a crucial thing that we try to develop at Empower Martial Arts Academy. Our main logo, the infinity symbol, represents the continual learning and progression in the martial arts, and this is why we focus on teaching so many different aspects and styles at our academy.

The Infinity symbol for Empower Martial Arts Academy Lincoln.

We have students who are already accomplished martial artists in their own right, with 2nd and 3rd degree black belts in other styles, however, they come to us with a beginner mind, wishing to learn a new style, or develop the skills they have already learned in other arts.

We very much take this philosophy from the late, great Bruce Lee who famously said, “Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless and add what is specifically your own” and this a core principle in our academy and in the styles we teach.

In future blog posts, we’ll be highlighting and spotlighting the different styles we teach, along with the influences and coaches who we feel not only excel in their chosen art, but also embody what Empower is about but one thing in common with them is all that they still have the beginner mind.

We want this for all our students, so even if we’ve repped a jab 1000s of times, there is always more to extract from that punch and more we can develop through it to make it the most efficient it can be.

The beginner’s mind is the best way to approach martial arts, because if you have a beginners mind, you are free from preconceptions and open to all new information. A new student coming to see us is often shown the basic stance and basic punches and defence to begin with. In one hour with us they can absorb so much information because everything is new and interesting. We want to keep this enthusiasm and pursuit of knowledge even with those studying into their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years and beyond with us.

Our instructors are also developing themselves and working their own training through the amazing mentors and affiliations we have built for our programs in Jeet Kune Do, Kickboxing, Filipino Martial Arts and some grappling. Though seminars, private classes and workshop, our instructors keep the beginner’s mind too, learning from the best, then passing this information down to our students.

The martial arts will never be ‘completed’, there will always be more to learn and study and a fantastic example of this is one of our main influences – Guro Dan Inosanto. Now ages 87 years old, Guro Dan was a student of Bruce Lee, as well as friend and has been studying martial arts all his life. Even now, at 87, and considered one of the foremost experts in the world in the field of martial arts, he has instructors in different arts, he researches and he trains!

Our head coach Dan training with Guro Dan Inosanto at the Inosanto Academy in Los Angeles in 2023.

If we could all be this dedicated and committed, what a world it would be

So for us at Empower Martial Arts Academy in Lincoln, we want all our students to drop the ego, walk in with an open mind, and try to extract more from something that they think they already know. Keep the beginner’s mind, watch and investigate and see your skills, fitness and development in the martial arts soar!

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