In our quest for the Generative Warrior, more details on this blog at www.LaVoieDuGuerrier.com, we discover counterintuitive truths that transform our approach to combat, training, and even life. One of these truths is that paradoxically, the more we seek to achieve a result, the more it seems to elude us. This is a lesson that the greatest fighters instinctively understand: ultimate control does not come from rigid will, but from a letting go that allows our creative part to generate the results.
Freeing the Mind from Distracting Thoughts
When we step onto the tatami with fixed thoughts - "I must win," "I must impress," "I must prove my worth" - we lock ourselves into a mental pattern that cuts us off from the Flow. These thoughts create tension and an attachment to the outcome that prevents us from being fully present. In my upcoming book on Flow in Combat, I explore this inner freedom that allows great warriors to express themselves unimpeded.
How do you regain this freedom in the midst of combat? What are the moments when you have felt completely fluid, free to act without hesitation in combat or in life?
The Ego is an Invisible Obstacle to Flow
One of the classic traps is that of the ego, often exacerbated when money or recognition comes into play. A coach may feel concerned about his reputation: "I must prove that I am a good teacher to maintain my notoriety in the community." A fighter might think: "All these spectators are watching me; I must impress." As soon as we focus our attention on ourselves rather than on the moment, the Flow collapses. True mastery requires fading into the background and no longer seeking to "prove" anything.
What are the moments when you felt that your ego held you back in a performance or a fight?
The Paradox of Control: The More You Let Go, the More You Gain
Here's where everything becomes fascinating: if you want to help someone, forget that you want to help them. If you want to win a fight, forget that you want to win. It may sound illogical, but it's the very essence of the Generative Warrior. It's not by trying to force a result that we achieve it, but by creating the space for it to naturally emerge from our Mind or Relational Field. A fighter who clings to the outcome becomes rigid and predictable. Conversely, one who frees themselves from the need to win becomes totally fluid, unpredictable, and dangerous.
How can you integrate this idea of letting go into your training or fights?
Elevating Coaching and TeachingIn transmitting the principles of the Generative Warrior, a teacher's approach must be marked by great flexibility and open-mindedness. To effectively transmit the teaching of flow, it is crucial that they have lived and integrated the flow into their own practice; without this personal immersion, the teaching may be limited to a purely theoretical level. Furthermore, it is preferable for the coach to be in a state of flow themselves when applying this teaching of Flow with their student. By embodying this state, the teacher can better guide their students through their own discoveries, allowing them to perceive the flow not just through the Cognitive Mind, as an abstract concept, but to experience it as a tangible and constantly accessible reality through the Relational Mind. This approach, which goes far beyond simple technical knowledge transfer, invites a deep internal transformation. Teachers who maintain this mindset, both empty and attentive, facilitate a personal and enriching exploration of flow for each practitioner.
The Generative Warrior and Flow in Combat
This is precisely the mindset of the Generative Warrior that we explore in our book project on Flow in Combat, a work designed to enrich both elite fighters and coaches. This book does not just teach techniques; it aims to dismantle the mental barriers that hinder our access to flow and to unleash our creative potential. We argue that the flow is always present, similar to the ever-present blue sky, although it can be obscured by the dense clouds of our thoughts. By identifying and dispersing these clouds, fighters and coaches can discover and leverage the flow not as a distant concept, but as a dynamic and constantly accessible reality, essential for excellence in the practice and teaching of Flow in Kyokushin Karate.
If this approach speaks to you, follow the progress of this book: The Generative Warrior: Achieving Flow in Kyokushin Karate.
Gaëtan Sauvé, practicing Kyokushin Karate since 1971
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