About a year and a half ago I wrote an article on why martial artists should create a blog and write publicly along with all of the direct and indirect benefits it will give them. You can find that article hear. https://urbanmartialartists.com/2022/06/09/why-you-should-start-a-blog-too/ Today’s article is going to be very similar on why martial artists should podcast and how it can benefit them.
At the root, podcasting is very similar to talk radio. When listening to talk radio shows (at least good ones), there is a two word sentence that will seldom be heard by itself in response to something that is said during the on air discussion: I agree. Instead, the word combinations of “No, But” and “Yes, And” are used to disagree and challenge or agree and elaborate. To provide truly good content, one must have such a deep understanding of the topic at hand that they are able to hold and defend a stance that is the opposite of their own, or at least know how to play devil’s advocate to their own stance even if they agree with something that someone else said before them! This continues the discussion and enhances the takeaways that the listeners and even the hosts/speakers gain. At the end of the day, despite any disagreement in the discussion, the podcasters or radio hosts still hold respect for each other.
Now, why would a martial artist benefit from this? Martial arts are arts at the end of the day. There are many ways to execute the same technique and different emphases presented by different instructors along our journey. We need to make the art our own and create our own way within reason. In order to do this, we must have a good understanding of why someone may do something a certain way even if we do not agree doing it that way ourselves. Despite the differences and small variations. We can still learn different perspectives and hold respect for one another. Just as the podcasters and radio hosts very intently research their own topics, we must intently research different martial views and positions to better understand each other and then form our own views and positions. We must also constantly challenge our own ways of doing things and be our own devil’s advocate. In doing so, we can explore and gain a deeper understanding of what things we still need to learn, or what gaps we still need to fill in our training.
Now, to reap these benefits, one does not need to formally start a podcast. Instead, take the small step of having a discussion with peers after class. I certainly have learned some invaluable things in post class discussions that I would not have otherwise learned during class. Take ownership of your current understanding and challenge it to bolster your future understanding and growth!
