I've spent some time studying various martial arts... most recently, the Samurai sword. You can imagine-- it's pretty hard to find someone that has really been trained in oldest of martial arts! Originally, there were five schools of Samurai in Japan--- and, to find someone whose teachers came from those original schools is difficult, because the original methods were passed from generation to generation, through centuries of time.
Now, many people might question why I study something as impractical as a sword. It's not like you can carry one around, in case you're jumped by some bandits or something. But, there are several things about the Samurai, that are much like the pit traders. First, the techniques were learned on the field of battle, and passed on to each new warrior. And secondly, these techniques were taught by the new Samurai learning a ritual. Here was the Ritual before every battle:
1- Kata: hours and hours of practicing specific12-13 techniques against imaginary opponents
2- Preparation of the sword for combat: oil, powder, oil, sheathing
3- Actual combat: intense, focused, swift utilization of technique
4- Cleaning the sword after battle, and sheathing
For me, at least, it's not the physical aspect of learning these rituals and techniques, and becoming proficient at them, rather it's the "internal states" that
these hundreds of year old sword methods teach you.
One of these is called nanakorobi yaoki. Translated it means: fall seven times-- rise eight.
