How to use Mushin in martial arts

If you’re familiar with Karate terminology, then the chances are that you’ll have heard of Mushin. This is a mental state that clears the mind of all thoughts and allows the individual to practice technique with great ease. Achieving Mushin is not simple and can take years of training to unlock.

However, when you get there, you’re able to become a greater martial artist as a result. Originally, this term hails from Japan and its full name is Mushin No Shin. Some people also call this a ‘no mind state’. As every martial artist will admit, being able to flow through moves without thought would make life a lot easier when sparring or fighting. Here’s how to achieve Mushin.

Ways to achieve Mushin for martial artists

Meditation

Perhaps the best way to achieve Mushin is through meditation. It’s no secret that meditation is used in martial arts and is practiced heavily in both Tai Chi and Kung Fu. Meditation is not something you can just get good at quickly though and often it’s like a martial art where it takes years of training and self-improvement.

To meditate, you’ll often want to go to a quiet space and sit down without any interference. With this in place, you can then try to rid your mind of any outside or internal noise. Of course, this isn’t easy and is like working out a muscle; the more you do it, the stronger you’ll become.

The theory behind this is that if you can quickly tap into a meditation state whilst fighting then you will be able to use its positives to your advantage. Specifically, we’re on about clear thoughts which will remove hesitation.

Breathing

One of the biggest advocates of breathing techniques was PRIDE MMA legend and BJJ coral belt, Rickson Gracie. An MMA pioneer, Gracie attributed a lot of his success to breathing techniques that are called Ginastica Natural. Here, Gracie would sit down and take lots of little, sharp breaths before doing a big exhale.

If ever you’ve seen the Wim Hof breathing method – it’s a bit like that but has its own nuances. Supposedly, when Gracie did this he would clear his mind and make his breathing easy and efficient. This allowed him to tap into this state whilst fighting, whereby he could control his breathing and gain a cardio and mental advantage over his opponents in the process.

By doing this, he effectively gave himself an endless gas tank and clear mind which in turn allowed him to fight without any internal or mental issues. This seemed to work as well, considering he retired from MMA with an undefeated record and a brilliant legacy.

Yoga and mindfulness

You could argue that yoga is a combination of breathwork and meditation. In doing yoga, you’re basically being mindful and focusing on the task of breathing and stretching. By doing this, you won’t think of anything else and your mind and body become clear as a result.

Obviously, most people practice yoga to help with their flexibility – but there’s more to it than that. It also has mental benefits such as clarity, whilst also aiding your breathing whilst you’re practicing some tight poses that put pressure on your body.

This promotes the idea of being comfortable whilst you’re uncomfortable – which is quite literal in the case of yoga. If you can hold an awkward stretch for longer than before, then this is an improvement. Now, imagine applying this to martial arts.

Here, you may be in a physically bad position such as underneath a pin. Instead of panicking, you get used to it and think rationally to eventually escape. This is how yoga can lead to Mushin as a martial artist.

Using Mushin whilst fighting

So far, we’ve discussed how the Mushin state can be entered but we haven’t really looked at it when applied in a fight. What’s worth noting is that being able to enter Mushin doesn’t mean you’d become a good fighter either. This is real life and isn’t the same as getting ultra instincts in Dragon Ball Z. Even if you can heighten your senses during combat and it gives you an edge, you can still lose.

Anyway, let’s imagine you’re nervous during the build-up and then you fight. Instead of panicking and getting an adrenaline dump, you instead tap into Mushin and think clearly. By doing this, you’re now able to fight in more of a fluid state.

Mushin helps you physically

This means you can now think without tunnel vision which makes your decision-making abilities improve. Now, you may naturally become more relaxed and do more combos and faints, as opposed to trying the same moves without much logic behind them.

You may also have a looser body as a result. In some circles of Kung Fu, there is a martial art called Drunk Boxing which basically refers to this idea which is also seen in Wing Chun. Here, fighters are taught how to throw punches in a very loose style. Supposedly, this takes less energy and is more natural than throwing a clunky, forced punch.

Mushin helps you mentally

In short, Mushin should improve both your mind and body during the heat of the moment. It’s not just for offense either. Defensively, Mushin is also useful. Imagine if your opponent is overly aggressive. Instead of panicking, you think calmly and take the emotion out of the scenario. Now, you’re not thinking the worst and fearing getting hit.

Instead, you’re seeing the opponent’s weaknesses of being too aggressive. To counter this, you simply fight defensively without being too passive and see ways to exploit their style. This is an example of how Mushin can help your mind during a crisis.

Flow drills to improve Mushin

As mentioned earlier, Mushin is big in Karate and there’s a big emphasis on reaching this zen state. Whilst it’s not explicitly mentioned so much elsewhere, a lot of different martial arts will often refer to similar mental states.

When looking at Karate, people will often try to use Mushin whilst drilling Kata. Of course, the benefit of practicing Kata is that when it comes to Kumite, your style won’t freeze or panic. Instead, you’ll be able to flow through moves and put them together because you’ve done it thousands of times before.

In Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, some people call this flow rolling, where two practitioners pair up together and go through moves. This isn’t the same as a spar, and instead the emphasis is on technique whilst constantly moving. Similarly, in BJJ some people talk about chaining moves together – which can be attacks, postures, or defensive moves.

By doing these exercises, you naturally put moves together without thinking. You do this so much that eventually, it becomes second nature and your game becomes more fluid because of this. In short, this is Mushin and it’s a great mindset to be able to reach. As Bruce Lee once said, “Don’t think, feel” which brilliantly explains the point behind Mushin and the ability to react without overthinking things.

Using Mushin outside of martial arts

As a martial artist, the ability to use Mushin during combat or training is a pretty big deal. However, it can also be used in the outside world. Remember, the point of being a martial artist isn’t just about fighting. Instead, it’s about the physical progression that can translate into other areas of life as well.

So, in this instance, Mushin could be used if you’re going through a stressful period at work. Instead of snapping at a customer, you could remain calm, patient, and without ego. This could just save you your job, relationships, and many other important areas of your personal life. Too often, martial artists focus on the dojo and forget about life outside of training.

Summary

In conclusion, Mushin is a great tool to use and it can take a long time to implement into your training. Because of this, many people give up or don’t even bother learning it due to its long learning process.

At the same time, Mushin won’t naturally make you a great martial artist. The reality is that life isn’t that simple. It’s not a magic, mythical force either. Instead, it’s human psychology that is wrapped up in martial arts. Regardless of your thoughts, if you do learn Mushin then ultimately, your life will improve as a result.

If you’d like to learn more about Mushin in more detail then check out this book.