Perseverance

A major component of any form of training, whether, it is a musical instrument, art, dance, or competitive team sport, is the ability to overcome difficulties, traverse the plateaus, and get to the next level. The traditional training methods used in our Smithtown Martial Arts dojo by Millennium Martial Arts are built around the concept of Nintai – Perseverance.

The concept of cultivating a spirit of perseverance are contained in the Dojo Kun and Guiding Principles and are a part of every class. We emphasize from early in a student’s training that anything worth accomplishing is going to have bumps in the road and that taking the road less traveled is often going to be far more interesting in the long run. We teach that being defeated is not a permanent thing, but quitting can be. We instill in our students that most things in life require you to move from simple to more complicated, putting in more effort as you progress through the goals. We have seen this have a profound effect on student’s behavior, levels of patience, success in Academics and other extracurricular activities. Our classes are often structured with many different people of varying skill levels training together so that we see from where we came and where we are going. Adults find it equally satisfying to move through the various stages of training, often becoming our instructors and mentors to others undertaking the journey.

Relevant Japanese Phrases
Kugi Wa Yukadashi – “Pound the nail back down”
Nana Korobi Ya Oki – “Seven times down, eight times up”