Being an effective fighter and being an excellent martial artist are not the same thing. It is here that we need to make a distinction between a focus on developing effectiveness in martial skill and seeking excellence through the art.

When considering excellence we can draw inspiration from the Iliad, an epic poem of war, misdeed, virtue, and sacrifice. The Iliad should be mandatory reading for any person seeking a deeper insight into the warrior tradition. It is not my intention in this short article to write about the entire poem itself, but rather to briefly focus on one character, Hector, and how his deeds and principles epitomize what it truly means to be a warrior both in battle but also in life.

Why on Earth would anyone engaged in martial arts (a deeply embodied practice), be interested in the insights of philosophy (an “airy” mental practice)? Well one good reason would be to explore how a philosophy of embodiment could help martial artists hone their “mental game” and improve performance on the mat and in the rest of life. Process metaphysics is just that—a philosophy of embodiment that can be applied to life, on the mat, on the street, in the home, or in the office.

This summer I had a very welcome opportunity to put my philosophical ideas into practice— literally. My colleague and friend, Rodney King—founder of an exceptional martial arts system “Crazy Monkey Defense”—invited me to join him in Johannesburg, South Africa, to co-facilitate a new workshop we created: “Awakening the Embodied Warrior.”