6 years ago, ESPN Host Mike Greenberg interviewed 5-time NBA Champion, the late Kobe Bryant, who published his series of children’s books about the Mamba Mentality.
Mike asked, “What does Mamba Mentality mean?”
Kobe said, “Really, it’s about curiosity. When you have curiosity, you have a thirst to learn and get better. And at the foundation of everything is asking why? Why did this particular tactic work? How do you train better? How do you eat better? From curiosity, everything is built from that.”
On January 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant passed away. Kobe and his daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash. Kobe didn’t get to write more books or make more movies like his Oscar Winning Animated Short Film, Dear Basketball. Kobe’s next great love was storytelling. Basketball was his first. Kobe played for the Los Angeles Lakers for his entire 20-year NBA career. I’ve trained in Aikido for over 35 years. Kobe loved the game of basketball. I love the martial art Aikido.
Curiosity defines mastery, in the love for your art, in the love for what you do. The late Mizukami Sensei wanted me to be the forever student, to keep getting better, to keep improving. Sensei said, “Just train.” Practice makes the unnatural, natural.
Mizukami Sensei taught Ishibashi Sensei and me until he passed away several years ago. Now, Ishibashi Sensei teaches me. We work on being the best that we can be. Sensei helps me become the greatest that I can be, too.
Sensei’s curiosity is infinite. He breaks down Aikido technique, then reconstructs them so that I can make them work for me. That’s the training. Sensei and I are not the same. Still, we execute technique with our feeling out, from our strength from inside, ki. Mizukami Sensei taught us that.
Ishibashi Sensei shows me the technique. Then he smiles and says, “You have to figure it out for yourself.” I get it. I have to figure it out, how to make the technique work for myself. Really, I figure out how to make myself work. How do I get better? That’s just life.
Aikido training with Ishibashi Sensei is meaningful. He’s my big brother. Sensei helps me become the greater man, the greater person. He said, “The purpose of Aikido is to release your fear.” He said, “The safest place to be is under the attack, in the danger.”
When the bigger stronger man attacks, I wait out, and enter the attack. I take glancing blow if I have to. I’m not always going to get away scot-free. It’s one time. In the center of the attack, in the danger, I hold my position. I make my timing. I apply the Aikido technique to myself, not to the attacker. O-Sensei Morihei Ueshiba said, “True victory is victory over oneself.” It’s me against me.
Under the attack, in the danger, I open up. I let go my fear inside that I’m not good enough. Although my fear inside never completely disappears, every time I enter the danger, I let go more of my fear inside. I invite what I fear. I don’t defend against it. Sensei teaches, “Don’t oppose.” There is no fight. I overcome myself, not others.
In the Dojo and in life, I enter what I fear, and let go my fear inside over, and over, and over, and over again. I’m quiet inside. I find my peace inside me. Just train.
After Sunday Aikido practice, I told Sensei, “I figured it out. I smile when I practice.” Sensei smiled, too. Curiosity is in the love for what I do. It continually asks why and how I can get better. Curiosity clears the path. Curiosity opens me up, open to life, and releases my fear inside me. Curiosity is freedom. Curiosity is eternal.
—
Photo by José Martín Ramírez Carrasco on Unsplash
