Discovering Shibumi: A Path to Effortless Mastery

[15 minute read]

Imagine how life-changing it would be to focus only on what truly mattered to you.

Many would say that's impossible. After all, our schedules are packed with many things to do, including training, martial arts, work, social life, family life, and everything else we need to do.

Yet, chances are you're only busy because you've made yourself busy.

What if I were to tell you there is a more efficient way to gain greater insight, effortless grace, and beauty in all that you do? A way that would help you obtain a sense of quiet elegance and inner calmness in all areas of your life.

There is, and it's called Shibumi 「渋み」in Japanese。

It asks us to pause, strip away the unnecessary, and find the depth in simplicity.

It doesn't ask us to quit everything that we're doing in our lives. It simply challenges us to focus on the essentials of what we do and strive to do it as beautifully as we can.

Whether you’re a martial artist seeking to improve your technique or someone looking for more balance in life, the principles of Shibumi offer a timeless guide to achieving effortless mastery.

It has helped me throughout my life, and I know it can help you, too.

My Driving Force

I was introduced to Shibumi many years ago as a young martial artist.

However, like many things when I was younger, I thought I knew better than those before me and put this concept aside. I believed that to master myself, I had to accumulate as much knowledge and techniques in as many different martial arts as possible. I pushed myself to learn faster and train harder because I thought that was the best way.

Over time, I realized that true mastery doesn’t come from doing more—it comes from doing less, better.

Shibumi has taught me that simplicity is elegant and that mastery is a lifelong journey of refinement, not accumulation. This philosophy has allowed me to continue practicing martial arts and my movement practice with joy and focus well into my later years.

For me, it's not about doing more; it's about moving and flowing as beautifully as possible and working to master the movements that serve me best.

Shibumi has become the guiding principle in my practice. Instead of chasing after more techniques, I focus on refining a few key movements. I focus on efficiency and flow, letting go of excess effort and embracing the simplicity of what I already know. This shift over the years has transformed my martial arts practice and influenced other areas of my life, especially my work in GMB Fitness.

As with all concepts, as soon as you feel you understand Shibumi, you realize there is another level to learn. It is a lifelong journey with a spiraling staircase to a door that takes you to yet another staircase and beyond. Yet, the pursuit of Shibumi is a worthy one.

I've wanted to write today's article for a long time, and it is as much for myself as it is for you.

Because it can be difficult to implement, I have laid out a four-week protocol for moving toward Shibumi at the end of this article. I still follow this protocol, which includes prompts and examples for you to work on each week. While each week is important, the question I ask you to focus on in Week 4 creates an enormous mind shift that will completely change how you view martial arts and life.

Let's begin.

Less Is More

We live in a world that constantly screams at us to do more, push harder, and accumulate more. It has become the norm, with pressure to think that we will lose out if we don't continue to pack in more.

Shibumi stands in quiet contrast to the concept of more is better.

It asks us to pause, to strip away the unnecessary, and to find the depth in simplicity. Whether you’re a martial artist seeking to improve your technique or someone looking for more balance in life, the principles of Shibumi offer a timeless guide to achieving effortless mastery.

This deeply rooted concept in Japanese culture can lead to a more refined and focused way of living.

Shibumi is often described as quiet elegance or subtle beauty. It’s the idea that:

True mastery isn’t loud or flashy—it’s understated, refined, and achieved through years of honing and simplifying.

You won’t see Shibumi on display through flashy techniques or bold gestures.

Instead, it’s the kind of effortless grace that comes only after countless hours of practice, where each movement is deliberate, purposeful, and free of wasted energy.

Shibumi means executing techniques with minimal effort and maximum efficiency. It’s not about force—it’s about flow.

This concept extends beyond martial arts into many areas of Japanese culture, from the meticulous preparation of a tea ceremony to the clean, balanced lines of traditional architecture.

Shibumi is present wherever there’s an emphasis on simplicity, refinement, and depth without excess.

The irony of that isn't lost on me regarding the length of this article. :)

Shibumi in Martial Arts Practice

We often focus on accumulating techniques and improving our physical capabilities in martial arts. However, Shibumi teaches us that mastery is not about having more but refining what we already know. Here’s how the principles of Shibumi can reshape your martial arts training:

1. Simplicity: Strip away what isn’t essential. Focus on perfecting the basic techniques that form the foundation of your martial art. The deeper your understanding of these basics, the more effective your practice becomes.

2. Effortlessness: Aim to move with ease and flow. Over time, your body will find ways to perform techniques with less effort, relying on timing, posture, and precision rather than force.

3. Refinement: Each training session is an opportunity to refine a single aspect of your practice. Focus on small adjustments that may seem minor but will make a huge difference over time. Whether it’s your breath, stance, or the angle of a strike, the goal is constant improvement.

A great example of this is the legendary Judo-ka, Kashiwazaki, who has honed his style of Judo to perfection with each and every throw he performs. By the way, this isn't just a matter of aesthetics. These techniques have proven successful for him in competitions and aren't just for show.

Shibumi in Daily Life

Shibumi isn’t just for martial artists—it’s a philosophy that can transform every aspect of your life. It’s about doing less but achieving more through intention and refinement. Here are some ways you can practice Shibumi in your daily routine:

• At work: Instead of juggling endless tasks, identify the essential few that truly move the needle. Focus on those, eliminate distractions, and find a sense of flow in your daily work.

• In relationships: Be present and listen fully. Shibumi encourages us to bring calm, focused attention to our interactions, allowing us to connect more deeply without the need for excess words or actions.

• In self-care: Simplify your routines. Focus on the habits that make you feel your best, whether that’s movement, nutrition, or mindfulness. Let go of anything that complicates or detracts from your well-being.

This can seem like a big ask in our busy lives. However, I challenge you to take a hard look at the things that aren't truly serving a purpose and remove them from your life.

You will find yourself saying no to many more people and things, which can be difficult initially. But once you see the benefits of focusing on less at a deeper level, you'll realize no means yes to a better, more fulfilling, and less hurried life.

A 4-Week Plan to Start Practicing Shibumi

Here’s a simple plan to guide you through the process of simplifying, refining, and embracing effortlessness.

Week 1: Embrace Simplicity

• Martial Arts Practice: Choose two, and only two, fundamental techniques to focus on. Instead of trying to master new techniques, dedicate this week to going deeper into those two things.

  • How many different ways can you get into and out of those two techniques?

  • How do they integrate into your overall style/game?

  • How could you refine those movements even more to make them smoother and more efficient?

• Daily Life: Identify one area of your life that feels cluttered or chaotic— your schedule, your home, or your work, and examine all the actions you're performing in that area.

  • What actions can you cut out yet still achieve the desired result?

  • How can you refine the remaining actions for more effectiveness?

  • How can you make those tasks even more effortless to perform? In other words, what else can you cut out?

Week 2: Focus on Refinement

• Martial Arts Practice: This week, pay close attention to a single movement element and examine your posture during that movement. It could be the same two from last week or even something new.

  • Where are you losing efficiency in this movement?

  • Where do you find your posture breaking down?

  • What is a single adjustment that you can do to make the entire movement effortless? Hint: It relates to posture.

• Daily Life: Pick a daily habit or routine that could be improved, such as checking your emails.

  • How can you streamline the process of checking your email to make it smoother and more efficient?

  • For me, it was unsubscribing to all the emails that weren't helping me become the version I wanted of myself. For example, I follow only one business newsletter rather than subscribe to 10 different ones. I take the advice each week and apply it to my business in the manner that best serves me. It took me a while to find a single source that met my needs, but it was worth it.

  • This might mean unsubscribing from this newsletter, and that's OK. Paralysis by analysis is real, so be ruthless in refining and focusing only on the thing(s) that will help you move towards effortless mastery (Shibumi).

Week 3: Cultivate Effortlessness

• Martial Arts Practice: Work on making your movements more fluid and effortless. There are two ways that I suggest working on this;

  • Focus on transitions between techniques. Slow down the movement and become aware of how you are moving and reacting during those transitions. Gradually add incremental resistance, ultimately using it in sparring. Here's more on that.

  • Focus on your breathing, as this can reduce unnecessary tension in your body—breath awareness pairs with slowing down. By focusing on the breath, you'll actually keep the movements slower and perform them with better control.

• Daily Life: Look for areas where you tend to overexert yourself—work, relationships, and even exercise. Many of us think we should always push ourselves as hard as possible all of the time. Or it's the fact we don't even realize we're pushing ourselves so hard! The ultimate goal is to get the same, or better, result by exerting less energy.

  • Where are you over-exerting yourself?

  • What can you do IMMEDIATELY to lessen the load? Sometimes, it's just a matter of being aware.

  • Practice doing it with less effort.

  Over-exertion is extremely common in the world of fitness. Most of my clients think they must work out longer and at a higher intensity to get the results they want. However, that is typically not the case. I've helped thousands—yes, literally thousands of people—get even better results by doing a lot less than they think they should. And in a manner that brings them more joy! Shibumi in action. :)

Week 4: Integrate and Reflect

• Martial Arts Practice: Work towards greater simplicity and ease when practicing your newly refined movements

  • How is this an expression of myself rather than simply a "move" I perform?

This is LIFE-CHANGING and so impactful that an entire article needs to be devoted solely to it. I can't overstate the impact it will have on everything you do.

The move is no longer a "technique." It has become a natural extension of yourself, and it is your duty to refine it further to make it an expression of yourself.

It might be easier to compare this to language. You learn to speak as a child and hone it through school to find your tone, nuance, and style. Yet, for it to become a true expression of yourself, you must further refine and present your ideas to the world. It is more than just speaking naturally. It is the skill of becoming proficient in effortlessly expressing your true self without being verbose.

Something I'm still working on. ;)

Here is a mental drill I like to perform using visualization, and you can use these prompts:

• What is MY highest form of expression in the art I practice?

• How do I FEEL performing those movements effortlessly, as beautifully as possible, with no wasted movement?

• How am I breathing as an artist, free to express myself fully?

I purposefully chose to omit "martial" in front of "artist" because this allows you to express yourself in new ways.

Do this every night before bed; I guarantee it will help you on the mats. And, of course, do it in your daily life as well!

• Daily Life: This week, reflect on how embracing simplicity and refinement has impacted your life. Identify areas where you can continue to simplify and refine your efforts.

  • How does expressing your true self create ease in all aspects of your life?

    • A big one for me is expressing myself more effectively and elegantly as a father. It's a tough one with a teenage girl.

    • Another one for me is becoming better at sharing my true expression in my position at GMB Fitness. I also challenge you to examine this in your work. No matter what you do, view yourself as an artist and visualize yourself performing your own effortlessly in the truest expression of yourself.

Conclusion

Focusing on Shibumi has drastically improved my life, and I know it can do the same for you.

Shibumi offers us a pathway to effortless mastery, whether in martial arts or daily life. It teaches us that true elegance lies in simplicity and that mastery comes from continuous refinement, not accumulation.

I know that Shibumi is a deep concept to put into practice, let alone ponder. However, I urge you to follow this four-week plan; you’ll begin to experience its quiet power in everything you do.

Remember, this journey isn’t about instant results—it’s about gradual progress and long-term improvement. Embrace simplicity, refine your actions, and let effortlessness guide you toward a deeper level of mastery.