Training in martial arts — or any skill — is like sword-making. When you create a sword, the metal is melted down and hammered, then folded over and over again. The more times the metal is folded, the stronger the blade will be. Folding is used to draw out impurities from the metal.
Similarly, martial art training is a discipline striving for perfection. Striving for perfection in technique leads to perfection in other arena's of one's life. This striving is the same as the process of sword-making. One must practice a technique over and over again, like the folding of metal, hammering out the impurities of a technique.
This repetition is the important part of training. It is not enough to "know" or to "practice" a technique. The quantity of techniques known is unimportant, but the quality of the ones you have is a reflection of your fortitude as a martial artist. Learning techniques enables you to use them in this process of "folding", to employ them towards the quest for perfection. Techniques are the means for achieving a goal, not the goal themselves.
Effective techniques are the symptom of the more important dynamic process of striving for perfection — disciplined training.
