As I'm figuring out a plan for my superhero training, I've found some excellent tidbits of wisdom from around the world and across the centuries. Here are a few.

"To keep the body in good health is a duty. . . otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear." - Buddha

"Whatever one man is capable of conceiving, other men will be able to achieve." - Jules Verne

"Believe me! The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!" - Freidrich Wilhelm Neiztche

"Without heroes we're all plain people and don't know how far we can go." - Bernard Malamud

The first question that a Superhero In Training needs to ask himself is simply "What makes a superhero?" While an in depth answer to that question is another post entirely, it brings us to what sets them apart. First there is the basic goodness, the hero half of superhero. Next comes the super half.

Even with no "Super-powers", many heroes from comics and film can be classified as superheroes because they are, in many ways, super or superior. They're strong. They're fast. They can fight. They've got the body, the brains, the looks, the moves, the skills.

To break it all down into simple terms, there are four general areas to what makes up the superhero.
- The Body (they are physically equipped to act in heroic ways)
- The Mind (They are mentally equipped as well)
- The Skills (Which is very much interrelated with both body and mind)
- The Character (The have the moral stance, they stand for good. It is the superhero's character that distiguishes the hero from the villian. Again, this is worthy of it's own article.)

Really, in many ways, all four of these areas are interrelated. Building one's body for the necessary physical work of the superhero is quite naturally tied to the development of certain skills. The development and use of these skills is also a highly intellectual exercise, and important lessons are surely learned as well. Thus, the development of the superhero skill set is partially the development of the mind as well. In the training of the mind, one will surely ponder over their decisions, their actions and their goals. In asking questions about the justification of violence, or the nature of good and evil, the area of character is explored. It would then be the strength of character and the firmness of resolve which compells the continued development and maintenance of the body, thus bringing it all together. Truly, the making of a superhero is the refining of the individual.

Unfortunately to embark upon such a mission as becoming a superhero requires a more defined plan, a structured course to follow. Because the area of skills can be most easily related to the physical and the development of character most easily tied to the mental, we shall simply divide the plan into two main areas:

- Physical - Building strength, agility, endurance, and all of the physical skills

- Mental - Sharpening the thoughts, training the perceptions, refining the morals and clarifying the questions

Both of these areas are incredibly broad. To narrow it down, here are some more specific goals, to illustrate a rough direction for this growth to follow.

Physical
- Develop strength, speed, agility and endurance. Begin with a basis of healthy fitness, then move on to excellence. (Possible areas to explore would be weight training, aerobic exercise, various sports)
- Explore more skill based activities, integrating straight exercise with coordination, movement and development of superhero skills, such as fighting, movement, etc. (Possible areas to explore would be swimming, martial arts, gymnastics, rock climbing, parkour)

Mental
- Learn factual information, applicable to crime fighting. (Such as basic detctive skills, statistics related to crime or crisis, etc.)
- Study conceptual information, in relation to skills and the use of them. (Study the tactics of past warriors, the strategies utilized by police and military, the games of chess, sho-gi and go, etc.)
- Study the moral and philisophical aspects that would be best related to such a life style. (Study the spiritual writings of the saumrai, the great philosophers, etc.)

So, what do you think? If you think I've left something out, or maybe know of specific things I should look into, please let me know!

I'm a college student and sometimes author, hoping to one day make a living writing. About a year ago, I had the best idea EVER. I love superheros, a great deal. With the success of comics-based films in the past few years, and with no end in sight for such success, it's obvious that Superheros strike a chord with people in general. People love the concept of powerful people working for good. People love the thought that the right will prevail over the bad, no matter how dire the circumstances. People identify with ideas of dual indentity, of hidden power, and of limits and limitlessness, for these are really just expressions of ourselves - our own desires to do good, our deepest wishes to overcome our own obstacles, the need to often hide behind a publicly acceptable facade. People understand that and are able to identify with these fantastic characters that embody those traits. People love superheros because, in a very real way, they feel that they could somehow be like that.

My idea is simply this - train to be a superhero, ala Batman Begins, and record the progress of my journey. As I do such things as build my physical strength, train in martial arts, study strategy and learn to reach the outer edges of my own potential, I want to show every Joe Shmoe that they can apply the same lessons for a better life. Not everyone will need to know how to physically fight off multiple attackers, but everyone can benefit from the strategies that let them deal with multiple problems. Not everyone needs to learn how to negotiate with a hostage taker, but anyone can benefit from some pointers on managing conflict. Make sense? It's almost like self-help in disguise. I train to be a man of action, but teach everyone else to be a better person.

That's the basis of Project Superhero; to explore human potential and to find excellence in any walk of life. Join me as I lay the foundations for this project, and feel free to chime in with suggestions, questions or anything else.