My belief is that if you TRULY want to become GREAT not just good... but GREAT at any specific thing, it MUST be engraved into your lifestyle. You must commit the time and focus to become GREAT at it.
The best example I can think about is the P90X program and others of that sort. I'm sure a lot of you know what it's about and for those who don't, in summary; it's a fitness program that promises to help you lose weight, get fit, and look amazing in only 90 days. How it works, is the intensity of physical training you must endure for 90 days alongside with a very strict diet that they provide you. The real key factor in the success of that program isn't the work out they put you through or the diet they give you. In fact, it's not any different from going to see a personal trainer and get a dietary plan from your local nutritionist. But in reality, it's based on how they change your life during those 90 days. How much you eat, what you eat, what you do after work, before work, during your lunch break, before you go to sleep, how much physical activity you do a day, a week, or month. They have now changed your priorities, pushed everything else going on in your life to the sidelines, focusing you specifically into getting healthier and fitter to look amazing.
Then what? What happens after those 90 days are over? You have now achieved what you wanted, what will you do now? Without any real knowledge and understanding of physical fitness or nutrition what can you possibly do? For most cases, people just stop and revert back to their old lifestyle keeping in mind that if they ever require to get fit again they'll just do the program again or for some they can put a check mark next to "Get Fit" and move on with their life. That is what I call a phase and slowly they will just go back to a less physically active and worse eating lifestyle.
How does all of this relate to Martial-Arts? Everything. In martial arts, unlike anything else out there, you are your own tool or instrument. Your body is like the skates to a hockey game, the music sheets to a musician, the hammer to a construction worker, or even the keyboard to a computer. In that sense, your body is literally like your temple. How you treat it will define how well you will perform in martial arts and it must be with a good lifestyle that you can maintain the right kind of training.
Martial-Arts must be carved into your lifestyle for you to become great at it. You must attend class on a regular basis and the more you go the greater you will become. Even with minor injuries you can still maintain a good level of training such as a sprained wrist you can still work on your kicks, or a fractured toe you can work on your punches. I've seen students get injured and stop training for months and when they come back they get frustrated with their skill level. You can retain the knowledge but never the skill, it's like a plant that constantly requires water and care. Don't get me wrong, even with a high attendance but poor focus you won't excel. You really need both with pinch of hunger to become better that you will be GREAT!
That would be the preferable choice for most, but again we are not Shaolin monks. We all have school or work, kids and families which are more of a priority. It's understandable that not everyone can come to class as often as they would like and perhaps only come once or twice a week. In that situation I can only suggest one thing for you...MAKE IT COUNT! Increase the quality of your training and if you can come early and start your warm up so that when class actually starts you won't waste time with it. You can jump right into your training without missing a second of it. Focus on key areas that you believe you need more improvement on, ask for your Sifu to look over your material and ask for feedback. If they are not available get one of your Sihings for help. Write down their feedback and then drill it over and over and over again until you've MASTERED the move and go to the next one.
In martial arts, no one has control over your skill level and no one can ever tell you how great you will be or bad you will be. YOU are your own master, your body is YOUR instrument and unlike any team sports you won't let anyone down by failing but yourself...only YOU can say how good you can truly become, so don't ever let yourself stop you from your true potential to GREATNESS.
The best example I can think about is the P90X program and others of that sort. I'm sure a lot of you know what it's about and for those who don't, in summary; it's a fitness program that promises to help you lose weight, get fit, and look amazing in only 90 days. How it works, is the intensity of physical training you must endure for 90 days alongside with a very strict diet that they provide you. The real key factor in the success of that program isn't the work out they put you through or the diet they give you. In fact, it's not any different from going to see a personal trainer and get a dietary plan from your local nutritionist. But in reality, it's based on how they change your life during those 90 days. How much you eat, what you eat, what you do after work, before work, during your lunch break, before you go to sleep, how much physical activity you do a day, a week, or month. They have now changed your priorities, pushed everything else going on in your life to the sidelines, focusing you specifically into getting healthier and fitter to look amazing.
Then what? What happens after those 90 days are over? You have now achieved what you wanted, what will you do now? Without any real knowledge and understanding of physical fitness or nutrition what can you possibly do? For most cases, people just stop and revert back to their old lifestyle keeping in mind that if they ever require to get fit again they'll just do the program again or for some they can put a check mark next to "Get Fit" and move on with their life. That is what I call a phase and slowly they will just go back to a less physically active and worse eating lifestyle.
How does all of this relate to Martial-Arts? Everything. In martial arts, unlike anything else out there, you are your own tool or instrument. Your body is like the skates to a hockey game, the music sheets to a musician, the hammer to a construction worker, or even the keyboard to a computer. In that sense, your body is literally like your temple. How you treat it will define how well you will perform in martial arts and it must be with a good lifestyle that you can maintain the right kind of training.
Martial-Arts must be carved into your lifestyle for you to become great at it. You must attend class on a regular basis and the more you go the greater you will become. Even with minor injuries you can still maintain a good level of training such as a sprained wrist you can still work on your kicks, or a fractured toe you can work on your punches. I've seen students get injured and stop training for months and when they come back they get frustrated with their skill level. You can retain the knowledge but never the skill, it's like a plant that constantly requires water and care. Don't get me wrong, even with a high attendance but poor focus you won't excel. You really need both with pinch of hunger to become better that you will be GREAT!
That would be the preferable choice for most, but again we are not Shaolin monks. We all have school or work, kids and families which are more of a priority. It's understandable that not everyone can come to class as often as they would like and perhaps only come once or twice a week. In that situation I can only suggest one thing for you...MAKE IT COUNT! Increase the quality of your training and if you can come early and start your warm up so that when class actually starts you won't waste time with it. You can jump right into your training without missing a second of it. Focus on key areas that you believe you need more improvement on, ask for your Sifu to look over your material and ask for feedback. If they are not available get one of your Sihings for help. Write down their feedback and then drill it over and over and over again until you've MASTERED the move and go to the next one.
In martial arts, no one has control over your skill level and no one can ever tell you how great you will be or bad you will be. YOU are your own master, your body is YOUR instrument and unlike any team sports you won't let anyone down by failing but yourself...only YOU can say how good you can truly become, so don't ever let yourself stop you from your true potential to GREATNESS.
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