-
December 30, 2008
Samurai Armor - Fun and Functional
-
December 20, 2008
Sueyoshi - Cart Ride with a Kobudo Master
-
December 15, 2008
My Top 5 Holiday Wishes (As Granted By Martial Arts Santa)
-
December 9, 2008
Ikigai and the Value of Life Purpose
-
December 4, 2008
Blog Talk Radio - Kyoshi Bill Hayes
-
November 26, 2008
Get Rich with Karate
- Matthew: BBM - Right now he would eat them up in return, so perhaps we should wait until he’s calmed down a...
- supergroup7: Wonderful Post! It really helped me understand the psychology of resilient optimism. I appreciate you...
- Branden: Excellent post Matt-San. On a side note (your fault for veering off there at the end). You wouldn’t...
- Rick Matz: An article from the New York Times and resilience: http://cookdingskitchen.blo...
- BBM: I didn’t know you got a puppy! He is ADORABLE! You’ll have to let the girls see him sometime. They...
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
Top 10 Things Not to Stress About in Martial Arts
October 15, 2008 | Author: Matthew | Filed under: Kata, Martial Arts, Tips and Tricks, Top 5, children, karate, mindset
Here is something I say with confidence - martial arts can be unnerving! It’s not all butt kicking and black belts, after all. While I’m no master, I HAVE experienced (and seen others experience) a few common concerns that seem to crop up during martial arts training. Have a read through these top 10 stressors, and hopefully, I can help you shrug a little weight off your shoulders.
Don’t Stress About…
10. Learning Super Quickly
This first one is more common than you might think. There are always a few individuals who can pick up kata or technique very quickly. While that’s fortunate for them, it can leave a residue of anxiety in other students. People who have an ingrained self consciousness about their own progress will pay special attention to students who pick things up quickly, allowing themselves to feel discouraged when they can’t do the same.
I think we all suffer from this at one point or another. It’s just like in Karate Kid:
“Daniel: Hey - you ever get into fights when you were a kid?
Miyagi: Huh - plenty.
Daniel: Yeah, but it wasn’t like the problem I have, right?
Miyagi: Why? Fighting fighting. Same same.
Daniel: Yeah, but you knew karate.
Miyagi: Someone always know more.”
What a great movie. And it also helps prove my point - no matter how awesome you are, there is always someone better. So, with that inevitability in mind, just focus on your own personal progress and forget the comparisons!
Final thought about #10: karate is a lifelong endeavor. If you stay in the martial arts while others come and go, I guarantee you’ll make it to the head of the class.
9. Keeping Up With the Joneses
This is connected to #10. In keeping up with the Joneses, which of course means trying to outdo your “neighbor”, trying to learn a lot quickly can cause even more stress. You’ll see kids do this a lot:
Kid A (the jerk): “Hey, do you know kata ____ yet?
Kid B: “No. Why?”
Kid A: “Ohh, cause I do. Snicker.”
Annoying when kids do it, but forgivable. Extremely annoying when adults do it. And they do do it. If this happens to you, try to let it roll off your shoulders and remember the long term benefits of training.
If you’re the one prodding at your classmates…knock it off.
This same concept applies to physical possessions as well. Weapons, uniforms, books, dvds…that whole business gets rapped into the martial arts very easily. Don’t feel compelled to spend money because everyone else does.
8. Looking Stupid
You’re gonna look and feel stupid from time to time. Keep asking questions and participating. Seriously. This is the best way to learn, hands down.
7. Gi Flair
As far as I am concerned, there is no good reason for your uniform to look like the flair guy’s getup from OfficeSpace.
Patches...buttons...it's all flair.
I understand some patches, but things can get a little out of hand. If you find yourself creating a patchwork out of you or your child’s gi, just take a step back. Remember, all of these external distractions can take away from the internal goals of the martial arts. Let your personality and ability make you stand out, not eye catching gi accessories.
6. D3ADLINESS
Have you seen Kill Bill? Do you remember the five point palm exploding heart technique? That was pretty cool. Unfortunately, some people can get overly caught up in that razzle dazzle when pursuing the martial arts.
Kyusho, or vital point striking, is experiencing a bit of a boom in popularity. When done correctly, the results can be very deadly indeed. This has led a lot of people to worry about the deadliness of whatever technique they are practicing. So much so, in fact, that some students try to learn vital point strikes off of video tapes or from snake-oil instructors who claim to have mastered them.
Don’t get too caught up in this hype. The truth is, most karate styles have kyusho integrated into them already. The trick to unlocking the techniques is a matter of becoming an expert at fundamentals. As Sensei Bill Hayes says, become “brilliant at the basics.” After that is achieved, kyusho can slowly start to seep its way into your training. Don’t rush this one.
5. Trophy Count
This Can Be Yours if The Price is Right!
Time + money = a ton of trophies. Yes, it helps if you’re good, but its not a mandatory prerequisite. There are so many tournaments with so many divisions that sometimes you’ll be lucky to get three people in your division.
If you want to, acquire a couple of trophies to prove to yourself that you can do it. After that, put that money and mental focus to better use.
4. Kata Portfolio
This is one that yours-truly had to work on. For awhile, I was very concerned about my kata portfolio. I wanted to learn a whole lot of kata and I wanted to learn them all very well. Unfortunately, what I REALLY wanted was to have my cake and eat it to.
Take it from me, don’t worry about slowing yourself down to learn fewer kata. Much like #10, learning quickly, pacing your kata intake shouldn’t be perceived as a bad thing. This is especially true after black belt.
In many martial arts, there are certain requirements as you progress through kyu ranks. Once you hit black belt, you are “ready to begin learning”, and that means taking charge of your martial destiny. It’s easy to ride the kata train, going for higher and higher material. But, ultimately, it might leave all of your material a little soft.
3. Kata Flash-and-Dash
Can’t kick the ceiling? Can’t do a triple blackflip into a split with kiai? Don’t stress.
A lot of the acrobatics and physically impressive maneuvers you see today are not really part of traditional martial arts. In fact, it was extremely rare for the old Okinawan Karate Sensei to kick above their waist!
Listen to what your body can and can’t do, then try to make small improvements from there. Listening to the natural rhythym of your body will result in much better technique than trying to force Van Damme style kicks.
...maybe next year...
2. Ass-Kicking Ability
Martial arts tend to have self defense at their core. Some styles are for aggressive fighting, while others are for flowing defense. But, ultimately, you should learn how to fight.
Where people tend to get tense is when they don’t see dramatic results immediately. This is especially true for traditional arts. Styles like boxing and MMA can show initial progress pretty quickly, which is nice. Unfortunately, old styles were designed for the long haul.
Traditional martial art basics can actually hinder your fighting ability for awhile. They make you mechanical, and force movements into your body that you aren’t used to. It isn’t until years of practice sink in that you can begin to feel those movements naturally. Once they start to become natural though, it’s a real treat.
1. Rank
This probably isn’t a huge surprise. “Rank” being at the top of this list is like Stairway to Heaven being at the top of “The Greatest Rock Songs” list (which it should be, because it is great).
Rank is very valuable, and very dangerous. It helps motivate us to achieve, and symbolizes skill and experience. Unfortunately, rank can also be a business. Stripes, colors, and titles are abound these days.
No matter how your school addresses rank, don’t feel driven by it, in and of itself. If you are a green belt, but have focused on improving your basics, your self defense, and your mindset, you’ll be on your way to achieving real results.
***
Navigating through these troubles, and a forest of others, is essential when pursuing the martial way.
I’ll meet you somewhere in the woods, and maybe we can give each other a hand 
feel free to leave a comment
All fields marked with " * " are required.
Blogroll
Martial Arts Links
- Black Belt Mama
- Blog Flux Martial Arts Directory
- Formosa Neijia
- Ippon Kumite is Karate
- Isshin Ryu Karate Bun-jutsu-do
- Karate Thoughts
- Low Tech Combat
- Malcolm Bale’s Jujitsu
- MarksTraining.com
- Martial Arts Embroidery
- Martial Arts Mom
- Martial Views
- Mokuren Dojo
- Okinawa Karate and Kobudo Blog
- Real Taijiquan
- Striking Thoughts
- Tales of a Mommy Karateka
- TDA Training
- TKRI Blog
- Traditional Taekwondo Blog in Perth Western Australia
12 people have left comments
For me, especially when I was younger, I always compared myself to others. This could be how I looked doing a certain technique or even how I adjusted my belt. It took a while to learn not to worry about what others are doing. Just do your thing.
I also got concerned, and sometimes still do, when I don’t notice any improvements. This could be in skill or fitness. Like you say, just stick to it.
Good post.
You bring up a good point Adam. I didn’t really make this distinction in my post - it’s not a bad thing to emulate your instructors or skilled students around you. In fact, along with asking questions, it is a great way to improve. Becoming distracted or consumed by that comparison is where trouble starts to brew, like you said.
That plateau situation is another good addition. Martial arts progress never seems to be a steady climb, but more of a long haul with the occasional ‘ahh ha!’ moment.
Thanks for bringing these up.
I really appreciate this post. It makes a lot of sense and is re-emphasizing key points that some of us lose sight of. If you push to learn kata or forms, it is easy to lose track of those forms you learned at the very beginning. Also, if you’re in a hurry to learn, you may learn a sloppy form and won’t be able to advance to the next higher rank.
My instructor told me that I’m not in a competition with anyone. I told him “I’m competing with myself” and he repeated, “You are NOT in a competition with anyone.” It goes along with #9.
Again, thank you. It’s a good thing to have this reminder.
I just love your posts! You address things that we’re all thinking or should be thinking anyway. Thanks for this one especially!
Wait a minute, I thought you met people in fields.
All kidding aside, this is a great post.
Thought since you were visiting my blog site I would reciprocate. I like the theme in this thread. I especially liked the comment of “Gi Flair”.
By the way, saw the move, very funny. Personally, those who train with me don’t need a Gi and if they want to wear one I ask them to use only the Isshinryu patch.
Nice site, got it bookmarked, look forward to reading some of your stuff.
I have a lot of beef with this post! A LOT!
1. I don’t think you can EVER have enough flair. In fact, I think I’m going to bring some to your house this weekend and sew some on your uniforms…I have a special one that says “i <3 baby kitties!” just for you. Trust me, you’ll love it.
2. It’s not cool to take pictures of your personal trophy wall and then say that it’s not all about the trophies…tsk tsk!!
3. Everyone knows “Helter Skelter” was a better rock song….but I’ll give you “Stairway,” because I don’t want to fight about it
Good post!
Marguerite and MAM - Thank you, your comments keep me motivated to post!!
BBM - SSHHHHH. marmad.
Charles - A pleasure to have you stop by. Anyone looking for another ‘do’ oriented blog, Mr. James is a must read.
Foxy Citrus - 1. Thank goodness I keep my uniforms at the dojo these days. Also thank goodness we lock the door.
2. Those aren’t my personal trophies. My trophies are six feet tall.
3. You like Ashley Simpson and The Spice Girls. YOU GET NO SAY IN TOP CLASSIC ROCK SONGS.
Nicely said Matthew San.
I always find myself with lingering thoughts about these issues. However, it’s normally lingering on the thought not to worry about them, which is slightly ironic.
I find myself getting most worked up and stressed when it seems like you’re learning something completely against the grain of true budo. Or when you spend time and effort to try to break a kata down the way you think it was meant to be, only to go to class and learn the 20 opponent form. Grrrr. Then again, I guess I actually have to make it to class before I complain… But in order to do that, I have to make it out of North Carolina first… ugh.
Keep up the excellent writing Matt San
[...] Branden: Nicely said Matthew San. I always find myself with lingering thoughts about these issues. However,… [...]
I was linked here from http://tdatraining.blogspot.com/ and I’m glad of it; this is a really well written and informative blog. I’ll be back, for sure ^^
I found this post really useful, and relevant, as I’m only just beginning my training =D
Take care
Nice to see a blog about martial arts that is both informative and fun and not just focused on self defense and kicking butt. If more teachers focused on developing a student’s mental side as well as physical less would be caught up in those stressors and could focus on just practicing to quote my Shifu,”Practice just for the sake of the practice. The rest takes care of itself.