Martial Arts Tips 101
What is martial arts tips 101? Recently I started to think back over my time that I first began my martial arts journey, starting when I was a teenager. Just like a lot of inexperienced Martial Artists out there, I relied solely on my dojo and instructors for my training and personal growth as a practitioner.
But what I discovered that after years of training. There are some vital aspects, as an inexperienced martial artist I wish I had realised when I began this journey. So I thought I would share these tips that I believe all serious Martial Artist needs, in order to keep in mind so that they can truly take your skills and mindset to new heights.
These tips are universal and can be applied to any styles of martial arts or different phases of your life. Think about it as an essential framework to get the most out of your pursuit to greatness. For me self-improvement through Martial Arts is about self defence, improving my fitness, sharpening my mind and strengthen the connection with my inner self.
Everyday, I try to focus on qualities that I value so that I can improve my lifestyles and be a good role model to both my family and my community. So let’s dive in the vital qualities that you can use to maximise your Martial Arts Potential.
BE A CONSISTENT LEARNER
Consistency is one of the most vital qualities you need to really excel in martial arts. Every martial artist at one point has had a moment where you don’t feel like training. Maybe you had a hard day at work, lots of school assignments or maybe it’s just too hot. Remember a winner shows up, works hard and will always strive to do their best. Only with consistency and proper training, can you enhance your technique, focus , mindset and help you achieve your martial arts potential . Learning martial arts tips 101 will help you kick all your goals as you embrace the journey of self improvement.
MARTIAL ARTS TIPS 101 SECRETS
If you want to boost your martial arts, you need to constantly challenge yourself. Training in your comfort zone will never help you too push yourself to your achieving your goals. Losing the ability for personal growth and adapting your skills. Therefore, you’ll run the risk of getting left behind.
In many studies, sports science taught us that our bodies are constantly evolving. Experts in the health and fitness fields are always coming up with more robust approaches to conditioning, health, and fitness. The assimilation of this knowledge into your training regimen can propel your strength, flexibility and endurance. Consistency may not sound exciting. Because hard work in anything is exactly that….it’s hard. But in order to be the best martial artist you can be, you need to learn how consistency and hard work is essential!
10 TIPS FOR DEVELOPING CONSISTENCY
1. Clearly establish what goals you’re trying to achieve, plan how this can be accomplished and within what timeframe. Then write it down.
2. Get clear vision on why you want to achieve this goal. Example,
what are the benefits? What is the worst thing that could happen if you don’t achieving it? Having a clear mindset will help you stay motivated when times get challenging .
3. Set a hard, immovable date which will “qualify” your goal. This helps you hold accountability.
4. Break your goals into smaller manageable steps . This helps you focus every day on what you must achieve.
5. Prioritise these steps into your calendar (building a new habit). Like any new activity this process will take some time. But believe me it’s WORTH it.
6. Build that habit into a system that supports it. Identify the habits that will help your goal, as well as removing any bad habits like self sabotage. This will help you stay focused and motivated on the task ahead.
7. Find a training partner who shares your goals and wants to achieve the same things. As they say “Teamwork makes the dream work”.
8. Training partners help you stay accountable and inspire you to never give up.
9. Track your progress. There is nothing more motivating to see that you are getting closer and closer towards your goals. Even if you have had a setback or two, it’s just as powerful to adjust your mindset, keep going and to never stop believing in yourself.
10. Be patient with yourself . No one is perfect, so you need to adjust and change plans or habits to get you to where you want to be.
VITAL INFORMATION IN MARTIAL ARTS TIPS 101
As we now live in a new tech age world, you care constantly coming across new research through platforms like blogs, websites and platforms such as YouTube. Educating us about nutrition, supplementation and fitness techniques.
Now this vital information is no longer reserved for professional athletes, and anyone can adopt these methods to get you back into the dojo sooner than before.
TAKE ON A SMART APPROACH TO TRAINING
There are many different skills and attributes to boost your martial arts. So how do you know if you are prioritising the right elements for your skill level? You need to have a dedicated plan to be able to focus your training on your unique needs.
I discovered it easier to break up my martial arts training into:
- Technical Skills
- Physical Conditioning
- Flexibility
- Mental Strength and Mindset
By focusing on a specific element in your Martial Art will help you set specific and achievable goals for yourself. That means that you can train with a true sense of purpose, gain proficiency levels based on your goals and then you can keep building upon this as you continue.
PRACTICAL TRAINING
It’s really easy to get carried away during when training on our own in the beginning with basics or even a new kata. But it is just as important to spend some time hitting focus pads or developing proper technique with a slow kick. Taking on and adapting any constructive criticism we have received for either our striking power, technique, or accuracy.
Kumite is also critical in enhancing our training as it teaches you to work on your timing, distancing, or observing your opponent. You will learn how to close the distance or retreat in order to protect yourself, in typical self defence scenario. This will improve your effectiveness as a Martial Artist.
WORKING ON YOUR WEAKNESSES ( Martial Arts Tips 101)
We all love focusing on the skills we are good at. Ask yourself are you really improving? You see you actually make the most progress when you focus on your weakest areas. Every tiny improvement I make in a area I struggle with, will greatly improve my overall Martial Arts proficiency. Here are some of my favourite quotes parts about this important factor.
“What separates great players from all-time great players is their ability to self-assess, diagnose weaknesses, and turn those flaws into strengths.”
Kobe Bryant
“We must train from the inside out. Using our strengths to attack and nullify any weaknesses. It’s not about denying a weakness may exist but about denying its right to persist.” ~ Vince McConnell
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger
“A truly strong person does not need the approval of others any more than a lion needs the approval of sheep.” ~ Vernon Howard
MAKE MARTIAL ARTS PART OF YOUR LIFESTYLE
For some people Martial Arts is seen as a hobby, but for passionate martial artist it is known as a lifestyle. Your lifestyle simply boils down to whether or not you make smart or bad choices as you go about your daily life. The choices we make can have a positive or a negative influence on your Martial Arts training. For instance, choosing to eat a healthy balanced diet and are consistent with your training. You have enough energy for an intense training session and help you recover sufficiently. Conversely, eating junk or you make excuses to not train, this will quickly deplete your energy and won’t recharge as quickly.
In order to take your martial arts to another level, you need to find a way to live and breathe it. Learning how to infuse the philosophies into your daily life and activities.
One of the first things that I do in the morning is some dynamic stretching as it helps loosens and prepares my joints for the day ahead . Not only do I love martial arts but I also love yoga. So I like to perform some static stretching followed by some meditation before bedtime. This greatly helps to calm my mind and facilitates a restful sleep.
Another benefit is learning how to exercise your resolve and mental strength during stressful and challenging times at work. This helps me to look at problems with a positive frame of reference and allows me to persevere to achieve a successful outcome.
GET CREATIVE
I’d love to dedicate all my time and energy towards martial arts but the truth is that working and being a mother takes up a large portion of the day. What I found overtime, you don’t need to look at it like an obstacle. All you need to do is learn how to get creative. Whether you are grocery shopping, household chores or even playing with your kids. You can always find an opportunity to get some training in. Do some sit ups or plank while watching television. Do 20 push ups while waiting for the laundry? Do some squats while waiting for the kettle to boil. It all adds up over time and contributes to your training volume and fitness. So, get creative!
TRAINING vs PERFORMANCE
This is something that has taken me a long time to learn. Earlier on in my martial arts journey, I remember when doing gradings or ask to do a demonstration in front of the class. I used to place immense pressure myself. Which at times greatly affected my mindset and techniques.
The recipe for disaster is when you separate your how you to train from how you perform. What I learned was I needed to have was a different mindset during training than the one i did when I performed. Whenever you train, maximise each repetition, aiming to execute the perfect technique with plenty of power. Training this way will leave you exhausted and build your fitness.
When you are grading for a higher rank, entering a competition , or performing a demonstration, now it’s your time to shine. It’s time to relax and enjoy the process. You should never have to experience the pressure to maximise every repetition. But instead you should trust your capabilities and skills you have acquired during training. So let go of the outcome, enjoy yourself and stay relaxed.
Learning how to bring down your heart rate during rest periods is an essential skill that will serve you well during gradings and any competition. It will help you conserve your energy, increase your stamina and then you can use your most valuable resources when you actually need it.
TRAINING INTO YOUR GOLDEN YEARS
If you love Martial Arts as much as I do, you want to make sure that you can continue to train into your golden years. Some of you might think Is this even possible? Absolutely! I found this amazing website which dives into this https://www.oldest.org/sports/karate-player/ The key to longevity depends on what you do and act in your youth. Do you treat your body well? Are you able to recover from injury ?. What was your approach to training when you were young, all of this makes the difference. So train your core, strengthen your knees and shoulders and then you will be able to set yourself up on a course that leads to you training well into golden years.
EMBRACE MINIMALISM
Over the years I have come a variety of Martial Artists who are hungry to learn more and more skills. Whilst there is nothing wrong with wanting to expand your knowledge. I myself started my martial arts training in grappling and then only as I got older I started moving onto the striking arts. The important thing to know is not to take on too much at once e.g training multiple arts at once.
When I spar I don’t set out to mix different styles together, such as doing a 4 kick combo. But depending on my training partner or situation your skills need to be easily accessible when you need it. You almost like you need to refine your art and toolset arsenal as you reach higher levels. What I mean by this is removing all that is unnecessary and only focusing on what is useful. This will improve the efficacy of your Martial Arts practice. You will become more effective and get even further in your quest for mastery.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON MARTIAL ARTS TIPS 101
I am strong believe that your instructors job is teach you all the techniques, but you’re the one who needs to put them into action. Basically your training is what you make of it and you only get out of Martial Arts what you put in. These tips might seem easy to implement on the surface but what these are really designed to do is help you foster those habits that will improve your mental, physical and spiritual wellness.
Here at Women Aware Defence believe you are the key to your own success and we are here to guide the way to become the best versions of yourselves.