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Here are 8 simple karate tips to a better experience that take place between the ears. These 8 items will make your karate experience better, more productive, and set you on a path of consistently spiraling upward in karate skills and abilities.
1. Learn To Listen
Martial Arts is about self-actualization, physical safety, and the common good. Listening is an important skill. Listening is not only a thoughtful act but listening allows you to avoid the land mines of life.
Listening allows you to heed the warnings that the more experienced have. The probability you are taking to heart the idea of developing listening skills is unlikely. But you should consider it.
Here is a link for you to see just how important this life skill truly is.
2. Don’t Blame
Martial Arts is also about personal responsibility. Bringing order to yourself and then you are valuable to others. Placing blame is a non-productive path. Take responsibility – even when you believe it is not your fault. (because if you are involved in what is happening you likely have some level of culpability.)
As for day-to-day on the martial arts path, embrace the grind, it is a grind at times, but the rewards are deep and profound.
The bottom line, it’s on you and the path is not easy.
3. Don’t Waste Time, Don’t Be Rash
If your art is not working for you, change. I tried three arts before I settled on one, well two. Many seasoned readers are nodding knowingly, with this caveat; don’t bail too soon, stick with it, don’t be a style hunter.
You will know if it is time to leave if you have landed in three schools in the last eighteen months, not through eternal factors, e.g. moving, then you likely are not putting in the effort.
Don’t waste your time and don’t waste other’s time.
4. Expectations
Your expectations of what the martial arts are will change. Like how your tastes change from childhood to now. SpongeBob SquarePants may still be funny, but it isn’t high art like it was when you were a little tike.
Allow for the change, allow for growth, and welcome it. Nothing stays the same forever, and if it did wouldn’t the world and your martial arts be boring?
5. Learning Never Stops
The greatest gift Martial Arts will give you is you can never stop learning. Learning and physical activity, two elements for long life.
It is that simple. Be consistent.
6. If It Were Easy
It’s an old saying, “If it were easy everybody would do it.” The second older saying is, “If it is worth having it is worth working for.” Martial Arts are not easy, but the rewards are great.
Listen to Denzel Washington as he tells you that ease is a greater threat to progress than hardship. And ask any advance Martial Artist about hardship and they will likely acknowledge it, but hold no resentment.
7. It’s Group Training But It Is A Solo Endeavor
You are responsible for yourself when it comes to martial arts. It is a group atmosphere and it is great to have comradery, however it’s on you. The choices you make, the training you choose to do, or not do. The way you carry yourself all are factors. And those acts, those choices are seen by those ahead of you in the ranks.
Those upper ranks are assessing you. It sounds harsh, but they are eyeballing you to see if you are worth the hand-up, the effort, if you are ready and willing.
The simple formula is to be responsible to yourself and the plan, both internal and external will open for you.
8. The Martial Arts Will Change Your Life
It may appear as a casual choice, to take up martial arts, but your life will change from that day forward.
If you take up fencing, your friends will expand and you will learn about the international subculture of the épée, the largest and heaviest of the three swords used in the sport.
You will become picky about the density of the weave of your Judo Gi. And many profound changes will occur. To speak to those changes is presumptuous as we are all unique with our own needs and desires. Know that change is coming, and the longer you train the deeper that river runs.
Kris Wilder
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