So. for a while now I'very been watching The Strength project on YouTube. The channel puts out a lot of meterial on calisthenics. After watching guys like Adam Raw, Hannibal(no not you cowboy), and Frank Medrano it's a style or working out i have tried to adopt but I can't seem to keep at it. I have the same problem with stretching and drawing. I keep hitting road block at the very beginning that I can't seem to get past. I know once I have reach a certain level I'll start having fun with it and continuing won't be an issue. So my question to you fine folks. How do you get past these road blocks when you start a acquiring a new skill? Do you have any motivational tricks you like to use? For me. It helps when I have someone with me pushing me and talk nasty to me. Fuels the rage. This doesn't work so well for drawing. Anyways. What do you guys do?
I did a post on motivation recently that shows how to set goals. http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1074883613&postcount=5
Positive reinforcement and a good teacher does it for me. I don't respond we'll to people and shouting at me, I'll just hit them (if they say horrible stuff).
If you're an introspective person it's very easy to beat yourself up about your self perceived rate of progress or lack of it and the things you are doing wrong. That can be the death knell for many people's training. An important thing is to phrase your issues correctly in your own mind. Rather than making lists of what not to do in order to correct a flaw, instead create positively framed lists and targets that focus on what you should be doing. I wrote an indirectly related post on this subject on my blog earlier this year.
Good little article, but you're right: "conscious incompetence" is a nasty term! Self-correction and/or self-awareness are how I would phrase it.
Not really MA oriented, but for creative skills I find giving yourself a project with a deadline can work well. The more external pressure the better. Also make yourself fine with the idea that the stuff you produce will be rubbish when you look back on it in a year or two.
John, MAP exists to create a positive family friendly site to promote discussion, not to pimp your site. If you have something to say then quote it directly with the quote function. Wait, I'm not a mod..... Carry on
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMHcQo23u5k"]"Dayum!" Friday - YouTube[/ame] Link removed and short blog quoted for your reading pleasure.
No it's a fair point. I took a short cut and posted a link rather than taking the time to copy paste. Although the point of having the blog is (in theory) that I don't post the content elsewhere (I summed it up in the two preceding paragraphs). MAP isn't really a natural home for what I would describe as my normal audience which is why I don't add much content here any more unless specifically asked.
Speaking for myself, I would like you to add more content here. I don't follow your blog, but when I have read it, I've enjoyed doing so. I particularly remember liking your bit on ground fighting, and I reckon that kind of thing could produce some good debates on MAP.
Not me. I've not written a blog post on ground fighting. I wrote a short article on the subject for Traditional Karate Magazine in 2006.
Well Im going to offer some advice here because Im going through it myself, although admittidly Im comeing out of a slump of about two or three months, so im not in the slump myself but not totally out either. First of all makeing a commitment to do something dosent mean you have to like it, if you wait until you like it chances are youll never get started. Basically nike said it best "just do it" My alarm goes off at five A.M. and my first thought isnt of how fun and cozy it is, usually I want to cuss and kick the cat and just roll my eyes and go back to sleep for another hour. Working out has an end result, its the end result your wanting haveing fun getting there is good but not necessary. Make a training scheduel and stick with it rather you like it or not and that my friend is the self discipline aspect that will get you those results. Heres a list of sayings that hang on the wall where I traain its kinda like our Dojo Kyune. 1.the journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step 2.slow and steady wins the race 3.sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me 4.If you cant say anything nice dont say anything at all 5. It takes a bigger person to walk away from a fight than it does to start one 6.when the going gets tough the tough get going 7. Keep it simple stupid.
Simple tools: -Mark each workout day on a calendar and cross it off -Use a social fitness app. They're great for accountability and competitiveness. -Engage in some healthy admiration of your progress. Photo, video, posing in the mirror before bed... -Constant visualization and positive self-talk Now for the more conceptual. If it's something I want to do I immerse myself in it. I read every book, watch every video. You are what you eat, but even more you are what you consume. Now everyone can't simply flip the switch for obsession and certainly not with everything. Sometimes it's a grind and whether you start with obsession or not you will inevitably have to submit yourself to the grind; every martial artist does. The most practical concept with starting for me came from Kai Greene: A Day in The Life and it was this: just start. Leave being perfect for later and just start. Develop the habit for success and worry about the details later. They are little, changeable pieces which are going to evolve for you anyway but training your mind for success in any field begins with that choice to just start. When you have trouble continuing, when you don't want to do it and you have to drag yourself into it, you ask yourself how much you want it. Just like you have to "just start" some days you have to "just keep swimming." This is living in the grind. Whatever method you use to force yourself to do it you will have have days when you'd rather do anything else than practice but that persistence is what separates those who can from those who won't.
Figure out your learning style and accumulate support materials which are specific to it. Take me for example. I'm a visual learner. I learn best by watching stuff. But it has carryover to my motivation levels too, so I flood my eyes with every type of visual stimulus related to my goal that I can get my hands on. To get my splits back after my hip replacement, I watched countless videos of other people stretching and doing the splits; I set a picture of a person doing the splits as the wallpaper on my phone and lapop; I made a scrapbook of different people doing the splits; I printed off A3 pictures of people doing the splits, framed them and put them on my wall. Sounds a bit excessive, but I always found overkill to be better than doing too little. You really only need to do this for the first month or two while the habit sets in, then it becomes second nature and easier.
I think this thread really hits home imo, as martial artists we all have to deal with staying motivated. Zanshin Karate isnt an easy martial art, the daily work out requirements can become that grind we were talking about. For me the grind is made worse by stressful work/job requirements and the drama that comes from home every now and then. Its true that the grind is literally a field of broken dreams, its like getting a purplr belt, it forces you to deal with the truth about yourself and your situations, question is can you handle that like an adult and grow through it or will you become depressed and frustrated and ultimately just quit??? At some point in this last 18 months I realized that haveing a super fit body and martial arts skills wont fix some of the other problems I have especially the ones that come from other people. In some cases it generates anamosity and envy in other cases people look at me like Im some kind of jar head Jock, dealing with that is frustrateing for me sometimes. Working out has made me realize that its about me and for me and that other people arnt going to reward me for my personal success or even share in it no matter how awesome I think I am for acheiving my fitness and martial arts goals theres always a nay sayer. When I stop and think about it, Im no better than anyone else I just have more physical ability and talent than the average Joe, it makes me happy to know that I can handle myself in a fight, it makes my wife feel safe and chances are I wont die from heart attack or heart disease both run in my family due to obesity. I wouldnt be happy with myself if I didnt workout, I would be a depressed mess and likely all alone and drunk lols.
