KyleSCSpence
White Belt
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2015
- Messages
- 9
- Reaction score
- 4
Hey guys I am training martial arts again after a couple of years absence, I realized that my last martial arts practice had a ton of bad habits which I could learn from and so I wanted to make a thread where we could help each other by sharing our bad habits in order to help improve ourselves and aid each others practices.
So I will just delve straight in.
1.Rapidity comes only after diligence. It is so tempting to rush what you are learning just to get the next belt or to move onto the next maneuver, however I have found that hurrying makes you sloppy and careless and almost a bit reckless in practice. If you want to do something fast and speedy it comes after great practice - that is to say great quality practice, and not just because you want to get it over and done with and move onto the next thing.
2. An atmosphere of comradeship and friendship is better than aggression and violence. What I mean by this is that if you are lucky enough to be training in an environment where everyone is trying to help one another rise to their level instead of belittling each other so that they are below their level, then you should not waste that opportunity and be thankful for it because I (and many others I presume) have trained in gyms and sects where everyone is constantly against one another and trying to stop each other from succeeding, which is really unsubstantial for growth and development. If you cannot find an environment like this, at least produce it of yourself because others will benefit from it.
3. No master is unbeatable. That is to say that just because you can beat someone it doesn't mean that you cannot learn anything from them. The person may have a training that is very beneficial to your practice or a move that may be beneficial to you in times to come. In other words keep open minded and never stop learning. The moment you think you know everything something has gone horribly wrong.
4. BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF. This is perhaps one of the most fundamental lessons for me. It was quite easy to delude myself into thinking I was some master after a few training sessions which is obviously not true. I actually think that self honesty is one of the morals that good teachers instill on their students because the more honest you are the easier it is for you to progress. I think mastering one move at a time is beneficial for growth.
5. ^^ that leads me on nicely to good morals. Moral codes give you stability and set up for growth. I actually think that moral codes are something that are degrading slightly in martial arts since the introduction of the ufc but it was something that seems to me to be of great value for self improvement and development.
6. School yourself don't wait for others to school you. the reason I mention this is because you can only learn what you are willing to learn. even if the school is great. if you are not willing to learn then it doesn't matter how good the school is. Even if you are in the greatest school if you are arrogant or lazy then there may as well be no point to you being there.
7. Dont be afraid to do something again and again until you get it right. I was guilty of choosing the lazy option over what was truly the better option simply because I had little perseverance and this attitude gets you no where well.if you have a non quitting attitude for something good then you benefit in innumerable ways.
8. It is not about impressing others. if everything is about showing off and impressing others then you will live only for those moments when you are - ergo, you will not want to practice or train unless there are people watching, this is detrimental to your practice because you end up not enjoying your training and also you train less, moreover, you become 100x (not an exact figure) more likely to develop ''flowery fists and show kicks'', which can fool you into thinking you are better than you are. this is why martial arts for the sake of impressing others is dangerous.
9. You do not protect yourself by becoming a thing that needs protecting from. In other words if you want to defend yourself from bullies, do not become a bully. if you want freedom from hostilities, do not delight in hostility. If you want protection from menaces, do not become a menace. Its very strange to me how some martial artists become the thing they were against in the first place. It comes down I believe to knowing compassion. if you have been bullied you know the value of protecting others from bullying.
10. Regular, good training. Hap-hazardness and lack of discipline are things that practicing martial arts should correct. If you are not enjoying your training then you will be reluctant to do it, making excuses and generally turning away from it. whereas if you truly enjoy your training and practice, then you cannot wait to get up the next day to do it. If your training is not regular and of a high quality you will not be getting much benefit out of it.
These are some of the things that i am learning from through past experience for reference.
If you would, please share that which you find may be beneficial from your own experience, be it bad habits or things that you accidentally did for a long period of time that given the choice now you would not. Thank you.
So I will just delve straight in.
1.Rapidity comes only after diligence. It is so tempting to rush what you are learning just to get the next belt or to move onto the next maneuver, however I have found that hurrying makes you sloppy and careless and almost a bit reckless in practice. If you want to do something fast and speedy it comes after great practice - that is to say great quality practice, and not just because you want to get it over and done with and move onto the next thing.
2. An atmosphere of comradeship and friendship is better than aggression and violence. What I mean by this is that if you are lucky enough to be training in an environment where everyone is trying to help one another rise to their level instead of belittling each other so that they are below their level, then you should not waste that opportunity and be thankful for it because I (and many others I presume) have trained in gyms and sects where everyone is constantly against one another and trying to stop each other from succeeding, which is really unsubstantial for growth and development. If you cannot find an environment like this, at least produce it of yourself because others will benefit from it.
3. No master is unbeatable. That is to say that just because you can beat someone it doesn't mean that you cannot learn anything from them. The person may have a training that is very beneficial to your practice or a move that may be beneficial to you in times to come. In other words keep open minded and never stop learning. The moment you think you know everything something has gone horribly wrong.
4. BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF. This is perhaps one of the most fundamental lessons for me. It was quite easy to delude myself into thinking I was some master after a few training sessions which is obviously not true. I actually think that self honesty is one of the morals that good teachers instill on their students because the more honest you are the easier it is for you to progress. I think mastering one move at a time is beneficial for growth.
5. ^^ that leads me on nicely to good morals. Moral codes give you stability and set up for growth. I actually think that moral codes are something that are degrading slightly in martial arts since the introduction of the ufc but it was something that seems to me to be of great value for self improvement and development.
6. School yourself don't wait for others to school you. the reason I mention this is because you can only learn what you are willing to learn. even if the school is great. if you are not willing to learn then it doesn't matter how good the school is. Even if you are in the greatest school if you are arrogant or lazy then there may as well be no point to you being there.
7. Dont be afraid to do something again and again until you get it right. I was guilty of choosing the lazy option over what was truly the better option simply because I had little perseverance and this attitude gets you no where well.if you have a non quitting attitude for something good then you benefit in innumerable ways.
8. It is not about impressing others. if everything is about showing off and impressing others then you will live only for those moments when you are - ergo, you will not want to practice or train unless there are people watching, this is detrimental to your practice because you end up not enjoying your training and also you train less, moreover, you become 100x (not an exact figure) more likely to develop ''flowery fists and show kicks'', which can fool you into thinking you are better than you are. this is why martial arts for the sake of impressing others is dangerous.
9. You do not protect yourself by becoming a thing that needs protecting from. In other words if you want to defend yourself from bullies, do not become a bully. if you want freedom from hostilities, do not delight in hostility. If you want protection from menaces, do not become a menace. Its very strange to me how some martial artists become the thing they were against in the first place. It comes down I believe to knowing compassion. if you have been bullied you know the value of protecting others from bullying.
10. Regular, good training. Hap-hazardness and lack of discipline are things that practicing martial arts should correct. If you are not enjoying your training then you will be reluctant to do it, making excuses and generally turning away from it. whereas if you truly enjoy your training and practice, then you cannot wait to get up the next day to do it. If your training is not regular and of a high quality you will not be getting much benefit out of it.
These are some of the things that i am learning from through past experience for reference.
If you would, please share that which you find may be beneficial from your own experience, be it bad habits or things that you accidentally did for a long period of time that given the choice now you would not. Thank you.