External training motivators...what get's you going?

[IcemanSK]

From time to time, we all struggle with motivations to train. As much as we MA-ists say "we all train just to get better" sometimes we need some sort of external motivation. Sometimes we've just done the same workouts for too long.

In the past, I've used Rocky movies, bad MA flicks, buying new gear or training equipment (heavy bags, etc.), or training with new people (or old friends I don't see often) to get me going again.

What do you do when you need some extra motivation?

 

[Flea]

Up until about a month ago, all I had to look was look outside my window and see people doing the Crack Walk any time of the day. (I didn't see them out my window at night because it was too dark. :uhyeah: )

Now I'm in a very pleasant small hippie town and I just train for fun. Fear is a stronger motivator, but it gets very stale after a while. Not that there's anything wrong with fun, but I'm open to other suggestions!

 

[ralphmcpherson]

my main motivation comes from knowing that if I didnt train for any period it would just be too difficult for me to get back into it. The flexibility and fitness Ive gained would probably disappear very quickly if i got slack, not to mention all the forms I have memorised. Basically, when I feel fit and healthy I love MA but when I dont I find it quite frustrating, so the best thing to do is to keep on training.

 

[Omar B]

External motivators? I've always thought of my drive to do better is mine, not borrowed from an outside source.

But I do like listening to thrash while I train. Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, Nevermore, etc.

 

[Tanaka]

People always ask me my motivation.

Well my motivation is pretty much the thought that someone being or getting better than me. And that thought has made me achieve a lot of things in a lot of areas of human capability. Not just physically, but mentality as well. It's a simple thought, but it's a thought that keeps me going and going nonstop.

 

[mook jong man]

The thing that keeps me motivated to train is when dancing naked in front of the mirror , there are bits of me that are still moving long after I've stopped and I don't mean the good bits either.

So if I want to keep my weight in check and not have my gut arrive home five minutes before I do , then I must keep training.

 

[Hand Sword]

What has gotten me going again after many years away is the belief in the idea of finding peace and calmness, that comes from training (once laughed at by me) along with trying to find myself once again. (the awareness of losing myself motivates too)

 

[dancingalone]

What do you do when you need some extra motivation?

It begins and ends with my students these days. I need to keep up with my skills and even improve on them if I am to remain the type of active, hands on type of instructor I prefer to be. It gets harder and harder with each year but I am determined to keep at it as long as I can.

 

[Aikikitty]

Usually I feel re-motivated by listening to fast music, watching old Kung Fu movies, and reading posts on this forum, or talking about ma with a friend.

 

[tomlaat]

Hey guys,

I never saw anybody kick a pallet like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cbzDoEymcg
Looks like a good motivator. I tried it myself I’m not a black belt but I couldn’t break it this fast. It sure got me all pumped up

Osu!

 

[Tanaka]

Hey guys,

I never saw anybody kick a pallet like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cbzDoEymcg
Looks like a good motivator. I tried it myself I’m not a black belt but I couldn’t break it this fast. It sure got me all pumped up

Osu!

You're kinda using "Osu" wrong
..

Also this video confused me. What does it have to do with martial arts?

 

[Gruenewald]

Reading about martial arts or watching a good martial arts movie usually gets me pretty excited about training.

 

[Phoenix44]

Cold cash.

 

[harlan]

Honestly? It's the thought that I'd get kicked to the curb...'uninvited' to train. I get heartily sick of training, of trying to find the time on a daily basis to practice when there is no 'reward'. No belts, no rank, no tournaments...just more practice. But I know a teacher can tell if one isn't practicing...it shows over time. And sooner or later, he'd say, 'Don't waste my time if you're not serious.'

From time to time, we all struggle with motivations to train. As much as we MA-ists say "we all train just to get better" sometimes we need some sort of external motivation. Sometimes we've just done the same workouts for too long.

In the past, I've used Rocky movies, bad MA flicks, buying new gear or training equipment (heavy bags, etc.), or training with new people (or old friends I don't see often) to get me going again.

What do you do when you need some extra motivation?

 

[Shifu Steve]

I would just have to visit or send a video to my Shifu, get ripped apart, then realize I need more practice.

 

[seasoned]

Fighting back old father time is the best motivator, that and a love for the arts.

 

[Laus]

Whenever I have one of those "I don't wanna train tonight waaahhhh" moments the first thing I ask myself is if the person I like to think I am would act like that. The answer is always no. Usually that's enough.

If its not I continue talking to myself. The conversation typically goes thusly:

-are you really sick/tired/busy/whatever or are you just being lame?
-idunnomeh.
-don't you always feel better after class?
-i guess.
-will you die if you go?
-no...
-then go dumba**.
-fiiiiiiine.

That will usually get me out the door. Of course, that doesn't necessarily hype me up. What does depends on the day. I do what I do because I love it. But on a more practical level, what I am doing with my life means I have to be be able to handle myself, and that is reason enough to keep up my training. Wanting to be able to go toe-to-toe with the boys is another consistent driving factor, closely tied to the first.

In a pinch, I think about all the people who've ever doubted me, discouraged me or put me down, and think about how satisfying it is to know they were wrong. Maybe its petty, but a little fantasizing about totally showing them up doesn't hurt my game any.

As a side note, sometimes the above conversation gets me to the dojo when I actually am really sick or exhausted, and I spend the whole class hurting like hell and wishing I'd stayed home. I get through that by telling myself that training when I feel like I'm about to kick over is sometimes exactly the point.