Hard on your self, good, or bad

[Laborn]

First of all hi again lol, been awile.

Ok well, I train pretty hard, im wondering if the way im trainig is healthy, for instance, everyone tells me i have a good looking 6 pack, and i have alot of muscles and well defined muscles, especially for a 15 year old, but I dont see it, I push it aside and push my self harder, if I go to a tournament and even if I win the matches, im mad at my self, because i review and review and review the tape, finding my weakneses, and then I work hard on those weaknesses, everyone tells me im very quick with y feet, I dont see it, i see it as im slow and I need to get better, so i bought resistance cords, yesterday, and i worked with them for a complete hour yesterday with my leggs alone, i work all the time with weights and everything.

Basically I'm hard on my self, to force my self to get better at area's that people tell me im already good at, did that make sense? is that a healthy way of training?.

 

[Laborn]

Also, if im running, if I get tired I force my self to run faster, if im doing pushups and I feel like I cant go anymore I force my self to do at least 25 more, if I get winded while fighting at my Dojang, I ask to fight again imediatly, forcing my self to gather enough ernergy to fight even when im tired. is it healthy

 

[Andrew Green]

Can be, depending on exactly what you are doing.

Overtraining is a common thing, and will get you going backwards, no improving.

A clear example of being hard on yourself being bad - Anorexia.

Doesn't matter that everyone is telling them they are too thin and should eat more, they refuse thinking they are not thin enough...

 

[dubljay]

Pushing yourself is never bad. Wanting to do better because you know you can is a virture. But I also you can't ignore your body. Pushing past fatigue is ok, so long as you don't endanger yourself.

 

[Gemini]

I've wrestled with this my whole life. I've always been very self-critical. I'm only now (much older than you) realizing it isn't always a good thing. I agree, pushing yourself can be good as long as you're realistic about you goals. Try to be better today than yesterday, but don't try to be your ultimate self at one shot. I would recommend setting your goals at smaller intervals than I used to do for myself. Being constantly frustrated is not the way to improve. Watch your tapes if you want. I still do, but when you see something you don't like, just figure out a way to improve it. Don't beat yourself up over it. I look over the past 30 years and realize I put myself through rough times for absolutely no reason. Ultimately, I improved through determination, not self-criticsm. They're not the same thing.

 

[Laborn]

Like once at church, I was sparring sort of with a friend, he got me in the face, well I was ticked, so I made my training harder, see that's how I am, not satisfied with what I already have, I want more and more, I want to imporve and keep improving. im a very odd 15 year old lol.

Laborm

 

[MJS]

There's never anything wrong with wanting to be better. However, as Andrew said, you dont want to over do it. Getting better at something is not going to happen overnight, no matter what you do. Take your time and work yourself up to your next goal at a realistic pace.

Mike

 

[Lisa]

Like once at church, I was sparring sort of with a friend, he got me in the face, well I was ticked, so I made my training harder, see that's how I am, not satisfied with what I already have, I want more and more, I want to imporve and keep improving. im a very odd 15 year old lol.

Laborm

Well at least at 15 you have a focus. That in itself is good. I have to agree with the others and really like what Gemini said about determination as opposed to self-criticism. We become our own worst enemies when we are too hard on ourselves and that, in turn, stops us from achieving our goals. As long as you are also getting enjoyment out of your training and not physically harming yourself, you should do fine.

 

[Sapper6]

all things in moderation, grasshopper.

 

[Shaolinwind]

Everyone tells me rest is part of your training. That's about the only thing I know other than train train train.. If you ask me, I say push yourself 'till you puke. But take a day off.

First of all hi again lol, been awile.

Ok well, I train pretty hard, im wondering if the way im trainig is healthy, for instance, everyone tells me i have a good looking 6 pack, and i have alot of muscles and well defined muscles, especially for a 15 year old, but I dont see it, I push it aside and push my self harder, if I go to a tournament and even if I win the matches, im mad at my self, because i review and review and review the tape, finding my weakneses, and then I work hard on those weaknesses, everyone tells me im very quick with y feet, I dont see it, i see it as im slow and I need to get better, so i bought resistance cords, yesterday, and i worked with them for a complete hour yesterday with my leggs alone, i work all the time with weights and everything.

Basically I'm hard on my self, to force my self to get better at area's that people tell me im already good at, did that make sense? is that a healthy way of training?.

 

[MA-Caver]

Being hard on oneself is a good thing if it's done correctly. Mentally we are our worse critics and can totally demoralize and demean ourselves worse than anyone... if we choose to.
When I'm "hard on myself" I try not to use anything negative; i.e. you moron, idiot, look how stupid that was and so forth. Instead, I try to accent the mistakes in a positive light; i.e. Ohhh, ok obviously you weren't fast enough that time, or your awareness needs enhancing, or any other things that my training, experience needs working on.
You should never, never beat yourself up for something you did wrong in relation to your training. You should strive instead to see what you did wrong and think of ways to correct it.
At 15 focus can be a difficult thing to do unless one has the total commitment. This will mature you faster than you might like but it's not a bad thing at all.
Remind yourself that you are still young and that you do have time to learn. Above all, never stop learning from yourself as well as your instructor.
:asian:

 

[Flatlander]

I think that the fact that you've commenced this discussion is interesting in and of itself.

Are you seeking permission to let up a bit? Or to drive even harder?

Ask yourself this: what is it that you seek? What motivates you to try so hard?

Further, recognize that we can all find peace in balance. As Sapper said, all things in moderation. Do you apply as much effort in your academics? Your relationships? What is most important to you?

Answer these questions for yourself. Perhaps the answer to this question will reveal itself.

:asian:

 

[kenpo tiger]

Do you think you are being hard on yourself, or is it really that you are instilling discipline in yourself and your training? You are the only one you have to answer to.

 

[karatekid1975]

I'm the wrong person to ask that LOL. I am my own worse critic. I am a forms, breaking, and technique geek that you will ever meet. I refuse to have people tell me I can't break because I am female (power break). If I'm not "perfect" (in my mind) with my technique or forms, I get upset with myself. I am only a red belt in TKD, but people tell me that my technique is better than some of the BB's. Yea, but still not good enough in my eyes.

I am a white belt in Jujitsu. I'm not so hard on myself there, but again, when I learn a joint lock or something, I want to do it "right" right away. But that won't happen the first time I learn it, of course. But I still get a bit frustrated LOL.

 

[Sarah]

One word comes to mind when reading your post "BURNOUT" It is important to push yourself, but just as important to take pride and enjoyment in your accomplishments.

Have you considered keeping a training journal to track your progress, its amazing to look back on and see just how far you have come.

Please have a look at the link below, you may find it interesting:

http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/overtraining.html
That said, it is impressive to see someone so young with so much drive, just dont let it drive you into the ground! Have fun with your training

 

[arnisador]

Pushing yourself and coldly analyzing your strengths is good...unless, as suggested, you reach burnout. Moderation!

 

[Laborn]

Well lol, I got i've found my answer, i've been in a few styles, and sometimes I train til I cant train anymore hence*throwing up, cant stand, feel about to pass out* many times during training, i've thrown up, then continue'd on, and amaizingly, I dont get very much sleep at all, 2-5 hours a night, I have bad nights, because of my life currently. sometimes if I cant sleep,m ill get up and train, which is what I was doing til I decided to check my post right now it's 130: and I have to get up at 6 tomorrow so hehe.

Meh i gues I shouldn't be so hard on my self, I dont know why I am, im hard on my self in every way, school, martial arts, street fighting, girls lol. Am I allowed to post a picture of my self with my shirt off? everyone says i have plenty of muscles for my age, but I jsut dont see it, all i see is area's
I have to improve on.

sorry im jsut trying to figure this out thank you all.

Laborm

 

[karatekid1975]

I already posted, but I just re-read your post and all the replies. I think being picky is good (like me), but not to the point of burning yourself out. It's good to push yourself, but not to the point of puking (unless you had mexican food before class LOL). That's a little too much. I understand where you are coming from that you want to be good. So do I. But I don't train to the point of "burn-out" (maybe because I'm twice your age LOL). I just work on a technique and/or combo till I get it right. Just becareful how much and how fast you do stuff. Moderation is important to keep your body and mind from burning out. Specially since you are so young. I don't mean that in a bad way, but you don't want to be "disabled" by the time you are my age.

 

[Marginal]

Well lol, I got i've found my answer, i've been in a few styles, and sometimes I train til I cant train anymore hence*throwing up, cant stand, feel about to pass out* many times during training, i've thrown up, then continue'd on, and amaizingly, I dont get very much sleep at all, 2-5 hours a night, I have bad nights, because of my life currently. sometimes if I cant sleep,m ill get up and train, which is what I was doing til I decided to check my post right now it's 130: and I have to get up at 6 tomorrow so hehe.

Meh i gues I shouldn't be so hard on my self, I dont know why I am, im hard on my self in every way, school, martial arts, street fighting, girls lol. Am I allowed to post a picture of my self with my shirt off? everyone says i have plenty of muscles for my age, but I jsut dont see it, all i see is area's
I have to improve on.

sorry im jsut trying to figure this out thank you all.

Laborm

Here's what you shouldn't be hoping to hear:

OMG! You're so hardcore!

What you should hear:

The part where you train til you can't stand up? Don't do that. Good way to push yourself into death by heatstroke.

 

[arnisador]

If you're regularly training until you throw up...you have a problem. It's not even productive.

Read up about athletics and rest periods (e.g., in the context of bodybuilding for starters--that's easily accessible info.). Rest and recovery matter (as do sleep and nutrition). Maybe it's a hard time for you and you can't change all of that until you're on your own, but you can control the over-the-top training!

Posting such a picture is OK, I think, but do you need to be a Supporting Member to post attachments?