How to keep the training going?

[alphacat]

I've been training in Muay Thai for 3 and a half months now and i'm starting to feel less motivated in the training (which are hard).

I havent been in school for a week due to a holiday (today i'm going back to school) but kept working out to keep myself in shape.

What makes you keep it going?
You know, feeling happy when you get out of your home and head to school?
I used to feel that way at the beginning, and was even practicing Muay Thai at home during my school's off-days.
Now, i'm just not feeling as good about it as i used to.

I'd love to hear how you deal with such situation.

 

[jks9199]

You're running into a normal issue. The exact timing varies person to person (and activity to activity), but after awhile, training is routine. It's not exciting anymore; you're at a plateau in learning new material, you've reached a reasonable fitness point so that a training session isn't the same challenge... It happens in martial arts, it happens with jobs, it happens with just about everything.

There's no easy trick, and this experience will repeat occasionally. Push through & keep going. Don't make an excuse not to train... because right now, one excuse will become two, and two will become twelve, and suddenly, you "used to do Muay Thai."

You can look forward to the next stage -- where training is such a part of your life, you feel lost if you don't train...

 

[egg]

1.Paranoia.

A large portion of my motivation comes from it. I'm afraid that i 'll be trumped by somebody, that I might be attempted-mugged again.

2. I'm sick of being scrawny and needing my friends to stick up for me in some situations. No, violence isn't an option but nobody would instigate it in the first place unless they thought you were an easy target.

3. I look forward to sparring with my fellow gym mates; to test out new reflexes, hoping every time that I've improved some more.

For the round trip to the gym, it takes me 4 hours+. I've been de-motivated quite a few times.

 

[manchu]

Hello Alphacat,

Please see my previous posting about getting bored with Muay Thai. A lot of people commented on it, and they were helpful. As for me, I just make it as a part of commitment, and I don't even question about it. When I really don't feel like going, I change my clothes right away after work. It is almost 100% sure that I feel good after class. I enjoy sparring, and it brings fun and motivation to want to get better. I am planning to go to Thailand, so that's another motivation for me. I think you can be really proud of yourself for devoting to Muay Thai. It is always very easy to come up with excuses and quit....

 

[Jenny_in_Chico]

Hey alpha, I have been feeling a bit down about my training for a couple of weeks now. I'm at that point where the advanced belts are no longer taking it so easy on me during sparring, and quite honestly I end up taking so many hits that I feel like a fool. I keep telling myself that it is ok to suck at this stage, and that I will improve, but my morale is pretty low.

To combat this, I use 2 strategies, one of which has already been suggested here:

1. Never skip a training session. No excuses. Period.

2. I consider my negative feelings ("My sparring sucks") and break the problem down into manageable bits ("My blocking sucks") and then work on improving that area...eg. I'll tell my sparring partner that I want to go 1/2 speed and work on parrying and blocking.

Good luck!

 

[Nibla]

You gotta make choices in life. Choose to get up in morning when you don't want to. Choose to focus on the good things when you feel miserable. Choose you love that person today and forever. Choose to train. Choose to be motivated.

When you really no longer want to, you can give up. But don't make excuses for it. It was your choice.

 

[xfighter88]

That happens with me sometimes. It tends to be either when I feel like I am just going through the motions for weeks on end or when I am overtraining. As for the frist one their are a few solutions. You are board so try to learn something new. If there isn't anything new to learn try to spar more with lots of different people. You will definitly find something new or at least a new way of doing something you already know.

Another way to get over this is to set goals. 4 rounds on the heavy bag going hard the whole time by such and such a date. working my flexability so that i can land that roundhouse on everyone's noggin. Increasing punch speed. See how many punches you can throw (with good form) in 5 seconds.

The other reason could be overtraining. If that is the case, then take a whole week off. Once you go back don't train for more that 2 or 3 days in a row without a break. I have always felt that overtraining didn't really affect my performance it just messed with my mental attitude.

 

[Jaspthecat]

Does your instructor offer 1 on 1 sessions?

I find with such sessions provide you with instant feedback on your technique so you can find out where you need to improve and also receive the positive feedback which will spur you on to up your pace, attendance and effort.

 

[alphacat]

Thank you very much guys for your great advices.
I surely learned a lot from you, like not skipping on training (which I must say never did when it was up to me), and looking for short term goals and trying to achieve them.

One of the reasons which decrease my motivation for Muay Thai is that I feel like I stopped progressing.
During the first 2 months I made a huge progress, I became very flexible (I'm able to throw high roundhouse kicks which I wasn’t able to do so 3 months ago when I just started taking Muay Thai lessons), and I put a lot of focus on the basics.

Lately, I just suck in sparring, and when I think now of why it happens, its because I don’t allow myself to use force.
For example, to kick someone in the head, you can't just apply 50% of your power when doing so, even when you throw a mid kick or a front kick, if you don’t do it fast you get your leg caught or blocked.

So all that I get to do in sparring is getting my legs caught or just throwing punches, and I cant get better like this, perhaps its why I feel there's no progress anymore in my fighting.

What am I to do about it?

Am I right about it when I feel that sparring is the best indication on your progress?

 

[Rob2109]

Alpha mate, chill out. You've done a lot more than a lot of people by gettng as far as you have now
Muay-Thai is simple but effective. You learn a few techniques and hone them over time. A simple elbow to the jaw will finish the fight quicker than being able to jump up and kick three targets at once.
It feels like you're not learning anything new after the initial few months but you're honing your technique each time you train - working on your stamina/fitness at the same time. Once you have a good basic technique, you then work on your power - where are you at now?
There are loads of White and Yellow Sash guys at my gym but fewer guys with higher grades. Don't be one of the guys that gets that far and gives up!
The only thing stopping you - is you!