Getting Back Into Training After A Long Layoff.

 

     If you've ever been forced to stop training for any length of time due to personal issues, injury, illness, or even a global pandemic, you understand how challenging it can be just to get started. For most of us just the thought of having lost all the moment we had built up, to take so many steps back in our training, could feel overwhelming. As with so many things in life, our attitude is going to be instrumental in allowing us to successfully transition back into our training.

     I, like most of you out there, spent the better part of a year away from my training, and am just now starting to get back into a normal routine. During any lengthy time away from training I've always made sure to do one thing, stay connected. I had an old professor of mine once tell me how important it was to stay connected to my training even when I couldn't physically participate. At the time I really couldn't understand the importance of his statement. It wasn't until years later when I was having shoulder surgery and facing a significant amount of time away from training that I understood the idea of staying connected.

     Whether it's simply sitting in on a class, watching a competition or training video on Youtube, a phone call, facetime, text, or e-mail to classmates, coaches, or professors, staying connected is the first and most important step. Setting up a network of supportive and like-minded people and utilizing it when in-person training is not an option can have a significant impact on your training. Put simply, it can mean the difference between coming back to train and picking up where you left off or stepping away for good. 

     When you do finally make it back into train it's really important to remember to keep your expectations simple, and reasonable. Don't come in with any preconceived ideas of where you should be mentally or physically. Just allow yourself time to readjust and transition back into training, nothing more Simply appreciate the fact that you're finally able to back to doing what it is you love, surrounded by people who share your passion!.

 Once you've allowed yourself a few weeks adjust time then start to implement good training habits by focusing on re-establishing a routine and training regiment. The idea is to lay down your foundation in incremental steps in which one builds off of the other, don't get too ahead of yourself. Remember, the goal it's not simply to train for the week, that month, or the year. You want to make it a lifelong pursuit and train as long as you are physically able. It's a marathon, not a sprint!     

       

                   

White Belt Wisdom

 

     In this week's blog, I wanted to share with you a collection of expectations that all of our younger students recite at the beginning of each class. We title these expectations "White Belt Wisdom," and they serve as a tangible reminder that class has started, as well as reinforce what is expected of them during class.  

     1. Give your best effort. Develop a solid work ethic and whatever it takes to get the job done right attitude! This will take you far in life! 

     2. Keep a positive attitude. As we often tell the students, attitude is everything! It's impossible to enjoy life or accomplish anything with a bad attitude! My attitude determines my altitude as we say!

     3. Be Courteous. As we teach our students to remember The Golden Rule and to treats others as they would want to be treated. It's always the right time to do the right thing!   

     4. Be consistent in your training and your attitude. There is no improvement, no growth, no personal development without a consistent application of focus, effort, and attitude! 

     5. Be safe. Not to be confused with being fearful. Live life, work hard, have fun but do so safely and responsibly. 

     6. Have fun! Work hard but don't take yourself or life too seriously. Life is to be lived, to be embraced, to be savored! Enjoy the ride!  

     As with all the other practices the students learn here at the academy, they are extremely transferable to other areas of their lives. As such, students are expected to not only apply them while training but outside of it as well.     

      

Taking Your Martial Arts Out Of Your School And Putting Into The World

     When I decided to open my own jiu-jitsu school some years ago I did so with the purpose of creating something unlike anything else out there. I wanted to redefine the conventional definitions of what the martial arts means to its students and families, as well as the communities they serve.

     What I saw was that for the most part, the majority of schools out there were all pretty much the same, with the same marketing and mission statements. What I wanted was to get in there and shake things up, to set new definitions and standards I wanted to put together a program that would truly transform my student's lives in a profound and lasting way and positively impact the community we serve as well.

     I wanted to instill in my students, not just the typical attributes we associate with martial arts training. Things such as resilience, self-confidence, problem-solving, fortitude, mental toughness, and perseverance. Along with these attributes I also wanted to cultivate within my students a personal practice of doing for others and their community. I also wanted to challenge the established and narrow criteria we use to define self-defense. Included under the umbrella of self-defense should be such things as our physical health,  nutrition, and exercise, our mental health, stress management, proper understanding and expression of our emotions, our environment, understanding what constitutes a healthy relationship, setting appropriate personal boundaries. Lastly, I wanted to come up with a way that I could not only document what my school's mission was about but also concretely demonstrate it!

     For me, the catalyst behind starting my own school and my own program came down to this one overriding thought. The martial arts are in a uniques position to profoundly impact lives and make a real and substantial difference not just in the lives of its students but its community, county, state, country, world! It has to be about more!   

     

                 

     

    

  To transform your work as a martial arts teacher, I can think of no better way than to cultivate a desire in your students to serve others, to perform purposeful acts of kindness, and to link these ideas to the very practice of your “art.”      

Is It Ever Ok To Take Breaks In Training?

 

     There has never been a consensus of opinion when it comes to the topic of taking breaks in your training. For as many people as you can find that say taking breaks in one's training is never a good idea, you can find as many people that say the exact opposite.  I would say from my personal experience as both a student and instructor that I fall somewhere in the middle.

     I think we've all come to a point in our training, whether it be exceeding personal or professional demands where we have asked ourselves the following. "Is it ever ok for me to take a break from my training, if so how long?" What I've found from my 25 plus years of training and teaching experience is that breaks can actually be beneficial if done the right way. 

     I did want to clary an important point when it comes to taking breaks, one that is often overlooked, yet extremely critical. First and foremost, before we can even start to think of taking breaks we first ensure we have established solid training habits. Are we coming to class consistently, is missing class more the exception than the rule, are we making the most of our training time? If the answer to those questions is yes then I think it's perfectly ok to take time away here and there. If on the other hand, your one who struggles to maintain any semblance of consistent training then taking breaks is more problematic. 

     The way I explain it to my students is that each time they come to class it's like putting money in the bank. The more often they come to class the more money or credit they've built up. That money is there for them to draw from on a rainy day or as a splurge, just be careful when and how you use it! Basically, there are 2 different ways in which you can use your breaks. You can either spread it out over time, taking a day or two here or there or you can save it up and take a longer break all at once. I had one family whose kids rarely missed training during the school year but once summertime came around they would take a week or 2 off, come back and train for a few weeks and then go on vacation again. 

     Breaks can be a tremendously beneficial training tool if used properly. They can impact and influence our growth, enjoyment, and longevity of our training.  

               

     

           

         

Proper Mindset When Rolling, To Win Or To Learn?

 

     A question I often hear discussed centers around the idea of what a student's proper mindset should be when they roll and what is going to translate into the most effective use of my time? We've all heard the expression you perform like you train. In that light there seem to be 2 main philosophies when it comes to how a student should view their rolling time with other students. 

     On the one hand, I hear the primary objective of rolling is less about learning and more about conditioning the mind, developing mental toughness, and developing a winning mindset. This view holds that when students roll, their primary objective is to simply win, to implement and execute their game plan, and to outperform their partner both technically and physically. On the flip side, there are those that say the primary objective of rolling is less about winning and more about learning, creating, and refining. Specifically rolling is viewed as a time to take chances with positions and techniques, to create new technical and conceptual connections as well as strengthening their technical base. 

     For me, after 26 years of teaching, training, and competing internationally I've found that using my rolling time as an opportunity to focus primarily on learning, creating and refining has paid the greatest dividends. I've found that through this process I've not only grown technically but developed a degree of mental toughness and a winning mindset. In closing, I wanted to pose a question: What is your personal take on this subject and what have you found to be the most effective for your training?                     

Using The Martial Arts To Help Combat Childhood Obesity

 

      We can all agree that the health and wellbeing of our children are of major importance to us, and ensuring that they grow up healthy, happy, and thriving is the goal of all parents. With that said, I think martial arts is one of the most powerful transformative tools out there.     

     I think we can all agree that childhood obesity is a serious problem in this county which puts a large segment of our youth at risk for poor health. According to the CDC, childhood obesity affects around "19.3%, or 14.4 million children and adolescences ages 2 to 19. Speaking in generalities, the main cause of obesity be it, children, adolescence, or adults is a combination of poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle. The health-related issues facing those children and adolescence who are obese are significant. Again according to the CDC those children and adolescents are at a great risk for developing: 

     1. High blood pressure

     2.  Diabetes

     3. Breathing problems

     4. Join problems

     4. Fatty liver disease, gallstones,

     Along with the physical compromises, obese children and adolescents are at greater risk for developing psychological and social issues as well.

     1. Anxiety and depression

     2. Low self-esteem

     3. Increased incidents of bullying.

     While the exact causes and treatment of childhood and adolescence obesity are complex, we as an industry are in a unique position to bring about profound and lasting change to our student's lives. Martial arts are not simply an activity but a way of life. The physical practice of martial arts incorporates many beneficial elements that when combined together become a powerful tool to combat the detrimental effects of obesity. Things such as...

     1. Strenght training and cardiovascular conditioning.

     2. Increased flexibility, coordination, and balance.

     3. Improved nutrition.

     4.  Discipline.

     5. Improved self-confidence, self-control, and self-respect

     6. Resilience.

     7. Determination.

     8. Dedication.

     9. Goal setting.

     10. Increased focus and contration.

     11. Positive support and encouragement from teammates

     For me, martial arts is unmatched in its ability to offer its students the tools and support they'll need, to succeed, to thrive, to become the best possible versions of themselves! 

     

     

      

     

            

              

Don't Wait To Feel Motivated

 

     I like most of you I was conditioned into believing that motivation was the vital ingredient needed before you could proceed with any goalsetting. That somehow, this elusive feeling, which we often give magical qualities to, had to be present in order for us to find success.

     After years of waiting to feel motivated before I started something, or stopping something when I no longer felt motivated to I had an epiphany! I suddenly realize the reason I was going through life so frustrated and unable to stick with even the simplest goals was my perspective. I realized that it was not motivation itself that was going to allow me to stick with something. Instead, the real deciding factors were the habits and systems I had in place.

     You see what most of us fail to realize is that motivation, and or inspiration, is a fickle and fleeting feeling. It cannot be counted upon to deliver results, as it is subject to so many internal and external factors. Things such as past experiences, the amount of sleep we had the night before, our current environment, our temperament all converge to influence our feelings of motivation. In fact, it's quite natural at times for us to feel uninspired and unmotivated in the pursuit of our goals. In many cases, it is not unusual to feel unmotivated until after we've started  Some of us even view this absence of motivation and or inspiration as a sign that we should give up altogether on the goal, or not even start the process.   

     The important point to remember is that motivation in and of itself will is not sufficient to guarantee success in achieving your goals. While motivation is important, it should be viewed more as a catalyst or starting point. To have any real chance at sticking with and achieving your goals one needs to have first laid down a solid foundation of habits and systems. Good habits and the systems that allow you to develop these good habits are the lynchpins of success They can be counted upon to carry you through even in the absence or lack of motivation and inspiration.