In the December
2014 blog, I discussed five key items required to master a martial art based on
“Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment” by George Leonard, a
master in Aikido.
As discussed by George
Leonard (and something I believe in as well), for many people, especially
Westerners, what gets in the way of truly mastering a skill is the plateaus
that come with mastering a skill.
I know in my
learning and studying Han Moo Kwan I have come across many plateaus. I have been frustrated and felt I was never
going to get better at a technique, or would not really competently learn a new
form, or I would never reach the next rank.
I have observed at
least a hundred students in my over twenty years at the Club, and have observed
their plateaus as well.
For me, and based
on my observations, plateaus can come about because your practice is
inconsistent, you set a goal and become frustrated in the fact you do not think
you are achieving it in a timeframe you have arbitrarily set for yourself, you
compare yourself to others and feel you are not progressing like others, you
injure yourself, you become complacent and lazy (one can argue whether the
plateaus causes this or you enter a plateau because of this), a lack of a goal
and intent can cause a plateau, or a plateaus may occur because it is just that
time to embrace and spend more time on a skill.
Plateaus (at least
as perceived in your mind) will happen – it is part of the path. The path to a black belt is not a straight
line, it has ups, straight lines, and sometimes, even a slight downward turn as
you relearn and incorporate new concepts into your techniques.
So how do you get
through a plateau?
First, if there is
a technique that is frustrating you or a concept that is hard to grasp, let it
lie for now. Focus on other aspects of
your skill. Pick one thing you think you
do well and want to do even better and focus on that. It could be a form, a technique, or a foundational
skill/concept like balance, alignment, focus, grounding, etc.
Second, create a
smaller goal for yourself – do not make some grandiose goal of achieving a black
belt in two to three years. Stick to
something like in six months your front kick will be at waist height
consistently or adding more force to all your basic techniques. Go back to baby steps – none of us learned to
walk or run at birth – we had to learn to roll over, then lift our heads, then
crawl, then pull ourselves up – go back to baby steps. Do you remember learning sidekicks? We typically teach it as seven moves slowly
in a fundamental progression. Sometimes
we need to go back to baby steps in order to get to the next level.
Third, and most
importantly, to get through a plateau keep coming to class, do not stop, and do
not compare yourself and your path to anyone else’s. Everyone’s path is different. There are at least 10 paths up to the summit
of Mt. Everest. If your goal is to get
to the top, which path is best? Many factors
come into play in making that decision, as does the path to mastering a martial
art. Do not have a preconceived notion
of what that path looks like, just enjoy the journey, especially the plateaus.
Regards,
Kelly
“Technique and ability alone do
not get you to the top; it is the willpower that is the most important. This
willpower you cannot buy with money or be given by others...it rises from your
heart.” ~ (1939- present), Japanese mountain-climber who,
on May 16, 1975, became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
References
- Mastery:
The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment” by George Leonard
