How To Get Through The Plateaus - - Chief Instructor's Blog March 2015

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.” ~ Junko Tabei (1939- present), Japanese mountain-climber who, on May 16, 1975, became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

References

1. Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment” by George Leonard

 

Finding Your Edge - - Chief Instructor's Blog February 2015

In the Decmber2014 blog, I wrote about mastering martial arts based on the five concepts written about by George Leonard in his book “Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment”.

The fifth concept was The Edge.  I wanted to take some time to explore this concept of The Edge and questions about the Edge in a little more detail.  Some questions you may ask are:

How do you find your Edge?  How do you know when you found your Edge?  How do you know when you have gone past your Edge?  What is wrong with going past your Edge?

In martial arts, there are many aspects of the art form to find your Edge including speed, force, power, balance, and flexibility.  In finding and exploring your Edge, you may focus on just one these aspects at a time.  If trying to focus on too many at once, you may or may not know if you have reached your edge.  So step one is to focus on one aspect at a time.

Finding your edge really is just about pushing yourself   For example, going faster to improve speed, striking or kicking harder to find your limit in force, kicking higher to find your edge n flexibility, etc.  The real key is to know when you have reached your edge.  And recognize your edge may differ from night to night especially if you are getting over an injury or illness, so being aware of how your body is feeling and responding is critical in finding and reaching your edge.

The first easy way of determining if you have gone past your edge is when you have lost integrity in the mechanics of the art form.  For example by going past your edge in speed your leg may be no longer straight in attack stance, you do not lock your leg out in front kick, or you cut short a punch or block.  If you have gone past your edge in force, you may be overextended in your techniques and no longer square in your stance. 

The second easy way to determine if you have gone past your edge is if you have stopped breathing or your breathing is much more labored. 

At any time, if you feel any pain in your joints or your joints are making popping, cracking, grinding, and/or snapping sounds, you may have gone past your edge and you should back off.

The goal is to find your edge and then inch past it for as long as you can and then back off until you are at your edge again.

If you are training too much beyond your edge you may be creating bad habits (like not locking your leg in attack stance). Also, training past your edge too often can lead to injury.

As we enter into 2015, I encourage you to find at least one aspect of your art form you focus on to find and explore your edge.

Regards,

Kelly

“If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” ~ Bruce Lee, (1940 –1973) American-born Chinese Hong Kong martial artist, actor, and founder of Jeet Kune Do

 

 

Emotions in the Martial Arts - - Chief Instructor's Blog January 2015

Can emotions help you in martial arts?

Emotions can be a training tool, a motivator, or provide you information about your surroundings that can be useful.  However, emotions do have limits in learning or in the application of the art form.  To demonstrate this, I will discuss a few fairly common emotions.

Fear

Fear could possible save your life, or paralyze you. If you think or know you are in the presence of danger and act to remove yourself from the danger, then the fear can be useful.  If you are fearful of not testing well or not doing well in a drill in class in front of other students, and you are motivated then to try harder, work harder, then fear can be a useful tool.  However, if you let that fear control you and you obsess about the items you are fearful about, then it is not useful.  Gavin De Becker book entitled “The Gift of Fear” [1] gives many more examples how fear can be useful if moves you from danger.

Anxiety

Anxiety is similar to fear in that if you are nervous because something does not feel right to you, then it can be a useful tool to avoid it.  If you are nervous about testing, for example, and this motivates you to train harder, then that can be useful.  However, if avoid testing or training or trying a new technique because you are nervous you will not do well, then it is not useful. 

Anger

As a tool, anger may be used to get a student to tap into an intention of destruction that aligns with the energy and intention expected in demonstrating Han Moo Kwan.  As a motivator, if you are dissatisfied with how well you are performing a technique or a form, it may motivate you to improve and this can be useful.

However, projecting your anger towards another student or instructor in the dojang is not acceptable in martial arts.  Using your skills against another person because they made you angry is not acceptable.  There is a classic story in “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” by Joseph Campbell [2] that demonstrates that to react because of anger is not honorable:

His overlord had been killed, and his vow was, of course, absolute loyalty to this lord. And it was his duty now to kill the killer. Well, after considerable difficulties, he finally backs this fellow into a corner, and he is about to slay him with his “katana”, his sword, which is the symbol of his honor. And the chap in the corner is angry and terrified, and he spits on the samurai, who sheathes his sword and walks away. Now why did he do that? He did that because this action made him angry, and it would have been a personal act to have killed that man in anger, and that would have destroyed the whole event.

Pride

To have a healthy self-esteem can be very positive. However, when your self-esteem is based on external conditions or based on something you think you deserve, pride will get in the way.  For more information on how pride can hurt your martial arts practice, refer to my January 2012 blog entitled “Ego, Pride, and Martial Arts.”

Passion

To have passion to train, work harder, learn as much about the history and application of the art form as possible, and share the art form with others is very useful.  If your passion consumes you to the point where you lose yourself and forget everyone and everything around you except the art form, this may not be useful.

Again, emotions have their place and can be useful.  A quote by Bruce Lee says it very well: "Emotion can be the enemy, if you give into your emotion, you lose yourself. You must be at one with your emotion, because the body always follows the mind."

Regards,

Kelly

“The best fighter is never angry.” ~ Lao-Tzu (6th century BC), philosopher of ancient China, and best known as the author of the Tao Te Ching

References

1.       Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker

2.      The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell

 

 

 

Mastering Martial Arts- - Chief Instructor's Blog December 2014

In the November 2014 blog, I discussed the importance to research martial arts beyond the physical and the fact this was an important aspect to mastering a martial art.

What else is required to actually master a martial art? 

I recently read a book “Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment” by George Leonard who is a master in Aikido.  He describes five keys to mastering a skill:

1.      Instruction

2.      Practice

3.      Surrender

4.      Intentionality

5.      The edge

Many of these concepts we have talked about in class or I have written in blogs (although may not have used those terms), but George Leonard does a really good job of pulling these concepts together to really drive home what it takes to master a skill.

Instruction

For the most part this is self-explanatory. It is finding a credible instructor that you can learn from.  And as I have mentioned it can also include study from books, tapes, and discussions with people.  But as I have said you cannot master from books or tapes, and the one-on-one or group instruction is the best means to learn.  And most importantly it is the willingness to continue to learn, being open to learning, as I have noted in class and written about in several blogs. George Leonard writes “Lifelong learning is the special province of those who travel the path of mastery, the path that never ends”.

Practice

Why it may also seem obvious that practice is required to master a skill, to truly master a skill, practice is a way of life.   The “Do” in Tae Kwon Do means The Way; meaning the road or path.  I really like how George Leonard describes practice, “For one who is on the master’s journey, the word is best conceived as a noun, not something you do, but something you have, something you are.”  He goes on to write, “A practice (as a noun) can be anything you practice on a regular basis as an integral part of your life – not in order to gain something else, but for its own sake.”

Surrender

What does surrendering have to do with mastering a skill?  George Leonard writes, “For the master, surrender means there are no experts.  There are only learners.”  It means giving in to the process and letting go of your ego so the learning and the journey is the most important part.  It means being okay with looking foolish at times in order to learn, or taking several steps back to move forward again in time, it means being willing to be uncomfortable at times in order to get to the next level.

Intentionality

Intentionality is your mind set.  It is the attitude and energy you bring to the dojang each time we have a class.  As discussed in class and I have written in several blogs, thoughts are energy and our thoughts matter tremendously.  Your mind set is the difference in breaking a board or not.  Your attitude is the difference in how quickly you learn a new skill/form or not. 

The Edge

The edge is about pushing your limits (while staying safe and not necessarily injuring yourself).  It means pushing your power, your speed, your strength and challenging yourself.  You will not get faster unless you try to perform techniques faster.  George Leonard writes, “The trick here is not only to test the edges of the envelope, but also to walk the fine line between endless, goalless practice and the alluring goals that appear along the way.”

George Leonard also describes pitfalls we can fall into on our path to mastery as well as what can stop us from mastering a skill.  To either get you on a path of mastery, or keep you on path, I highly recommend reading this book as a resource.

Regards,

Kelly

“A man who has attained mastery of an art reveals it in his every action.” ~ Anonymous

“To take the master’s journey, you have to practice diligently, striving to hone your skills, to attain new levels of competence.  But while doing so-and this is the inexorable fact of the journey- you also have to be willing to spend most of your time on a plateau, to keep practicing even when you seem to be going nowhere.” ~ George Leonard (1923-2010), an American writer, editor, educator, and co-founder of the Aikido of Tamalpais dojo

References

1. Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment” by George Leonard

 

Why Research the Art Form Beyond the Physical - - Chief Instructor's Blog November 2014

A martial art is a physical experience.  You learn the techniques and forms by performing the techniques. You become proficient in self-defense and sparring by practicing.  So what are the benefits of researching it beyond the physical?  What is important about the principle, concept or history that could help one learn the techniques better, more thoroughly, than just performing the techniques over and over and over again until they are mastered? 

Let me be clear that researching the art form can take the form of reading, watching videos, “playing” with techniques to understand the applications and how you would best use them in a situation, talking and sharing your philosophy and understanding the art form with others.

I agree you cannot learn martial arts only by reading books or watching videos, etc. I would also contend you cannot master martial arts without researching it beyond just practicing the physical.

So what benefits can I gain from reading books?  For one, I think reading books from the master’s before us reinforces or exposes us to the essence of why martials arts was developed and it’s true nature.  It provides insights into applications and why techniques are performed a certain way.  It adds context.

Some things I have learned from studying the art form:

• From tracing the lineage of the forms of the Han Moo Kwan style I discovered the intent of the forms and what the master’s wanted student’s to learn from them. (For more on the origins of the Han Moo Kwan forms, refer back to the February, March, and April 2010 blogs).
• From researching application of techniques I have discovered insights into what the masters were thinking behind the concept of each form and the benefits and challenges in performing the techniques.
• By discussing the art form philosophy and principles with senior black belts and the Board of Directors I have a better appreciation and understanding of what Mr. Kim’s intent was and therefore can better preserve his legacy.
• From researching the techniques, I have learned why techniques are effective; I have learned how to best apply them (in various scenarios, etc.).
• By researching the art form, I have can better discern when I am not performing the technique well (when it does not feel right) and how to self-correct as opposed to needing someone else to tell me.

By researching the art form, I have learned how to Make It My Own, analyzing my strengths, spending time to understand when I would react under various scenarios to know what my tactics and strategies would be.  (For more on Making It Your Own, refer back to the September 2014 blog).

I think one of the most important aspects of researching the art form is it reinforces constant learning which is critical to learning and growing as a martial artist and eventually mastering an art form. 

Regards,

Kelly

"Given enough time, any man may master the physical. With enough knowledge, any man may become wise. It is the true warrior who can master both....and surpass the result." ~ Tien T'ai, school of Buddhism

 

How Martial Arts Has Helped me In Business- - Chief Instructor's Blog October 2014

Looking at the Club members over the years, it is not surprising to me that many Club members were either managers or leaders at work when they joined or have since become managers and leaders. 

So, you may ask how has martial arts helped me in my business life?  And what have I learned in martial arts that I have applied in the office?

I was recently introduced to a group of employees and a person mentioned that I was a Tae Kwon Do instructor as a fun fact about me.  One employee asked what about martial arts did I play or translate into the business setting.

I told them one thing I have learned is when to pick the battles, when I knew it was time to fight (not literally in the office, but more argue or try to persuade my perspective on others) versus stepping away or walking away or stepping aside.  Basically I have learned to read the situation better and learn when to pick and choose my battles.  I teach martial arts as self-defense and use it only if there is no other option.  Arguing or creating a battle in the office should be the last resort as well.  Trying to compromise or determining it is better to walk away and retaining strong working relationships is always preferable. 

Martial arts have helped me be more mentally and emotionally fit.  By being more mentally and emotionally fit and having more mental and emotional endurance, I have been able to work extended hours when needed, push through difficult tasks  and complete that last 10% consistently (you know, the 10% that tends to take up 90% of your time).

The focus and concentration I have learned in martial arts has definitely translated into my business life.  The ability to stay focused and concentrate on the task or meeting at hand and not let what is happening in other aspects of my life, what is happening across the room, or what lies ahead of me later be a distraction has been very helpful.  I believe this has allowed me to be more effective with my time as well as understand and comprehend information better.

Martial arts have also given me a lot more self-confidence in my ability.  Learning new techniques, concepts, and principles has given me confidence in other areas of my life including business where I feel I can take on new challenges and know I can learn them over time.  This has led to taking more risks in assignments in the past I may not have been comfortable taking on until I was more proficient.

I have also learned and been able to reinforce how important mind over matter is.  How important what we are thinking translates into performing well and not performing well.  In martial arts for example, if you do not think you can be effective against someone else in a self-defense scenario or in breaking a board, most likely you will not.  The strength is in the mind and if you put your mind in the right place, you can accomplish almost anything.  This also has led to more self-confidence.

Martial arts has taught me and reinforced looking at things differently.  There is not one way but multiple ways to be effective. 

Martial arts has taught me and reinforced the value of being open to new concepts.  Being open to new and different perspectives has translated to being open to diversity and inclusiveness in the work environment and not being judgmental. Think about it, if you are not open to someone else’s ideas and thoughts, basically you are telling people they have no clue or idea. You are judging them and assuming they do not know what they are talking about.

In martial arts you are always a student, even if you are an instructor.  Martial arts teaches us we can learn from everyone, white belts, green belts, blue belts, brown belts, and black belts.  It teaches us to remain open to perspectives from everyone.  In the work force this means being open to not just learning from Leaders and Fellows, but being open to learn from entry level professionals and everyone in between.  Everyone has something to share that we can learn from if we move through life always thinking we are a student.  By being open to learning from everyone in the business arena, especially as leaders, we come across as fair and inclusive.

Martial arts have also taught me that there is no room for ego.  If you have an ego and are on the street and need to use your skills, it may cost you your life.  In the workplace, especially in leadership, there is no room for ego.  If you are only out for yourself or think you know more than anyone else, people will not want to work for you or follow you.  Leaders that look after everyone else and are not about their own success but the success of the team or organization are more successful (at least in the long run).

Martial arts, like life (business or personal), is a journey.  Things do not always go as planned, or things may be harder than you first thought.  This is almost a daily part of the business world – not everything turns out as planned and how you react and how quickly you move things back on track can make the difference between being considered successful or not.  Martial arts have taught be to be more flexible and react effectively to scenarios that are not playing out as planned. 

Martial arts also teach and reinforce controlling emotions and not letting emotions control you.  This is critical in the business world as well.  Being known as emotional or hot-tempered does not usually translate well into being given new and challenging assignments or being asked to take on a leadership role.

Did I gain all of this the first week of studying martial arts?  No.  The first 6 months?  No.  These are things I have learned, applied, and translated over the last 20 years.  Some areas I applied sooner and other principles have taken more time, and some are still part of my journey to really integrate into my life.  I know when I started martial arts some of the concepts were too esoteric and I did not buy in to them completely at first, but over time I was more open and continued to open my mind to new ideas and concepts.  Some of these concepts and principles I am still not at a place where I feel like I demonstrate them consistently, but believe I continue to improve with each passing month.  And by being open with my strengths and areas of developmental improvement, I believe this translates well as a leader in business by being transparent and honest.

Some of you might be thinking maybe I have reached the rank I have in martial arts because I learned some of these concepts in the business world and applied them to martial arts.  That may be true as well in some cases.  What was the chicken and what was the egg? Bottom line is that by being able to apply and consistently live these principles and concepts in every aspect of your life and practice them until they are seamlessly integrated into who you are day to day has been beneficial to me both in martial arts and in the business world.

Regards,

Kelly

"Think of everyday life as karate training." ~ Gichin Funakoshi (1868-1957), founder of Shotokan Karate

Making it Your Own - - Chief Instructor's Blog September 2014

Over the years you have heard many senior instructors talk about making the art form your own.  For me, this concept of making the art form my own applies to several aspects of the art form.

Up front, I want to be clear that what “Making It Your Own” is NOT is changing the standard or the expectations of the standard at various ranks.  The standard does not change.  For example, a front kick standard is piston action using the ball of your foot as the striking surface.  If you would prefer to use swing kicks or kick with pointed toes instead, it is NOT making it your own.  This is a poor choice that does not result in effective kicks and can lead to your own injury.

While we allow for students to not adhere to the standard in the situations where a student has a physical limitation (structural, flexibility, etc.) or their body types does not really allow them to perform to standard, I would not call this “Making It Your Own”.  These are agreed-to exceptions from the standard with the Chief Instructor for a student to adapt the art form to their physical body while maintaining as much effectiveness of the technique as possible and keeping a student safe.  I will call this Adaptation of the Art Form.  We should always strive to perform the techniques to the standard as much as practical while working on physical limitations (like flexibility) to move yourself closer to the standard when possible.  In addition, students eventually become instructors; meaning they must be able to demonstrate the standard in front of a class or at least clearly articulate the proper approach.

Some aspects of “Making it Your Own” include your intention (mind set), cadence, and applications for techniques within a form.  Is a technique a block or strike?  Is the technique deflecting an incoming strike or damaging an opponent from a grab.  Most of our techniques have multiple applications.  Your preference of how to apply techniques and your intention when applying it is one aspect of “Making It Your Own”.  For example, as a white belt, we teach students to perform the form with consistent cadence throughout.  But as one advances, the cadence can be different to mimic your intention and interpretation of the form. 

Which techniques you choose to use, and your strategy in using the art form under various scenarios is part of “Making It Your Own”.  For a taller person with strong kicks, I would expect that in most scenarios they would defend themselves with kicks.  For me, as a shorter person, my advantage is working inside and using short strikes leveraging off of a lower center of gravity.  Would I tell every person those are the best Hand Moo Kwan techniques to defend yourself?  No, because they may not be for someone else and each person must discover for themselves their strengths and for what scenarios Han Moo Kwan would best serve them to keep them safe.

“Making It Your Own” will depend on the situation.  Sparring in class you may have a favorite technique that you may never practice in real-life.  Some people in class while sparring like to grab others to see how they react.  I would tell you I would probably never grab someone in a real-life scenario, giving up a weapon, unless I saw a huge advantage at the time.  How I would respond and my go-to techniques if my life was on the line versus stopping an attacker would be different as well. 

I would also say that as I get older and some of my strengths change, I adjust how I make the art form my own.  Also, as I move more towards energy and less physical force, this has also changed how I apply the art form.

The idea of and discovering how to “Make It My Own” is another reason I enjoy the art form so much.  There is always something new to discover about the art form and how I best can apply it for me.

How have you made the art form your own?

Regards,

Kelly

“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.” ~ Bruce Lee, (1940 –1973) American-born Chinese Hong Kong martial artist, actor, and founder of Jeet Kune Do