Practicing alone is hard! The novelty has worn off from repeating the same things on my own, and my mind tends to get distracted very easily. After today's session I was thinking about why I feel motivated to keep practicing when classes are on but not on my own. I mean ideally, I want to think that such strong motivation is there in my personality, but I know its not.
One thing about going to class is that I get to be in the society of other people. Other than this immersion into closeness with other people, I don't have to many other social interactions. I don't have any friends outside of work. I've always been too judgemental and harsh to have developed any long-lasting friendships. But I do want to be with other people. So strangely, I am getting this from taekwondo class. The even stranger thing is, in class I am totally quiet, always in a corner, and I never speak to anyone unless spoken to and I will probably never be friends with anybody from class. Still, going to class fulfils this need of mine, and maybe this is partly what keeps me motivated to practice.
About practicing alone, I always wonder about my teacher. How does he learn new things now. I realize one doesn't have to go to a class to learn new things in martial arts, but what drives you from inside to learn without guidance?
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21 comments:
The atmospehre during class helps keep you motivated. You see students of higher rank working on new technique, and you work harder. At least, that is how I am.
Training on your own can get a little dull at time. I find that focusing on specific things one day, and something totally different another helps.
Ideas: suspend a paper clip on thread somewhere and pratice kicking it, punching it. Helps develop aim (and is usual for board breaking). Tennis balls on ropes work well too.
Practice your form with your eyes closed. Works your balance. Work only of foot work first, then add in punches, then kicks.
Find something to challenge yourself every session. Works for me.
FYI blogger hates me today, I can't log in to post a comment! Hence the generic brittney...
Good ideas, thanks!
My first 3 months of karate I practiced alone. I eventually integrated into the rest of the class but since I was the only beginner belt, I didn't ever have a partner for anything.
Hi miss chris,
That must have been frustrating for you. Fortunately, at class we pair up regardless of rank. In my last test, I was the shortest yellow belt, and thus didn't have a sparring partner -- so I just ended up sparring with a blue belt who was my height.
What's frustrating me at the moment is training at home, since there are no classes till next semester. Its also the holiday season...everything shuts down and everybody goes home. Being a foreigner is no fun during this time.
Yeah, that does sound frustrating. I got a "Wavemaster" for Christmas last year. (In case you guys don't have one at your school, it's a big bag that stands on the floor for kicking, punching, whatever). It helped keep me motivated between classes and it's great to kick and punch the heck out of it. lol
It *would* be nice to kick/punch the heck out of something. Your comment made me smile, imagining a Wavemaster in the middle of my tiny apartment.
Hey Little Cricket... too long since I've given you a chirp...
Have enjoyed the posts especially "To Your Health" and this one. I was most moved by the "too judgmental and harsh" statement.
So I'm reacting to that past post, that particular statement, and the wondering about how your teacher still learns new things question. The problem is that I'm not sure I can get through this with a short answer and especially without sounding pompous.
The common thread is extending ki! This can only be done by deeply relaxing and learning how to yield... the way a bough bends when full of snow or water meanders around rocks.
The problem with judgment is that it tends to be rigid and complicates viewing things from a fresh perspective, it clashes with diversity.
Rigidity also interferes with the flow of ki and can hinder health and "well-being".
I would suspect that a senior instructor continues to learn by extending ki. With a relaxed spirit s/he can always look at techniques with new eyes and discover new details.
It seems to me that practicing alone (and practicing in groups) is best done by first fully relaxing. So ironically "sitting and breathing" might be the best adjunct to practice particularly while you are on your own.
Your honesty, openness, and sincerity in your training will take you far.
Peace and Be Well
YR
Re: Friendships and Socializing
You wrote:
But I do want to be with other people. So strangely, I am getting this from taekwondo class. The even stranger thing is, in class I am totally quiet, always in a corner, and I never speak to anyone unless spoken to and I will probably never be friends with anybody from class.
:
I completely understand what you mean with this. I am a social person (though I usually only have a few very close friends), and very outgoing, but here it's much harder since there's a language and cultural barrier.
I made friends with one of the college students, who I think pretty much quit coming after she got her yellow belt. She speaks English very well, and we're great friends, but I see her more outside of class than in it!
I will not be too hard on myself--I AM learning Korean AND the studio helps me a lot--but there is still a huge language barrier.
And there is still a big age difference (8 years or more for the students that come every day, 4 years for the next oldest student in class) between me and the other students in class, which makes things hard.
I can understand much of what they talk about but can't participate as much as I'd like to.
And, to top it off, I'm female, which adds complication to the mix (sometimes in good ways, sometimes in bad). And I'm foreign, which adds complication...
I do take some of the older boys out to dinner about once a month. I figure taking them out to eat once a month is minor compared to how many Korean lessons and how much Korean practice I get from them.
Despite the fact that from the outside it looks like we have nothing in common, I view most of my studiomates as my little brothers. Despite not being able to talk to them much, I miss them when I don't see them.
As for practicing on your own... While I am encouraged in class, I am only one of two regular non-black belts. When I first got here, that was intimidating.
And in America, I could barely get myself to practice outside of the studio. Here, at some point, it just became my passion and I wanted to go to class every night and practice as home. Wish I could offer more help on that point...
Dear YR,
Good to hear from you!
And wow, you made a light go on in my head. I think you are on target when you say it is about extending ki (or not going with the flow, or however one chooses to express it). I so want to change this portion of my nature, I myself can *feel* how it gets in the way, but haven't known how to start without being untrue (or something) to 'myself'. I am sometimes confused, because increasingly I believe the self is changeable, contrary to everything I've felt when younger. I think as you say, the place to start is the breath. I have started and stopped the practice of Pranayama (breath control in yoga) many times for lack of discipline. So I will pursue this more seriously.
Thanks for stopping by and your encouraging words. By the way, I was glad to see you back at posting and enjoyed your post about your teacher very much. Few of us are so lucky! The closest I can come to that is the teachers I have had in my subject. Indeed, when you think of it this way, you feel a great love for *all* teachers, they give one of the greatest things, knowledge.
LC
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for taking the time to comment, I appreciate it. After writing this post, I too thought of you (and Zoe) who are far from home, in a different country, with a different language, and thought that at least in that respect, my stay in the US is not that difficult!
I have gone back to to doing a bit of practice at home when I feel like it. I think I shouldn't be so hard on myself. This is just the beginning of my training after all!
I'll be interested o hear how your training with the new master goes.
LC
Truly something to think about...
In my opinion, what gets and maintains people motivated is their purpose.
What is your purpose? Do you want it bad enough?
I could guarantee you that there were thousands of better fighters than Ali, but they did not have the same purpose that he had. He told us all that he was going to be the greatest, and he accomplished it. He said it so much that he believed it. He knew what it was going to take to become a champion, and while the others were partying, or sleeping, or hanging out with friends, he was training, telling himself that he was the greatest.
We all have different purposes...if your purpose is to be better than your classmates, then use that as a motivation, it will only force to work harder, and the product of that hard work will yield more gains than any losses; if you want to be the next champion, then allow that to push you to work harder; if you want to show off some fancy techniques, then allow that to be your motivation.
The key is that we all pursue a purpose, no matter how small they might be, that would be strong enough to keep us motivated.
Daniel
I'll be interested o hear how your training with the new master goes.
::
Yeah, I'm pretty nervous. I don't want to embarrass my Kwanjangnim. He knows that and left a message (in Korean) on my Cyworld page for me.
He told me to think of how I will be "more of a star after practicing with the other studio, so work hard. Be proud! [Our Studio's Name] Fighting!"
It cracked me up.
I'm sure I'll be fine, but I'm always very protective of my Kwanjangnims...
On top of that, he asked me to do the schedule he laid out for me as well, so I'll get to practice alone more than I do now... We'll be in the same boat!
Daniel,
You are right, its our purpose which motivates us. One has to be very honest about one's purpose though and this requires a bit of thought sometimes. I think my purpose is to know what I am capable of accomplishing. I'm not sure if I want it badly enough in any sense. I think it might help in the developement of my self and my mental and physical health.
LC
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Amanda,
I am sure you will in no way embarrass your Kwanjangnim.
By the way, its nice that he takes such a great personal interest in your welfare.
LC
By the way, its nice that he takes such a great personal interest in your welfare.
::
It's beyond "nice," believe me! (: It's a lifesaver. If I didn't have taekwondo, I don't think I would like it here so much.
(When asked how Korea is, I often say, "The work stinks, the living is great.")
Having read Zoe's book and her experiences with her Kwanjangnims, I think I lucked out! He makes the studio feel like a second home. Most of it is his personality and nature, though I think some of it can be attributed to the way training is done here, and other circumstance unique (in my opinion) to training here.
I know it varies from place to place, but at my studio in America, people showed up for at least two classes a week. Any two classes. I wasn't too consistent as to which classes I'd go to, so I saw different people all the time. Also, there weren't a ton of studios, so people came from all over. Kids didn't go to the same schools for the most part, adults were married and had their own lives to go back to, etc.
People who had trained there for some time knew each other, and I was making some good friends when I left, but it wasn't the same as here.
Here it's the same people every night (although of course not everyone shows up every night).
Also, taekwondo is very much a kid activity here. These boys go to school together and have for a long time, etc.
And he's been with the boys in this class period at least (his one two hour period) for a long time. All but maybe 4 of us have been there for at least a year, and most have been there for years. I figure one has probably been there at least 7 years (and he's only 19...).
Kwanjangnim plays soccer with the older teenage boys every morning at the elementary school (the school is across the narrow street from us).
Since there are three studios on every block, there's no real reason to go out of your way to get your 12 year old trained. Thus, everyone at this studio lives close by (OK, except me now). So you run into these people on the streets. I've met one studiomate's neighbor (I was getting photos printed and she told me she was his neighbor) and another studiomate's uncle. (And being the single foreigner in the studio...everyone in the neighborhood seems to know who I am and where I train!)
My class spends about ten hours a week there. We have in-jokes. When someone's gone for a while, we notice.
All of these things add to the familial atmosphere of the place.
While circumstances maintain the familial atmosphere, Kwanjangnim is the one who did whatever he does to cultivate the feeling.
I'm just glad that the atmosphere welcomed me. When I first joined, Kwanjangnim gave a long introduction. I have no idea if he told them to be nice or what, and it took a while for it to reach this point (and a lot of outreach on my part) but I'm grateful for it.
And I'm grateful that he's taken me under his wing about things other than taekwondo, too. I'm his first foreign student and he's gone out of his way to help me. THAT I attribute purely to his character.
(I should mention that his wife, a 1st degree black belt, is always very kind to me. Thank goodness, because if she weren't, things could be very uncomfortable. His brother--a 5th degree and kwanjangnim of a studio two blocks away--is nice, too. I've met his father (testing for 9th degree soon?) and mother (4th degree) briefly and they seem like good people. I guess he "was raised right," as they say in the South.)
Boy, I'm sure making some long comments on your blog. I was going to email this to you but can't seem to find an email address on your site. Sorry!
Amanda,
What an interesting family your teacher has :)
Don't worry about long comments. Sorry about not having an email address up at the moment. I wasn't sure I'd answer email promptly, and then I'd just feel guilty about it at the back of my mind...but I might put one up at some point.
LC
I just stopped by your blog and I enjoy reading your articles. Just wanted to let you know that I've blogrolled you on my site Planet Dojang (planetdojang.com) and was hoping you would do the same for me.
Thanks and keep up the good work!
LC,
Whenever you have a chance visit my blog at: www.aneophyteatmartialarts.blogspot.com
I hope to get a comment or experience note from you...
Daniel
Hi Kevin,
Thanks for your encouraging words. I will add your weblog.
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Daniel,
Thanks for stopping by. I will most certainly visit your blog. Also thanks for posting the comment about purpose earlier. In the western way of thinking, actions are associated with purposes/goals. Its interesting to contrast with the (somewhat fatalistic) eastern way of thinking that each of us has a duty, and our actions must be to fulfil this duty, without thought of the fruit of the action.
Little Cricket -
Great to hear about the "Aha"! Your approach is great because prana is ki.
I'll be adding your link to my page... I really enjoy your blog.
Peace and Blessings for You in the New Year.
Yours in Budo
Yonjuhachi Ronin
PS Please join us in contributing to a New Year renga that is being written until midnight on January 3, 2007 on BUDO BLUES http://www.budoblues.blogspot.com/
YR,
I'm glad you enjoy visiting! I always look forward to your input.
Best wishes for the new year!
Regards,
little cricket
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