New Year 2011: Training Tips

We have transitioned into a new calendar year and perhaps a new beginning. New Year’s resolutions have been made, many are off to a good start, and some have already been broken. It is important to set goals in the pursuit of the hopes and potential that lies dormant, untapped within you. As a martial artist, striving to achieve small realistic goals offers you the opportunity to experience many successes. This constant flow of success in turn builds your confidence and skills. The increase in your confidence and skills enhances spirit and power. All of these developments together help you to achieve Peaceful Space and in turn to Create Peaceful Space for others. As a martial artist you strive to constantly present yourself with new challenges for the mind, body, and spirit. New Year’s resolutions are good for setting one or two long-term (one year) goals. One or two things that you want to focus on this year like, stretching more or finally mastering a particular set of forms. But don’t set too many of the long-term goals, don’t be overly ambitious because then you will set yourself up for dealing with a sense of failure instead of the many little successes.

For the beginning martial artist my tips for the year are:

• Spend some time at a few different schools to get a sense of your comfort with one school and system over the other.
• Ask questions and see how you are treated.
• Look for a price range that you can manage so you can continue once you start.
• Learn the basic stances, punches, kicks, blocks, and movements of your new system and never stop practicing them. Over time they will reveal things to you that you did not see before and they will strengthen all of your advanced movements and techniques.
• Learn your teacher's system of Qigong (breathing exercises) and practice Qigong diligently. It will improve your health, internal strength, vitality, and power (and much more).
• Make sure that you enroll in a Traditional Martial and Healing Arts Program so that you are exposed to all of the character building wisdom of the culture and tradition from which you system was developed.
• Pay attention to details! In the martial arts, details matter!
• Make a training schedule or calendar to keep you on engaged and focused on your process. Being a martial artist is not just about what you do; it is also about who you are becoming.
• If you are a parent (or not) you might decide to read Wu-Te: A Guide to Parents – Why Teach Your Children The Traditional Martial & Healing Arts? (Preview in separate window)

Even martial artists age, and it doesn’t have to be a negative experience. Of course, depending upon the characteristics of your system and style you can expect there to be some long-term effects as the body ages. Systems that require repetitive hard impact on the body, like Judo, Aikido, or Jujitsu, are likely to have the greatest negative long-term health consequences (hips, back, joints). Other systems can leave their effect on the joints of your hands as well as the aftermath of injuries sustained over the years (broken toes, fingers, wrists). I’ve seen the long-term negative effects of training on masters from Tai Chi, Jujitsu, and Kung fu. I’ve also seen the long-term positive effects of our training, a higher quality of life during our years of training. If you’ve been fortunate enough to avoid most if not all of the negative consequences, consider yourself fortunate. At 63 years old, I know how important and difficult it is to constantly reassess what your mind wants to do and what your body is able to do. That doesn’t mean that you stop setting goals. It means that you begin setting goals that have to do with how you want to evolve into the next stage of your life as a martial artist.

For the aging martial artist my tips for the year are:

• Strive to review all of what you know cyclically, once per month, quarter, biannually, or annually.
• Soften the wood! That means allow yourself to become more flexible, unorthodox in how you execute your techniques.
• Continue to perform every movement of your everyday life as if it were a martial movement. (Sweeping the floor, getting something out of a cabinet, getting in and out of the car).
• Stretch! Stretch! Stretch! Some of us are naturally flexible and some of us are as stiff as dry wood. But dry wood can be softened. Stretching is a way of soaking the aging wood of your body so that it maintains or enhances softness and pliability.
• Practice some form of Qigong every day!
• Eat to Live! Don’t live to Eat! Reassess your dietary habits to make sure that they are consistent with how your body is working at your present age.
• Teach someone!

If you are a martial artist who falls somewhere in between beginner and aging then my tips to you for the year are simple:

• Train like you are a beginner, always practicing your basics.
• Train in anticipation of becoming an aging martial artist.

All high performance activities run the risk of some negative consequences from injuries and wear. Both of these can be managed by:

• Taking your training seriously
• Paying attention to details
• Being diligent in your practice
• Choosing good training partners
• Choosing a system and style that is best suited to your personality and body type
• Choosing a good Traditional Martial & Healing Arts teacher

Have a safe, fun, and productive year of training!

Live Wu-Te

Seifu Sharif

Support the Wu-Te Performance Troupe