The Skill of Perseverance

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" When you have the drive to keep going despite the challenges of disappointment and adversity, you have the ability to accomplish great things." - Max Weiman

As it goes with the Martial Arts‬, or physical training in general, you have to stick with the plan and trust the process through the plateaus.

Martial Arts training is fun and extremely rewarding but let's face along with the good comes the "bad".  Martial Arts training can be hard at times.  It can be physically challenging, technically frustrating and sometimes the repetition required is down right boring.

How do we get through it?  How do we push through the rough patches in order to reap the long term and life long benefits of martial arts training?

One: Remind yourself of your "why".   Why did you start learning martial arts in the first place?  What has the training done for you so far?  If you reflect on your experience, and others', you will see that the benefits of martial arts training goes far beyond physical fitness, self-defense and camaraderie on the training floor.

Next, we can all agree that perseverance (vs. stubbornness and resistance to healthy change) is a valuable trait and skill for both children and adults.   I also think that many of us will agree that it is a skill that that is atrophying amongst younger generations and in our american society and community in general.

We have the luxury of living in a near instant gratification world.  Convenience is king.   As long as you have the monetary resources, you can pretty much get anything you need want within 24 hours.   This IS progress.   We have greater access to goods and services than ever before, but at what cost?

I'm a firm believer that necessity leads to invention.  Adversity and tribulation leads to growth.  (Note: I'm not making a political statement about bootstrapping or something.  There a many americans who face quite a bit of adversity every day.  Rather, I'm about to offer some tactical suggestions for those of us who don't)

Why do we seem to have less perseverance than before?

1. Too Much Convenience

2. Greatness is too often defined by celebrity

3. We no longer need to make effort to learn --> we can just "google it"

4. The educators of Generations X and younger thought it was more important to build self-esteem rather than how to mange failure.

So what are some tactical methods / solutions to help build the skill of perseverance?

Here are some of my suggestions that pertain to martial arts training.  You can adapt them to fit the rest of your life as well.

1. Make it fun - Make it a game - Make it a competition

This idea really is a foundational piece of the curriculum in our children's martial arts programs.  Our kids martial arts classes and curricula are split up by age so the "games" we play really make a lot of sense.  The students develop the physical and mental skills associated with the martial arts while having fun and for lack of a better word staying entertained.   Here's the key:  even though it's fun, it's not easy.   The games/workouts are challenging and the students will only pas the daily "test" if they are successful.  The students are rewarded for their hard work and also taught to "manage failure" and work harder for next time in case they didn't

If you mind set holds training as drudgery, then it will be.  However, martial arts training is the opposite, it is your escape from the daily grind.   You might not think so, but a lot of adult martial arts learning is game based too!   I also find that adult student develop healthy, competitive relationships with their training partners.  The pull and push each other to work hard and do more.

2. Break things down into smaller attainable pieces

This is another foundational piece of martial arts.   Think of the martial arts black belt.   It is a huge mountain to climb.  If a white belt (the first belt in our system which represents a total beginner) tries to jump straight from white belt to black belt he or she will almost certainly fail over and over again.   This repeated failure will lead to frustration and eventually abandonment of the task at hand.

Instead of trying to make one big step, the martial arts breaks things into smaller steps.  In our system we have ten, ten "color belts" between white and black.  In this way, the student can incrementally work towards the coveted black belt.   Will the student be successful at each intermediate step?  No, not necessarily, but these failure will be smaller and easier to manage and eventually the student can learn and be willing to persevere through larger obstacles.

3. Remember that martial arts training is about the individuals journey but also the growth and health of the community.

In most cases, we are learning the martial arts in a group setting (even if the group is as small as two).   There is a lot of camaraderie and energy to be shared by training with a group.   At the Dragon Gym we have a lot of different programs: Taekwondo, kids classes, Muay Thai, BJJ, Kettlebells, and Yoga.   Most of those students never actually train with each other.  But, all of those students still feel connected to each other as part of the Dragon Gym Community.

When you are facing a rough patch in training, or just a plateau, remember that it's not just about you.   Your training partners and even non-partners are relying on you to at least some degree for their success, just as you have relied on them in some way in the past.

4. Remember that the rewards await you at the end of the tunnel / Remember to reward yourself

Part of this comes down to trust.   You need to trust your instructors, coaches and senior training partners. We've climbed the mountain and crossed the rift already; you need to trust the process we've laid out for you.  It will get you to your goals.   You can be confident that the adversity your are facing now and the obstacle your are trying to overcome in your have also, in some way, been faced by the aforementioned individuals.   It is hard work.  We make it so, because we know how we benefitted from it.   But, the nature that work has also evolved as we provide it to you because we have learned from it ourselves.

When you accomplish something, I mean really accomplish something reward yourself.   Don't move the targets or make excuses, complete the task.  When you are successful you should, you must, pat yourself on the back.  Otherwise all of this is for nought.  How do you congratulate yourself?  I don't know.  This will take some introspection on your part, but it is these (often small) self rewards that will continue to propel you throughout your training years.

5. Remind yourself that the "why" is more important than the "what"

Martial Arts training can be a lot of things: physical exercise, learning self defense, sparring, competing, weapons training etc...  And, there can be a lot of goals / outcomes associated with these types of training:  getting in shape, looking better, winning medals, gaining self-confidence, making friends, eradicating fear, the list goes on...   You have to ask yourself and then remind yourself (periodically and maybe often) of why those outcomes are important to you and how they improve your life as a whole.  When you reflect on these things, you will see how martial arts training enhances all aspects of your life.

-Somnath Sikdar, Master Instructor, Dragon Gym

instructor somnath sikdar

 

 

 

 

 

Join us: www.dragongym.com 

 

A checklist to maximize your fitness or martial arts training

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instructor somnath sikdarThe new year is right around the corner and I know I'm thinking about my goals for 2015.  How about you?   Likely, you are also planning on what you are going to do different, better and more of the same in the year to come.

I typically break my goals into three categories:

1. Things that I want to accomplish with my health and fitness (remember they are not the same thing)

2. Things that I want to do with / for my family

3. Goals for my business / professional life

Of course, there maybe some overlap between the three.

Making goals and plans to achieve those goals is actually a pretty simple thing.  There are a multitude of articles and algorithms on how set goals and successfully attain them.  Well, here's another 🙂

First, let's just focus on one area: Health and Fitness.

Second, I've found that checklists are extremely useful for staying on track.  Can you make a useful checklist based on the aspects of success that I've laid out below?  (Can you manipulate that checklist to help you in areas outside of health, fitness and martial arts?)

1. Use what you know (and like).

There are so many ways (and fads) to stay fit and healthy out there: running, biking, aerobics, martial arts, kickboxing, kettlebells, etc...  What do you know, what works for you and what do you enjoy doing?  While it makes sense to learn something new, that is another obstacle for you and climbing that obstacle can be a source of stress.  What types of exercise can you fall back on when time is crunched?  Maybe you are going to learn Muay Thai this year, but you also like to run and have had a lot of success with it the past.   There are times that learning a new skill can be frustrating, or you just might not be able to make it to class.   That's OK!  Go for a run.

2.  Have an abundance mindset.

We can define an abundance mindset, by its opposite.  The scarcity mindset.  We often fall into a trap like this:  If I spend an hour at the gym, then that is taking an hour away from family time.   While in terms of minutes and seconds that may be true, that is also the wrong way to look at.   Yes, if you are about to embark on a high-end or competitive endeavor like running a marathon, fighting in a tournament, or competitive body building it will take A LOT of time away from other things.

However, most of us don't need that level of dedication to achieve a sufficient ( and I would argue pretty high) level of health and fitness.  Workouts and training done right can only take 30 minutes a day.  Plus, think about how dedicating 30 minutes to yourself will improve the remaining 23.5 hours of your day.   People who exercise have lower stress levels, higher clarity of mind and sleep better.   The time with your family will be much more enjoyable and productive.

3. Focus on "health" over "fitness"

Health and Fitness are two things that are often conflated.   Remember I mentioned they are not the same?  We delineate the two in the following way.   Your level of "health" is the level at which your organs function.  Whereas, your  level of "fitness" is your ability to perform a given task.   For example, someone we consider very fit maybe able to run several miles; however their knees are trashed from years of doing so.  Is that person healthy?

When we focus on fitness, we tend to dive deep and strive for the next level.  That is good, but now more time will be devoted and more risks will be taken towards said task.  Conversely, focus on health.  Get in to the gym and get out.  Do the few and simple things that you need to improve your overall health.  If you focus on health that the daily result / outcome of your training / workouts doesn't matter.   Doesn't matter?  Yes, if we focus to much on the outcomes working out becomes a stressor instead of a helper.

4. Hang around happy and healthy people.

Everything around us is an input into our system.  That includes the information and entertainment we consume, but also the interactions with the people around us.  If the people around us are a negative influence they will bring us down, no matter how much we think we can fight it / shield ourselves from it.  Are the people around you committed to a healthy lifestyle (and I don't mean just working out a lot)?  Are the people you work out with committed to their health?  Or some other crazy goal?   Are the people you work with, train with, play with pulling you down, or are you all lifting each other up together?

5. Know when to push yourself / challenge yourself.

If every time you workout or go to the gym it's going to be a hellish crucible of a workout one of two things are going to happen.  1. You are going to get hurt.  or 2. you are going to burn out.    Most training / working out should be reasonable; it should be doable over and over again.   Reasonable doesn't necessarily mean easy, but it does mean that you can complete the exercise regimen day in and day out consistently.

There are however times that you can and should test yourself.  Periodically, you want to see what you've got.   This can be trying to lift more weight, run farther or faster, or take your Martial Arts to the next level.  This kind of challenge can be extremely rewarding and motivating.  When you meet and exceed that challenge you will feel great and that feeling and propel you through the year.

6. Value consistency over variety.

When it comes to fitness it is easy to fall into the "what's the next cool thing" mentality.   While we trick ourselves that this will improve or accelerate our abilities, we are really just being distracted by shiny objects.   Fitness fads come and go.  Cool new protocols come and go.  Some work and many are junk.

The key to your success is consistency.  Remember, getting better doesn't require doing something different or new

7. Action

The only way to get it done is by doing it.  Things will come up, there will always be obstacles; however, if you take #1 through 6 into account it will be easier to take action AND that action will be much more effective.

Of course, we are here to help.  At Dragon Gym we have a great team of instructors and a wonderful and supportive like minded community.

Join us!

Visit:

www.dragongym.com for more information on our programs.

-Somnath Sikdar, Master Instructor, Dragon Gym Martial Arts & Fitness

ATTN: Parents of Downingtown, West Chester and Exton!

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instructor somnath sikdarDear Parent,

Do you live in the Downingtown, West Chester or Exton area?

Are you trying to decide if Martial Arts are a good activity option for your child / children?

Maybe you heard about some of the benefits, maybe your son or daughter just saw teenage mutant ninja turtles and has expressed an interest in learning “karate”.

Both scenarios are great news!

The fact is, martial arts training is a lot more than learning how to kick and punch.

Are you familiar with the marshmallow test?

The marshmallow test was a psychological experiment performed by Dr. Walter Mischel in the 1960s on preschool children. It was pretty simple. They made the children an offer. You can have one marshmallow now, or, if you can wait you can have two marshmallows later. That was it. Of course some of the children decided to take the marshmallow immediately and some decided to wait. The scientists observed their behavior and made some conclusions on why and how certain kids were able to “resist” and why some weren’t.

But, that’s not the important part…

Dr. Mischel tracked those kids for the next 50 years!

He just wrote a book about it. You can pick it up here: The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control

(It’s worth the read)

One thing became apparent.

The kids that were able to wait, that were able to show self control did better in almost every aspect of their life.

In later school years, they performed better, getting good grades and higher SAT scores.

They had better professional outcomes

They had lower BMI (body mass index). Meaning they were less likely to be obese/overweight and will likely live longer.

Now, you might be thinking, some kids are just born with better self-control than others.

Well, that might be true, but the story doesn’t end there. Dr. Mischel emphasizes that self-control is not hard-wired. It is like a any other muscle, it needs to be exercised in order to be improved and developed.

Now, ask yourself, when choosing a martial arts school, what are the questions you should be asking about the school?

Martial Arts training has a proven track record of improving the self-control and self-discipline in children.
However, martial arts education needs to be done right.

Here are some examples of questions to ask when shopping for a martial arts school to get your thought process going:

1. Do they use class planners? Does that plan cover the class, the entire year, or several years?

2. Do they have an objective and systematic evaluation process in order to place your child into an appropriate and age specific program?

3. Do they even use age specific programs? Why is that important? Do they account for the physical, intellectual, emotional and social stages of development for your child?

4. What are the credentials of the instructors? What is it about those credentials that are important to you?

5. Do they have a comprehensive curriculum to keep you child engaged through out childhood (all the way up until they goto college)?

6. Do they require your child to attend at least an average of 2x per week? (and, why is being able to attend at least 2-3 times per week important?)

If you would like more information about martial arts programs, please feel free to email us: ChangeYourLife@dragongym.com or visit the link below to return to the Dragon Gym Website.

www.dragongym.com

Sincerely,

Somnath Sikdar
Master Instructor
Dragon Gym Martial Arts & Fitness

Tae Kwon Do & Hapkido Classes - Downingtown, Exton, West Chester

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Hey Everyone,

Here's a short video of me practicing some Back Hook Kicks during one of my Taekwondo/Hapkido classes at Dragon Gym Martial Arts & Fitness in Downingtown.   Our adult martial arts classes cover a variety of material including: strength training with kettlebells, blocks, boxing, break-falling, joint locks, take-downs and of course kicks!  I hope you enjoy the video.

If you are interested in learning a traditional form of Tae Kwon Do and the martial arts system (moo-do) developed by Grandmaster Chae T. Goh and myself, send us an email or visit our website: www.dragongym.com

This program, exclusively taught at the Dragon Gym in Exton / Downingtown and uniquely developed by Grandmaster Goh, blends the best of Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido. Additionally, Master Sikdar has incorporated kettlebell conditioning as well as some of the realities of bare knuckle boxing and Muay Thai kickboxing into the program. This system is indeed a modern application of the ancient and traditional Martial Arts.

The system is also a philosophy of mental discipline and self control with the intent of influencing the student’s behavior, encouraging participation in the community, and promoting the betterment of society.