Dec
A time to reflect
The year is nearly over and now it’s time to reflect. How did your training go? Did you do all the things in your martial arts that you wanted to do? Have you completely changed course? Have you given up on martial arts training? Are you evolving or doing things different from last year? Have you tried something new that would help your martial arts?
Recently an old student who had been away for a few years came back to training the first thing he noticed is the things that we are now doing have changed or dare I say evolved. We are always looking for new ways to improve, refine what we do in order to make things more efficient, economical and more effective.
At the start of the coming year it may be a good idea to set targets to achieve a particular goal, whether you say to yourself you want to improve your flexibility or you want to improve your weaker side or you want to really work towards that particular grade or improve your footwork. What ever it is if you set your mind and stick to it you are far more likely to be successful. This year I am going to work on improving my joint mobility so I will have a greater range of motion as I have some parts of my body that stick so I will be looking and practicing ways to free this up.
Even the way you teach has to change as it is about getting the best out of all your students and them acquiring the knowledge they need to progress on an individual basis as there are no one size fits all approach. Bring new training ways in that challenge them and yourself to keep things fresh.
I would just like to leave you this quote by Neil Gaiman
“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.
Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re Doing Something.
So that’s my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody’s ever made before. Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.
Whatever it is you’re scared of doing, Do it.
Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”
My best wishes to everyone for the coming year.
Stay safe
GM Angelo