In junior high and high school I was a gymnast. In the beginning you learn how to simply swing back and forth, learning how to use your body to create more and more momentum.
Once you become comfortable with swinging you then learn how to do a kip. This requires some technique and timing. On the outside, it looks very simple. However, there are many little movements that must be coordinated and timed to complete the move. Eventually, the goal is to kip up and cast as high as you can so as to let your body drop and allow your body to swing completely around the bar. Of course, the bar is 9 feet off the ground and what looks so effortless from the outside, is not so easy. No matter how many times you swing back and forth, at some point you are going to have cast as high as you can and let gravity work. Allowing the process to happen is always the toughest part. Why is it so tough to just let it happen -fear!
What ultimately allows a gymnast to allow their body to swing through the air around the bar is faith. Eventually, you have to believe you are going to get all the way around.
We all get to that place when doing something for the first time where fear hangs out and you have to choose to move through it.
Most will never become a gymnast or have to swing entirely around a bar. But at some point you will have something in front of you, something new and scary, that you have to face and get over. We all get to that place when doing something for the first time where fear hangs out and you have to choose to move through it. Your first class, your first time sparring or rolling live, your first competition, the list goes on.… Will you allow fear keep you from taking the next step? Will fear stop you from starting something new or will you have faith in the process, let yourself go and just have fun doing something totally new?
I can tell you I have done both. I have hesitated and even prevented myself from experiencing something new. On the other hand, I have ‘casted straight to handstand and let it rip.’ I have taken chances to do new things, meet new people, experience the curiosity and joy of being a complete beginner again. What is it that prevents you from taking that swing? Whenever you are at the cusp of doing something new and hesitate to jump, you must not let fear win. Courage is not about the lack of fear; courage is about being afraid and doing it anyway.
Learning to trust the process will allow you to experience many things that will never be there if you allow fear to control you. Learn to simply let go. It’s something I wish I would have done it always throughout my life. Just like when I went for that first giant swing in gymnastics. Start doing those things you are putting off, that you may be afraid of, but will benefit your life….you’ll be happy you did.
‘Hard work beats talent when talent refuses to work hard’ Talent is a gift, skills are learned and when combined with hard work that is where the magic happens. We have that saying painted on our walls because it is truth. The mechanics of kicking, punching, knees, elbows, takedowns, submissions, etc… are all skills that are won through hard work, repetition and continual practice. Skills affect your growth as a martial artist just as talent does. If your technical skills are sharpened through hard work you can be very good, maybe even great! However, we have seen countless Academy members with no special talent and average mechanics become some of our best students and even successful competitors.
Creating the habit to work hard starts with simple steps. First and foremost, you have to decide to work hard…it is a choice. Next, you must create a schedule and stick to it. Consistency is key! Stay disciplined, come to class and do your best. Do that every class, week after week, making a habit of pushing yourself and let your hard work speak for itself.
Rule #4
I learned to set steps in gymnastics, but it was in Wrestling that I had my first opportunity to meet an Olympic Gold Medalist. In 1980 we had the opportunity to witness college hockey players come together, and through a ton of HARD work and a visionary coach. They beat the ‘unbeatable’ Soviet Union Hockey team enroute to winning the Gold Medal.
Being totally psyched after seeing that I had the opportunity to go to a wrestling camp with Olympic Gold medalists Ben and John Peterson. Incidentally, that is where I learned my first submission, which was a neck crushing pin move I dubbed the ‘Peterson Squeeze’. Without knowing it another piece of my future was put in place waiting to be used. Later that same year I got the opportunity to train with professional wrestler Ivan “The Polish Hammer’ Putski. What an experience that was! He showed a whole bunch of illegal moves that began to shape my way of thinking. When opportunity knocks, open that door! I learned that when an opportunity presents itself, jump on it.
No matter who you are, you will have many distractions in your life. Ultimately, no matter what your goals are in the martial arts, your job, academics, a new skill you want to develop or whatever, everyone will face an array of distractions. One of the number one areas you can develop is your ability to maintain your focus, despite all of the distractions that everyone has to deal with.
I believe most of us want to improve ourselves, becoming better in specific areas, more fit, healthier and experience more in life. I know I do.
