(Adapted/rewritten from Dave Kovar,’s “My 12 Rules for Training,” a Karate post.)
1) Meditation: Arriving at class on time for meditation gives me a chance to “empty my cup.” I let go of any stress or distractions and enter my place of peace.
2) Be Present focused – It’s natural to be distracted during class. My mind can wander. If I allow my concentration to lapse, that is often when I forget where I am during the forms. Over time, our focus will improve dramatically.
3) Don’t compare – It’s natural for us to compare ourselves with other people.
“Sometimes when we compare we might look really good, other times not as much. It really depends on who we compare ourselves to. The challenge is, comparisons are never fair. Everyone is running their own race. Sometimes I find myself comparing myself to a younger version of me. This is not fair either. The best thing that we can do is focus on giving our best.”
4) “Beginning training with a good warm-up is a great habit for people of all ages, but it’s really a necessity for older [practitioners] to avoid injuries.”
5) Focus on one detail at a time
“If I tried to fix all of my flaws at the same time, I would get nowhere.” Instead, focus on one detail at a time. Once I’ve made progress, I focus on another detail. I ask myself while training, “What am I learning today?”
6) Visualize the application – Once I have a movement down well, I try to imagine the martial situation where it might apply.
7) About fatigue – Some class days we may feel tired and be tempted to stay home, but if I make myself get out the door, I am almost always glad I did attend the class.
8) Be consistent – Most advanced practitioners practice routinely. Consistent training may reduce injuries. Students sometimes drop out “temporarily” for good reasons, but consistent training is always preferred. I try to practice at least a little on most days.
9) Train safely – Listen to your body. Be sure that what you’re doing is age-appropriate and skill appropriate.
Example: As I am older, I am not as flexible, so I do stretches more gradually. I don’t swoop down to touch my toes. Instead, on count one I touch my knees, on count two I stretch a little further and so on until on count eight I am reaching to my ankles.
Do not stretch so far as to cause pain. I don’t mind a little discomfort, but pain is a red flag that I may cause an injury.
10) To be fast, go slow- Going fast glosses over details. Later I may have to go back and re-learn something. Relearning something is a lot harder than learning it right the first time.
In Tai Chi, we focus on going slow and being smooth to perfect a movement.
Martial artists may gradually pick up speed, but that is not helpful to me because I am only practicing for health. I am not training for a fight, but for a longer, more pain free life.
11) “Stay Playful – Keep it fun,” Kovar says.
” Everyone started training for different reasons, but what keeps people coming back decade after decade is not self-defense or fitness, it’s enjoyment.”
Pick the right instructor, do the right drills, and keep the process fun.
12) Constantly review and evaluate yourself. If after class we think about what we have learned, we retain it better.
