The following information is geared towards helping the
reader learn and develop greater ability in terms of tournament
competition. Over the next few months we will include
on our website, articles relating to what it takes to
become a champion. More specifically, we are going to
share with you some key fundamentals in the areas of training
such as:
• Psychology
• Conditioning
• Training Drills
• Strategy
Anthony Ryan, writes the first of these articles. Anthony
coaches the current NAS National Champion of Champions,
Vedran Lovric and Angela Uytingco. (See Angela and Vedran
on our website and in the March edition of Blitz magazine
(Vol 17, issue 3). We are going to ‘showcase’
Vedran and Angela in this segment over the course of
the next 6 – 12 months.
Everyone has the potential to become a champion. We
will endeavour to give you some training strategies,
both physical and mental, in order to provide you with
the winning edge.
Your goal should be to become ‘the best you can
be’. In other words, to reach your potential as
tournament karate-ka. This requires training both body
and mind. All too often, people focus purely on their
physical training and then these same people let themselves
down time and time again by their lack of mental strength
or fight strategy.
If there is one key area to nurture as a Marital Artist
and in this case a competitor, it is the strengthening
of your mind. A strong, determined, focused mind will
always outlast a strong body. A strong body can only
take you so far, but what happens when you’ve
entered your first 3 tournaments only to be knocked
out within the first round? What happens when you start
to lose motivation for training? What happens when your
desire to be a champion begins to fade? This is where
the mind can outlast the body’s endurance.
It takes more than skill to become a champion. It takes
desire, commitment and guts!
Before you can train your body for success, you must
train your mind. It must be ready for the challenges
you need to put yourself through – the hours of
training, the disappointments in defeat, the frustrations
of non-improvement and so on. Before you can learn ‘skills’,
you must have the right ‘attitude’. In the
dojo, this starts with having the correct etiquette
and discipline.
I’ve seen martial artists who may show a level
of discipline, etiquette and respect in the dojo, but
fail to remain disciplined and respectful when they
leave the dojo. You must be a full time martial artist,
not part time. Don’t leave your etiquette and
discipline at the dojo door when you leave. You need
to develop and strengthen your mind and character at
all times, not for the 4 or 6 hours you train during
the week. In competition, you will always resort back
to your most inner being. Your true character will always
come out in times of difficulty or combat. If you have
not trained your mind to be at its toughest all the
time, you may find yourself losing the battle within
yourself before you tackle your opponent.
So, the first thing to develop, condition, and strengthen
– is your mind. Your attitude is your greatest
asset. When you develop your mind, you are in a peak
state all the time. The ups and downs of training will
not shift your focus. You will not stray from your goals
and objectives, and you will never allow yourself to
deliver less than 100%, whether you’re in the
dojo or not.
Click
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