I called a martial arts friend from another organization yesterday and said something along the lines of, “Hey! I’m interested in doing some collaborative work with you… here’s kind of what I’m thinking… [insert thoughts here]… what do you think?”
And let me just say… you’d be surprised how far a simple prompt mixed with a little initiative like this might take you.
When the martial arts association I’m a part of runs tournaments, we typically offer two or three divisions that students can choose to compete in: forms, sparring, and some type of specialty theme (i.e. board breaking, weapons, synchronized forms, etc).
Most students do the standard forms and sparring.
A form is a pattern of moves, traditionally taught as a means to practice self-defense without needing a partner, that typically takes around 30 seconds to complete.
Our style of sparring is point-based where students use martial arts techniques to strike target areas to accrue more points than their opponent… it’s single round elimination, bracket style, and one match lasts around two minutes.
When meeting with the judges today, one concept we—as an association—really wanted to communicate was let’s make sure none of our students have a “two minute and thirty second” experience.
In other words, let’s make sure nobody gets a bare minimum experience.
…Because it often happens where a student will arrive, do their form (30 seconds-ish), spar and lose their first match (2 minutes), and be… done.
Our goal was to be proactive in how we upped the students’ time and experience while at our event. This includes time spent with students warming up, checking forms, practicing sparring prior to their division start as well as giving them specific feedback, drilling certain concepts, and consoling those who needed it afterwards.
I felt like this was worth sharing today because it applies to so many aspects of life.
…In what domains are you only giving the bare minimum experience?
How can you be more proactive and up the time spent and value added in those domains?
While helping my students get ready for a tournament this weekend, we spent some time talking about the difference between reps and visualization reps.
They are NOT the same thing.
A rep is mindless… it’s intention-less… it’s muscles being moved around by signals from a distracted brain.
A visualization rep is the opposite.
A visualization rep is mindful… it’s completely intentional… it’s your whole being moving through a sequence that you can see in your mind, feel in your body, and connect to with your soul.
The time it takes to actually do each of these reps is identical. But the ROI is exponentially in favor of the visualization rep.
The only difference… is the minor investment required up front to connect to the future moment… The moment when the rep will be used in its most desired way… to unlock a feeling that only that well performed rep can unlock… to realize an untapped side of your potential that only that well executed rep can realize.
And what does the minor investment upfront entail? Exactly what it sounds like… careful visualization.
Visualization of the environment… the people… the sounds… the smells… the textures… the feelings. And then the moment when the rep is about to be called upon… the moment when the heart beats fast, the palms get sweaty, and the thinking clouds up… And then the moment when the decision is made to take a deep breath… and do it.
A rep done from THIS headspace is NOT equal to a rep done while thinking about what’s for dinner.
The mindset is this: If you’re going to do it… do it right.
A friend shared an experience she had in her martial arts class the other night.
She partnered up with a new student and just before they started the designated drill, the new student said, “You go first… you’re the expert. My coordination is so bad.”
My friend said that comment hit her like a ton of bricks.
…Really bad coordination was why she started.
And after just having recently gotten her black belt… to hear, “You’re the expert” felt… shocking.
From one perspective, this friend probably still feels very much like the same poorly coordinated girl who showed up to her first martial arts class all those years ago…
But from another perspective, this friend also accumulated hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of martial arts classes which has trained her body otherwise.
The reminder for me from this is a simple, but powerful one.
Day by day… nothing changes. But when you look back after a while… everything is different.
The key is to never underestimate the power of small choices made over extended periods of time.
…The decisions to eat one less treat or one more healthy item.
…The decisions to take class on days when you’re leaning towards couch cozying instead.
…The decisions to read or listen to audiobooks instead of binge watch passive entertainment.
Big sweeping changes made in a day rarely make a difference over the course of a life.
…But the little things done daily??
It’s hard to find a lasting formula that makes a greater difference.
Some of my martial arts students celebrated one of the biggest accomplishments in their lives today by achieving their black belt or higher degree.
And at the end of it all… when it was all said and done… every single graduate who I saw was looking to celebrate their big moment with family, friends, and loved ones.
Not a single graduate (who I saw) got their belt, patted their own back, and just left without any kind of exchange.
This should tell us something about our journeys… it’s never just about us.
Our biggest accomplishments feel empty without having someone to share them with… all of our growth is for nothing if nobody is there to feel the impact of it… and when you boil it all down… nothing we ever accomplish in life is done so alone.
Create space on your journey for others to join in. Keep loved ones looped into your journey and connect with them on both your high points and low points. And always try to balance growth with contribution and gratitude.
This is how the great accomplishments of our lives are made great—by the great people we’re surrounded with, supported by, and able to share our greatest moments with.
Tomorrow there’s a black belt and higher degree test for almost 50 of my martial arts students.
Tonight, we had one final open workout.
At the end, I gathered them together and gave them three simple pieces of advice:
1. Drink lots of water. Hard physical performances are made proportionally harder based on how dehydrated our body is. And hydration doesn’t happen 20 minutes before a really hard physical performance… it happens 20 hours before.
2. Don’t forget electrolytes. Many of the students will be fasting prior to the test so this reminder is key. Without electrolytes our muscles won’t function properly and can oftentimes lead to cramps, spasms, less fine motor control, and general fatigue or dizziness. Electrolytes are the key to strong performances and can be consumed in a capsule.
3. Get as much rest as you can. The day before the test is not the day for hard practice. It’s the day to trust in your hard practice. It’s the day to take your mind off of the hard practice. It’s the day to appreciate all of the hard practice you’ve done and just allow your body to… soften.
…In the calm before the storm, we need to learn how to allow ourselves to be calm.
…So that when the storm comes, we can RAGE and give it our undeniable all.
There’s a major martial arts tournament happening this upcoming weekend in Toronto, Canada.
And one of the biggest draws for this tournament is that they’re offering around 15-20 full one hour seminars with the best of the best in the sports martial arts world—that are all FREE for competitors.
Recognizing the unbelievable value in this, I immediately started to make plans where I could go for the seminars and have my instructors cover for me (teaching classes at our martial arts school), and then come back to run the school and cover for them while they went down to compete.
But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized… I was being selfish.
I wanted to go to the seminars so that I could come back and teach them all that I learned—and be the bearer of knowledge.
When really, I should be taking myself out as the middle man and allowing them to go and get the information first hand. They’re the ones who are competing and they’re the ones who are on the “come up” part of their journey.
I’ve had my time to compete in these tournaments and attend these types of seminars. It’s time for me to check my ego and humbly step aside so they can experience what I fell in love with first hand.
And besides, even if I retaught every seminar verbatim when I got back, it still wouldn’t be anything like the original experience. First hand learning will always blow second hand learning out of the water.
…And if I (we) really cared about our team’s growth, we’d be willing to make some sacrifices to prove it.