Train More

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How often have we in the dojo heard sensei say, “You need to train more,” and although you do train more progress is still seemingly stagnated to the point you are considering taking up crocheting. Well, sensei is forgetting to make a distinction, the distinction is the difference from mindless repetitive training and practice to “Mindful repetitive training and practice.” The one word is important because if the effort is not mindful then the product will be mindless, no substance, no foundation and no reality, etc. 

Then there is the other adage, “Train Hard!” While this sounds good, inspiring and sage-like without more to create proper distinctions on how training hard benefits you simply get stronger and healthier, not bad benefits but in self-fense, fighting and/or combatives, no so much. I, personally, have seen big guys who are very strong and powerful and who look the part but have been taken apart by others who give you the impression they are librarians, not predators. Often when hearing one must train hard the practitioner simply assumes they must put more effort into their training and that is not training smart or hard, in the hard we are really talking about here. Even now, my mind meanders along while considering the right phrasing, etc., to explain what is really meant by saying, “Train Hard.”

To train hard is to place the appropriate mind set toward a realistic form of training best suited to your system of training be it for sport or for self-fense. To train hard is to apply the fundamental principles in a consistent, dedicated and diligent way so they can build to a proficiency of expertise and even mastery. To train hard is to embrace all facets of the discipline like self-defense, i.e., “In short, not just the physical techniques to physical defend but to span the entire spectrum of self-fense from the before to the during and especially the after because the short version bypasses all that could have kept you from relying on the short version, the illegal fighting part and/or the illegal self-defense part.” 

Training hard also includes putting forth more effort and dedicating more time to mindful practice and training but remember, it is not the end all of training hard. To train hard you need to create your own system that accomplishes that mission, that way of training hard that includes all the things we have discussed so far. 

A caveat, to train hard is NOT about becoming obsessed with training and practice because part of attaining balance in the martial disciplines is not just in the system itself but your entire life ways where you achieve balance outside the dojo as well. This is all part of the yin of the yang in martial discipline, yin being the philosophical aspects that help us guide ourselves in proper applications of martial disciplines in all its distinctive forms, i.e., sport, combative and self-defense to name a few. 

Last, and not least, it was once said that one should train hard and to accomplish that one must set aside the teaching of martial disciplines. I find that to be a good piece of advice for the novice. Novice being all the kyu grades and include the dan grades of at least sho-dan and ni-dan. You have to build a solid foundation of the martial system and then let that foundation cure, solidify and become what supports you in training and practice so at that time then my advice is to include, if that is your desire, your teaching others as a part of your training hard.

You see, to me training hard is to take advantage in a proper way and for proper learning any and all possibilities that teach you as well as teach others because to train hard is to assimilate knowledge and understanding through the exchange of idea’s, theories and your synthesized understanding from your own analysis of the disciplines, this is hard training. 

You see, training hard is assumed to be the physical but true hard training and practice are about the mind; the mental of study, analysis-hypothesis-synthesis, understanding and experience in training and practice but there is the mental as well - along with the spiritual. Mind, body and spirit are the triad of martial disciplines that requires balance to achieve expertise, mastery and enlightenment (with emphasis on morally righteous applications toward survival, etc.). 

So, when told to train more, do so as appropriate; as I mention above and embrace all that is possible through the disciplines of, “Training Hard.” 

Don’t, at the novice levels, allow your practitioners to make assumptions or create distinctions that may not be appropriate to the way they follow. This may be the one critically important philosophical belief you have if and when you decide to take up the sword of mentorship, the teaching and instruction necessary to lead those who would follow. 

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