So, Christmas has passed and New Year’s Day has come and gone.
2018 is here!
Don’t fret though. It’s not too late to commit to the New Year’s resolutions that will make 2018 the year you blast through your personal barriers and become the ‘you’ you want to be.
The martial arts are already a great way to meet the personal goals that are usually set around this time of year – lose weight, get fit, be more disciplined, be more confident, etc. – so if you’re actively training, you’re already making yourself better every day and you deserve credit for committing to your own improvement.
Still, there’s no reason to rest on your laurels, so we’ve come up with a few New Year’s resolutions for the martial artist who wants to see even more improvements in their lives over the next year.
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Learn a new art
It’s not uncommon for martial artists to develop a strong loyalty to their art of choice, and we’ve all heard fiery discussions between different practitioners about which martial art is the best.
Make 2018 the year you rid yourself of these prejudices.
No martial art is better than another, and believing in the superiority of one over all others will only serve to limit your own development as a complete martial artist, not to mention rob you of the fitness benefits of cross-training.
This year, consider challenging yourself and leaving the comfort zone of the art at which you are already proficient. Mix it up and introduce a new style to your repertoire. Not only will learning something new stimulate your mind and body, but you might be surprised to discover that learning a second art will only improve your performance in the first.
From the unpredictability of Wuxian Combat to the mind-clearing poetry-in-motion of Tai Chi, the martial arts world has more than enough options to choose from.
Why limit yourself?
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Commit to a few extra training hours every week
We’re not suggesting you overextend and exhaust yourself trying to become the next Bruce Lee, but we’re all potential victims to the human habit of settling into comfort zones.
Like most of us, the chances are that deep down, you know you could be doing more to challenge yourself and take your training to the next level. If we don’t make the conscious decision to push ourselves, no one else is going to.
If you’ve got two classes a week, maybe consider adding a third. Heck, combine this resolution with #1 above, and you can keep up your current training regime while adding the supplementary training of a new art to your schedule.
Be honest about what you should be capable of, and don’t go easy on yourself when deciding exactly how much to add to your routine. You might not be aiming at becoming the next Bruce Lee, but you should still be trying to be the best version of you possible.
Speaking of which…
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Strive for perfection but forgive imperfection
Often, when we’re not stagnating in our comfort zones, we’re beating ourselves up over impossible expectations. It can be difficult to find the balance between healthy dedication and self-destructive obsession or self-criticism.
This year, commit to the pursuit of perfection in your training.
It is an impossible goal, but if you’re realistic about that, then it can be a motivating force rather than a demotivating one.
If you can simultaneously strive for perfection and be satisfied with yourself even when you fail to reach it, you’ll be in a healthy mental place for achieving your dreams and breaking through your training plateaus.
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Don’t skip out on scheduled training
Had a long day at work?
Tired?
Just “not feeling it today”?
Toss out all of these excuses (and any others your imagination has conjured) and get back into the dojo.
Sure, no one expects you to drag yourself out of bed if you’re dealing with broken bones or debilitating illness, but we all know that we don’t need to be meaningfully impaired to come up with an excuse to indulge our laziness.
If you stop giving yourself excuses, not only will you increase the speed of your progress, but you’ll be helping yourself to maintain the habits of discipline that are central to the martial arts.
You know when you’re being lazy and you know when you have a legitimate reason to avoid the strain of training. This year resolve to not skip out on training for wishy-washy excuses. If you’re feeling moody or low on energy, just ask your instructor to take it easy on you.
Better slow training than no training.
Did you resolve to lose weight, get in shape or learn new skills for the New Year? Contact the SMA Centre today or scout out our training schedule and make this year’s resolutions the ones you finally follow through on.