Guro’s Blog #2. Stumbling Stones or Stepping Stones?
Whether you are lifelong martial arts practitioner or a novice just starting your journey you probably have or will at one point during your progression encounter stumbling blocks in either the inability to perform a technique, remember a kata or even worse through the introduction of an injury inflicted during training. How we respond to these moments of frustration and disappointment depends entirely on our mindset and objectives.
I have seen students who have the natural talent and look to one day become great martial artist give up on their path once they encounter their first stumbling stone. I have also seen the development of students who may have initially lacked the physical talent but had the mental fortitude to keep trying and learn from their mistakes; in turn becoming better martial artists as the weeks and months progressed.
How you react to your setback makes all the difference in the world, one should expect to trip along the way and learn to pick him or herself up while also taking the time to think about why they tripped in the first place. By examining our setback we can learn from our mistakes and or understand our weaknesses while continuing our journey of positive development, this action is what I call turning stumbling stones into stepping stones.
A simple example is taking a number 1 strike to the head, if you don’t block, or angle out of the way you’re going to get hit.
The mistake: Didn’t block or get out of the way of the oncoming strike.
Solution: Block or get out of the way of the oncoming strike.
Development: Lick your wounds, learn from your mistake and apply what you have learned.
Reaching out for help from a more experienced practitioner or your instructor is also a great way to get you out of a rut and insure you continue to progress, you should be prepared to use every tool at your disposal to help you along your martial arts journey. Keeping a positive attitude during your journey will be the key to insuring you become the best martial arts practitioner you can be, don’t let a temporary barricade become your demise.
In the words of Bill Phillips (Strength and Fitness Guro):
“As I see it…the ability to achieve a successful transformation in any and every area of your life relies on your ability to take what others see as barricades and turn them into bridges.”
Your mental attitude will determine if your setback becomes something that takes you off of your martial arts journey forever or simply a temporary setback that can be overcome through mental discipline, courage and shear tenacity.
Guro Mike
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Comment by Master Ron England on September 19, 2011 at 1:58am -
I think there are some great points being made here. In any process of learning something new we all go through peaks and valleys or hit learning walls where it seems we cannot get to the next level. One thing I have learned in 30+ years of training and teaching martial arts is that all instructors must remember we were all beginners at sometime and if we take a moment to reflect on that we will have more patience with new people or new lessons being taught to experienced people. It is imperative that an instructor recognize when a person is struggling with a new lesson and learn how to transform that lesson from talk to movement. The challenge is not the people that get the new lesson, the challenge is the person that is struggling with the new lesson. Build on success and always remember, just because it seems simple to us it maybe difficult to others..We are here to teach, not show off to people how much we know..Train hard, train safe..
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Comment by Michael Cardenas on September 25, 2011 at 10:22am -
Great point Master Ron, I will admit that there are times when I have to think back to when I started out in order to better help a student. Thanks for responding with your insight and sharing your years of experiance with me.
Cheers,
Guro Mike
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Comment by Henry Paz on September 25, 2011 at 10:35pm -
Guro Cardenas,
I'd like to say that I was one of those with little physical talent and overflowing passion for the FMA when I started. It was through the patience and high expectations of one instructor that pushed me over that hump. I did #1s for a whole year! He never quit on me or made me feel like I was less than the others and he always adapted the teaching style to my particular needs and kept presenting it over and over until I got it. Now it is incredibly well burned in to my memory. I think it has as much to do with the instructor as the will of the student.
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Comment by Michael Cardenas on September 26, 2011 at 7:53am
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Thanks for sharing Henry, I will use your experience as an aid to make me a better instructor. Best regards, Mike
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