Page 28 of 33
Training is at least 50% mental and 50% physical. If you’re truly down-and-out sick, then just let yourself be sick. No sense resisting the sleep you need and prolonging the pain. But if you’re just out with the sniffles, or you have an injury that prevents you from physically training, then here are some things you can do to keep your rhythm going and train the mental side.
Devon Boorman ·
I want to get as close to the original martial art as possible without actually putting myself, my training partners, or my students in mortal danger. Yet that is a difficult thing. Without life and death it is difficult to not introduce excessive amounts of fallaciousness into your practice.
Devon Boorman ·
There is certainly something ingrained in our culture to get bored easily in repetition (I see this in myself and students). Our minds are hungry for variation, new challenge, and distraction. Activating the willpower to keep on task is often a losing battle, there is only so much will in the will-bank to activate in a given period of time.
Devon Boorman ·
Swinging a steel sword at someone, even a blunted one, seems risky. That's because it is. How can we keep practicing it—often rigorously—for a long time?
Devon Boorman ·
A study group is a group of peers devoted to helping each other get better in a particular martial practice. If you don’t have an experienced and savvy instructor in your area, or you want to pursue learning something that is not offered by your group or school, or you simply want to get in more training time than is being offered, a study group is a great way to go.
Devon Boorman ·
In its simplest form, practice is about identifying challenges, understanding them, solving them, and training through them. Then repeat. If you’re not failing, do it again. This time: up the challenge, up the personal risk, up the vulnerability of doing it wrong. Then repeat.
Devon Boorman ·
For many years I have kept a training journal. This is a log book of personal practice goals, training plans, progress toward those goals, and a ticker tape of general thoughts, comments, struggles, and successes. At its simplest the journal is a way of keeping my training front-of-mind and it helps me keep continuity from session to session.
Devon Boorman ·
There are many moments in our lives where we reveal that we care, whether that is through our interest or our frustration. When a peer or mentor sees this moment and instead of turning away, turns in, it can meaningfully move us toward learning, resiliency, and a sense of truly belonging.
Devon Boorman ·
Practicing does not always mean "working on". It’s important to give yourself time with passions and skills in your life to just simply indulge in the activity. It's vital to give yourself time simply to feed your enjoyment. This helps you remember why you do this thing in the first place, and can give you energy for further training later—if that's your desire.
Devon Boorman ·
Even if you’re part of a vibrant school or club and have lots of training partners to practice with, keeping a daily rhythm is an essential part of the path of mastery. That means you’re going to have a lot of solo training occasions to fill. Most partner drills don’t effectively translate into a solitary analog, so here’s some guidance to help you make the most of your alone time.
Devon Boorman ·
