If You’re Tired, Practice Tired

This post has been updated and re-posted from an earlier version.
This doesn’t mean that you should let your shoulders slump and drag your sword on the ground. It means that you should be mindful about how you use your energy. Be efficient about your movements.
Only do what you need to do and remember that distance between you and your opponent is your friend. If you’re tired you need to draw your opponent into error and be mindful that you are an even easier victim of that same strategy.
So often when people get tired they begin to burn more energy. They attack more, they exert greater amounts of energy when they parry, they put greater force into their binds. Its as if they’re trying to get things over with faster and with this approach they’re likely to get their wish.
Next time you’re at class or your own practice time and you feel tired, look at it as an opportunity to practice “tired martial art”. Become more deliberate. Conserve your energy and use it wisely. Increase your emphasis on crispness and right action. It’s not simply mind over matter, it’s wisdom over rashness.
Devon