Martial arts does not only teach techniques in fighting against your opponent, for every second you spend is also a second of learning life’s lessons which are not only applicable inside the training ground but are proven to be useful anywhere you are with yourself and with others.
- Never judge a book by its cover.The chance of meeting different opponents will get you to the realization that someone’s physical appearance does not totally define himself. Someone may look perfectly trained yet can easily be defeated but others may look odd yet their strength may be incomparable.
- Think of winning or learning, not on losing.Make loosing never be a part of your vocabulary. Only put in mind how to win. But since you cannot win in all your fights so as in life, then try to define loosing as a part of your learning process and not by being defeated by your opponent or by life’s challenges.
- Swallow your pride.Once you enter the training ground, you are asked to never bring with you your pride for this cannot help you learn better. And doing so let you focus more on the techniques and on your partner not on yourself alone. With this being done everytime in every training you have, you will be able to forget about your ego and will learn to live each day swallowing your pride in some circumstances when you really have to.
- Learn from others.Learning is a two way process. Teachers themselves do not teach in the classroom all the time for in every time they do, they learn something from their students as well. So as a martial artist, you learn from your instructor, you learn from your partner, and so are they from you. This means that wherever you are, be always open to learning from other people’s ideas.
- It’s the journey that counts, not the destination.Enjoy every moment, the good ones and even the bad ones. As a martial artist, you have to learn that acquiring the black belt is not what totally matters for what truly matters the most are the blood, sweat, and tears you have had in every training and in learning techniques. By this, you will learn that life is never about the destination for it will always be about the smile it painted on your face and the passion that was anchored in your heart the moment you look back on that time and experiences you have made along the way.
Without knowing, every kick and every pain you have had in martial arts bring you closer to understanding life not only as a full-fledged martial artist but as a fully developed person ready to face the world.