Stand-up or Ground Game: Which One Rules?

Shadow Boxing

Heavy Bag Training Technique

Heavy Bag Power Drills

Sprint Drills on the Heavy Bag

Increase Your Speed Using the Heavy Bag

A Step Further

Arts of MMA and Self Defense

Knowledge is Power, Awareness is Survival, and Skill is Victory

Working Out While on the Road

Cyclical Training for Endurance

Warm Up Information

What To Do If You Think There's an Intruder

NRA Firearm Safety Rules

Best Home Defense Weapons

Accomplishing Goals

Accomplishing Goals

Everybody sets goals for themselves; however, very few actually accomplish them, especially long term goals. Longer term goals are much more difficult to accomplish then short term goals due to the process that we go through when trying to accomplish any goal. There is motivation at the beginning and motivation at the end, but the middle section is the difficult part. The longer it takes to accomplish your goals the longer that middle section is. Most people that quit usually do it during the middle section, because the excitement of doing something new is gone and the completion is not within their immediate grasp.

A goal can be anything; it is dependent on the individual interest. There are sports goals, educational goals, family goals, occupational goals, etc. What we are going to focus on are martial arts goals. In this category alone we have numerous different avenues to focus our goals. When you really look at it there are basically four goals within the martial arts that people strive for. These goals are to acquire a certain rank or instructorship, to compete successfully, to own a martial arts business and to reap the benefits of training in the martial arts. The benefits of training in the martial arts being, better fitness, learning self defense, a higher level of confidence once again the list goes on. Everybody starts training in the martial arts for different reasons and on that same note when they start their goals will be different. This does not mean that goals wont change or evolve as their training continues. For example, a person may start off training with their goal being to lose weight, get in better shape, and increase overall self confidence. As we begin to accomplish these goals we may start to look at expanding them, therefore, going from our initial short term goal (those listed benefits) to a longer term goal such as competing or earning the rank of instructor. Some goals may be easy enough to accomplish, however, the hard part is maintaining it. If your goal is to lose a certain amount of weight and you set that as a goal. It may be easy enough to accomplish and is a good start for a short term goal, but maintaining that weight loss will be more difficult and is definitely a long term goal.

I will focus on goals that most people set for themselves when starting in a martial arts program. The most common goals are getting in better shape (increased endurance, weight loss, strength, etc.) and learning self defense; basically improving overall self being. These goals are not just ones we want to reach, but goals we want to maintain for life. As stated before these are the most common goals people have going into a martial arts school as an adult. The same is true for kids, with the addition of discipline because it is the parents setting the goals for their kids. I base this on the paperwork we have new students fill out when getting started in our martial arts program. Yes, we do have people with the initial goal of wanting to compete or become an instructor. However, normally these are follow on additional goals.

How do we reach our goals? There are two things to take into consideration when we decide to attain a goal. One is to understand the process it takes to attain that goal and knowing where the highs and lows will be in that process. Two is set an achievable goal, don’t bite off to much from the start it will only add to the lows mentioned earlier.

The process we go through to accomplish our goals can be a mental and physical roller coaster. When we first sign up for martial arts lessons with our goals of getting in better shape (maybe losing 20lbs and looking better) and learning how to defend ourselves, we tend to be highly motivated and determined. As we continue to train we start to see the results of our training, we are losing weight and looking better, we are getting into better shape (normal daily events do not fatigue us like they used to), and we are walking around with a lot more confidence because we have a better chance of defending ourselves if the situation arises. What normally happens at this point is the noticeable difference in the results starts to slow down. In the beginning the results come fast and are very noticeable, but once your body adjusts to the activity the results come at a much slower pace. The results still come, but in this phase the excitement of daily change is gone. We have moved into the half maintenance and half change phase. This is where motivation can drop off drastically because we are not seeing the dramatic changes we saw in the beginning and we start to think that we are not receiving the benefits anymore. This could not be any farther from the truth. As long as we are training the results are there. Stepping up our training (increase the number of days a week we train or increase the intensity of our training) and knowing that we possess the ability to do that is an achievement in itself. There are other ways to get through this phase that I will get into later. The third phase of reaching our goal can be very easy because if you make it through the second phase without quitting then the third phase should be a breeze. This is because the training has become a lifestyle to you and it isn’t so much that we are trying to gain results anymore we are just maintaining the results that we have gained.

We can also set material goals these goals can be a certain salary, job position, owning a sports car, etc. In the world of martial arts it can be a black belt or an instructorship. These goals differ from the goals we talked about earlier such as fitness and possessing the ability to defend ourselves if the situation occurs. As I stated earlier the previous goals are a lifestyle change and material goals are ones you attain and move to the next one or they are goals we don’t achieve and we move on to the next attempt at accomplishing a goal. The belt system in the martial arts is a perfect example of material goals, however, with each belt come the benefits with it, fitness, flexibility, strength, self defense technique, and the list continues. If your primary goal is to get your black belt, the process for getting it is the same as the previous goals there is motivation in the beginning and motivation in the end, however, the middle portion can become physically and mentally fatiguing. In the beginning the motivation is there because it is new and exciting, in the end the motivation is there because we are close to accomplishing that goal of getting our black belt. The middle area is difficult because there is not as much new and exciting technique. Yes, there is new technique, however, when you’re new all technique is new and when you progress you train and get better at previous technique and add a little technique as you go on. In most martial arts schools this is understood and to help you get through the middle area additional programs are provide as short term goals. The biggest example of this is the different colored belts as we progress. They are there as short term goals. This is some what like the National Football League, all teams want to go to the super bowl, but they get there by winning one game at a time. Their focus every weekend is not the big at the end of the season it is winning the game that weekend. The super bowl is the long term goal and each game leading up to it is a short term goal.

Can we accomplish our goals that change our way of life by committing to short term goals such as belt levels? Absolutely, a change in our way of life is definitely a long term goal, so anything we can do to accomplish it is fair game. If we focus on those short term goals weather, material, mental, or physical that lead to our long term goals it will help keep us motivated as we strive for our ultimate goal. The next thing you know that long term goal has been reached. There is a lot to be said for taking one day at a time or one game at a time, but don’t lose sight of your ultimate goal.

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