We have all seen an action packed movie that has the hero of the movie fighting off villains or multiple assailants single handedly and I am sure I am not the only one who has thought to themselves, as we shove more popcorn into our face hole, wow, it sure would be awesome to have that skill to do that. The fact is that we all have the ability to do things that seem impossible or out of reach through practice and discipline towards or a particular goal, even if the goal may not be learning how to quickly disband armed attackers. However, simply stating that we all have the ability to do things we don’t think we can do doesn’t serve as a catalyst to transform an idea into action steps. And therein lies the rub, most people don’t want to put in the work it takes to accomplish their goal. For example, for those wishing to being stronger, faster and skilled in the martial arts, more time is usually spent sitting on a sofa watching UFC hoping to become better or skilled at the combative arts through osmosis and more energy is expended thinking about why we don’t think we can accomplish something rather than actually putting in work to progress toward our goal. Truth be told becoming proficient or really good at something requires consistent work, some say that the magic number is in the area of 10,000 hours, 10,000 hours of dedication to a certain practice to hone a skill. Even the action hero in the movie had to work hard at their craft to draw us into a movie and make the fight scenes seem authentic and good enough to have us wanting to be like them. What does the aforementioned have to do with the Dojo and martial arts training? Well, I know that many people, myself included, have a hard time accomplishing goals do to a lack of self-confidence and because of a fear of failure, this is the primary reason I didn’t earn my first undergraduate degree until I was 29 years old, by this time most college graduates had already began a career I was still working on overcoming my fear of mathematics and the rigors of college.
The fear of failure can have a powerful hold on anyone’s well intentioned initiatives, questions like how will I feel if I can’t do this, or what will people think of me if I don’t succeed are all the result of our natural human tendencies to feel accepted and fit in, in a society where success is what is expected or put on a pedestal. Martial Arts training or any other sort of athletic endeavor can play positive a role in the development of self-confidence and perseverance and it can teach a person the skill of how to deal with the fear of failure and how to even fail and still move forward after picking yourself back up. Being a teacher of the martial arts, I see what happens when the bar is raised on a student or what the outcome will be when a student doesn’t put in the practice prior to a test day, they quickly learn that accomplishing goals, in this case a new rank, requires work and that the path toward each new belt may bring about new hurdles that they will have to overcome to achieve their next rank. It is this progression of self-discovery and dedication to a craft that begins to change a person, a student who sticks it out day after day, week after week, learns that failing at something doesn’t necessarily mean the game is over, it may just mean that more work is required or that a different approach is what is necessary to overcome the obstacle in front of them. When I first started my martial arts training I was terrible at it, all aspects of it, I was that students who would say can you show me that move again and continue to ask the same questions over and over again with little success at ever getting it right.
My feet, arms and brain didn’t seem to want to coordinate with one another, and at times, they rather seemed to be revolting against one another when I attempted to apply techniques on my training partner. I didn’t get better by simply hoping I would get better, or by watching others train, I had to train consistently and trade hands with people better than me. Over time a funny thing started to happen, I slowly began to progress and as the years went on I encountered more hurdles but found a way to overcome them, not by running away from them but rather by meeting them head on. I don’t consider myself an expert of the arts by any means, and will always put myself in the category of a lifelong learner and student of the arts, but I am proud of my current capabilities and what I have accomplished from sheer perseverance and hard work, it was through this consistent practice and hard work that I learned how to set goals and how to deal with failure. Martial arts can help a student transform their mindset by consistently training to better themselves, consistent training teaches someone how to deal with failure. When this happens a student begins to become more comfortable in their own skin and they quickly realize that the path to success must be walked on their own two feet, an instructor can help guide them but it is up to them to take each individual step to their destination. Before long, a student who sticks it out, develops self-confidence to not care what others think about their progress, they learn what their limitations are and how to self-diagnose a problem and apply a solution, a solution based on their individual skill and mindset. It is through this metamorphosis that an individual learns how to deal with challenges that the dojo and everyday life may bring their way. Obstacles are no longer looked at with fear and disdain, but rather just as another challenge that must be overcome, with an understanding that if we fail the first time that we can just try again. After reading the biographies of many successful people in the world I have found a common theme between all of them, and that is that they all at one time or another failed many times over before they succeeded, many of them find that it was the experience of their failures that taught them how to eventually win. And this my friends is why martial arts training can be much more than just the physical act of punching and kicking and how principles learned in the dojo can transcend into everyday life!
By Maestro Mike Cardenas
4th Degree Black Belt of DeCuerdas Diestro Fighting Systems at the VEA Martial Arts Academy, Manteca CA.
The fear of failure can have a powerful hold on anyone’s well intentioned initiatives, questions like how will I feel if I can’t do this, or what will people think of me if I don’t succeed are all the result of our natural human tendencies to feel accepted and fit in, in a society where success is what is expected or put on a pedestal. Martial Arts training or any other sort of athletic endeavor can play positive a role in the development of self-confidence and perseverance and it can teach a person the skill of how to deal with the fear of failure and how to even fail and still move forward after picking yourself back up. Being a teacher of the martial arts, I see what happens when the bar is raised on a student or what the outcome will be when a student doesn’t put in the practice prior to a test day, they quickly learn that accomplishing goals, in this case a new rank, requires work and that the path toward each new belt may bring about new hurdles that they will have to overcome to achieve their next rank. It is this progression of self-discovery and dedication to a craft that begins to change a person, a student who sticks it out day after day, week after week, learns that failing at something doesn’t necessarily mean the game is over, it may just mean that more work is required or that a different approach is what is necessary to overcome the obstacle in front of them. When I first started my martial arts training I was terrible at it, all aspects of it, I was that students who would say can you show me that move again and continue to ask the same questions over and over again with little success at ever getting it right.
My feet, arms and brain didn’t seem to want to coordinate with one another, and at times, they rather seemed to be revolting against one another when I attempted to apply techniques on my training partner. I didn’t get better by simply hoping I would get better, or by watching others train, I had to train consistently and trade hands with people better than me. Over time a funny thing started to happen, I slowly began to progress and as the years went on I encountered more hurdles but found a way to overcome them, not by running away from them but rather by meeting them head on. I don’t consider myself an expert of the arts by any means, and will always put myself in the category of a lifelong learner and student of the arts, but I am proud of my current capabilities and what I have accomplished from sheer perseverance and hard work, it was through this consistent practice and hard work that I learned how to set goals and how to deal with failure. Martial arts can help a student transform their mindset by consistently training to better themselves, consistent training teaches someone how to deal with failure. When this happens a student begins to become more comfortable in their own skin and they quickly realize that the path to success must be walked on their own two feet, an instructor can help guide them but it is up to them to take each individual step to their destination. Before long, a student who sticks it out, develops self-confidence to not care what others think about their progress, they learn what their limitations are and how to self-diagnose a problem and apply a solution, a solution based on their individual skill and mindset. It is through this metamorphosis that an individual learns how to deal with challenges that the dojo and everyday life may bring their way. Obstacles are no longer looked at with fear and disdain, but rather just as another challenge that must be overcome, with an understanding that if we fail the first time that we can just try again. After reading the biographies of many successful people in the world I have found a common theme between all of them, and that is that they all at one time or another failed many times over before they succeeded, many of them find that it was the experience of their failures that taught them how to eventually win. And this my friends is why martial arts training can be much more than just the physical act of punching and kicking and how principles learned in the dojo can transcend into everyday life!
By Maestro Mike Cardenas
4th Degree Black Belt of DeCuerdas Diestro Fighting Systems at the VEA Martial Arts Academy, Manteca CA.
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