This past weekend, I had the privilege of sharing some knowledge of jump kicking with some youth black belts at our regional black belt camp. It was a great time; I really enjoy the opportunity to dive deep into certain martial arts topics and proverbially, Preach to the Choir sharing advanced knowledge with those that already have a solid understanding. A lot of the young people were able to move out of their comfort zone and work on some nuances of jump kicking. They were given new ways to think about the techniques and I could see a lot of things click with them. Beyond the technical advice I was able to share I was able to share a key piece of life advice. Going over difficult techniques like jump kicks and jump spinning kicks, I almost expected to be able to share this piece of advice with this group.
While walking around and giving individualized feedback to the students, one person was doubtful of their ability to do some of the kicks, especially with some of the new things that I wanted them to try. After seeing this student’s proficiency, I paused and had the rest of the students watch them demonstrate. Despite their attitude, when this student gave it their all and went out of their comfort zone to adjust their technique, they had likely some of the best jump kicks out of anyone in the sessions that I taught and provided a good example to the others. I then emphasized to everyone that it is important to do the techniques with the attitude of being slightly uncomfortable and push for improvements rather than staying comfortable and worrying about looking stupid.
When we are worried about how others view us, we often perform at a level that is lower than our potential and we ironically look worse to others around us. We also find less enjoyment in what we do though. We need to keep in mind that despite our worries about what others think about us, almost always, people are more concerned about their own technique and their own struggles. Our peers will seldomly will see and commit to memory anything that we do while training beside us.
In my two years testing for my 4th Dan in Tang Soo Do, I had the opportunity to train with many senior masters. Each of them had their own philosophies and details to share about basic technique. In fully listening, absorbing and trying each thing that was presented to me without concern about looking goofy while trying something that was different from what my instructor taught me. I was able to reap the full benefits of training with these esteemed individuals.
When going over a concept with my college aged students, I often tell them that success is really going for it with each technique when trying to apply a different energy or emphasizing a certain aspect of delivering power. I tell them that I would rather that they stumble trying something new than do the technique comfortably and not grow! Is worrying about looking stupid or what others think of you limiting your technique? If it is, create an open mind for what you are being taught, foster an attitude for growth, and change your metric for successful training. In doing so, you will see yourself reach higher levels in your training and be happier as you train.
