When it feels as though you’re not moving forward, try moving backward!
As students advance in rank, there often comes a point where the amount of material we are expected to learn and remember can seem overwhelming. In my own martial arts journey, I have hit this point more than once, both before, and most certainly after earning my black belt in 2011. One thing I have found helpful is to use these next few months of summer to focus my training and identify some specific goals that I want to achieve.
Since we have the opportunity to take unlimited summer classes for June, July, and August, this is a great time to put some thought it how you could use that time productively. Even one extra class a week can give you the ability to add to your training and provide an opportunity for additional review. The barrier can come from a mentality of “I need to review everything,” which often means that we end up reviewing nothing.
Instead, take some time to sit down and look through the Student Manual at the punches and kicks, techniques, kempos, jiu jitsus, and forms that you have learned so far at each rank. Then, write out a list of 3-5 specific things that you want to work on over the summer. For example, a Blue Belt student might decide to focus on improving their crescent kicks and side thrust kicks, reviewing the double wrist grab jiu jitsus from Yellow Belt, and practicing the take-downs in techniques #2 and #3. Or, a first degree Brown Belt student could spend time focusing on staying grounded in their stance during basics, practicing all of their kempos on the left side, and drilling the parts of Two Kata and Three Kata which involve multiple kicks from the same stance.
After you have your list, be sure to focus on it in each class where you have an opportunity to spend time training. Find different partners to work with, think about what drills will help you meet your specific goals, and ask your instructors for help and advice.
Sometimes the best approach to feeling more confident about your material is to have a specific plan of review, rather than trying to learn something new. At the end of the summer, if you can point to those 3-5 things you worked on and see how much they have improved, that will give you an achievement to feel really good about.
Happy Summer!
Sensei Jamie McMahon, 4th Dan
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