Black Belt Chances of Success
The picture you see above is about the chances of success.
If you read the text and think about it, you will see how these "chances of success" are not only applicable for those who are striving to become a black belt. They are true for everything we do in our daily life.
Kaizen = Move One Step Closer to Your Goals on a Daily Basis.
Remember the story of the Tortoise and the Hare? Keep on training and the benefits and skill will come! You may not notice changes overnight; however, incrementally they will come.
"The journey of a thousand ri (miles) proceeds step by step, so think without rushing. Understand that this is the duty of a warrior, put these practices into action, surpass today what you were yesterday, go beyond those of poor skill tomorrow and exceed those who are skillful later... See to it that you temper yourself with one thousand days of practice, and refine yourself with ten thousand days of training. You should investigate this thoroughly."
-- Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings~
"All achievement starts with goals, and Musashi emphasized that you should be ambitious in setting them. Ambitious goals will help you focus your energies, abilities, and actions to maximum effect."
-- Samurai Strategies
Making Progress:
Your attitude about your martial arts training will have everything to do with how much you enjoy your training and make progress. Each student makes their own contribution to the “spirit” of the school. Your demeanor within the school is important! Conduct yourself with respect and compassion for yourself and others. Expect the same.
You must make training enjoyable or you will not keep at it. You must also make it a high priority in your life or your training will take a back seat to other things and before long, you will have given up on your goals of fitness, self-discipline, calmness and learning self defense.
You must make training in martial arts fit in with the rest of your life. Family responsibilities and your job or education needs must come first. Don’t push these priorities aside for martial arts or you will soon “burn out.”
To make consistent progress, be realistic about how many classes you can attend per week. Make it a priority and then take action. Many students mistake their “ideal situation” for what is realistically possible.
Perhaps at some time in your life it was possible for you to train eight hours a week. Now it may be possible for you to train only two hours a week. This may be less than your ideal situation, but still very productive if you use that time wisely and consistently. Don’t waste time trying to turn back the clock. Work with the actual circumstances of your life. Many students of this school have made excellent progress even though they could only attend one class a week. However you must practice at home too! We train at the dojo and we practice at home.
Practicing at Home:
Practicing at home is vital for student to progress in martial arts training. 80% of what a person learns is directly attributed to the amount of time a student spends taking what they learned in class and practicing it at home. All you need is a little space and as little as 15 minutes a day. Not having enough space or time is no excuse not to practice! Some of the activities, such as stretching and balancing, can be done while you are watching TV! Remember the saying, "Perfect practice makes perfect." Practice takes discipline and in order for it to be effective, you must develop a habit of practicing. Start today and monitor your progress for 21 days straight; by then, you should have developed a habit of practicing.
Be patient! Set goals, and then do what needs to be done to reach them.
Be flexible. If things don’t go exactly as you planned and predicted, adapt and shift gears to fit the new reality and continue on.
Finally, you must make a real commitment with yourself for learning, personal change, performance and training. You will need to make that commitment and then remake it, reaffirm it and continue to make it real. Otherwise, your commitment and your goals will fade and disappear. Take your goals and aspirations seriously.
“Never give up on becoming a black belt. Karate success can be summed up in three words: 'Begin and Continue.' However when the inevitable doubts as to whether or not you will be successful in reaching your goal come up, just remind yourself that giving up on your goal guarantees failure. Persistence, on the other hand, will lead you to your desired result. If you are steadfast in the value of reaching your goal then giving up will never be a viable option.” -- Sensei Paul Walker
The Winner
If you think you are beaten, you are;
if you think you dare not, you don't;
if you'd like to win, but you think you can't,
it's almost a cinch you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you've lost,
for out in the world you find
success begins with a person's will.
It's all in the state of the mind.
If you think you're outclassed, you are;
you've got to think high to rise;
you've got to be sure of yourself before
you can ever win the prize.
Many a race is lost
before a step is run;
and many a coward fails
before ever his work's begun.
Think big and your deeds will grow;
think small and you'll fall behind;
think that you can and you will.
It's all in the state of the mind.
Life's battles don't always go
to the stronger or faster person:
but sooner or later the person who wins
is the person who thinks he can.
― Walter D. Wintle
Train often and train hard. Gambate! (Do your best!)
Any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to ask:
Sensei Ty Aponte
951 204-0341
email: tyaponte@yahoo.com
