15.7.2015 / Motivation in Taekwon-do7 comentsMotivation in Taekwon-do
Time has changed: nowadays regularity of training of common Taekwon-do student is different than years before. What was normal when I started Taekwon-do17 years ago is now considered kind of extremism. But I am not writing this to criticize present, I believe it is wise to accept it. It had been year and half from when I´ ve sent questionaire to all czech Taekwon-do schools in Czech republic for students practicing more than 10 years.
Point was to discover how much you have to train to still improve. There is Pareto´s law in economy (to be sincere I understand economy as much as to building spaceships) which says that 80% of effects comes from 20% of causes. And I hope and believe that this is universal even for martial arts. I of course understand that you have to train really a lot to become for example sport Taekwon-do legend, but I just wanted to know how much you have to practice at least not to stagnate, but to improve.
But as life often is different than we plan my great expectations of instant wisdom were returned only in bits – 9 replies gave me material to think about and feeling of thanks to those who replied. So I wrote a reflexion about motivation in Taekwon-do after 10 years of practice. I will be thankful for your own opinion in discussion below (and you don´t have to practice at least for 10 years to have your own opinion ;o) ).
To bring a bit of statistics: average respondent was 31 years old, with III. Dan and 16 years of practice. And his name was Peter J
Nearly everyone of my respondents practiced for few short years daily. I had it same way. This was time when my practice was not too clever (even multiple trainings per day, not enough rest, trying to copy legends without much thinking, ignoring injuries – hopefully 20 years old body regenerates as mutant from action movie about superheroes, so I survived). I think it is also connected to life period of early adulthood or late teenager years when you are old enough to practice Taekwon-do because of your decision, but young enough to have (or be able to have) time for daily training. I believe that from this volume of training you somehow profit in later years. Let this be the first encouragement: „Practice as much as you can, till you can. You can!“
Second line that goes through replies is nonmotivation of about half of respondets. They just keep their bodies physically fit fighting sedentary jobs, but stagnating technically. Second half keep motivated through becoming better in understanding ones body, tactics, ability to create energy in techniques – and this motivation comes from learning from others, also outside home dojang or even home country. So second recommendation may be: „After period of young intensive training, maybe losing motivation, look around, there is for sure event planned that will show you new things, understanding, contexts.“ It may be seminar abroad for someone, or training camp of other school nearby, or inspirations from different style or sport or of course something else.
Third connection in replies is motivation through teaching others. Feeling that you help improving someone else together with necessity to train to keep ahead of your students at least in general. I don´t want to say that you have to teach if you want to keep motivated in Taekwon-do. Ability to teach is, in my opinion, partly a gift and also neverending work for future. There is no clear recommendation I can make. I just feel that some people start to teach too young, sacrificing their period of hard training and at the other hand some disappear from Taekwon-do with great potential to teach others. But life is so.
Fourth idea is social meaning of Taekwon-do. Joy of belonging to group of various people, seeing them grow technically, but also as humans. I think we often forget that when we go for beer after training there are people of all ages and gender. I am sure it is not same way after soccer or ice hockey training. I appreciate this more as I get older. As I speak with my nearly same age colleagues in work I feel it is a gift to regularly see people that were born when I was blue belt or were parents when I was born. The oldest repondent of this mini-survey like to say how thankful he is that youngsters still count him as their friend. And I am sure these young ones are happy to know such an respectable „oldie“. And maybe this meaning of nowadays Taekwon-do is more important than fighting skills (Hey! I am not saying that drinking beer is more important than going for training – one shouldn´t work without the other!).
And that is all I wanted to share with you. I will be happy to read your ideas bellow in discussion forum. What motivates you? How much do you practice in present? Maybe your few sentences will motivate someone else.
PS: Thank to all 9 experienced Taekwondoists that replied me in January 2014.
Martin Svitek, IV. Dan, Sonkal