After training in the martial arts and fitness industry for over 20 years and earning two black belts and an instructor certification in Jeet Kune Do and Filipino martial arts I have learned that each person should have a clear purpose for martial arts training.
Following are a few questions that might help you to clarify why you are training and to help you to set the proper goals.
What motivates you to train in martial arts? Basically, why are you training? What got you originally interested in martial arts training? Was it martial arts movies and all the incredible athletic and super fancy techniques?
Was it the physical power that excited and impressed you? Possibly the self confidence and self-esteem you would gain from not having fear, in the face of confrontation?
Or were you just impressed with the physical bodies such as Bruce Lee’s ripped physique or the ultra muscular and flexible Jean Claude Van Dame?
Possibly mixed martial arts competitions like the UFC is what peaked your interest?
Whatever your original motivation for training was and currently is the question you need to ask yourself is… what is my purpose behind my training?
This question will not only help you to clarify why you’re training but it will help you to greatly improve your performance and results by understanding what you are trying to accomplish or what your outcome is to be. Clarity of purpose is power.
Many times we do things out of habit and out of a way to express ourselves. What I mean by this is that we tend to identify ourselves by the different roles that we perform in our day-to-day lives.
These roles such as, auto mechanic, teacher, truck driver, student, salesman, manager, athlete are just some of the roles that we do and are only a part of who we are.
We have to be careful not to limit ourselves by our roles. Roles change as life changes and if we indentify ourselves as a truck driver only, then what happens to our identity when we retire? If you limit yourself and your thinking this way then life is incomplete. For me practicing martial arts have always been a passion and interest and something that I have done for a good portion of my life.
But I realized that I liked to teach and help others to acquire the benefits and skills that I have experienced through martial arts and physical conditioning. Now part of my evolution is teaching, writing these articles and producing training videos and eBooks.
So you can see from the example above, I have many different roles in my martial arts and these roles have evolved and are being developed based upon my desired purpose and outcome that I am after.
If I had limited my thinking to only being a martial arts practitioner then I might have lost out on the joy and benefits that I have experienced by helping others and having these other roles. Also by identifying my specific areas of gifts and talents I have not lost my passion or motivation for training which has helped me to grow as a martial artist, as an athlete, and has also helped me to maintain my health, to develop my mind, acquire new skills and also to grow in personal character.
Do yourself a favor and take some time to identify your motivation, purpose, talents & values. This will give direction and meaning to your training.
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Bruce Pahl is the owner of Immortal Martial Arts & and Delaware Combat University. He is a certified Full instructor in Jeet Kune Do & Filipino martial arts under Paul Vunak of (PFS). Has a second degree black belt in Shorite Ryu Tai Jutsu under Dr. Christian Harfouche. He has a basic instructor cert. in Combat Ju-Jitsu under GM Michael DePasquale Jr. He earned his Black belt in 1997 in Chinese Kenpo Karate and was inducted into the Action Martial Arts Hall of Fame for excellence in teaching in 2007. He is a certified Battling Ropes® coach under founder John Brookfield, was certified in Circular Strength Training (Clubbells®) under Scott Sonnon, and is a certified instructor in FlexBands & Ultimate SandBag L.I.F.T,2010.
