Defense of oneself is not a sport.
On that, I believe we can all agree.
Therefore, traditional Karate cannot technically be referred to as a sport. The sad reality is that on the fictitious “streets,” there is only one person you can depend on—and that person is you. Sure, people work hard to transform karate into a faux team sport—especially in tournaments—but this is not the case. Outside, there are n o judges, weight classes, backup, or safety net.
However, traditional Karate involves two opposing sides, much like in sports.
both a losing and a winning team.
Which side are you hoping to support?
Personally, I favour the victorious side. We’re all taught that we should always aim to win, even in school, from an early age. All the praise, glory, and honour go to the winners. Unless they’re being sarcastic, no one ever approaches a loser and says, “That was amazing, you’re super!” Right?
Unfortunately, not everyone can always be a victor in sports. It’s unlikely that you’ll ever win in a substantial sense if you’re smaller, weaker, or moving slower than your opponents (unless you have insane amounts of motivation). Simply put, the chances aren’t in your favour. So you make a change and either pick a team sport where you can fit in or you stop playing sports entirely and turn to video games.
However, conventional Karate is not a sport.
We must constantly expect that our competitor will be bigger, stronger, faster, meaner, and harder because there is no giving up and there may be no opportunity to adapt in a self-defense situation as we may not have that second chance.
In the dojo, it’s safe and simple to be ordinary and fit in, but when things are about to get bad, you need to step it up and give it your all.
And if you ask me, having the right mental attitude is one of the most guaranteed methods to achieve with it. Therefore, it is the topic of this post. mental exercise. sporting behaviour. To give you a better understanding of the non-physical component of training so that you can stop being the “worst of the worst” or the “best of the worst” (what we usually refer to as “average”) and have a chance
Being average, insecure, and/or comfortable may be a prevalent strategy among many dojo attendees I know, but such qualities won’t exactly help you on the infamous “streets.”
You need more, obviously.
That “something more,” in my opinion, is mental strength.
more specifically, command over your so-called “self-image.”
Feel the words.
If you ask me, what really seems to divide the top winners from failures is how one perceives their own self-image. not one’s nationality, stature, belt colour, or financial condition. Not some esoteric “skill.” All of us have the potential to succeed, or to survive (in the case of self-defense); some of us just have a harder time accessing that potential because our self-image is not entirely conducive to success.
I wish to assist you in changing that.
I wish to assist you in changing that. So how do you go about doing this?
Performance and self-perception are always equal. You must alter your self-image before you can alter your performance.
Have you ever noticed how elite athletes exude a lot of confidence, at times bordering on “cockiness”? They believe they are better than everyone else.
Have you ever noticed how some Karate students will tell themselves they are terrible at something, they can’t do it, or they will never learn it? That’s because their perception of themselves suggests they are beneath others.
You are “you” because of your sense of self.
Your habits and attitudes make up your self-image, which simply determines how you “act like you” and how you behave in general.
This implies that each person has a distinctive manner of acting that is directly correlated with their chosen self-image. Some individuals enjoy rising early in the morning. Some people prefer to sleep in. Some people believe they are mathematicians. Speaking in front of a crowd makes some people incredibly nervous. Some people believe they can succeed.
Some individuals think they’ll prevail. They are referred to as “winners”
Each of us has a self-image that we have helped shape, along with the behaviours that go along with it. Sad to say, the majority of people think there is nothing they can do to change this. They cannot alter their self-perception because they genuinely believe that they are who they are.
Which is obviously not the case.
We are adaptable.
In actuality, we change daily and continuously without realising it. As we become older, we alter naturally. However, you have the option of choosing the course of that change for yourself or for someone else.
The ones that successfully manage and steer their self-image are the ones who succeed in athletics.
The people who successfully manage and influence their self-image on the street are survival.
Recognize any similarities? Sports psychology is crucial for this reason.
For instance, some people believe that driving a car at 100 mph is not “like them.” They feel uneasy about themselves if they go even a few miles over the speed limit, so they slow down. They don’t drive quickly since it’s not “like them” to. Another illustration: Some people believe that their success in some endeavours, such as, say, cooking, is not “like them.” They simply consume quick noodles all day long. They feel awkward if they happen to consume something fancier.
Some people believe that being skilled in karate is not “like them.”
So they continue sucking.
…to make sure their perception of themselves is accurate.
Each of us has a comfort zone, with our self-image determining the top and bottom bounds. Being in this space and acting inside it is “like us.” Our self-image is happy to leave us alone as long as we are in the zone. However, if we begin to perform below our threshold, our self-image will give us more motivation to raise our performance levels until we are once again in the sweet spot. That’s fantastic. In addition, if we begin performing over our comfort level, our self-image causes us to sluggish down until we are once more at our average and comfortable level. That’s awful.
In order to elevate our perception of ourselves, we must push our comfort zone’s upper limit.
Your performance changes as your self-image changes.
Realizing that you can swap out your current self-image for one you prefer is the key.
So, how do you go about doing that? It takes time and practise to improve your self-image, just like any other skill (yep, it’s a mental skill, similar to a physical one). However, there are a few tricks. Encourage a positive (but realistic) attitude toward yourself, the world, and your worth while also acting properly toward others in order to cultivate a positive self-image (a problem some top athletes seem to have).
Just keep in mind that having a positive self-image is about self-respect, not self-absorption.
Additionally, respect is a key component of karate, last I looked.
You can enhance your self-image by starting from the inside out (concentrating on altering your own thought patterns before altering the environment around you). The purpose of this “positive thinking” (oh, I despise that term) is to help you develop a more positive self-concept, while also embracing who you are and viewing yourself honestly. It also aims to help you get rid of any internal obstacles that might prevent you from performing at your best.
I therefore urge you to try out the following “positive thought” techniques. Maybe you should put them in writing so that you may refer to them when you need to stop and think differently about yourself? Try one or two at first, and as you get used to each new way of thinking (like learning not to apologise or take the blame for other people’s anger), experiment with adding a new positive thought technique to your list.
Look:
Do not exaggerate; instead, correct your inner voice when it does so, especially when it does so in a negative way. Avoid thinking in absolutes (e.g., “I always do that,” “I’ll never receive that promotion,” etc.).
Stop negative thinking in its tracks: Sometimes, it’s as simple as that to stop negative thinking. Tell yourself to stop the next time you begin to scold yourself internally. You would probably warn someone to stop hurling insults at someone if you observed them doing so, wouldn’t you? Why do you allow yourself to act in that manner?
Accentuate the positive: Draw attention to your strengths and assets rather than what you perceive to be your flaws. Even if you didn’t ace the test you were preparing for, might it be that your diligence and perseverance helped you earn a higher grade than you otherwise would have? Or perhaps your work ethic has improved? When presenting a presentation at work, you might have been anxious and self-conscious, but your supervisor and coworkers might have praised you for trying. Highlight the good things.
Accept human limitations and flaws: So what if you stumbled during that work presentation because you were nervous? Discuss the issue with your manager, make an effort to fix it going forward, and then move on. Everybody is flawed and everyone, including your boss, coworkers, friends, family, the postman, your politician, your sensei, and your favourite movie star, has erred. You can forgive yourself just as they have.
Accept flaws: Aiming for perfection is a lofty objective, but you don’t have to begin or end there. Make giving your best effort your ideal (after all, what more is actually possible?) Think about the benefits you’ve received from the experience and how you can apply them going forward. It’s best not to dwell on what went wrong or what ‘should’ have been done differently. Allow mistakes to happen, then extend forgiveness to yourself. Instead of criticising, try laughing.
Don’t berate yourself by saying, “Should have, could have, would have…,” and try not to continuously doubt yourself or berate yourself for not doing something “better” or for having high expectations of yourself. Don’t hold yourself to a standard that you wouldn’t demand of others. It’s admirable to desire to succeed, but setting yourself up for failure by demanding too much perfection (which is unachievable) is a vicious circle. By saying things like “I should have,” you are only punishing yourself after the fact. Additionally, it sounds silly.
Replace criticism with encouragement: Encouragement should take the place of nagging or dwelling on the bad (in yourself and others). Instead of being critical, offer constructive feedback (e.g., “Maybe if I tried to do ___ next time, it would be even better” as opposed to “I didn’t do that right”). Self-congratulate on your accomplishments and those of those around you (“Well, we may not have done it all, but we did a pretty wonderful job with what we did!”).
You are not to blame every time anything goes wrong or someone has a problem, so don’t feel bad about things that are out of your control. If you are in the wrong and you learn from it and move on, saying you’re sorry and accepting responsibility can be great traits. However, you shouldn’t assume you are to blame for every issue or that you are to blame whenever someone is upset.
Don’t feel that you have to take responsibility for everything, just as not everything is your fault. While being helpful is acceptable, there is no need to try to please everyone by being or doing everything. This limits those around you while placing an undue burden on yourself. You shouldn’t feel responsible for the pleasure or prosperity of other people; let them be accountable for themselves and their own activities.
DO take responsibility for your emotions: Just as you cannot “make” other people happy, you should not rely on others to do it for you. They shouldn’t also make you feel guilty or inferior to yourself. Your decisions and feelings are entirely your own creation. Your emotions may be influenced by other people and things, but they can never be controlled by them. You do.
Be good to yourself: People frequently feel more at ease treating themselves in ways they wouldn’t think twice about treating others. Do you refer to yourself as “dumb,” “ugly,” or “a loser”? Would you describe a friend in those terms? Keep in mind that you should be treated just as well as you treat others. Do something pleasant for yourself occasionally, whether it be in your thoughts (compliment yourself) or in your deeds (treat yourself to a nice dinner or new book.). Even if my personal philosophy is “be compassionate to others but hard on oneself,” I’m still quite strange. You’re not required to be.
Give yourself a break; you don’t have to please or be everything to everyone. Permitting yourself to believe that you are performing to your best ability. Don’t wait to be told when you’re doing something well; remind yourself of it instead.
Opt for the more optimistic interpretations: You have the freedom to decide how to interpret events and comments. Never question yourself “What was wrong with the way I appeared yesterday?” if someone responds, “You look good today.” Gracefully accept compliments. Consider brief setbacks as chances to advance. especially after receiving input from your sensei.
Remember to forgive and move on. Holding onto painful memories and negative emotions will only serve to exacerbate them. If you don’t take charge of your past, it may control you. If at all possible, forget the past and move on. (Don’t forget that this process also includes forgiving oneself.) You cannot let your past to dictate your present. It’s harder than it sounds, I know.
Consider what you CAN do rather than what you CANNOT do: Try to refrain from thinking or saying anything nasty. Keep your words positive rather than negative since if you repeat something enough times, you might start to believe it. Don’t be hesitant to ask for help when you need it, but keep in mind that you don’t need anyone else’s approval to feel proud of what you’ve accomplished. Keep your attention on your abilities. Never demonstrate to trainees the “wrong” method to do a technique if you are a sensei. It benefits no one.
Oh my goodness, that was a long list.
Your positive self-image (and self-esteem) for improving your mental talents can be significantly increased by consistently utilising only one or two of the aforementioned tactics. Making these internal adjustments can boost your self-assurance, willingness, and capacity to make exterior adjustments, which should enhance not only your karate but also your life.
In the end, that’s what karate ought to be all about.
enhancing the standard of your life.
So try it out.
Performance and self-perception are always equal. You must alter your self-image before you can alter your performance.
