Ever Taken A Break From Training?

 

Seem like a good idea?

 

During my thirty years of teaching, every time a beginner has finished their introduction course and said to me, something along the lines of:

‘Wing Chun is awesome’,

‘I’m going to train every day and be your best student’,

‘I’ll never stop this’,

‘I want to be a teacher’

and so on…

 

They are gone within three months, at best!

 

Don’t get me wrong, I admire such enthusiasm, but this way it’s misguided, and even if they truly meant it and really did want these goals, they’re going about it all the wrong way.

 

So try to start (and keep) your training as a comfortable part of your life, that way it will integrate and become part of your life.

 

Of course, if we find something new and exciting, we all have the urge to train 100% (I know I do!) but try to make it somehow sustainable, something…doable.

 

If you are going to class every day, what happens when you then find another, let’s say, persuasion.

A new job

A new hangout with friends

A new relationship

 

The problem here is that as soon as you start to reduce your training by one day, it becomes easier to reduce it by another, and another, and this continues.

 

Then when the time finally comes when you really DO intend to come back, your mind starts to poison you, making you worry that you’re now too far behind, that everyone has moved on and perhaps the teacher won’t even take you back now?

 

Well first of all, the only thing you will have lost is your edge, but so what?

You’ll get that back in no time!

 

Worried that other students have moved on?

GOOD!

Well done to them! Don’t deny them their success, instead try to use that to remind you what NOT taking time off can do.

 

And finally, thinking that the teacher won’t take you back?

Rubbish, and if that was the case then you’re better off without them anyway.

 

 

Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with occasionally, ‘Feeling off of training’, how many times have we felt this, gone to class anyway and found we’ve really enjoyed ourselves, all I am saying is that if you DO have a break, don’t make it for too long.

 

And even then, if you want to go back,

GO BACK!

 

 

If your break from training was due to you feeling like you’re not progressing, think of this,

As we improve, development slows down.

 

It has to in order for things to sink in, to mentally digest as well as physically, and in the long term it’s the tiniest of alterations that make all the difference

 

Oh, and just in case you feel that this is not you and that you have never felt that way, you will one day, so spare a moment to think, how will you deal with it?

 

Happy training everyone