#budotraining #kihon #studentinsights #wellbeing

Train hard. Train Harder. Then Train Harder still.   

That is what we are conditioned to do as Martial Artists.  We are constantly told that sweat equals results; the inference always being that if you are not achieving your goals it is because you are not working hard enough towards them. Feeling like you’re not making progress? “Train harder”.  If we are not training at 110% effort, attention and effort levels, 100% of the time, then we are failing. 

I am, as you will know by now, one of the biggest advocates for the case that the only route to mastery is to put in the hard graft to get there. The simple fact is that there are short cuts and commitment is required.  However, sometimes there is such a thing as too much…

We have heard over and over that, in our working lives, overwork is bad.  We know that it creates problems for both physical and mental health and makes you unproductive.  It is such an issue that the estimated cost of overwork related issues to the global economy is in the billions.  So why, then, do we not heed the same warnings when it comes to something that we choose to do for our own personal development and, dare I say it, enjoyment?

I was talking to a Budo friend recently who was noticeably frustrated with their lack of progress towards a particular goal they had set themselves relating to their meditation and breathwork practice.  They were finding that even the position they were adopting for their meditative training was uncomfortable (to the extent that it was causing residual pain in their knees) yet their solution was to resolve to double down, do more and try harder. 

Imagine his surprise – this was an experienced Budoka, after all, used to breaking through the pain barrier – when I suggested dialling it back for a while.  Which, of course helped to achieve the breakthrough that had been lacking. Looking back, I think I was actually was surprised more by his surprise at my suggestion to scale back the immediate effort levels and put focus elsewhere for a while than his default resolution.  With the benefit of perspective, of course, it is obvious: any activity that requires a relaxed mind and body clearly is never going to be improved by prolonging the length of agitation, discomfort and frustration in practice, and even less likely when motivation, enthusiasm and enjoyment were also being lost along the way. 

So, don’t be afraid to give yourself permission to dial it back, even just a little, sometimes.  It’s not being lazy, nor are you committing some kind of martial cardinal sin by intentionally bringing the level down from time to time, in the right circumstances. 

How do you know when it is right to shift gears up and/or down appropriately?

Start by listening to yourself. Not just the physical signs given to you by your body (as a general rule, Martial Artists are pretty good at that) but more in listening to what are you saying to yourself about your training.  Are you avoiding or procrastinating?  Do you approach each session with a sense of dread?  Do you finish training dejected due to perceived lack of progress?  Make some time to mull this over.  Write it down (or better yet, take the opportunity to start journaling your training).  Then set out why you are doing it, what your goals, what are you really trying to achieve… keeping in mind that it should not be a chore. 

Then have a really good word with yourself!

Design your immediate time around things that you are going to find valuable and enjoy.  Share the fact that you have dialled it back with teachers, mentors and friends and celebrate it.  When you have your equilibrium (and motivation) back, revisit the thing that was draining you in a more thoughtful, planned way, and you will find a different path to progress.

If you want to learn more about Burn out, beyond the sphere of Budo, seek out the writings of Katie Northrup whose article, “Burning Out? Give Yourself Permission to Dial It Back” was the initial inspiration for this piece.