Highs Lows and Plateau

During our martial arts careers, from beginner to advanced master, some of us are faced with outside influences that cause us to suspend our involvement in the martial arts for a period of time, or even to quit permanently. Events such as moving, marriage, finances, work, schooling, health issues, conflict in our daily lives and other personal reasons may cause us to suspend or to stop training. For the younger martial artist, parents may control some of the factors. Each of us must decide the importance and the order in which we prioritize our choices. Some people quit the martial arts because they do not see satisfactory results within a certain time period. Some of the time periods are arbitrary, and self-imposed. Sometimes, seeing other students pass you, leaving you behind and struggling, can be frustrating and cause the feeling that you are not progressing as fast as you should.

Most of us have been faced with giving up, not only once, but many times over the course of our martial arts careers. I want to let you in on a secret: this is common and you are not alone. The other part of the secret is that the feeling of sliding backwards or not progressing at a satisfactory pace can actually be a good thing. In fact, it is a beginning of understanding what the martial arts is about. As you progress, you become aware of mistakes you are making and see new subtleties in the movements. It is during this period of growth that the feeling of stagnation manifests itself. This frustration is actually a sign that growth is occurring. However, your mind (rather than ego) must process this information and integrate it into your training. You may think that your awareness of your mistakes is a step backwards, but you are actually learning and making progress. As we travel through our martial arts careers, our instructors are constantly feeding us new information. How we analyze this data and integrate it is very important. Learning the martial arts in the proper way is a logical process but, no matter how logical you may think you are, you must be taught the correct concepts in the correct order.

When you feel that you are getting nowhere or believe you are sliding backwards, that may be the time when you decide to leave the martial arts. However, this is the wrong response. Your plateau is actually a great thing. It is your turning point, providing that you have the mental focus to realize that it will last only for a short time, from a few weeks to a few months, and see it through. Then, seemingly overnight, you will begin to improve again, and advance to a new level of understanding and ability as a martial artist. You are now on the road to many more advanced plateaus and breakthroughs.

As you pass through the trying times, the plateaus and the progress, you will find that you are not making the same mistakes as frequently. I guarantee that you will see improvement, better performance and deeper understanding at each higher level. With each of your breakthroughs to a new level in the martial arts, you will be happy that you overcame your periodic frustrations. You will have a better understanding of the martial arts, and you will become a better student or instructor. You are now aware that your frustrations are temporary, and that you will be rewarded for continuing on your path. Be certain that there is a bright light at the end of each tunnel.