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By Bradley J. Steiner, American Combato
TRAINING, even for the most enthusiastic among us, is not always a joyful occasion. Boredom affects everyone. So does laziness. So does fatigue. So do the thousand and one temptations to “do something else, and get to the training later.” Still, with the exception of true emergencies and/or illnesses or genuine physical exhaustion, you must overcome any encroachments upon scheduled training sessions, or accept that you’re not going to acquire the ability you’re after. Period.
So . . . how is training enthusiasm kept as high as possible? If you can answer that question then the job of sticking with your appointed routine of training will be that much easier. It will never be possible to “always be in a peak mood for practicing,” but it should be possible to drastically decrease boredom, and at least make training an ongoing challenge as opposed to a never-ending chore.
One approach that we have found effective with students is to place particular emphasis upon a certain set of techniques for, say, three or four weeks. Really hammer those techniques at every practice session. Strive to perfect them… to surpass your own best past performance with them. Then, after the three or four week interval, shift your training focus entirely. Go back to a completely balanced practice session, wherein you work on all of your skills as usual; or perhaps shift to a different few techniques for another block of three or four weeks (no more than a month of this specialization on any set skills) during a period of this specialization so you do not completely neglect all of your other techniques. You need to cycle through your entire personal repertoire of skills with consistency and regularity. What you do is ease up on the intensity and quantity of work that you employ when practicing those other techniques.
Here’s an example of what we’re talking about:
Let’s say that you customarily drill in eight basic blows, six attack combinations, and a dozen counterattacking (self-defense) techniques. You do ten repetitions on each side with each of your basics; you do each attack combination five times on each side; you do each counterattack five times on each side. That’s your standard practice or drill session.
You decide that for the next three weeks you are going to hit three of your basics, your one favorite attack combination, and two counterattacks. So… during the three week period you employ 40 repetitions on each side for your three basics; you employ 30 repetitions on each side for your pet attack combination, and you do each of your two selected counterattacks 20 times on each side. All of your other basics are done but five times each side, your attacks are done twice on each side; your counter attacks are done twice on each side. And you pour about double the effort-output (strength-wise, and speed-wise) into your selected techniques for the three week period.
This schedule will help you alter your mental focus, exert yourself differently, and enjoy the experience of boosting your proficiency in whichever techniques you choose to emphasize during any given period.
The physical effort-out should be about the same, but how that effort is distributed amongst your acquired skills will differ markedly. And that’s what you want to enhance and to sustain interest.
There are other tips, tricks, and methods for keeping training both productive and interesting. This we shall discuss over time. But for now, try this approach of specialization if you’re feeling in need of a boost. We’re confident it will help you to keep on keeping on––which is the precondition for success.
Best of luck to you!