A Deadly Enemy

I try to keep myself in reasonable condition but it's so easy to let one day, then one week, then one month, slip by with no serious training. That’s the battle of a professional martial art teacher. To keep oneself in tip-top condition without compromising your student’s instruction time. It means I must practice myself other than regular class times. It's not always easy considering I'm at the Dojang teaching or supervising several classes almost every day.  I call my problem “BURN OUT”. The deadly enemy of every professional.

Burn-out often prevents us from taking a little extra time or coming in a little early to exercise ourselves and keep our personal skills at a respectable level. As Kuk Sool Practitioners and teachers we must try to not only maintain our skill level but to improve our skills. Many martial arts have nothing to offer after 1st or 2nd Degree Black Belt. It’s a matter of putting in the time to progress to the next rank. That’s why other martial arts that have Masters with the knowledge of 1st Degree’s. It’s something we do not want to happen in Kuk Sool.

Kuk Sool has specific lessons through each degree of Black Belt. It is not enough to just memorise those lessons and review every few months to keep them in memory, or to video them so you don’t even have to practice keeping them in memory. My advice, throw your video camera away, so you must practice remembering. It’s amazing that simple practice will improve your skills. Kuk Sool is one of the last True Martial Arts! It’s up to us to keep it a True Martial Art. Secret training, Hard training, Special training. These are misunderstand phrases about training. In fact, each person may have his/her own definition for each of those types of practice.

It can confuse and disappoint to support such training expectations toward your teacher or your practice. Hard is relative, Secret is anything you may know and others do not, Special is being allowed to train in front of Kuk Sa Nim, one of the top teachers in all the world. So forget about Hard, Secret, or Special. Just train. Just exercise yourself, review your material, improve your skill level in any area possible. Do your Hyung and techniques at least once a week either in the normal class time or at home.

One reason I look forward to our Master's Only Class, it's a chance for a small group of high grade practitioners including myself to meet and train together. For two or three hours each month we practice and review our own material, away from the hectic schedule of the normal classes. It's not a heavy workout but an energetic session within a relaxed environment. Many of these senior grade students have trained for over twenty-five years plus, they know what it's like to practice hard. One thing is for certain - this session is an enjoyable and informative workout, a chance to observe ourselves. Personally for me, it's what I like doing most and my very own remedy to that troublesome enemy called Burn-out. 

JDKJN Martin Ducker

7 Ways To Combat Grading & Tournament Nerves

7 Ways To Combat Grading & Tournament Nerves

By JDKJ Martin Ducker

If you’re one of those martial art students who often experiences nervousness and anxiety before any major event, then you are not alone. For many years I personally suffered with the same problem. Over time I discovered that there were certain things that I could do, which would help me overcome those anxious feelings.

Please have a look at seven of my tried and tested ways below, which helped me to combat my nerves before actually stepping out onto the mat. Some of these basic methods can work instantly, while others need a little bit more time and attention.

1.     Correct nutrition. Calm nerves and reduced stress levels are all closely connected with a healthy balanced diet. Nutrition is absolutely fundamental for key performance. A poor diet can often result in increased anxiety and added stress levels, whilst a good diet can increases powers of concentration, focus and memory.

2.     Take time to prepare. This is an obvious one, right. Many people overlook the importance of careful and well-organized preparation. Remember the old saying - If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. If you’re well prepared and have taken the time to study and practice hard, the chances are you’ll be feeling a lot less nervous.

3.     Stretch and relax. Many studies have shown that stretching can actually reduce the feeling of tenseness and apprehension. So if you’re experiencing an attack of ‘nerves’ before a tournament etc – warm up and stretch out, it will make you feel a lot calmer.

4.     Deep breathing. Correct breathing and stretching techniques go hand-in-hand. Worrying about things often creates strain and tension, which will also have a detrimental effect on your overall performance. If you’re feeling the pressure, try taking several slow deep breathes, or perform Ki Cho Jah Ki several times to help regulate your energy.

5.     Positive self-talk. Replacing any negative thoughts with positive ones. You can do this by turning your attention inward. Through internal self-dialogue, try directing your attention on constructive, helpful thoughts rather than critical destructive thinking patterns. With a little bit of practice it will certainly make a difference in your overall performance.

6.     Good posture. Having great posture is essential in our martial art training; it can also help to reduce anxiety as well.  Poor posture and incorrect breathing again contributes to more tension.  Good posture often reflects a good self-image.  A recent study shows that ‘sitting-up-straight,’ just like your teacher used to tell you to do, also gives you more confidence, which should ultimately lead to better results.

7.     Putting things into perspective. It’s often been said that the definition of ‘stress is… giving something more attention than it truly deserves. Most of us want to do well at specific events, but it’s important to remember, there are a lot of more important things in life to be concerned about.  My final words are… to be kind to yourself, be patient and just do the very best that you can.