Do you feel your Martial Arts has become boring?

As we start a new year many people start to consider trying something new and exciting or set themselves new goals. At Ronin Budo I often have students in Karate and Kickboxing who feel they are no longer developing or have plateaued in their development and are unsure how to move on, they will often be saying that the sessions are boring or they are bored with their training. This can lead to them leaving, which though disappointing in some ways is also understandable. We do not like to feel as if we are no longer achieving something. Occasionally as I mentioned in a previous blog its just about grinding out the training and eventually a new height will be gained. Other times it is having a long hard look at ourselves and thinking are we putting effort in the right way.

In my time doing martial arts I have often changed tack on what I do, I have done competitions in several different ways, full contact, semi contact, forms and weapons forms. All of these require different approaches to training, this keeps things fresh. I have trained in different arts to learn new skills and techniques, or different approaches to similar techniques. I regularly attend seminars and courses to try new things or meet and greet new people to broaden my perspective. I have been lucky enough to train and compete around the world. I find there is something new to observe in the arts constantly and that progress is often down to the attitude of it still feeling it is all exciting and new.

I also feel that often blame can be levelled at the teacher or coach for not bringing along a student, though I may somewhat agree that this can be the case I usually find through experience that it is the way the students takes on board what is being taught that leads to slower progress. Then there is the commitment, I do see many who want to continually get a new belt or grade when realistically they have not put the time or effort in to deserve that. Hard work is required to achieve good grades and this I can see in the students who continually push the barriers of achievement. I am lucky to have a number who regularly do that in our club and we celebrated these at our recent awards night. They are the ones who I guarantee will turn up firing on all cylinders this week as we start a new year of training and progression.  Definitely not being bored.

Dr Charles Spring