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Motivation tips
With the ever growing legion of newcomers to
the discipline, we're seeing floods of people stepping forward with all
manner of questions. One which has cropped up most recently has been
from younger members on the message boards who feel that they have hit a
plateau and want to know how to get out of the hole they are in. They feel as though they are stuck in a rut where they can't improve
any more no matter how hard they try. The more experienced among us will maybe brush them off and think
that they aren't disciplined enough or haven't reached the level where their
vision has been widened. Whether or not we think that, sticking points while
training, do happen from time to time. Diet can play a big role in
boosting energy and in turn seeing enthusiasm levels rise, but general
motivation tactics can help in a massive way. Below are a few tips to
help keep focused and stay 'in the game'.
Find a friend to practise with
A lot of people already train in groups but an equal number of practitioners
do so on their own. For those who do, it can sometimes be an uphill
struggle trying to stay motivated. Having a training partner can push
you on to try that little bit harder, you'll be able to bounce ideas off
each other, encourage each other and if you do have an off day where you
simply can't be arsed to drag yourself outside to practise (especially in
the winter periods) you'll feel guilty for letting them down. As you
both progress you'll find that your levels of enthusiasm will remain
constant and as your 'pk vision' broadens, you'll look back on the plateau
days and smile.
Make the time to practise
Always try to plan ahead. Set dates to practise in your
diary and make a concerted effort to stick to them. Remember that
those who excel are the ones that make a habit out of doing the things that
others avoid. There are no secrets to improve, its all quite simple.
Its about practise,
practise, practise, without taking shortcuts.
Remember
Exercise actually gives you more energy, so you'll feel less
tired, will do things quicker and ultimately have more free time.
While practising, 'feel good' chemicals are released called endorphins, so
you'll feel happier and less tired after a good structured session.
Take it slowly
Don't expect to keep up with the pro's. Do everything
at your own pace and sensibly and in no time you'll improve rapidly.
Again with winter looming, the biggest hurdle for any practitioner is to
actually get out of the door in order to practise. Who actually likes
going out in the freezing cold to practise when they could easily just sit
indoors on their PC and surf the net? The truth of the matter is that
nobody likes the prospect of freezing their gnads off, but seeing as there
are no quick ways to improve, putting the time in is necessary.
Trust me, after taking that leap of faith and making the bold move to get
out there, it'll prove to be worth it.
Be realistic
Set yourself realistic goals and stick to them. If you
are out and about and see another beginner pull a double spin reverse vault
to front handspring to wallspin (i'm bull-shitting here for the purists
reading this), don't be discouraged. Simply stick to your own regime
and work on the basics. If you do this, you'll eventually have very
strong foundations in place and will all of a sudden find that techniques
become easier to learn in the long run. Try to take short cuts and you
will come unstuck.
Keep a journal
While its not essential, a journal recording your progress
can be a very good tool for gauging your achievements. Especially so
if you a hit a sticking point, you can just look back and see patterns and
maybe see that you've been over training or working too much on something in
particular. I have journals dating back 15 years covering my entire
boxing career. To read them now is really quite interesting to see
what type of training I was doing, what kind of diet I was following, how my
moods changed and funnily enough, how much my line of thinking has matured
over the years. A journal is something I'd recommend to anyone for
sure.
Find a balance
If like many others out there, you feel that PK is now your
life, make a point of turning it into a healthy lifestyle that has a sense
of balance to it. Don't become obsessive about your practise sessions.
Treat your practise sessions as a habit instead of a fad or something you're
doing to be 'cool'. If you do this, you'll find that you will enjoy
what you are doing and be more enthusiastic about practising.
Simplicity
Use the KISS method (Keep it stupidly simple) and don't ever over
complicate anything. If you structure sessions that are easy to
stick to, cover set movements and don't take up too much time in order to do
so, you will find everything much easier to handle and will find yourself
moving less and less towards the area of plateau hell.
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