Tonight's class was awesome and frustrating at the same time. I was reviewing the curriculum with Sifu Freitag working toward grading for my yellow belt. I received some much needed corrections in a lot of areas. It was really great to get some one on one instruction and I feel like I covered a lot and I will be able to make the improvement needed.
The frustrating part is that I feel like I've put in so much time and effort and I still have so much to work on. And this is just my first belt. It's only going to get more difficult from here. I know I can always do more but it's not like I'm not training. I put in practice of some kind pretty much every day. I know that the biggest problem is that because of my job my attendance in class is not consistent and therefore I can't get the corrections that I need sooner. I reinforce incorrect technique and now I have to fix it.
I feel like my goal to get my yellow belt by Christmas is in jeopardy. The positive is that I am off work for a month now so I can practice all I want. I told Sifu Freitag I would be ready to grade on the 22nd but I don't know if that's realistic based on where I am at right now. I hope it is.
Get to Saturdays open training everyone will help get you to your goal
ReplyDeleteYou can and will meet your goal Mr. Smid. Muscle memory can be redirected quite quickly through repetition. That and your body already knows where to go. It's just like having to drive around a pothole on a road you have driven a million times. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI've been doing this for over 30 years and 7 degrees of black belt later my list for things needing improvement is longer than ever. Mastery is a relentless pursuit that has no end. That's what makes the journey so awesome.
ReplyDeleteAt first it seems overwhelming when you realize that what you need to work on is basically a never ending list. But at some point you'll realize, wow, this is a never ending process of improvement. You're always getting better. And when you look back, you'll see what you've accomplished.
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