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Zoran -> Try Positive Thinking by Mike Vassolo (Mar. 5th, 2007, 6:15:10 PM)
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Every martial artist knows that mental preparation is just as important as physical preparation. That's why before working out, I ponder five positive thoughts that lay a solid mental foundation for the physical techniques that I practice each day. These five simple thoughts are: Slow down...Try easier...Visualize victory...Attack the attacker...Think only of the cut.
- Slow down. If there’s one sure way to improve your martial arts skills, it is to become more thoughtful and deliberate when you practice them. If you’ve ever tried to learn to play a piece a music, you know that you must begin slowly or you’ll never get it right. Speed comes naturally with increased expertise, so slow down and learn well.
- Try easier. When you stay relaxed, your body and mind become more focused, your circulation improves, and your energy flows effortlessly. So, instead of unnecessarily stressing yourself by trying harder to do a technique or combination, try easier. It works.
- Visualize victory. Jack Nicklaus claims that he not only sees where the ball will land before he hits it, he also sees his entire swing, the trajectory and shape of the shot, and the ball’s path from start to finish. Following his lead, before practicing each technique, I see the image of an attacker with laser beams coming from his most vulnerable targets. I focus on this image until it is clear and sharply detailed, only then do I launch the body weapons that I intend to practice against those targets. Often, the light from each target seems to draw my weapon toward it consistently, accurately and effortlessly.
- Attack the attacker. Instead of thinking that you’re defending yourself, which can lead to a passive mind-set, see yourself aggressively counterattacking an imaginary assailant, putting him on the defensive. By doing this you set the physical and mental momentum for a successful counterattack, because you’re launching your weapons from an aggressive posture rather than from back on your heels.
- Think only of the cut. The credit for this thought goes to Miyamoto Musashi, the famed samurai swordsman and author of The Book of Five Rings. It means that during self-defense, you must have only one purpose: Delivering an accurate, powerful strike to a vulnerable target-all else must be eliminated from your mind. This single-mindedness helps integrate your physical, mental and spiritual powers, allowing you to counterattack with greater poise, power and accuracy.
To get more out of your daily training, think about each of the five points above before you begin. As they become part of your martial arts mind-set, they’ll help sharpen your skills.
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