Arrowhead Martial Arts Studio Blog

Like any endeavor, sometimes there can be too much of a good thing. And as much as I hate to admit it, burn out can happen in your Kenpo training.

So what are you to do if you’re burned out? How do you get yourself out of it? Is there hope? How can you avoid it in the first place?

The good news is that it’s entirely possible to work through it and get back on top. And fortunately it’s also 100% preventable.

Obviously it’s best to try and get ahead of things before you’re burned out so you can turn things around more readily. Once it hits, it takes a lot more work then before you arrive there.

Helpful tips to avoid burnout

Recognize and communicate. First and foremost, regular communication with your instructor is a start. They can’t help you if they don’t know you’re in a slump. If you think you’re headed for burnout, talk to them first. It can make all the difference.

Strive for balance. Kenpo training can sometimes get students so excited that they start to neglect other areas of their life. Remember to do things outside of the martial arts, too.

Break up the monotony. Sometimes you don’t have to forgo trianing completely. Just mix things up a bit. Train in different settings, perhaps outdoors. Wear different clothes and shoes. Start using a punching bag. Change the order of your workout. The key is to introduce small changes into your training routine, not drastic ones. Otherwise they won’t stick.

Engage your senses. Stimulate your mind, body and spirit. Read a book about a different martial art. Watch an action movie with martial arts in it. Listen to music that stimulates your mind when working out. Reflect on your training in a park.

Have a realistic mindset. Students have the misconception they need to perform with grace, speed, and power of a black belt, even when they’re just a beginner. We push and push to match that vision we have in our head even when it’s not realistic. Remember, it will come in time and to not push so hard for quicker results that might not readily come.

Sometimes, you just need to back off things for a while. I recommend you continue to go to class but perhaps pull back a little bit in a couple of select areas. If you’re working out a ton at home, pull back a few days a week for a while then focus your efforts in class.

Integrate these ideas. They just the tip of the iceberg but hopefully get you moving in the right direction.

If you’re getting close to burn out, don’t feel embarrassed. It happens to the best of us. If you think you are, don’t hesitate to contact me. I can help you through it.

How do you avoid burning out?

Ready to take the next step? Get One Week of FREE Martial Arts Lessons!

OK, so I wrote a post about Kenpo’s 2×4 so it only makes sense I follow it up with a post about Kenpo’s buzz saw … funny considering I’m not much of a handy man.

As we all know, a buzz saw cuts with precision and goes through just about anything that gets in its way. This concept can be seen in the AKKI’s Universal Patch designed by Paul Mills.

Some techniques in the system use the buzz saw approach more than others, however, you will learn to fill the gaps on your own the longer you practice and put this idea to work.

Why use the buzz saw approach? Simply put, we want to ensure our opponent can’t sneak in a strike (intentionally or unintentionally) between our strikes. In other words, it’s about filling the gap so your opponent doesn’t fill it for you.

How do you put it to work? By inserting moves that pin, push, strike, trap, check and so on in any given sequence - according to what’s needed. As an added bonus, you can also compound your moves to help faciliate this concept.

And, it’s hard to run out of ideas on what to insert given that AKKI Kenpo has such integrated sets, techniques, forms, freestyle and drills.

Explore you options and share you ideas. I’m sure a lot of people could benefit from the exchange. You can start applying this anywhere in the system, wherever it makes the most sense to you.

If you’re not using the buzz saw, you’re leaving yourself exposed to possible counters and unnecessary exposure.

And that ain’t using logic, folks.

So … how do you use the buzz saw approach?

By Shawn Gough

There are average martial artists and then there are great martial artists. Do you know the essential ingredients that separate them? The ingredients that could transform the way you train?

The (Often Overlooked) Formula

A famous saying is, “practice makes perfect”. Although this sounds good in theory — it is not entirely accurate. Perfect practice makes perfect, and perfect practice with intensity makes perfection a reflex. Anyone can learn patterns and drills, and anyone can practice those drills in the safety of their home or studio. Only a person who internalizes those movements is likely to use them when faced with a dangerous situation.

How can you internalize what you’re learning, faster? What can you do to produce immediate change? Here is a simple formula that may help you:

Focus + Attitude = Intensity

Sounds simple enough, but what does it really mean? In the following paragraphs I will break down each portion of this equation and share with you some of my experiences that may help shed some light.

Ingredient #1: Focus

One of the definitions contained in Webster’s dictionary defines focus as, “central point, as of attraction, attention, or activity.” Another is, “to concentrate”.

To illustrate the importance of focus, I’ll share a recent experience. My wife broke her eyeglasses recently. She is not completely blind, however, she does need them to function at maximum efficiency. That night she related the challenges she faced throughout the day. She said, “Since my eyes couldn’t focus in on anything, I had a hard time concentrating on the job I was trying to get done. My mind kept wandering and I didn’t want to strain myself because I was starting to get a headache”. This literal inability to focus took away from her overall performance. She was unable to concentrate or maintain her attention on the task at hand.

We can experience the same situation when training. If we allow outside factors, such as our jobs, personal issues, even concerns about our families, to weigh on our minds we bring ourselves out of focus. We are, in essence, working with broken glasses.

When we are even slightly out of focus mentally it becomes more difficult to learn or remember movements and patterns. It becomes almost impossible to internalize the movements and motions needed to become proficient. On the other hand, think of a time when you were completely focused on what you were doing.

Your senses become acute and you see a detailed and vivid picture. It becomes easier to retain information and stay engaged in whatever you are doing. This is the state we want to find ourselves in when training at the studio or at home.

Ingredient #2: Attitude

The second piece of the equation is attitude and can be interpreted multiple ways.

In my definition, attitude is a state of mind, something that can be perceived by others through actions, statements or physical observation. When someone says, “That guy has a cocky attitude”, what do they usually mean? Something in his physical disposition or manor has portrayed that characteristic. Maybe he holds his head up high, his chest puffed out and swaggers as he walks. Maybe he wasn’t responding to someone’s questions because he believed it was beneath him, or maybe he just wouldn’t stop talking about how much better he is then everyone else.

We have probably all, at some point, experienced a negative attitude within ourselves. Think about the way you felt. How could those around you tell that you were in a negative mood? Sarcastic statements, slumped shoulders, wrinkled forehead these are just a few possible identifiers surrounding negativity.

So you may be asking, how does this relate to my training? When training we want to have a positive upbeat attitude, a confidence that promotes strength and ability that is reflected in our physical disposition.

Some attributes associated with this attitude might be an erect posture, alertness or awareness of the environment, positive statements or even smiling. When in this state of mind, we are open to new ideas, concepts and are more willing to learn. It is easier to feel involved and recall information beneficial to our training. It can also residually improve your environmental awareness. This attitude coupled with focus brings us to the last portion of the equation.

End Result: Intensity

Intensity is defined as, “great energy, strength, concentration, vehemence, etc., as of activity, thought or feeling…a high degree of emotional excitement; depth of feeling” (Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1996 p.991). Complete focus on the task at hand and a positive hard-core attitude bring me to this heightened degree of emotional excitement.

It is difficult to picture myself being able to achieve intensity if I am unable to focus or concentrate.

It is just as unlikely that I will be intense if I am in a bad mood or feeling unmotivated. When I think of intensity I hear the deep rumble in my chest, the look of concentration on my face, and the “I dare you to try and touch me” attitude. This is the state of mind that allows me to maximize my energy and internalize the things I am working on. This internalization helps train my mind and body to react on reflex. That reflex may make the difference between life and death on the street. I know that seems dramatic, but I promise that it won’t seem that way when your walking to your car through the dark ally late at night.

Intensity is the key to good workouts and internalization that will lead to a more proficient Martial Artist.

Are You Using It?

Focus + Attitude = Intensity. This formula can be applied to any aspect of life. If utilized properly it allows for the maximization of energy, resources, and ability. If your focus on a task is lacking, it will impact the overall equation. The same is true of attitude.

Now, this equation isn’t the answer to all life’s problems, or the only three things needed to be a great martial artist. What I can promise is that by applying this simple formula, you will experience more beneficial training sessions, and begin to turn those drills and exercises into a reflective response.

I wish I could take credit for this story…

A university professor went to visit a famous Zen master. While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about Zen.

The master poured the visitor’s cup to the brim, and then kept pouring.

The professor watched the overflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself. “It’s overfull! No more will go in!” the professor blurted.

“You are like this cup,” the master replied, “You are full of ideas. You come and ask for teaching, but your cup is full; I can’t put anything in. Before I can teach you, you’ll have to empty your cup.”

Always be ready to learn, no matter how long you’ve been at Kenpo.

Is your cup empty?

If you saw the movie “Walking Tall” you know what a 2 x 4 can do. However, for the average Joe, carrying around a big piece of wood just isn’t practical. So what’s the alternative?

Instead, swing Kenpo’s built in 2 x 4: the path of action.

Think of the path as Kenpo’s “Blue Light Special” where you try and get (at least) a “two for one special” out of each move you do.

To help you get this down, use upper and lower case action in all you do so you can maximize the whole path and not just a piece of it. It helps keep you opponent in check and stops them dead in their tracks. Plus, it helps you stike more surface area, thus doing more damage.

The yellow belt curriculum is chalk full of how to move correctly with the path. The question is, are you maximizing it everywhere you can?

While this is somewhat regulated by distance, you should try and take advantage of any offensive or defensive opportunity that presents itself. Best of all, its is a little easier to conceal … and you can carry it with you everywhere.

The opposite of “path of action” is a “line of action”, which, as luck would have it, will be a topic of an upcoming post.

Are you on the right path?

Next time you work a technique, try and determine where you’re looking before, during and after you execute it.

Are you looking at your opponents …

A. Eyes?
B. Throat?
C. Chest?
D. Hands?
E. Knees?
F. Feet?
G. Belt buckle?

So, where should you look? Is it all the same throughout the technique?

Once you engage your opponent, look straight ahead at your own eye level on your opponents centerline before, during and after any technique. In short, keep your chin up and eyes forward. Staring at a particular fixed target - like their eyes - doesn’t apply to everyone because of varying height factors involved with an opponent (they may be taller than you).

Why? Because you can’t block what you don’t see coming. You will have a greater chance of picking up initiated movements anywhere on their body this way.

Why shouldn’t you try and watch the incoming attack? It’s too fast and deceptive to keep track of, especially at close range (go ahead and try). Instead, try to pick up the angle of attack (read quadrant) using your peripheral vision and initiate a spinal reflex arc response instead.

Bonus tip: This not only applies to the defense, but also to the attack as well.

So where are YOU looking?

With the hustle and bustle of everyday life it becomes difficult to fit everything in. Work, family, school, extracurricular activities; all of these things viewed separately can seem overwhelming. The following are some tips that may help incorporate and combine a few of these items with your martial arts training to maximize your time and help you get more for your efforts.

Training at Work

It is probably a fair assumption that your boss doesn’t want you beating on your co-workers, or busting into a form at your desk. Having said that, it doesn’t mean that you are unable to get some practice in while bringing home the bacon.

In the morning, especially if you had class the evening before, think of one technique that you would like to focus on for that day. Commit yourself to completing that technique ten times throughout the day. Now, I want you to think of any place or time that you will be able to accomplish this task. Do you work in a building with stairs or an elevator? When passing the door to the stairwell, jump in there and blast through your technique. Taking the elevator between floors blow through it again. What about that empty conference room? Maybe a couple of quick stops wouldn’t hurt?

Before you know it you will have done that technique ten or more times. You will feel more comfortable and better prepared for your next class and for the street.

Training at Home

Time at home is precious. Whether you are single, married, or living at a dorm in college most of us don’t feel we have enough time at home. It is difficult to spare any of that sacred time you do have to practice.

Very few people are without a favorite TV show. The standard one-hour show has fifteen minutes worth of commercials. These commercials are excellent times to get out of your chair or off the couch and blast through a set or form. You haven’t cheated yourself of any TV time and you still got fifteen minutes worth of practice in.

Another great idea is to get the family involved. Come home from class and talk to them about what you are learning. Get everyone together and teach a technique. This will force you to think through what you learned and begin to internalize those teachings by vocalizing them to another person. Then have the family quiz you by randomly calling out techniques from your list. They will enjoy watching you react and you will enjoy a good workout.

Training at School

It seems that there is always a test that you are cramming for. The never endless pressures of college life can be enough to put anyone in an early grave. Especially, if you are a married college student working full time, GAME OVER. Just when it seems all is lost. Here is a tip that may help you still get all that precious studying in and practice a little as well.

Different studies have determined that you should study for a period between thirty and forty minutes and then take a fifteen-minute break. This allows the mind to retain the information you just fed it. This break would be the perfect time to run through a form or two. They can be done slowly, focusing on body mechanics and flow, or blasted through for that burst of energy preparing you for your next block of studies. The same thing could be done with techniques or some basic floor drills.

Is There More?

These are just a few of the MANY things that could be done to fit practice into your normal schedule. So, next time you are glued to the TV and a commercial comes on just tell yourself “get up and practice”. There will be more quick tips to follow, so stay tuned and keep practicing.

How do you practice outside the studio?

While it’s easy to get caught up trying to work on the sequence of the moves, having proper emotional intensity - or spirit - behind your moves is absolutely critical for internalization so that the sequences you’re working on become a reflexive response. This is just one essential ingredient to becoming spontaneous with your actions.

When you practice this way, a change comes over you. Over the years I’ve noticed that every time Mr. Mills demonstrates a technique, his whole being changes. He’s not just showing a technique, he is tapping into a part of himself where he appears to place himself in a situation where he has to use that technique to really defend himself.

It goes waaaaay beyond just physically performing a technique.

Whenever you’re practicing, make sure you’re stepping it up. Put yourself into a situation where you have to use a technique to save your life. You’ll be amazed at how much it residually enhances your physical skills. Remember to also practice this when you’re the attacker in a technique.

When practicing alone, visualize an attacker coming in full bore so you kick up your practice sessions. I do this when I practice my forms and sets and it has really helped me kick up my training. It helps give it more purpose.

I challenge you to work on this in each and every workout. It will take some time to figure out, but in the long run, it will help you ensure it’s there when you need it most.

How has emotional intensity helped your training?