Great emphasis was placed on balancing physical and mental learning.

“During Matsumura’s generation, unlike today, great emphasis was placed on balancing physical and mental learning.”
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Nagamine Shoshin (1907-1997), the founder of Matsubayashi-Ryu, published a book called “Tales of Okinawa’s Great Masters”. The quote above comes from that book, and highlights the importance of “Bun Bu Ryu Do” (roughly “Cultural and Martial Studies Together”) in classical Okinawan martial arts, and the fact that it had been on the decline, even at the time of the book’s introduction.
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Mental training is probably the most neglected aspect of karate for most students. Ironically, it’s probably the element of karate that can best be applied to sports, school, work and other aspects of life.
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Mental training can and should be trained just as much as the physical elements. It’s your body, and your mind—you’d better understand how they work under stress!
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Every time those inner voices send negative messages, shut them down quickly and counter them with a positive response. You need to become a master of your own inner negative talk and excuses.
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Learn to quiet your mind. In order to become an effective martial artist, you need to silence the meaningless chatter and live in the moment.
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Like anything else, this type of training takes time. But it is just as important as the physical aspects of your training.
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You can start by silencing the “I can’t” to a more positive, “I’m going to try my best”. The goal of this positive thinking is removing the internal barriers that can keep you from doing your best.
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Focus on what you CAN do, not what you can’t. ENCOURAGE yourself instead of criticizing yourself. This is just a small part of your mental training. Try to improve the quality of your karate by trying your best in all things. It’s a start. ??

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