“The most advanced thing you can do, are the basics, consistently.” ~ Morio Higaonna 10th Dan Goju Ryu
.
Train your basics everyday to improve in your karate training; it sounds so logical and makes so much sense. Now, it’s up to you, the student(s), to rise to the challenge.
.
It’s true, through daily practice; you will progress. It’s not that hard to do something everyday; that you enjoy doing.
.
But you have to view yourself objectively; you will realize all the things you need to improve on, all the things you need to change. Don’t be satisfied with; “that’ll do.”
.
To view yourself objectively, can be a really difficult task which often requires the individual to take a step back. It requires qualities such as humility, patience, brutal honesty, self discipline, and so much more, so that you can eventually get to a point where you can make good decisions, that will help you grow in your training and in your performance.
.
The culmination of all of this is one of the most important lessons we can all learn in the dojo, which is self-discipline. Self-discipline is a learned behavior. Like any other skill, it requires practice, patience and repetition.
.
Having self-discipline isn’t just about consistently doing something, it is more about consistently regulating yourself, correcting your behavior and your practice.
.
We want to view our abilities as flawless, but we are inherently flawed. As soon as we start to have some degree of proficiency, we want to believe we are the best and now totally proficient. This is human nature; we are naturally biased toward our own abilities. However, you must analyze yourself, which is only as good as you are able to be objective, and only as good, as you will be at analyzing yourself.
.
Be honest, truthful and show humility. You may even improve. ??
.
.
? Photo Credit: IOGKF