It's that time again...slump in training

[potentpoefie]

So after training in martial arts for 16 years now and I've hit a slump.
I'm not feeling inspired to train at all. It's like it's lost all its luster. I don't think I'll stop training because it is too much a part of who I am to quit now but I definately don't want to feel like I'm punishing myself either.

I'm pretty sure it's happened to a lot of you out there. How did you deal with it? My main dissipline has been Goju Ryu karate with doing a couple of months of other arts on the side every now and again. Aikido, BJJ, TKD. I mean at the dojo we are a family so it's hard to give it up and start as a beginner in these other arts. Maybe that's why I never stuck to them. Also it becomes all consuming. If you train all of them where is the time to have a life with friends and family.

Maybe I just need some sort of multi-vitamin or is it a sign that I should move on to something completely new?

[TonyU]

So after training in martial arts for 16 years now and I've hit a slump.
I'm not feeling inspired to train at all. It's like it's lost all its luster. I don't think I'll stop training because it is too much a part of who I am to quit now but I definately don't want to feel like I'm punishing myself either.

I'm pretty sure it's happened to a lot of you out there. How did you deal with it? My main dissipline has been Goju Ryu karate with doing a couple of months of other arts on the side every now and again. Aikido, BJJ, TKD. I mean at the dojo we are a family so it's hard to give it up and start as a beginner in these other arts. Maybe that's why I never stuck to them. Also it becomes all consuming. If you train all of them where is the time to have a life with friends and family.

Maybe I just need some sort of multi-vitamin or is it a sign that I should move on to something completely new?

Stick to Goju Ryu only then, but continue going. You mey be burned out from all the training and in so many different arts. By cutting back you'll get a little more time to yourself as well.

For me it helps just to push through it. From my experience, I've, for one, had some of my best training when I had to push myself to go. Secondly, the longer one stays away from the dojo the harder it is to get back.

[Michael J. Bray]

It is not at all unusual to hit a slump. Is it student burnout or instructor burnout? Study of martial arts was once described to me as a climb, In the beginning most of us know nothing, so our skills seem to grow quickly as we are taught forms, techniques, spar some, etc... Not too long into the climb our knowledge begins to catch up to and surpass our ability. All of a sudden, it's not quite as easy as it was in the beginning. This is where so many students tend to drop out. Here's where the climb really begins. To go back and really hammer those basic things and get them RIGHT. As these get better, the other stuff tends to follow. Measure yourself by ,"how good do I want to be", not by how good we are. That tends to breathe a bit of new life back into what we think we know. If change is needed you might try something totally different, like an internal art. You mentioned you spent a little time in aikido. If you're not teaching, maybe that is an avenue to consider as well. Good luck. YOu will find motivation, and there are many knowlegable people here on this forum that can offer further advise as well. :

[potentpoefie]

Thanks for the advice. I'm giving it all serious thought.

Measure yourself by ,"how good do I want to be",

Something that has always motivated me but how do you set that goal? I want to be as good as "fill in blank here". I think that is the main thing. I've reached the top position as a figther in our South African branch of the organisation.

You are only as good as your oponents. The stonger the oponent the bigger the achievement when you finally beat them, right? I hate how cocky and big headed this makes me seem but it really isn't the case. And it's not a case of me wanting to prove myself. Really I'm past the age of feeling the need to prove myself. I just looking for a new challenge. Feels like i'm stagnating and in the process moving backwards.

Maybe I'm just to confident in my skills? Maybe I should get a good @ss-whipping. Hahaha...that's actually what I need cause then I have something to train for.

I know I have a lot of work to do form wise. I'm not that into forms and it shows. but my main passion has always been "will i be combat effective?". It's all good having great forms and perfect techinique but you cannot defend yourself. It's that first and foremost what Karate was for?

Maybe it's just the winter blues. Or maybe I should take the next step and give back to the arts and start teaching. Of course as a teacher you need to step up your training even more. How can you teach if you are not up to the bar?

[Isaac M.S.]

I have never practiced Goju-ryu so I cannot speak for it, but in my experience, forms have a direct influence on application. From the forms you can learn foundation, connection, hip movement, how to snap properly, etc., and then apply it to fighting or self defence or what have you. They are not merely for show. Try finding the essence of your style in the forms and examine what it is they are trying to teach, instead of brushing them off as performance.

On a different note, slumps happen. Sometimes they last two months, sometimes as many decades. In my experience, as slump means you need to reexamine why it is you study what you do. Why do you train? Is it to be "the best?" What does that mean to you? Are you bored? Want something different? Or do you just feel no energy?

My point is, take some time and examine you beliefs about and desires in martial arts. Imagine something that excites you, some fantasy (using qi to fly, for example) then pursue that. Maybe it won't work, but I guarantee that the change of mindset and approach will yield new insights.

Isaac