Be passionate about your martial arts training and your martial arts training will improve. It is so simple a concept yet so difficult to attain.
People come into martial arts schools and want to learn how to fight, how to protect themselves, get fit, gain confidence or a combination of all. Often times those reasons change when there is a connection made to a system. In order to make that connection, you, me, and everyone have to let go of ego.
Your expectations are mired by your reality. You aren’t someone else. You are you and you will progress at the rate in which you train. There is no magic path to get on. Either you train or you don’t. Either you want it bad enough or you don’t. There is one person to blame for your lack of progress and that’s you. More importantly though, you are responsible for your success! So get to it!
Krav Maga doesn’t have that “spiritual” connection for a lot of people. I believe that’s because it has a reputation as a speedy, aggressive, system. It is believed to be something fast and quick that most people can learn. There isn’t the emphasis on time spent and the pursuit of perfection. This is when a system slows down and becomes antiquated. It turns into “I got this” and then done.
This is not an attack on Krav Maga at all. I’m belted in Krav Maga and am extraordinarily proud of my accomplishment. I am proud of the years of hard work, the dings, the aches and pains I’ve experienced that only made me stronger. I do believe that we all need to take a look at what our passions are and ride their wave. There are so many awful things that we face today. There is too much that we latch onto and turn it into something that has an affect on us when in reality it shouldn’t.
If we are constantly pushing our systems, whether it be Muay Thai, Jiu Jitsu, Kali, Krav Maga, and blending it all together, that constructive process can lead to an awakening where your training can become your sanctuary.
I enjoy doing some things more than others just like anyone else. I enjoy Jiu Jitsu very much. I love to train it and apply it to my workouts, as well as fold it into my Krav Maga practice. It is a great way to work out, it is humbling, it is a constant paradox. You are laughing and training with your friends one minute and immediately you could be posing a serious threat of injury to them the next or vice versa. All martial arts should be like this. I believe they are. It all has to do with your attitude when you step on the mat, leaving all of your issues outside. Remember that perspective is everything.
Make the connection with what you love. That connection is what will push your combative systems. Your passion will make it flourish and in the end, you will have a true path to being a healthier, happier you.
Train hard. Train often.
S. Derhammer
Be passionate about your martial arts training…
Elite Training Center Redondo Beach
1628 South Pacific Coast Highway,
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310) 598-1887
Elite Training Center Hermosa Beach
1601 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 170
Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
(310) 597-4669
