Finding your spirit – Seishin 精神

oyamatrain
Last night was a phenomenal class. Again, with focus on the upcoming tournament with a lot of drills specific to kumite. Most of the class I was paired with a fellow white belt, who has experience in Muay Thai and Jiu-jitsu. He was much younger, but just an awesome partner. He was the type of partner that when you think you have nothing left to give, he is cheering in your year, “Find your spirit! Drive past it! You can do it!”. And you know what? I did! I will be looking forward to watching and cheering him on in the tournament.

Focus mitts for hands and feet, body conditioning,working combinations, partner drills, etc. Made for an intense evening.

Each class is getting a little easier on my body. The conditioning is getting better. My endurance is better, and much of this is because of Fogarasi Sensei’s advice on watching my breath and relaxing. The more I relax, find my calm in the storm, remember to breath properly, the more I am able to endure. I am better able to relax and focus. With the hope some day of mushin.

I appreciate how detailed Sensei is in his observance of technique. Pointers on hand position, foot position, movement, etc. He helps me improve every class.

My spirit is growing and improving with each class and each passing week. You can watch videos of fights, from Kyokushin to UFC, and comment on fighter’s technique or skill, but the training of the mind and spirit is not apparent from observing those videos. It only comes from training oneself. Spirit, stamina and technique are forged in the dojo. It gives me new respect when I watch those fighters now.

I can’t believe I have only been studying Kyokushin for one month! It seems longer. I’ve found my home in Kyokushinkai and Contact Kicks.

Osu!

Comments 3

  1. Alan

    Osu

    I want to congratulate on your blog and your hard work in and out of the dojo.

    If I may offer an observation: it is great that your conditionning is improving and your body is adapting to the training.

    However, things should be getting easier. If you pursue that path, you will be lead towards “coasting” and comfort and you’ll end not pushing yourself outside that comfort zone.

    This is where mental training comes in, to know when to push yourself (without injuring yourself) and ideally without the need of a cheerleader.

    Having an encoraging partner who is there to push you is just fantastic, but you can’t rely on other people to motivate you. You need to find that inner motivation that will help you dig in deeper and push yourself.

    This is a daily challenge for me, especially now that I am a shodan but the rewards are great as I learned to apply this to my everyday life.

    Keep on training.

    Osu

    1. themartialway

      Osu… thank you so much for taking the time to read and offering your feedback. Its sincerely appreciated it. And you are correct. The motivation comes from within. OSU!

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