22 Months ago thoughts crossed my mind that I might never do sport again, and now its only 6 months to what could be the race of my life. Only 6 months left till the London games are here and that means one thing. Lots and Lots of hard work, trials, tests, pain and sacrifice. Coming through the rehab from surgery has taught me a few things about the mind and how it works. The two things that I think about most days are, will this make be a better athlete? If the answer is no, then I don't do it.
The second thing is a little battle that goes on in your mind, when it hurts and you want to stop - Your mind says its easy to stop and just say something hurt or your to tired to continue - That is when you know your pushing to the limit, and that is where you need to be, as that's where medals are won and dreams and goals come true.
The second thing is a little battle that goes on in your mind, when it hurts and you want to stop - Your mind says its easy to stop and just say something hurt or your to tired to continue - That is when you know your pushing to the limit, and that is where you need to be, as that's where medals are won and dreams and goals come true.
There is not a week goes by where at some point my mind says "come on just stop" I know then I am working hard and making gains, both in recovery from surgery and performance.
This is where I believe years of Karate from a young age have benefited me massively without even realizing it at the time, all those years of a disciplined approach to training and the relentless sessions in Dojos all over the world prepared my mind and body for where it needs to be today.
CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE
This is where I believe years of Karate from a young age have benefited me massively without even realizing it at the time, all those years of a disciplined approach to training and the relentless sessions in Dojos all over the world prepared my mind and body for where it needs to be today.
CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE
1993 South Africa
I have been re tracing my Karate days over the last few weeks and been thinking lots about what was my first love.
How hard we trained and how much respect I had for all my Sensei. I used to fear so many of them, but at the same time I would work so hard for them and try my hardest to impress each of them. There was sessions where you would almost have to crawl out of the Dojos. Both mind and body bruised. Sensei Kato was my head instructor and a very hard trainer who always pushed me right to the limits. He like all Japanese Sensei carried a presence about them that would make you work so hard and push your mind and body past its limits.
It has hit me hard and is a reminder of what surgery has done to me as I will never be able to step into a dojo and train again like I did all those years ago.
Someone I competed alongside and was one of my Sensei prepared a very informative article on Kumite preparation and I would like to share a part of it with you as I feel it was something I did through rehab without even thinking about it, and it has relevance to how we live our lives and especially if we are trying to reach goals and dreams.
Sensei Alan Campbell:Right Practice is when every movement, your posture, and focus, in training occupies 100% of your attention. Right Practice is performing a known task in a known application with an understanding of the focus and goal. It is actually detrimental to repeat a technique incorrectly.
How hard we trained and how much respect I had for all my Sensei. I used to fear so many of them, but at the same time I would work so hard for them and try my hardest to impress each of them. There was sessions where you would almost have to crawl out of the Dojos. Both mind and body bruised. Sensei Kato was my head instructor and a very hard trainer who always pushed me right to the limits. He like all Japanese Sensei carried a presence about them that would make you work so hard and push your mind and body past its limits.
It has hit me hard and is a reminder of what surgery has done to me as I will never be able to step into a dojo and train again like I did all those years ago.
Someone I competed alongside and was one of my Sensei prepared a very informative article on Kumite preparation and I would like to share a part of it with you as I feel it was something I did through rehab without even thinking about it, and it has relevance to how we live our lives and especially if we are trying to reach goals and dreams.
Sensei Alan Campbell:Right Practice is when every movement, your posture, and focus, in training occupies 100% of your attention. Right Practice is performing a known task in a known application with an understanding of the focus and goal. It is actually detrimental to repeat a technique incorrectly.
1994 European Championships
My favourite analogy for correct practice, is the story of a drop of water falling on a mound of sand. At first the drop hits the mound and runs down in a random manner. After more and more drops hit they begin to carve out a ravine. Those drops that fall a little off the mark causes a new shallower ravine. Those on the mark deepen the ravine and reinforce the pattern for those following.
Practice is like this, you must see, hear, and feel each technique. Do this with confidence, and it becomes the choice. Then you are discovering correct practice. And just as the body is trained by a system of practice, so too must the mind be trained through practice. Right Practice that trains the processes of mind constitutes a discipline of mindThis approach to rehab from Injury, Illness or even just daily training and life is how we were trained in Karate and without even been aware of it, I still carry that approach with me even though I have not been in a dojo since 1999. Osu.
Practice is like this, you must see, hear, and feel each technique. Do this with confidence, and it becomes the choice. Then you are discovering correct practice. And just as the body is trained by a system of practice, so too must the mind be trained through practice. Right Practice that trains the processes of mind constitutes a discipline of mindThis approach to rehab from Injury, Illness or even just daily training and life is how we were trained in Karate and without even been aware of it, I still carry that approach with me even though I have not been in a dojo since 1999. Osu.
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