Patience, Practice and Perseverance

Martial arts teaches us many things. A lot of what we learn are physical skills, such as kicking and striking, self-defence techniques, and how to use martial arts weapons. Less tangible are the character building skills that come with martial arts training. In this category are what are often referred to as the three Ps: patience, practice and perseverance. At various times during our martial arts careers we will all struggle with one or more of the these. I certainly have and continue to do so.
 
Patience is often an issue for new students (and particularly adults) who can become easily frustrated by how long it is taking them to get to grips with the new skills they are learning. Practice is an on-going challenge for most of us. Our busy lives mean that we can struggle to find the time and motivation to train outside of structured class times. It is also a particular issue for children, who have a tendency to leave what they have learnt at the door at the end of their class. Training also requires a high degree of determination and perseverance. It is hard to continue training over the many years required to reach black belt (and beyond) and in our experience, a lot of people drop out of martial arts within the first year.
 
Over the next three blogs I will discuss my views on patience, practice and perseverance within a martial arts context and the challenges each of these bring. If they can be overcome, they provide fantastic opportunities to learn and develop both as a martial artist and as a person.

JKN Jane Hurst
First degree black belt and school owner
Kuk Sool Won™ of Onewhero
 
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