Category: Philosophy

Patience and Perseverance

Posted on by Kiley Baker
Martial Arts Camp musubi dojo

Patience and Perseverance

We all want that thing we don’t have. In this case…in the dojo …I guess it’s the black belt. And many new members are impatient and just want to reach that destination fast. At first….the student is enthusiastic and always at training and puts all their effort into every session. They research online, read articles, books, magazines, watch youtube.clips, and try and find out every little bit of information they can. That is great and it’s part of the journey. However…..there are those times when the impatience is such that the student sees something cool online, or can’t see the forest for the trees and wants to question everything in class. Why are we doing this repetitive movement when we could be doing back spinning kicks etc?…..then they start to resent the basics, roll their eyes at the sensei or coach and can even start to turn to being mean to the lower ranks and beginners in an effort to make themselves feel better about their knowledge and rank.

Its not always this way….but I just want to remind my students to be patient. Remember…….martial arts is about being an eternal student. If you are looking to ‘master’ something then master the basics. Saying you want to master your style is almost putting a ceiling on your training. Just aim to better yourself in every session. Learn something new or do that one more push-up or fight smarter or push harder in your stances. Something. It’s little steps. Building a wall is one brick at a time.

I have been reminded of this recently by again donning a white belt and stepping onto the mats for BJJ. Being back at the bottom and struggling for air, blank mind under pressure, not able to use my skillset has been unsettling to say the least. But…..as much as i’m frustrated…it’s great to be on the road again and feeling the excitement of a new technique. Each time I leave class thinking I suck…..I remember that I know more today than yesterday….and I promise myself that the only way to improve is to walk the path. That path is turning up to the dojo….putting on my gi…..battling the demons and trying my best each session. If I wanted all the moves and all the answers now….or tomorrow….surely I would quit in frustration as that is just not going to happen.

Another personal example is weight training. A few of you at the dojo do weights in your own time to build on your strength and power output, and those that do the Bellatrix or No Limits classes will have also had exposure to weight training. I know with me that I just want to be able to lift more…and lift better. The problem is ….you have to work through the weights. You have to lift the 10 kg to develop the form, and then build strength and muscle mass, so that next time you can lift 12kg. When you built to 12kg…then it’s time to review form and build again to 15kg and so on. It’s just how humans work. There is no magic pill. Steroids you say ? Well No. You can’t just take them and grow. Sure…it enhances the rate at which your body can grow…but…..guess what…you still have to pick up those weights and you still have to do the work !

But….back to martial arts . It’s also worthy of mentioning that a black belt is, as our forefathers tell us, only the beginning. The mastery of basics as I mentioned earlier. You will note that the black belt…when worn enough starts to wear away at the edges. Over time the black starts to recede and you are left how you started. A dirty little white belt…eager just to learn something new. So…don’t be in a rush to get back to the beginning. Enjoy your journey. Each and every step. Osu

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Your Strength Lies In Your Weakness

Posted on by Kiley Baker
Personal training at Eltham Martial Arts Academy

Your Strength Lies In Your Weakness

At the end of most Karate classes…I like to say what’s on my mind. Give a small speech to the students about something that’s popped into my mind during the session, the day or the week. It might be something to do with current news events, training, and sometimes just life in general. I do try and keep it topical and relevant…but you know…my mind wanders at times.

This week I spoke to the class about the importance of competing. In our style of Karate, I really don’t think you can say that you are a Kyokushin exponent unless at some point you have fought full contact. I understand the juniors to some extent as its not just theirs (and most of them want to) but their parents choice.  The adults however…there can really be no excuse. Nope…none. I do understand that it may be a scary thing for some….but in reality that fear needs to be faced. If not….then perhaps Kyokushin isn’t the style for you.

In reality it’s not all about the fighting, although it does give all your training a new perspective. The fighting doesn’t instantly make you tougher or better, but what does is all the training you then do in preparation. It’s about the overcoming of that fear holding you back. Going through the nerves and the times you want to back out. It’s about the people in your corner and support of your team. It’s about the humility in loss and the confidence garnered through victory. The lesson lies in pushing yourself to do something outside of your comfort zone. So….if there is all this to gain how can there be a real excuse not to do it. What motivation or inspiration could you need ?

I recounted how at the tournament we travelled to in Griffith last year, that a student was competing in his wheel chair. And then…how a video had recently been shared on facebook showing a male that had lost the use of his legs…get onto the competition mats to compete in BJJ. His team mates basically helped him out of his wheelchair and onto the arena. Amazing and inspiring stories. There’s loads of those type of stories around on the internet if you choose to look.

And it’s not just Martial Arts. Most people have seen the Paralympics, I’ve seen videos of Crossfit competitors with missing arms and legs, and all manner of inspirational movies of disabled people achieving what some able bodied people can’t. In the end I think it all comes down to how much you ‘want’ to be able to do something. And if the will is enough – you will find a way.

What is better than watching a video, or hearing a story about someone though, is seeing it in person. I’ve asked permission from this member of our dojo to share his story briefly and I am so glad that he said yes.

Not everyone knows or has met Tailem. He’s a quiet kind of guy. He joined our Kickboxing class a little under a year ago and then a bit later found his way into the BJJ class. At his first class I noticed that he had a large build, and initially I thought he was perhaps an ex gymnast. Then of course…me being me…I just asked. It was probably something like….” Hey…what do you weigh…You look pretty big….and do you lift ? ” I wasn’t rude…just matter of fact.  That’s when I found out that Tailem was a Powerlifter. I had also noticed something else…..but didn’t really get a chance to talk to him on his own that first class.

I later asked him about his hand , and the fact that he had difficulty putting on the left glove. I had seen something like that in a hand before….in my stepfather after he had a stroke many years ago.  I was taken aback when Tailem explained his situation. Immediately he had my respect. You see…..Most people would come into the dojo and make excuses straight away for something like that. I hear stuff all the time (and I’m not putting anyone down…it’s just for comparison) like..Oh my leg is sore today. Or ….two years ago I fell off my bike and have a sore back so I ‘m not sure I can do everything or even I play the sax so I can’t punch without gloves and wraps in case I hurt my hand. But this guy walks in….sais nothing about his dis-ability and just trains.

There are those I am sure that have looked at Tailem’s physique and assumed he’s “on the juice” etc. What they don’t know however is firstly that he is not. That’s a whole lot of time at the gym and chocolate thick shakes !  Secondly that they are looking at someone who at the age of 9 years old, suffered a brain abscess that caused the left side of his body to be paralysed. Only through countless hours of dedication to rehabilitation as a child,  visits to hospitals, doctors, physio and chiropractors, and time and patience of his parents did Tailem regain the use of his left side to the point where he surpassed what was originally diagnosed as possible.

Obviously the limits and disadvantages that this placed on Tailem as a young boy was difficult. Sport just didn’t come as easy and there were feelings of inadequacy surrounding his appearance which is difficult enough for most people already. Not feeling comfortable or able to be as active this then led to weight gain…and from there the spiral into an eating disorder. Then….Tailem discovered the gym and found a way to build himself into the strong and capable man he is today.

Since then….Tailem went on to hold 6 powerlifting records (and is right now training to grab another one this year) , and last year won a bodybuilding competition.  Of course…..each training day when the jab doesn’t fire as fast as the cross,  or he can’t grab the gi to lock a hold in BJJ with one hand is a constant reminder…but he doesn’t let that stop him.  I’m really proud to have members like that at the dojo, and I look forward to one day seeing him on the martial arts competition mats. I think….with an attitude like his…there is nothing he won’t be able to do if he wishes.

I’m sharing this story because I think it shows you how you can turn your weakness into your strength if you try hard enough. If you want to change bad enough,  and you want it bad enough then there are no excuses. Only solutions to find.

Osu : Never Give Up

With respect.

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The necessity of Judgement

Posted on by Kiley Baker
Kyokushin Karate grading at Eltham Martial Arts Academy

The necessity of Judgement

I’m pretty sick of hearing the “No Judgement “catch phrase being flung around at the moment. To me it’s the equivalent of the pervading PC Narrative that is getting people, schools and countries into hot water – but that’s another story.

To tell someone that they “shouldn’t Judge” to me is silly and unrealistic.

The word judgement can have other legal interpretations; however it really is simply the formation of an opinion on something which carries no other connotations.  We should all be aware of the phrase “A good Judge of character” and if you aren’t aware….perhaps you should endeavour to become so.

Being able to judge another’s character is a valuable life skill. There are numerous examples I can give you whereby to form an opinion of someone else’s moral standards and behaviour is not only valid but necessary.  For example choosing and finding your life partner. How about selecting an employee to hire. More importantly……..who you trust with your personal safety. What if one night you are walking along an empty street alone and a couple of young guys in hoodies are heading towards you. You feel uneasy as they look suspicious for no obvious reason other than perhaps their odd behavior. Do you make a judgment call to cross the road or perhaps head towards an open shop ………or continue straight towards them ?

It’s also something we should be teaching our children.  If we don’t instill this basic survival mechanism of identifying when a person could be of questionable character into our children, what happens when one day your child is out playing on the front lawn and is approached by someone who intends to do them harm. Instinct will tell them something is not quite right….but they have a convincing story like the one I heard in a town just 20 minutes away from me last week. A man approached a 5 year old in the front yard, asked him to come and help with his car which he said had broken down. Now luckily that child felt wary and didn’t head over to the car parked on the nature strip out the front of his house…..and his sister came out….and the man went away. What would have happened though if the child had been taught never to judge. To put aside odd feelings and believe everyone should be trusted and loved?  I shudder to think.

We need to be able to judge if someone is telling us the truth or lying.

We need to be able to judge the distance from here to there while driving.

We have to be able to judge if something is morally right or wrong.

We must be able to form opinions on things so that we can choose the appropriate actions to take henceforth.

Perhaps I am oversimplifying things….but I’m pretty sure this topic is not actually that complicated. The lefties and the wanna-be Mother Theresa’s and Ghandi’s complicate it by turning decision making into some awful process of putting other people down. If someone is a violent offender, then I judge that person unfit to be around and sometimes people do need to be put down so to speak.

What really get’s on my nerve is this type of rubbish which I’ve actually heard. (Pls say this in your best whiny voice and place an inflection at the end of every sentence for full effect).

“Sooo the other day while I was working out, this overweight woman walked into the gym and I really admired her and there was like no judgement or like anything”……….Zzzzzzzipp……stop. Back up. You called her overweight. You formed an opinion…stated it…..and therefore you judged her !

Or what about this tasty gem “Oh my gosh….you are so judgemental”. I’m sorry……did you just form an opinion of me? Then I’m pretty sure that’s judgment…so you are judgemental too hypocrite.

I’m just going to leave this here now and wait for the barrage of comments that I am sure will ensue.

I stand firm in my belief that Judgement is necessary. And sometimes It’s necessary to make it with minimal time and information.

What’s not necessary though is to form an opinion and then use that as an excuse to behave badly yourself. That is not judgment, that is the act of bad behaviour.

What’s wrong is to be unkind or judge someone unfairly or unjustly and treat them poorly undeservedly.

It still doesn’t mean we shouldn’t ever judge.

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The Art of Self Expression the Martial Way

Posted on by Kiley Baker

If art is defined as creative expression , and a skill in a particular thing acquired through practise…..then Martial Arts should also have an element of creative expression – or of self. Indeed Sosai Mas Oyama has been quoted in saying that there is no Kyokushin Karate. There is only…..Kiley Karate, Bob Karate etc.

So one could ponder then……… because sometimes it would seem that the more I train the less I feel I know. But is that because I choose to try other martial arts and styles and allow myself to be back at the bottom of the food chain. To challenge everything I have learned….to test my knowledge base or lack thereof ?

And upon doing these other ‘thing’s’ that seem to creep into my base style…..isn’t that the way it should be ? I read an article recently from a respected Shotokan Master (I can’t find it now to quote) but it talked about how there should only be 1 Karate. That people shouldn’t come up with their own styles as this would be almost seemingly arrogant and that first we must master everything our predecessor knew and keep everything together and the same. In some part i agree. We should of course learn everything we can from our teacher / Sensei first……have a good knowledge base to start from.

Perhaps that’s why masters say that black belt is the beginning. That once you have obtained your black belt you are now ready to learn. Because then that’s really what we should do isn’t it ? To go test out our skills and see if they work. You can do this through competition, through teaching others (never will you have your knowledge tested so much as through teaching i believe) and by trying a new style to find the weakness in your own.

I don’t believe for a second we are supposed to sit back and watch our black belt shrink around our waist (if you get my drift) while we continue to practise and teach the same thing we were teaching as a Shodan……..into higher levels of our Dan grades. If we are still teaching the same things the same way we were originally shown in the start of our martial arts journey …then something is wrong. Of course there are basic principals that should be adhered to…but our level of understanding of them should grow and manifest in new ways of explaining…..new ways to test….and sometimes perhaps….abandonment of them altogether if need be and replaced with something else.

I really feel like at this point in my Martial Arts (which is really only a short stroll in the park compared to many others) that there always needs to be balance. I mean…even Mr Miyagi preached that ! But seriously……always life is about balance. In this case…..the balance should be about honoring traditions and lineage and the knowledge base you stem from, coupled with introspection and self expression through your chosen style.

If it is true that the one certainty in life is change – and survival is dependent on ones ability to adapt to change…..then Martial Arts too needs to adapt and evolve with time – all the while honoring that which allows us to ‘be’ in the first instance.

And so back to my reality……which is bookwork. Ahhh…..dont you wish martial arts was all just the fun stuff !

Osu.

Anti Social Media

Posted on by Kiley Baker

I was unsure as to where to post this article as it’s not really Martial Arts related, however I don’t really have another relevant blog site. I figure lots of Martial Arts schools use social media as a marketing tool etc…..so perhaps posting here is not completely off the mark.

Anti Social Media

Hmm…..Is it just me or does “Social Media” not feel that “Social’ anymore ?
I began my social media journey later than most. I’m not one of those ‘early adopters’ I’ve heard about at business development courses. I jumped onto Facebook hoping to connect with friends that I didn’t get to see often because I was always so busy working , or with the kids so my social life was severely lacking. It was nice to see what everyone was doing….and back then in 2008 Facebook was a fun place to visit every now and then when I sat down at my laptop. No Iphone back then so access was more limited. In those days….it was all about sharing pics of what you were up to….and funny statuses that were always kind of clever. I think people were more Reserved with their posting….and actually thought of what they were going to post up before doing so.

Then out of who know’s where came the endless pictures of food. I’m guilty of course of displaying my breakfast that I’d just cooked – proud of my culinary skills but single and unable to share it with anyone…so social media seemed like a good place to feel like someone else was enjoying the meal along with me. I guess the food pics began to almost be ridiculous and it seemed nobody could even have a coffee without having to share with their list of ‘friends’ and then this kind of fell out of fashion a little. Though we still see them from time to time….now it’s more like a surprise and we can go back to enjoying these pics again as they no longer clog up your news feed.

Then came the selfies. At first they were novel and funny….and we weren’t really that good at taking them (especially before the reverse camera functionality) but then things degenerated into attention seeking photo’s and it seemed the more riske’ they got…the more likes. It became about filters and lighting and makeup and posture…and what’s worse, it became disguised as something that it wasn’t. Me – guilty. I found myself at a time where my world had fallen apart…..and I doubted who I was . I have posted more than a selfie or two……and sometimes i regret to admit it was an unconsciously deliberate (if that’s even a thing) ploy to attract attention…but usually aimed at a specific audience. It’s a not a high point in my life I can tell you that now. I’m just glad I didn’t get too extreme….and now…I get it. I’m so glad I am no longer so caught up in it that I post provocative pictures of myself and call it some kind of ‘motivational’ pic that I hope to ‘inspire others’ with. I’m so sick of it. So done with (and this is not sexist it’s just true it’s mostly females) all the ladies in the gym posting pics of them posing next to machines. Really…..show us the video of you working out. That would be better !
Oh….you didn’t work out. You just don’t eat and you are 23 yrs old with no kids and you already look great. As if we females (and males too to a lesser extent one could argue) aren’t already concerned about our appearance enough. We now have to compete with these pics that are just totally not real-life at all. Nor are they motivational. If anything at times they are the opposite. De-motivational or just counter productive to our self esteem. Both the poster….and the viewer.

Fast forward to 2018 and it’s just soooo so much worse.
Sometimes I almost wish the slutty selfie would make a come back as honestly it would be far less of an assault on my psyche. Now ……..it seems the biggest thing on social media is to hate. Since when would someone be proud to be a troll ? To be that person that just wants to start a fight for the sake of it. To stir the pot for no reason other than to try to inflate their own feelings of self-importance: – like…..”oh…people are paying attention to the ridiculous bullshit I am saying…..I must be of value”! As they say in the media….even bad publicity is still publicity, and i guess for someone lonely and unhappy enough to be cruising news feeds looking to stir up a fight, even bad attention is still attention. Can you Imagine that person at a real life party ? Imagine them Just walking around the mingling guests and jumping into random conversations saying utter nonsense just because. Arguing against everyone just because. In reality…someone’s probably going to verbally abuse them or physically knock them out. I guess hiding behind a computer screen really does give people a sense of security and grandeur.

And if the hate wasn’t enough; in marches the advertising. IT’s so prolific now that it’s infiltrated our message inbox……(stay out of my private place pls) and you can’t even have a verbal conversation anymore without seeing a random advertisement for that very thing pop up on your screen! It’s not just me…..other people have mentioned it so I’m sure I’m not going crazy. And I get that everything costs money and advertising is king when it comes to raising revenue….but really……it’s getting to the point where my screen is 2/3rds full of it.

Stir into that dreaded mix a portion of people sharing sensationalised stories that aren’t fact checked…….or worse still…… old news articles which scare everyone and do the rounds before people realise it’s a terrorist attack from 2014….or some Virus Outbreak (yeah……3 people we are all gonna dieeeeee) and it would seem that the social media scene is more Anti than social.

But…..and it’s a big but, like the world and all it’s problems there is still so much good in there. I stay on because for small business it’s an amazing platform for advertising. For personal reasons….it really is great to catch up with friends far away or those close but life is busy and there is never enough time to meet up in person often. It seems to have this ability to bring people together as much as it can separate and divide.

The battle lies in using the platform as a tool and not being sucked into the Matrix of believing it’s real. Understanding that real connection comes from knowing someone in person, and likes don’t translate to …well anything except a dopamine boost which I’m pretty sure you can get from chocolate !
Like the internet in general……it’s a fun place to watch humorous videos and stuff…..share interesting parts of your day and keep up to date with current events, but you need to be able to vet the information and know what’s true or not. You need to be able to not get drawn into the hatred and negativity when it rears it’s ugly head, and know how to crawl out if you do end up at the bottom end of that tunnel. We need to know that it doesn’t control us – we control it and our usage of it and at the end of the day…like real life…if you don’t like what you see get new friends, and get out of bad groups and get into good ones. The quality of your environment and your surrounding’s is ultimately a product of your choices and who you hang out with. This is true for our physical as well as our online world.

Not everyone likes social media and not everyone has to however i think it would be kind of ignorant to ignore it’s power. In some ways i think it will evolve to become a staple in every home / life just like TV did – only that this is a bigger , more powerful and more accessible monster. It will need to be embraced as it’s part of our world now – and it will grow and change as we do. Let’s hope we can all make it join the good side and use it for good and what it was originally designed to do. Make the world more social and connect people and ideas that are positive- but also ‘real’. It’s up to us to tame the Social Media Beast because after all – this really is a tool for the people controlled by the people that use it. Let’s make Social Media great again !

It’s all energy. What kind are you bringing to the dojo?

Posted on by Kiley Baker

The energy that each and every person brings in to the dojo is important. When you enter the room…..the feeling that you are holding inside of yourself comes with you. Then- when that feeling is translated into the things that you say, the look on your face, and the effort that you impart throughout the class, this same energy is then transferred to others awareness and hence is passed on to others psyche.

Each individual is then responsible for their part in everyone else’s training session. It is your duty to ensure that you bring the best energy you can to a class. It’s okay to have a bad day and we all have them, and the dojo can be a great place for turning around your mood and mental state. What is critical in this process however is the ‘desire’ to want to improve. Coming to class in a bad mood and just wanting to ‘vent’ but not change your outlook is destructive for all. Inversely, coming to class with a passion to feel and do better is inspiring.

Imagine that there are two large glass Jars at the front of the dojo. One jar is labelled positivity, and the other is labelled negativity. Each time you walk in the door, you have to place the physical manifestation of your current mental state (we shall call this a mood token) into the appropriately labelled jar, and then take out another token which is your ticket to class- perhaps one that someone else has deposited.

At the commencement of the session, the instructor will collect each person’s mood token and then throw them all up in the air and this creates the feeling of the session. Everything is decided by those mood tokens down to what happens in class, whether or not everyone trains hard, does well, improves and learns, or  the opposite that the energy is low……people are lazy and uninspired, quick to give up on something or Someone gets injured etc.

It would then be advantageous if everyone who was positive- still took out a positive token from someone else. Those feeling negative…. should place their negative tokens in the jar to stay… and take out a positive one in replace. They should borrow someone’s positivity and use it to make their own.

So how does this very simplistic version of events explain a very complex topic ? It probably doesn’t as I’m no quantum physicist. However, a simple real life example might be this :

***Person A and Person B***

Person A walks into the dojo and greets person B. Person A isn’t feeling great today (they have a list of reasons why including running late for work in the morning, their stupid boss, kids, car broken down etc etc)  Person B replies……”oh no. What a day huh. You know that sucks but lucky you’re here. You can train hard and forget about all of that. My day’s been pretty crappy too….let’s go hit the bag and take out some stress. Nothing fixes a bad day like a good session huh!”. By doing this, person B just put in a positive token for person a to take for the class. Person A should take it!

Compare this to the alternative where person B replies instead “Oh no. That sucks. Man I’ve had the worst day too. Why is everything so hard. You know… I don’t even know why I came tonight. I guess I’ll just see how I go.” Now there’s only negative tokens avail for choosing.

I know what your’e going to say. What about person C or D….Well that’s just it. We are now relying on them to input positive tokens or what’s going to happen to the jars and the tokens available for choosing ?

Again, I know this is extremely simplistic. Most things however, are actually quite simple in nature.  They are just difficlut to do unless you are being aware of your thoughts, your words and how this affects not only yourself but everyone around you.

The dojo is your community and home away from home. You should always feel safe there and sure…. vent away. Sometimes it’s you… sometimes it’s your teammate. Just when you do need to vent, be aware of the positivity handed to you and take it. Inspire others. If someone downloads their woes on you – don’t take it on board. Listen- re-direct and help them lift their spirits.  Raise people up don’t give them a hand down.

What sort of energy are your bringing with you today?

Some words on Respect

Posted on by Kiley Baker

At the dojo we will now have a monthly focus word. The word of the week seemed to fly by, and we didn’t really explore it more than a quick post on facebook, so I decided that we should choose a word to really think about and delve into for a month.

This months word is – Respect

This is the first instalment from the dojo blackboard: I will add others during the month to this post

1: Respect starts first with you. Respect yourself enough to do the right things for yourself. First of all take care of your health, both physical and mental. This includes (but not limited to) sleep,food, rest, laughter, positive friends, social groups, goals and aspirations. You know what the right things to do are-respect yourself enough to not make excuses. Your’e worth more than that! If you don’t know the right things to do, respect yourself enough to find out. Your‘e living in the age of information, and libraries are still free- find out !
You cannot truly respect others, or teach others respect if you don’t have it for yourself.

“Martial Arts – Without true respect and the behaaviours and courtesies that stem from this, is Just Violence”.

Respect and humility go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other. When you conquer your ego- you can embrace humility and hence, true respect. (This differs from false, forced,fake, blind subservience)
True respect is given and shown like love. It’s honest and pure and has no Ulterior motives other than to serve the highest self, and the highest in others.

Are you strong enough and brave enough to have the neccessary humility to look inside yourself and ask if you know and have true respect? Do you Love yourself enough? Love is a weird word to hear in a dojo perhaps, but if you think on it enough the truth of it is easily apparent.

Respect- for it to mean anything, should be present in your every action and your every word. How do you talk to yourself with your innner voice? How do you see others, remembering we can only see them through the lens/filter through which we view ourselves. How do you greet others then? How do you enter the dojo ? What spirit does your level of self respect afford you? Your spirit follows you everywhere. It emanates from your eyes, and  it’s heard in your voice above your words. Strong hearts, heads up, eyes up, honesty above all, courtesy, loud Osu’s, be a good training partner and inspire others by your actions. It’s all Respect !

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Are you a good Loser ?

Posted on by Kiley Baker

The #1 thing holding most people back in their martial arts journey, perhaps in life also, I believe is an unwillingness to lose or fail. And yet, the very basis of learning and of growth is this. Trial, error- but also evaluation.

We can try, and err, and do nothing to rectify our mistake through stubbornness, weakness (shifting blame) or pride. This is where a ‘sore loser’ comes in. We know what sore losers look like. They cry and get mad (or both) and shift blame. They make excuses and justifications and refuse to accept their loss gracefully. In this moment, they begin the worst type of pattern that if affirmed (by themselves, a coach, a training partner or parent) will plague their learning from then on until they quit, or through introspection, good coaching or an eye opening experience bought about through a desire to change, they learn to see loss and failure for what it is.

Your biggest teacher. In fact the only true one. Until you vanquish yourself ie: your ego, how can you ever hope to better anyone or anything else ?  If you truly want to be the best you an be, FAIL. Fail often. Compete and lose – evaluate, strategise, improve and re-test. Tap, Tap early. Tap often. Be prepared to acknowledge others achievements over yours. Be humble. Be courteous and see everyone as your teacher. You can learn much about yourself from the way you treat and handle beginners. And most of all, it’s not over when you lose. It’s over when you quit.

Osu

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