Fear and Self-Discovery are usually not terms you hear together, but I’ve found a lot of times they actually go hand in hand. When something causes you to be afraid, you can use it to learn something about yourself. There are numerous examples of this in life, but how does this work with martial artists?
Many arts include jumping kicks. The most common fear is falling. Why are we afraid of falling? It is probably because usually it hurts. However you have probably also learned to breakfall to prevent getting hurt falling from such a height. So if you have the skills, why are we still afraid? Maybe deep down, you don’t trust yourself and your skills yet. This is why self discovery is important. You can start to learn what is holding you back from succeeding.
This discovery will show you what you need to do to overcome your fear and progress further. In our example, perhaps practicing more breakfalls so that you are more confident with them will help you so that when you practice your jump kicks, a fall will be far less scary.
When you are afraid, ask yourself why. Question it and you may find the answer to overcome it.
Until next time, train hard,
Head Instructor Shawn Morris