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Taijutsu is a personal experience. People experience and express their taijutsu in very individual ways. Because there is no "cookie cutter" example of what we do, practitioners can become daunted by the vastness of our art and the ways it can manifest itself. Even long time students of the Bujinkan will sometimes fall into a funk about their skills, their abilities, and how they are progressing in the art. In many cases they even stop training because they feel overwhelmed. Believe it or not, this crisis of faith is normal, natural, and survivable. Here are some tips that seem to help people survive the crisis.
1) Keep coming to class:
Quitters never win. Winners never quit. Period. You can't get better if you don't train. Just because you don't think you are learning, does not mean you are not learning. Look to you seniors to pep you up. Chances are they went through the same thing, and can tell you how they worked through the funk.
Don’t quit. Even if you make it to class just once a month, that is better than not at all. If you "quit" in your mind, it is one hundred times harder to start back up. We all know people who say that they are taking some time off and will be back in a few weeks. The fact is that once they have checked out, they never come back. You don’t need to be perfect, just stick to it.
2) You only have to get better than the person in the mirror.
This is easier said than done in our hyper competitive culture of instant gratification. You should measure your success by what you have accomplished, not what others have accomplished. You are not a failure because Jenny made Shodan one year before you did. Likewise, if Bill learns a bo pattern three weeks sooner than you, focus on what you learned, not that Bill did it faster. Stick to it. Keep training. It will come.
3) It is a marathon not a sprint.
It is ok if it takes time to learn something. If you are having a bad day in class, let it go. You have forty plus years to get better. Putting intense pressure on yourself to achieve unrealistic goals is a guaranteed way to burn yourself out. Rather that beat your self up over not being able to do something, ask a senior to help you out. They may even have a shortcut or tip that can help you out. Another thing you can do is get to class a few minuets early and work on the things that are giving you trouble. In the end, if you stick with it, and keep training, your problems may start to work themselves out.
4) Kihon
Stick to basics. Learn the basics. Don't worry about the flashy stuff. If you have good solid basics, the flashy stuff will come. Stick to kame, taking balance, and sabaki. Concentrate on footwork, how to enter, and timing. If you can make your basics work you will be able to deal with 90% of the situations you face. Think of the flashy stuff as working on your car and your basics as your tools. Better tools make the job easier. Changing a tire with a lift, full size spare, and impact wrench is a thousand times easeier than the doing the same thing with a lug wrench, scissor jack, and doughnut spare. Likewise, doing an "advanced technique" will be easier with solid basics.
5) Relax
Have fun. We always do better when we are playing loose. Thinking about doing a perfect technique dooms us to failure. If you are "thinking" of doing a good technique then your mind is in the wrong place. Just relax and "do" the technique. We are our own worst enemies when we pressure ourselves to accomplish unrealistic goals and suck the fun out of everything we do. Rather than look forward to class, we dread it because we can't be perfect. If we loose our egos and let the waza do its magic, we will be more open to true learning.
People who beat the funk share another trait: They just stick with it. They train, and they train, and they keep training. Even when they are out for months with an injury, their head never leaves the training. They stick with it no matter what. Their focus never waivers. They know they are coming back. Nothing beats a positive mental attitude. Remember, what the mind believes, it achieves.
Finally, it is important to note, training ruts affect us all, regardless of level or rank. Even though it is natural to doubt ourselves once in a while, we don't have to give into our doubts and fears.. This is just a short list of ideas and suggestions to help us all work through our training ruts. It is far from being comprehensive. In my experience, people who have worked through training ruts have exhibited some, if not all, of the traits/ideas discussed above.
Gambate.
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