Mental Toughness

A Warrior Way of Life

Karate-do can train one to live everyday with a warrior mind-set. You should seek to employ a warrior attitude to your martial arts training. A warrior attitude takes mental toughness and discipline. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines discipline as; training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character. Karate practice (the way of karate) will breed and enhance both mental toughness and discipline that can serve you in other aspects of life including career, education, and relationship.

Karate-do is movement and is created daily though karate practice. Your karate consists of kihon, kata, and kumite. Through rigorous practice in the dojo you gain strength, confidence and decisiveness. You should strive to show no signs of visible fatigue, no sagging shoulders, no yawning, and no fear. You will gain focus, positive energy and precision. Every technique should be decisive, strong, and clean, nothing sloppy or lazy. Every breath should be synchronized to technique.

You should always practice kata fully. Proper kata training provides an avenue to develop full kime with all of the elements of karate applied. Kata practice will emphasize solid stances and strong techniques. It teaches breathing and eye focus, slow movements and fast movements. You will grow with each day of kata practice. It trains you to focus your commitment and spirit. It develops your mushin (mind-no-mind). Simply stated, mushin means; "do not think". Developing the ability to enter mushin, however, is a long process.

To become mentally tough and strong you must be committed to mental toughness during training. This begins with how you feel and how you act. Y ou should practice looking, feeling and acting how you want to feel during your karate performance. Converting your thoughts and feelings into warrior action requires:

  • A disciplined way to responding to stress.
  • A precise way of walking, sitting, and standing in control (head and shoulders erect and chin up).
  • A quick and decisive response to karate commands.
  • Demonstrating no visible signs of weakness or negative emotion to stress.
  • Continue to push yourself to a safe level of stress for growth.
  • Creating a rhythm in your life with regard to rest, work, peace, light, warmth, love, nutrition and training.

    Create a connection between your thoughts and your emotions. The way you think affects the way you feel. Begin to think positive and have strong thoughts and you will feel positive and strong. Use mental imagery during karate practice. Visualize yourself performing perfect kata and kihon. Imagine the perfect rhythm, timing and flow during kumite. Take responsibility for what and how you think. Use this mental imagery to create thoughts of no surrender, no fear, preparedness, and strength. Create high energy during training. Tell yourself that you want to do that kata one more time, that you want to train more, and that you can do more.

    "You must be deadly serious in training. When I say that, I do mean that you should be reasonably diligent or moderately in earnest. I mean that your opponent must always be present in your mind, whether you sit or stand or walk or raise your arms."

    GICHIN FUNAKOSKI'S FIRST RULE FOR THE STUDY OF KARATE-DO. Quote by Forrest E. Morgan, Living the Martial Way.

    • Thoughts...
    • Think of karate and practice during the time class does not meet.
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