How Martial Arts Can Help to KICK the Winter Blues
Written by: Bruce McCorry's Martial Arts Academy
Winter can be a very depressing time of year. It's cold, the daylight hours are short and lately, the snow accumulation has made record highs. It can be very easy to lose motivation and find yourself stuck in a rut where you do nothing except go to school or work and come home again. It doesn't have to be like that! Martial arts can help put some purpose and fun back into your life. Although a record number of people are beginning martial art classes every year, a lot of new faces vanish before their first hundred days is up. Don't be that person. Be the one that goes the distance and develops a lifelong passion for martial arts! So how can you make sure that you become the student who stays the course?
Understanding how motivation works.
There are two kinds of motivation. Intrinsic, and extrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is when an outside force motivates you to do something. For example, when it comes to homework time, many children require extrinsic motivation from their parents to stay on task. The other kind is intrinsic motivation. This is when the motivating force is internal. When you really love something and have a strong desire to do it, that is intrinsic motivation.
So, how do we apply this to martial arts?
Everybody knows that there are huge positive benefits to be gained from studying martial arts. So why do so many people fail to last more than one hundred days as a student? Many students are afraid of failure. Some, perhaps, are just lazy. Some have too many other commitments in their lives already. For others, maybe martial arts is just not for them.
In martial arts, it is important to achieve a healthy balance of extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors. If you are only attending class because you are being forced to, or, because you are trying to impress somebody, then you will never last. Likewise, if you enjoy the classes massively, but never see any payoff from them outside of class, then you will likely begin to wonder whether martial arts is really right for you. So it is important to decide from the outset what you want to gain from your martial arts program and then find the course that is best suited to that goal.
One way to keep interested is by setting a goal. When setting goals, you should adhere to the SMART goal model. Smart is an acronym that stands for
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time-specific
So a goal along the lines of "I want to be pretty good at kicking", while admirable, is not a SMART goal. It is not specific, it is hard to measure and it lacks a time period. Also, it uses "I want to", which is weak language. A better goal would be something like "I will become proficient at five new kicks by next month". That's a winners goal!
Find a martial arts center that you enjoy!
People are very emotional creatures. If you don't like the center, the teachers, or the other students, then you won't want to keep coming back day after day. You'll start to make excuses not to continue and you might not even realize that you are doing it. Enjoyment and the right atmosphere will keep you motivated for years and years.
Understanding how motivation works.
There are two kinds of motivation. Intrinsic, and extrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is when an outside force motivates you to do something. For example, when it comes to homework time, many children require extrinsic motivation from their parents to stay on task. The other kind is intrinsic motivation. This is when the motivating force is internal. When you really love something and have a strong desire to do it, that is intrinsic motivation.
So, how do we apply this to martial arts?
Everybody knows that there are huge positive benefits to be gained from studying martial arts. So why do so many people fail to last more than one hundred days as a student? Many students are afraid of failure. Some, perhaps, are just lazy. Some have too many other commitments in their lives already. For others, maybe martial arts is just not for them.
In martial arts, it is important to achieve a healthy balance of extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors. If you are only attending class because you are being forced to, or, because you are trying to impress somebody, then you will never last. Likewise, if you enjoy the classes massively, but never see any payoff from them outside of class, then you will likely begin to wonder whether martial arts is really right for you. So it is important to decide from the outset what you want to gain from your martial arts program and then find the course that is best suited to that goal.
One way to keep interested is by setting a goal. When setting goals, you should adhere to the SMART goal model. Smart is an acronym that stands for
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time-specific
So a goal along the lines of "I want to be pretty good at kicking", while admirable, is not a SMART goal. It is not specific, it is hard to measure and it lacks a time period. Also, it uses "I want to", which is weak language. A better goal would be something like "I will become proficient at five new kicks by next month". That's a winners goal!
Find a martial arts center that you enjoy!
People are very emotional creatures. If you don't like the center, the teachers, or the other students, then you won't want to keep coming back day after day. You'll start to make excuses not to continue and you might not even realize that you are doing it. Enjoyment and the right atmosphere will keep you motivated for years and years.
Inspiring Martial Art Lessons at Bruce McCorrys Academy
Bruce McCorrys Academy (Peabody, MA) has been conducting inspiring professional martial art lessons for kids and adults for the past four decades. If you want to get the benefits of martial arts in a fun manner from qualified instructors, then Bruce McCorrys is for you. Enroll at Bruce McCorrys, and you won't ever think of quitting again and you'll be sure to beat the winter blues.
Bruce McCorrys Academy (Peabody, MA) has been conducting inspiring professional martial art lessons for kids and adults for the past four decades. If you want to get the benefits of martial arts in a fun manner from qualified instructors, then Bruce McCorrys is for you. Enroll at Bruce McCorrys, and you won't ever think of quitting again and you'll be sure to beat the winter blues.
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