Once you’ve trained martial arts for a while, you get a pretty good idea of your strengths and weaknesses. Or, you might be in the process of figuring it out.
In martial arts training, we want to make sure that your strengths remain a strength. But at the same time, only focusing on your strengths could mean that you end up neglecting areas for potential growth.
Rather than avoiding your weaknesses, putting in the time to tackle them can make you a more well-rounded athlete. Here are four ways to improve on your weaknesses:
1. Define Your Weaknesses.
Before you can get to work on improving your weaknesses, you need to define what they are. Taking a hard look at areas for improvement can be uncomfortable. It’s not always easy to admit what you’re not so good at. But once you’ve identified areas that need work, then you can come up with how you will make future progress.
2. Recruit Some Support.
When you’re in the process of figuring out how to improve on your weaknesses, you might get stuck and unsure of where to even start. Getting some support from an experienced and knowledgeable resource is an excellent way to get past this obstacle. A good instructor and coach will work with you on developing a plan. They can also help you break down the process, which can keep you from getting discouraged or overwhelmed.
3. Commit to the Work.
Once you start working on improvements through practice and training, be prepared for some tough days. Know that focusing on your weaknesses will take some additional discipline and commitment. Noticeable change may happen quickly in areas of strength, but the opposite is the case when working on weaker areas. But if you’re willing to stick with the process, then your patience will pay off.
4. Set Specific Goals.
Once you’ve identified the weaknesses that you are going to work on, set specific goals around how you plan to improve. “Get better” isn’t specific enough to create a significant change. The more precise you are in defining how you will approach training your weakness, the higher the likelihood of success. Once you have specific goals, create short-term checkpoints that you can use to keep yourself motivated to improve over time.
Karate Families in Tarzana will help you develop valuable skills that you can use in all areas of your life. We’ll help you train your strengths and improve on your weaknesses. To learn more about how to get started, contact us today.
