Hit a Plateau? Five things you can do today to take your martial arts training to the next level.
When you first start training in the martial arts, you may find that you pick up concepts and new techniques quickly; but after a few months, your progress may begin to slow. Congratulations! You’ve hit your first plateau. Your natural inclination may be to get frustrated; some people even give up on the martial arts altogether. No need to get upset, and there is certainly no reason to give up — this plateau is a natural part of the learning process.
While frustrating, there are a couple of things that you can do speed your way through the process.
1. Mix up your days — if your regular days are Tuesday and Thursday, try Monday and Wednesday. A change in routine may give you a slightly different perspective. While all of the instructors teach the same curriculum, each explains things a bit differently, a different instructor may explain some of the concepts you are struggling with in a slightly different way.
2. Try a new class – you love the martial arts, but you are frustrated with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/BJJ... why not try a Thai kickboxing or Filipino Jiu-Jitsu class? Each of the arts that we teach at Dragon Within Martial Arts, Salem MA, are designed to work together to make you a complete martial artist. Adding ground to your stand-up game or adding some stand-up to round out your ground skills will make you a better martial artist – concepts that you learn in one art can be applied and help you overcome challenges in another art
3. Take a private class – privates are a good way to deep dive on specific challenges and to focus on areas where you are struggling. To get the most out of your privates, try keeping notes or a journal on where you’ve been having problems — bring the journal with you when you meet with the instructor so you remember exactly what you want to cover.
4. Sign up for a evaluation to assess your progress – sometimes you might not be doing as badly as you think. Something that seems like a major challenge might be a simple fix that can be addresses with some quick one-on-one instruction.
5. Compete in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/BJJ tournament – If you are enrolled in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu program, you might want to think about entering into a tournament to test your skills on the mat. A number of the Dragon Within Mixed Martial Arts student of all levels compete in local and regional tournaments such as NAGA. Tournaments are a great way to break out of routines and test your skills against new people that you’ve never rolled before.
Learning martial arts is a journey — Thai kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu(BJJ), Filipino Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts/MMA, are not easy arts to master. It takes hard work, perseverance, commitment, a positive attitude and the will to do what it takes to improve yourself both physically and mentally. The ups and downs, the plateaus, are all part of the journey. As you progress in the martial arts you’ll learn that like any great journey, its not about the destination; it’s about what you learn along the way.
We are so confident that you will love our programs here at Dragon Within Mixed Martial Arts, that we have a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee!
Dragon Within Mixed Martial Arts, Salem MA, provides the most realistic and practical self-defense programs for Massachusetts and North Shore Area including:
Peabody MA, Salem MA, Beverly MA, Lynn MA, Marblehead MA, Danvers MA
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