The Grind
The daily grind of training is an interesting and humbling experience. I am not sure if you can really describe what it means to persevere in such a situation. For me, I am trying to prepare for a black belt test. This is a journey that I started when I was 18. I know for a fact I have not been the most efficient in my training because I have chosen to put other things ahead of martial arts, like my career, after I got out of college. I did stop for a brief time training at my school, but I never stopped having my habits or mindset for training while I was away. In that sense, I have maintained the majority of my knowledge even over some brief breaks during my 30+ year odyssey in martial arts. What has helped me last this long it I chose to make it part of my identity and part of a way of life for me.
However, while longevity can be applauded, it can rob you of excellence if you become complacent over a long period of time, which is a real danger. For me, I fell into that trap as well. I just trained to tread water for awhile as well. It takes some specific motivation and discipline to push yourself beyond your comfort zone, especially when you get older, to expand your knowledge and your abilities. For me, I should have tested for this belt awhile ago. But injuries and age slowed me down some, as well as life. That does happen, but what you have to do is just try to persist so you do not lose your focus or drive.
Now I find myself in a concerted drive to finally finish this off. Part of that requires a very high degree of planning and training so I do not injure myself and can execute the extreme task of a black belt test. It will test my academic knowledge of the art, my physical abilities to perform the art, and just my general perseverance with the art and the test itself. It is a multilayered experience that is not to be taken lightly. I have chosen a very slow grind and buildup to the goal of the test. Its a bit tedious, but for me there is no other way with the way that I have my life structured. For me, it is a test of mind, body, skill, and spirit. The training I believe I need is extensive. I spend a lot of time building myself up in the gym as well as training the art physically, and the added layers of academic studies with the art must come more soon.
One of the challenges is just being consistent with training. I have been able to prove the consistency, but next is to have a more elaborate and aggressive plan to improve, because you can be consistent, but if you don't make a plan that improves your skills overall, it is kind of useless. There are some very specific requirements for the test. You must meet all of them, not just part of them, or half of them, or some other fraction. All of them must be met. That requires planning training carefully to get to the goal.
Being age 52 presents additional challenges. First, there is the issue of time. At this age, career demands usually are very demanding, and martial arts does not coincide with most career choices. It is additional time and effort. Second, there are the issues of what a person over 50 is capable of doing. While I have not been sedentary, testing for a black belt is an elite event. It requires additional time and dedication that the average person might not need to train for. I workout anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours at a time. I am trying to expand that even more. I have pushed myself to the point where I am in fairly good condition to begin more intensive training, but it still needs to be well planned and prioritized. Efficient use of time with specific goals are needed to reach the marks that are necessary to be ready.
As it stands now, I do some martial arts training to keep everything fresh and up-to-date. However, more of my time is spent re-training my body to do the extreme things that are needed to perform this material at a high level. I design workouts in the gym to train my body to move like I am 20 years younger, at least that is my hope. I take lessons that focus on the last of the new requirements, which is designing new techniques and putting them in a kata. Once that is complete (which it nearly is now), I can begin training and reviewing everything more intensely. I can feel when I do the martial arts movements now my knees feel strong and fresh, my muscles don't fatigue like they were, and I am able to hold form more consistently. That is what the gym training as allowed me to do, on top of just basic cardio needs. Given the demands on my time as well, I just have to be patient. Sometimes I cannot workout every day, but it is every other day. There is nothing I can do about it but be patient and try to remember what I have learned and make it better the next time I practice.
If I were to give a young martial artist some advice, I would tell them to figure out early on if you like martial arts or not, and to push hard while you are young, then you can maintain when you are older and the training will not have to be as intense to regain what you may have lost in your youth. By no means was I in a bad state, but I had lost a lot of my "elite" athleticism and I am trying to regain what should be "elite" for someone my age. I believe in holding a black belt you should have an elite mindset, as well as physicality, about you and that is easier to maintain if you never lost it to begin with and did most of the challenging tasks when you were younger.
I will continue to push and adjust my training to achieve my goal. Thankfully I am wiser and more aware of things as I have aged, so understanding the process is much easier at least. I hope my story helps others in some way or inspires them. All training is valuable the stories of others' training is valuable also. Knowledge is something that is to be valued. I hope my journey is of value to you and I encourage you to continue your training towards excellence.
