Spring

Spring is the season of renewal.  Mother nature uses this time to rebuild and replenish the environment so that it can flourish later in the Summer.   In the same way, you should use this time to rebuild your karate fundamentals so you can continue to improve and flourish. 

Let’s look at a garden.  In the Spring, you need to prepare the soil and then plant the seeds for whatever crop you want to grow.  With care, sunlight and water, your crop will grow and flourish until you harvest the food.  For your martial arts, you likewise should take this time to work hard on your fundamentals; Stances, blocks and basic strikes.  That is the essence of karate and without correct fundamentals, it is really difficult to perform well on the advanced material.  Often in karate, we neglect the things we learned early on because we assume that we have it down pat and can count on it to be perfect.  The problem is that over time, without some direct attention to this area, bad habits and misunderstandings can creep in and before long your stances are slightly off and your fundamentals are just not where they should be. 

Use this time to re-dedicate and re-focusing yourself to work on the fundamentals.  Make sure they are solid.  This will allow you to continue to work on newer and more complex material with greater success. 

This is also an excellent time of year to release the old you and make the start of the new you.  If you have felt stuck like you haven’t made any progress and don’t feel like you are on the path to advancement, then use this time to make the mental shift to get rid of the old baggage that you were carrying with you.  Instead, focus on the new you and create the person you always wanted to be.  It is amazing just what having a good, positive attitude can do for just about everything you are trying to accomplish, and one of the best ways to have a positive attitude is to release the negativity that you have been carrying with you. 

Finally, Spring is the time we set our clocks ahead 1 hour and we “Spring Forward” to Daylight Savings Time.  You too should use this time to Spring Forward with your martial arts.  Take a few extra classes.  Seek extra help from your instructors.  Spend additional time practicing or working out.  Use this time to help yourself become the best martial artist you can be!