Just turning up is half the battle in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

How many times does this happen? When I asked a wise old sensei years ago how to succeed in martial arts he gave me some very good advice. He said, sagely with a gleam in his eye, “Just keep turning up. When you’re happy, keep turning up. When you’re sad, keep turning up. When you’re tired, keep turning up. When you’re ill, keep turning up. If fact whatever else is going on, make training your one point of calmness. Just keep turning up”.

Only four of us turned up that Sunday, but as I stepped onto the mat, a surge of energy washed over me as I was joined by three of the keenest guys in the club. Three and a half hours later, after many drills and rolling, I walked out of there, soaked in sweat. I felt on top of the world, and made a quantum leap that day in my game. I smiled as I walked down the street, feeling the wisdom of ages the old sensei tried to pass on to me years ago. Just keep turning up.

Be humble for there will always be someone better

Becoming Humble

I like to tell my karate kids on their awards ceremony, be proud inside, but be humble on the outside, for there is always someone better. When they lose in a karate game, I tell them it is always important to be a good loser for the same reason—there will always be someone better. Maybe not right now, but down the line an outstanding player will appear that will be better than you. You may be the gold medalist in the Olympics, but will you always be the best in the world? No, that is life.

A Lesson in Humility

As a recent recipient of the blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, I started feeling pretty sure of myself when able to tap out the white belts. Then along comes a higher-ranked purple belt, substantially smaller than me, who can tap me out at will. I needed it to remind myself there is always someone better, and also to remind myself that there is lots of work ahead. This can be discouraging if you let it, but it also motivates you to train harder.

The Mark of a True Champion–Humility

The most important lesson of humility is empathy. You need to wear a loser’s shoes so you know what it feels like to lose. It will make you a better winner. The purple belt told me I had a strong defence, but just needed to make a few adjustments. I felt much better. And unselfishly, he showed me how to shut down some of his attacks for next time. Now there is a true champion and a master instructor.

What have you learned about being humble in your life?

A good loud karate kiai will make you stronger, protect you, and scare your opponent.

There is a science behind using your voice as a weapon, or kiaijutsu, as Japanese masters call it. It is the projection of ki, or internal energy, and manifests itself in the Kiai, or “martial arts shout”. With this energy you penetrate, like an arrow, your opponent’s spirit.

The Kiai Startles Your Opponent

There is great power in sound. It is your best weapon on the street, I always tell my students. As your attacker attempts to grab you, let out a blood-curdling scream in his face. It will startle even the most hardened of criminals, even if only for a second—long enough for you to strike or run. It puts the attacker on the defensive straight away.

The Kiai Makes You Strong

The shout helps with any heavy exertion. This is why you hear power lifters and tennis players do it. It also serves to “amp you up”, or get primed for combat.

The Kiai Protects You

The exhalation of air from the lungs, combined with tensing of the abdominal muscles when shouting, strengthens and protects the torso from strikes or kicks. It also prevents the habit of nervously holding the breath while engaging in combat.

A loud yell will also attract the attention of bystanders, who may be able to come to your assistance, if needed.

The Kiai Must be Practiced

Practice the Kiai in during training as often as possible. It should come from the gut or diaphragm, not the throat, much like breathing in yoga or playing a musical instrument. It is a skill worth mastering. Some say that masters of the art are actually able to freeze multiple opponents, push people backwards, or even knock people over with this skill. What is your experience with the karate kiai?

To become a karate master takes time--and especially, passion.

We all like shortcuts. Saves energy, saves time. Delayed gratification? Life is short. You need to get your 10,000 hours in. There is no shortcut for that. Or is there?

Let me share with you a simple secret to achieving mastery sooner rather than later. Choose your profession wisely. Make your passion your profession. Why?

By making your passion your profession, you will be spending at least 40 hours a week doing it. Do the math. Those 10,000 hours will take a lot less time than someone who does it as a hobby. A bonus—you are getting paid to become a master.

For example, I have been teaching martial arts professionally full-time since 1994. At five days a week it has been a much quicker learning curve than someone who dabbled in it, maybe training once or twice a week. For most of those years I trained outside of class in other martial arts or doing private training. I have never looked at this as work, to me it was great fun.

How do you discover your passion? For me it was simple. I went back to high school, even grade school and tried to remember when I was happiest. It sprung out at me without a great deal of thought—the athletics field. Physical education, recess, lunch hour, after-school sports. I spent every second chasing after balls or people, never sitting still for a minute. I still remember Mom reading the report cards from school, always a variation of the same theme, “Matt has a hard time being still and concentrating”. I still find it difficult to stand still. Why fight it? I now move for a living. A master? Maybe, but there is always something new to master.

A Shortcut on the Road to Mastery is an original post by Sensei Matt Klein.

Asparagus is now my favorite vegetable. I would never have known if I hadn't tried it. You must take a chance in life.

When I was a kid I hated asparagus. Why? I thought the name sounded awful. What a dumb reason!I tried it as an adult and it is now my favorite vegetable. I eat it three or four days a week. Same with baby spinach. I tried canned spinach as a child and hated it. Fresh spinach is worlds away from the canned variety. I just assumed that all spinach tasted the same. Big mistake.

The fact is, every thing you now enjoy was once a new experience. You now eat chocolate because you gave it a try years ago. You train in martial arts because you had the courage to try something new, even though at the back of your mind you thought, “maybe I’ll get hurt or look like a fool”. See my recent post, Martial Arts | Ego is Not Your Friend.

I never tried to draw anything for most of my 52 years of life. Why? Because someone at some stage of my early school years told me I was a “rubbish artist”. I believed it. Recently I tried Chinese Calligraphy and taught myself to draw using a tracing method. I’m not going to be another Picasso, but I’m not bad, and I’ve discovered calligraphy and drawing are very useful skills. And like the martial arts, these activities are very Zen in that you are “in the moment” when doing them. They are extremely relaxing activities.

I am now learning and teaching MMA. It has been especially rewarding as I can see how it ties everything together in the martial arts. It has given me new focus and enthusiasm for the martial arts and for learning. I’ve had parents tell me their children are really jazzed about MMA. A bonus—it gets you fit big time.

A wise teacher once said to me as a kid, “don’t waste your precious time watching other people live their lives on TV. Get out there and live your own! Take a chance and try something new. The world is a big place and there are many places to see and things to do. Your life will be better for it.

Years of training in martial arts make the student unlikely to forget his or her techniques in an emergency.

Do you ever forget your martial arts training?

Last month I ran into a father of one of my ex-students, who I have seen socially over the years. His daughter Jessie, was about eight years old when she started with us, and continued on until about eleven, when she dropped out as a green belt. High school became more demanding, and she was a very busy girl. I remember her as a conscientious, hard-working student with an excellent attitude, one who probably would have obtained her black belt if she had remained with us.

Jessie remembered her martial arts training

As we got to talking, the father said martial arts was the best thing for Jessie as it increased her self-confidence in a big way. He then told me a story about something that happened to Jessie, now 20, recently. At a nightclub, another girl started a fight with Jessie. Although Jessie did everything she could to avoid the confrontation, the girl took a swing at her. She responded by dropping the attacker with a front snap kick, knocking the wind out of her. She did not seriously hurt her, but after the kick, the girl wanted no part of Jessie.

This happened nine years after Jessie dropped out of karate. She remembered what we had taught her when it really mattered. The many hundreds of snap kicks Jessie performed in her classes years ago were part of her muscle memory. I was not surprised by this as I’ve had many students return to us after several years off, and they pick up where they left off amazingly fast.

Do you have any similar stories about remembering (or forgetting) martial arts training after several years? In an emergency, does it come back quickly for everyone or do most forget it? I would like to hear from you.