How to be a Great Student--}#3 Always be a White Belt

Greetings!


Did you get a chance to train with Professor Sauer this past weekend? If you did, I truly hope you can appreciate the level of instruction you received. If not, don't worry! He comes every year! Be sure to mark it on your calendar of things to do in 2012! I talk about this today, because it fits perfectly into this series of articles I've been writing, designed to help you to be a Great Student. This past weekend, I was not the teacher...I was the student. And as such, I followed the rules of BEING Great student. 1.) I had a purpose=>Get better at Rear Naked Choke. 2.) Ask Questions=>I took a private with Professor and asked him key questions about challenges I was having with my technique. 3.) I had my "mental white belt" on that day=> I approached my training like a beginner. Wanting to know anything and everything that Professor was willing to share.

Number 3 is our topic today. Always being a white belt. What do I mean by that? Well, think about your 1st day of training in the martial arts. EVERYTHING was new. You were a virtual sponge. Trying to soak up as much knowledge as you could. The challenge is, as we progress in the martial arts, we tend to forget to be that sponge. Sometimes, we think "we know something"...like a punch or a submission, or a takedown. We take for granted that we have "learned it before" and we don't "work on it" anymore. This is a critical mistake to becoming Great in the martial arts.

Let me take a moment to use my definition of "advanced techniques"--Ehem...Basic moves with more intricate details. Ok...that's it. Not superman punch, flying armbar, or spinning wheel kick. I'm talking the most basic moves...just done on a more intricate level. A level of knowledge that allows you to perform it on anyone. Even someone who knows the technique and has ways to defend it. When you have the ability to make your moves work on skilled students, you REALLY are getting good. But...how in the world do you accomplish that?? Always be a white belt.

Each and every day you come to train, look at moves as if you have never done them before. Be in constant search of refining them. Polish them, just like a diamond. Listen to your intructor as if it were your first class. That's what I do. When Professor talks, I just sit and listen. There is so much wisdom and intelligence being spoken that I don't want to miss any detail.

Remember, the day you stop being a "student" is the day you stop learning. None of us can achieve perfection...but to quote Vince Limbardi, "If we chase perfection, we can catch excellence." Practice each day as if it were your first. Absorb, listen, and learn. Take your time and polish your moves. Try to catch excellence.

I truly hope you gained benefit from this today!

All the Best!
COACH