It doesn't take 100% effort

[Tony Dismukes]

Not disagreeing with anyone who has said they see folks with talent quit and folks without natural talent stick it out. I don’t doubt that you have.

However, there’s a lot of bias in the thread ignoring all the people with no talent who quit and all the very talented people who end up being high level practitioners and elite level athletes.

I don’t believe talent (or lack of) is any kind of reliable indicator of grit, patience, determination, or any other relevant trait. Just seeing a theme in a couple of the posts in the thread.

I agree, but I wasn’t interpreting anyone as saying that talented individuals are more likely to drop out than the less talented. Just that when they do, they will eventually be outpaced by those less talented people who don’t quit.

Just from personal experience, I’ve managed to surpass many training partners who had much more ability but didn’t stick around for the long haul.

Of course there are also super-talented practitioners who work their asses off and also train consistently their whole lives. I’m never catching up to those guys.

 

[Steve]

I agree, but I wasn’t interpreting anyone as saying that talented individuals are more likely to drop out than the less talented. Just that when they do, they will eventually be outpaced by those less talented people who don’t quit.

Just from personal experience, I’ve managed to surpass many training partners who had much more ability but didn’t stick around for the long haul.

Of course there are also super-talented practitioners who work their asses off and also train consistently their whole lives. I’m never catching up to those guys.

Totally. As I said, I’m not disagreeing with anyone. I am just posting a friendly PSA. This is a pretty common lie people tell themselves. It’s along the lines of how smart people don’t have common sense, pretty people are shallow, and so on.

 

[Steve]

I agree, but I wasn’t interpreting anyone as saying that talented individuals are more likely to drop out than the less talented. Just that when they do, they will eventually be outpaced by those less talented people who don’t quit.

Just from personal experience, I’ve managed to surpass many training partners who had much more ability but didn’t stick around for the long haul.

Of course there are also super-talented practitioners who work their asses off and also train consistently their whole lives. I’m never catching up to those guys.

Sorry. Read a little closer. I thought you were saying this isn’t what you meant.

Some folks appear to be saying this very thing. Not you and I’m specifically not trying to call anyone in particular out. But there are a few posts that are pretty clearly implying this very thing.

 

[Holmejr]

Wow! Super post. We have two students that have been with us a few years now. Strong, but not necessarily athletic, took a long time to get basics, but dedicated to the task. Both of these students and one in particular is brick house strong and we always said “when he starts to put this stuff together, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with!” Well within the last year or so, after a lot of “relax” and “breath” encouragement, they’ve really started to get the picture, not just with stiff straining motions, but with relaxed confident fluidity, that when combined with natural strength make them dangerous. Now it’s becoming more and more important to teach them how to throttle the intensity based on the level of threat. Watching the progression has been a joy and a bit painful…

remember those baby Huey cartoons….

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Wow! Super post. We have two students that have been with us a few years now. Strong, but not necessarily athletic, took a long time to get basics, but dedicated to the task. Both of these students and one in particular is brick house strong and we always said “when he starts to put this stuff together, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with!” Well within the last year or so, after a lot of “relax” and “breath” encouragement, they’ve really started to get the picture, not just with stiff straining motions, but with relaxed confident fluidity, that when combined with natural strength make them dangerous. Now it’s becoming more and more important to teach them how to throttle the intensity based on the level of threat. Watching the progression has been a joy and a bit painful…

remember those baby Huey cartoons….

One of my sensei always refers to the "sprinkled with dust by the karate fairy" to explain that moment when it all seems to come together.

 

[Holmejr]

One of my sensei always refers to the "sprinkled with dust by the karate fairy" to explain that moment when it all seems to come together.

Haha, it is a pleasure to witness those watershed moments when students click. My instructor is still waiting for mine…

 

[HighKick]

Controversial take.

It doesn't take superhuman effort to become a good martial artist. It doesn't take talent.

It takes a good learning environment with good instructors in a good art.

It takes the willingness to invest time and effort in learning. But it doesn't have to leave you gutted. That's a good way to decide it's too hard to keep doing it. It doesn't have to leave you injured from over straining yourself. That's another good route to quitting due to constant injuries.

What it takes is steady effort, but not superhuman effort. Give yourself permission to suck, but seek incremental improvement. Over time, you'll get better and faster and your skills will improve, but time and practice are the keys to success.

Be willing to let the process take as long as it takes. That period of time will be different for everyone.

I have seen so many highly-talented people start and make quick progress and then quit. I've seen many more who just basically have no natural talent whatsoever persevere and become excellent martial artists. They all seem to have the same attitude. They'll get there eventually; then they do.
.
Don't kill yourself. Just relax, keep training, and let it happen.

Great post.

It is hard as an instructor/school owner to offer classes to cover the spectrum of what people want based on ability.
I fully agree the 'normal' class should push and encourage Everyone to work hard, but it should be done at a pace and intensity level that is reasonable for most everyone. And it is imperative for people to feel comfortable with taking a break if needed.
We do have classes for people who want to push themselves harder, and for elite students and our competitors. In a nutshell, the other side of the spectrum however there are common denominators such as taking a blow when needed. No harm, no foul. Knowing where your limit is is more important than anything else. The goal for our advances/competitors classes is to always move the gauge on where ones limit is.