As a Karate Practitioner for nearly 35 yrs in Shotokan Karate, Ju Jitsu and Self Defense, one rule I’ve learned that nearly always makes things work is “People move away from Pain and towards Pleasure”. If you keep this rule in mind, it will make nearly any Martial Art work better. If you twist their wrist in one direction they will move that way. If you kick them in the groin, their head will come down and you can follow with the strike du jour.
In life that rule is ever so applicable. When we touch something hot we jerk away. When someone hurts our feelings, we may not go around that person again. When we have an ache or pain we favor that spot. The things we like give us pleasure will drive us. So how do we work at something that occasionally hurt or make us tired like running, working out or doing marital arts. It is about what you attach pleasure to. Everyone knows what a athlete, runner or weight lifter looks like. The tiredness can be overlooked when we believe that we’ve make gains towards our improved look. That sore muscle is actually a pleasure when you know that it means a bigger, harder, stronger muscle. It’s easy to accept the pain of training when you have the dream and the drive!
I’ve asked new students if pain is good or bad and they almost always answer bad. Then I’ll explain that because of pain you would never leave you hand on something that was real hot or you’ll stop if you break you arm or sprain you ankle. If you continued to play or train with an injury, you could make it much worse. After this explanation I ask again, “Is pain good or bad?” and guess what their answer is. Good.
It’s all how you frame things. If you say wow, that hurt, I am getting stronger, you can accept the pain of the workout. I’ve never smoked so I don’t know what effort it may take to quit smoking, but I do know one thing. Smoking makes very dependent on an outside influence. The dependency doesn’t give the pleasure it give pain. Satisfying the dependency gives pleasure. So the cycle is formed. If you suddenly hate the dependency and hate the affect that cigarettes can do for your health then you can begin. You must make the dependency a painful thing to you. The ill health, cost and the constant inconvenience of having to stop what you are doing just to smoke a cigarette just to fulfill that dependency. Not to mention the constant smell of cigarette on your clothes and breath and hair. You must attach pain to all of these things. You cannot continue to make excuses and stop the practice of smoking. You cannot attach pleasure to smoking and stop. You can no longer like it and expect to be able to quit.
This same thing goes for winning and losing. I hate to tell a kid not to cry when they loose. I don’t want them to loose that desire to win. If you tell them it’s ok to loose then they may never become a winner. If you want to be a champion, you have to hate losing. Losing has to be painful because we move away from pain and toward pleasure.
Strive to win because that will bring you pleasure!
Shihan Perry Culver
Culver Karate Club
Connellsville PA
