Because we are always striving for mastery as the ultimate end goal, we can often overlook the small achievements we are making along the way because they seem insignificant.
When I first started Kung Fu I was quickly introduced to the front thrust kick. I was off balance, unstable, not very strong, etc, etc. I wasn't bringing my knee very high, kicking up instead of out, my foot form wasn't correct, and so on. Essentially, everything needed improvement. At the beginning, I mostly focused on maintaining my stability. I kept my knee and kick low enough so that they didn't impede this focus. Once my balance improved, I naturally aimed at bringing my knee higher into the crane, which meant I became off balance again for a while until I adjusted to that new height. Once I adjusted, I again made further improvements, throwing other things out of whack that I thought I had fixed....and it became a constant cycle. Because I was constantly fixing, adjusting, re-adjusting....in my mind, it seemed that I wasn't improving.
In relation to all of this, I reached out to Sifu Cosgrove to help me with my flexibility. Prior to developing a routine for me, she asked that I take a short video of several techniques so she could evaluate my current level. These included crane stance, side heel, front thrust, some flexibility stretches, etc. Four months later, she asked that I make a follow-up video to see my progress. After watching this second video I found myself very disappointed. It didn't seem as though I made any progress at all. I didn't see any decent kicks, and so ultimately I was very disappointed, especially since I had been very diligent with my training. After some thought (aka...a small pity party), I decided to look back at the original video, from 4 months previous, and compare it more closely to the second. I was surprised to see there were actually many big differences. When holding a crane stance, my knee was MUCH higher than the first time. This improvement also transferred to my front thrust kick. Overall I appeared much more stable and in control. I was starting to come back into a proper bow stance more consistently. My flexibility in the stretches had also improved. I quickly realized that only looking at the current video served no purpose if not compared in context with the last. Evaluating your ability today, isn't quite accurate without referencing where you were yesterday.
It has been another month since that last video. And coincidentally, I have been working on my side heel during this time. Due to Sifu Cosgrove's video, I have an excellent point of reference. So I decided to take yet another video to see if I've made any progress specifically with this kick. I've included two "still" frames below. These are both at the peak of my kick. When I was throwing these kicks today, I still recognized many things that need plenty of work, and I didn't feel (in the moment) as though I had accomplished anything great and wonderful......but once I compared the two, I was thrilled with how my hard work has paid off thus far. Going forward, I have decided to make regular videos so I can truly track my progress accurately and use all success, big or small, as motivation.
When I first started Kung Fu I was quickly introduced to the front thrust kick. I was off balance, unstable, not very strong, etc, etc. I wasn't bringing my knee very high, kicking up instead of out, my foot form wasn't correct, and so on. Essentially, everything needed improvement. At the beginning, I mostly focused on maintaining my stability. I kept my knee and kick low enough so that they didn't impede this focus. Once my balance improved, I naturally aimed at bringing my knee higher into the crane, which meant I became off balance again for a while until I adjusted to that new height. Once I adjusted, I again made further improvements, throwing other things out of whack that I thought I had fixed....and it became a constant cycle. Because I was constantly fixing, adjusting, re-adjusting....in my mind, it seemed that I wasn't improving.
In relation to all of this, I reached out to Sifu Cosgrove to help me with my flexibility. Prior to developing a routine for me, she asked that I take a short video of several techniques so she could evaluate my current level. These included crane stance, side heel, front thrust, some flexibility stretches, etc. Four months later, she asked that I make a follow-up video to see my progress. After watching this second video I found myself very disappointed. It didn't seem as though I made any progress at all. I didn't see any decent kicks, and so ultimately I was very disappointed, especially since I had been very diligent with my training. After some thought (aka...a small pity party), I decided to look back at the original video, from 4 months previous, and compare it more closely to the second. I was surprised to see there were actually many big differences. When holding a crane stance, my knee was MUCH higher than the first time. This improvement also transferred to my front thrust kick. Overall I appeared much more stable and in control. I was starting to come back into a proper bow stance more consistently. My flexibility in the stretches had also improved. I quickly realized that only looking at the current video served no purpose if not compared in context with the last. Evaluating your ability today, isn't quite accurate without referencing where you were yesterday.
It has been another month since that last video. And coincidentally, I have been working on my side heel during this time. Due to Sifu Cosgrove's video, I have an excellent point of reference. So I decided to take yet another video to see if I've made any progress specifically with this kick. I've included two "still" frames below. These are both at the peak of my kick. When I was throwing these kicks today, I still recognized many things that need plenty of work, and I didn't feel (in the moment) as though I had accomplished anything great and wonderful......but once I compared the two, I was thrilled with how my hard work has paid off thus far. Going forward, I have decided to make regular videos so I can truly track my progress accurately and use all success, big or small, as motivation.
July 8, 2020 Aug 4, 2020
I guess my main point is that because we are constantly striving to be better and continuously challenging our current skill level, it may not feel as though we've made much progress. In order to recognize your accomplishments, you need to remember where you started and ensure you are being fair in your self assessments. Don't overlook the small victories along the way....they are vital to reaching your end goal.
Awesome insights into THE journey! We often become so focused on where we want to go that we become discouraged when we are not there yet. That is why looking back to where we are coming from is very important. Like a GPS that is tracking our progress to our destination, that reference can go a long way in alleviating the "are we there yet?" self talk. As always, it is the quality of the journey (think struggle) because the destination should never be stationary. As you evolve, so will your goals and aspirations. The only people who have stationary goals are people who are not making progress toward them.
ReplyDeleteThis is the mindset and the strategy required to succeed.
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