90% of YOUR TRAINING

 by Phillip Starr

Many years ago, one of my students told me that he believed 90% of a student's training occurs outside of the training hall/class. Of course, he was 100% correct! And yet, the vast majority of students engage in little or no training outside of class. They provide many varied reasons for this such as work, family, and so on...but that doesn't change the fact that they're missing out on 90% of their training. As sensei Mark Uchida (who is, I believe, the highest authority on iaido in this country) remarked, “The dojo is a merely place where you try out what you have been practicing.”

I have had to deal with these things in my own life; I worked (often an overnight shift) as a peace officer, I had children (and I never missed any of their school or social events!), injuries, illnesses, and all the rest...but I always managed to find a way to train everyday. It was simply a question of how badly I wanted to learn and develop skill. Had my desire for knowledge and skill been small, I could easily have found excuses to miss out on practice.

I recall two students who were learning the same taijiquan set. One of them noticed, “Jim and I started at the same time but he's already completed the form. I have a ways to go yet...” I told him that I knew they'd started learning the form at the same time. “But”, I replied, “Jim practices every day. Every. Day.” The student who had asked why he wasn't further along than his friend almost never practiced outside of class. The difference in their progress was galaxies apart...

It isn't necessary to spend huge amounts of time everyday in your personal training. 30 minutes will do. Surely, you have 30 minutes to spare each day! I have found that it's the best way to stay fit (for your particular martial discipline) physically, mentally, and emotionally. I remember back when I entered college my father (who knew nothing about martial arts except that I loved them), who was always a stickler for high grades, told me that I should study for no more than an hour at home...then I was to practice my martial arts for at least 15-20 minutes before sitting down to hit the books again. “It'll sweep the cobwebs out of your brain”, he said. And he was right. And he insisted that I rise early every morning so that I could get in at least 30 min. of practice before heading off the school. It would prepare my mind and body for the day.

I've maintained that same discipline for most of my life. Won't you join me?