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It happens to the best of us: we get caught up in the process of going to the dojo, putting on our uniforms, warming up, practicing techniques, etc. We get lost in the ritual of training and the time flies by. Unless we make a concerted effort, it can be difficult to focus on the fundamental skills and habits that make everything else work.
Just a Quick Fix
And that’s actually the first tip: keep a training journal.
This week, I want you to remember to relax. It’s probably the most common advice in the world as it can pertain to anything we do in life. Of course, learning to relax can improve your relationships, your health, and your mood. But what we’re most interested in here is how relaxation can improve our…
Everyone knows that breathing is important in Taido, just as in… well, pretty much everything. Learning to use your breath is a big part of Taido’s taiki (“body energy”) idea. Every hokei includes techniques for learning to master the breath, and we all know what it feels like to be “out of breath.” This tip…
Work on your balance. Everyone knows that balance is important, especially in sports. Most sports movements take place on one leg, or by transitioning the weight from one leg to another. This means shifting our balance. In Taido, the balance shifting is extremely important since we use dynamic, full-body movement through all three dimensions. Learning…
By now, you should have incorporated regular logging of your training. You’ve probably noticed that you can move better when you’re relaxed and that you can relax easier when you breathe. If you’ve been doing the balance drills and dynamic swings in your warm-ups, your kicks will have begun to show increased speed and control….
I hope you’re putting these tips to good use and beginning to see results in your training. This time, I want to give you a little advice on stretching that you can apply in every practice. As in the last tip on balance, I mentioned this one in my warm-up article. I’m repeating it here…
