So the other day I saw another movie centered on the famous Wing Chun master, Ip Man (played by Dennis To), called "The Legend is Born: Ip Man". It struck me how Man's dedication and passion from a young age allowed him to soar in skill above all his other peers, eventually spreading Wing Chun all around the world as well as teaching Bruce Lee.
I know a lot of people who do martial arts, but one thing that always makes me a little sad is how they do it. Most of them seem to only go through the motions, even when they become black belts. I see a lot of the same thing in high school as well, where even those considered the smartest are still going through the motions.
It says something about how school and many martial arts places work though, when one can go through the motions and get straight A's or get a black belt. You go to school, take notes, do your homework, study, rinse and repeat. There's no real spirit or chi power as it would be called in martial arts.
It says something about how school and many martial arts places work though, when one can go through the motions and get straight A's or get a black belt. You go to school, take notes, do your homework, study, rinse and repeat. There's no real spirit or chi power as it would be called in martial arts.
How then, are you supposed to break out of just going through the motions? It seems to take you pretty far already, so why bother?
Deliberate actions will take you so much further than going through the actions. You may be able to kick, but does your kick have speed or power? Can your kick break through wood? Can you use just your palm to break through a concrete block by just going through the motions? Similarly, are you using those Spanish vocabulary words to just pass the quiz, or are you actually learning them and becoming more fluent?
You could just go through the motions, or you could actually benefit from what you're doing and put some effort. You don't know if what you're learning is applicable to real life? Go look up how it can be used, and start actually using it.
There's a culture of laziness being bred, and I encourage you to break out of the system. Be like Ip Man, because I assure you, you'll get a lot more out of trying then just going through the motions.
-Kevin
Deliberate actions will take you so much further than going through the actions. You may be able to kick, but does your kick have speed or power? Can your kick break through wood? Can you use just your palm to break through a concrete block by just going through the motions? Similarly, are you using those Spanish vocabulary words to just pass the quiz, or are you actually learning them and becoming more fluent?
You could just go through the motions, or you could actually benefit from what you're doing and put some effort. You don't know if what you're learning is applicable to real life? Go look up how it can be used, and start actually using it.
There's a culture of laziness being bred, and I encourage you to break out of the system. Be like Ip Man, because I assure you, you'll get a lot more out of trying then just going through the motions.
-Kevin