𝐊𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐟𝐟: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬⁣⁣

𝐊𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐟𝐟: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬⁣⁣

By Restita R. DeJesus⁣⁣

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Martial arts isn’t just about punches and kicks—it’s also about growing stronger on the inside. But sometimes, that inner strength gets tested when students feel impatient with themselves… or embarrassed when something doesn’t go perfectly in class.⁣⁣

And guess what? That’s totally okay.⁣⁣

Whether you're a kid in Mighty Mites class or an Adult in the Adults classes, wearing a brown belt or tying your white one for the first time, here’s some ways I've learned through the years, how to deal with those “uh-oh” feelings and keep moving forward like a champ.⁣

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💢 “𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐈 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭?!”⁣⁣

Let’s face it—martial arts can be tough. Whether you're learning a new kata, trying a new self defense drill or practicing that spinning kick that keeps making you fall down… frustration and impatience are totally normal.⁣⁣

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🥋 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞:⁣⁣

𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐭: When you feel like shouting "UGH!", take a slow breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Black belts don't just breathe when they're punching—they breathe when they’re thinking, too.⁣⁣

𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: I sometimes tell my kids classes to think of training like leveling up in a video game. You don’t go from level 1 to level 10 in one jump! Every practice is XP.⁣⁣

𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 “𝐘𝐞𝐭” 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫: Instead of saying “I can’t do it,” try saying “I'm not good at it YET, but i'll meet the challenge until I'm good at it.” That little word turns a wall into a stepping stone.  We say "Challenge Accepted!" instead of "I can't" at our school.⁣⁣

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😳 “𝐈 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐔𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞…”⁣⁣

Maybe you tripped during a form. Or your kiai came out like a squeaky hiccup. Or you forgot the moves right in front of your classmates. Embarrassment happens—even to the grown-ups!⁣⁣

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🧠 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐎𝐟𝐟 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭:⁣⁣

𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟: Martial arts teaches confidence. And confidence means being able to chuckle when you fall, then pop back up and continue working.  ⁣⁣

𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐈𝐬 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬: Even the person with the highest rank once forgot their left from their right. Everyone in class is learning something—mistakes are just part of the lessons. Everyone is learning, and you're not expected to be perfect.⁣⁣

𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦:  I know it's hard to not get embarrased when you fall short, but keep in mind that when everyone else is concentrating on their own corrections and workouts, no one will judge you, much less see that you made a mistake. ⁣⁣

     Embarrassment, many times, is a result of believing there is a threat to your reputation or image ("I'm a blue belt, I should know this move! Now everyone will think I'm not a blue belt!"),  and being fearful about judgement or being though of as "less than".  As I always remind students, "I made a lot of mistakes and had a difficult time with plenty of techniques....and here I am. You can be 'here' too!"⁣⁣

𝐁𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞’𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥: When other students see you bounce back from a mistake, they learn that it’s okay to mess up and keep trying. You just became a silent sensei.⁣⁣

      I had a student assistant in my kid's classes who became a die-hard example for the kids and adult students. Sometimes he would fall behind during a cadence exercise, sometimes he forgot moves to a kata, sometimes he led a completely different kata than the one I requested. However, upon correction, he would straighten up, say "Yes, Thank you Sifu!" and keep going.  No tears, no sulking in the corner.  He received a holiday gift from several students that year....all Xmas cards thanking him for being a great example. That's one of the occasions when you know you've made an impact.⁣⁣

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💡 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬⁣⁣

Martial arts isn’t just about the style you do or the moves you practice—it’s about who you become as you practice. That includes learning patience, resilience, and courage, even when it’s uncomfortable. Even when you think you've hit a plateau....or hit a wall that you can't break through.⁣⁣

Feeling impatient? That just means you care and want to do well.⁣ Just remember though.....that skill takes time.⁣

Feeling embarrassed? That means you tried—and trying is where growth begins.⁣ Your classmates won't judge you.⁣

So bow in, breathe deep, and remember:⁣⁣

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭.⁣⁣ 

Mistakes? We make 'em.⁣⁣

Feelings? We feel 'em.⁣⁣

Progress? We earn it—one step, stumble, and smile at a time.⁣⁣

Martial arts teaches us to face the world with grace, even when our gi is crooked, our belt fall off our waist during class, or having those days where we get tired easily. Shake it off and keep training.⁣⁣

And that, is a superpower.