So many times it seems we as humans miss those key points that facilitate amazing, near inexplicable progress. There are, undoubtedly, a myriad of reasons for this quagmire when considering human growth and progress. I’ve found, however, that people often suffer from a lack of progress because, frankly, they’ve become locked away in a prison of their own making. Frustration reigns. Motivation wanes. Learning comes to a halt.
On a very personal level, I’ve found that learning something – really absorbing something – requires a deep understanding that can only be accessed by teaching ourselves the answers.
That sounds nearly impossible, I know.
However, I’m not implying that we should teach ourselves the disciplines about which we know nothing. That’s absurd and foolish. And, in this context, Krav Maga and other martial arts for that matter, are nearly impossible to learn without first amassing substantial experience and years of reliable instructor feedback.
Rather, I’m suggesting that in conjunction with masterful coaching (borrowing a term from The Talent Code), we must each:
(1) Develop an effective paradigm for receiving and capturing information from trusted, authoritative sources (in this way we are borrowing or renting information), and
(2) Re-process the information in our own words, thoughts, nomenclature, and so on – until the information has become so very personalized that it seems we invented (in the case of Krav Maga) the technique in question.
When you reach this point, you are no longer renting information – you own it!
I try to teach each of my apprentices and instructors that owning a technique requires critical assessments, asking thoughtful questions, identifying issues in your performance, developing your own fixes (that is, to diagnose and prescribe), narrowing the possibilities and variations in your movement, and finally testing your theories (all within the bounds of a knowledge base defined, in this case, by Imi’s principles).
This process, particularly the mental aspect, is critical if you expect to flourish in an evolving system that aims to prepare practitioners for violence in its many changing forms. It’s perhaps even more important if you expect to make meaningful, consistent progress in an ever-changing world.
Going forward, firmly resolve to develop the skills necessary to move from simply renting your Krav Maga training to owning every technique. You’ll be amazed at the results.
…walk in peace
