A frankness that might annoy you
Such a direct question requires a likewise straight answer: you. If you ask yourself how long does it take to become a martial arts expert, it means you are already wasting your time.
Sorry to be honest, but if you are reading this, probably you are worried about how much you will have to give up in your life in order to accomplish such a tough task. Said this, we want to make things easy for you, so here you go what you need to know if you really want to become a Martial Arts Expert.
Student: How long does it take to become a martial arts expert? Master: Thinking about time will lead you to lose sight of your mission…
Generally speaking, the time it takes to become a Martial Arts Expert is subject to the following aspects:
- Motivation: Why you want this so bad?
- Time: Are you ready to dedicate a lot of time to this dream of yours? Are you ready to take time from other important things in your life?
- Curiosity: Martial Arts, like everything in life, are in constant change: if you don’t have the right attitude to things (in terms of approach) – believe me – you won’t last long. Be a dreamer, and never take things for granted: if a technique is given to you to be performed infinite times, well, go deeper in that technique and make it your technique! Be curious and never stop asking “why”.
- Getting used to pain: yes, don’t think that your video-game will always give you the first level of Super Mario Bros: be ready to face hard times, be ready to increase your workout load, and above all, be ready to suffer more.
Martial Arts Explained wants you to consider yourself as a versatile Martial Artist, just like a child: always asking and always experimenting, because this is the way of the warrior.
Pioneers of risk.
Never forget that if Cristoforo Colombo didn’t dare to go against the box-like views of that time, risking his own life to explore an opposite direction to the one it was commonly accepted at that time (1492), today we wouldn’t have America, as well as many other countries that were afterwards discovered by other great sailors who where inspired just by Colombo! Places like there are just there to be discovered, so don’t be afraid, and risk! Furthermore, Martial Arts are based on risk, so what’s the problem? Embrace them fully!
The right Mind-set.
You think you can handle all the above points so far…? Probably you haven’t taken in consideration the hardest of all aspects: a correct mind-set. If you don’t prepare your mind to get through hard times, I promise you won’t last long: if you want to know how to overcome its limits and build a tough mind, check this out: we are sure it will help you in your journey.
A question that not Everyone is ready to answer.
The above points can be considered golden rules, and effectively being applied regardless of the Martial Style you want to study: it is clear that a style that involves more aspects like weapons, acrobatics, or qigong practice will require more effort from you, as more will be the units of competency to focus on. Martial Arts Explained knows that, and cares about you planning your daily training in the most efficient way possible, so we strongly recommend you to stop for a second and wonder:
What is the purpose of this huge commitment of mine in Martial Arts? What do I want to achieve in Martial Arts? What are Martial Arts for me?
Be honest to yourself, as this answer can only lead to two outcomes:
- you will stop after a week
- that answer will take you to become what you really wanted to be.
