ABSOLUTE ASCENDANCY

Commencing operation . . .

Overview

The dojo I train at has been getting a slow stream of new recruits in recent weeks. This is perhaps caused by a conscious shift towards healthy living, inspired by the coronavirus pandemic. I suspect my Shihan has been doing some advertising behind the scenes also to help drive up the numbers.

In any event, fresh blood is a good thing. It breathes new life into what could otherwise become a mundane environment. I am often tasked with helping new students train, and I suspect this is due to a combination of my vast technical knowledge of the martial arts as well as my long term standing in the dojo itself. 

Know Your Limits

I was teaching some basic kickboxing drills with one of the new recruits, and I threw one of my roundhouse kicks a little too hard. She didn’t collapse or anything, but she buckled slightly. I thought I barely touched her, but that’s a lesson for me to take away to be mindful of my strength.

Anyway, we continued training for a bit longer, but then she started becoming short of breath, somewhat rapidly. I pushed her for one more combination, which she managed but then agreed to take a rest on the bench.

She apologised and then started to explain how she’s had breathing difficulties for a long time. Initially, it was thought it to be asthma, but it seemed to be scar tissue damage on one of her lungs, caused by an infection she had as a kid.

I sympathised with her. I too had breathing difficulties throughout most of my life, caused by a severe case of asthma. It wasn’t until my early twenties that I was able to overcome it finally.

I wish I had known about her circumstances from the outset. I may not have pushed her so hard. At least no serious harm was caused, but it was my fault for not checking beforehand.

After exchanging stories, my instructor came by, and I explained she needed to catch her breath. To which he replied it was good of her to know her limitations. That got me thinking about the article I wrote a while ago about perseverance and preservation.

I’ve pushed myself too hard in the past and paid the price for it. Around five years ago, I overtrained and sprained my ankle weeks before a karate competition. Needless to say, my performance at that event was subpar, as there’s not a whole lot the body can do when movement is crippled.

At any rate, we got back to training for a bit longer, took another break and then ended the class with a final combination.

Conclusion

It is essential to know your limitations, not only for the sake of self-preservation but also to know when you can push yourself further. Like many things in life, it is all about striking the right balance. Sometimes you can ramp up to high gear and blaze a trail, but other times, you have to take it nice and slow like meandering through a windy path.   

Mission complete – Overlord Drakow signing out.