Here are five tips to help you make the most out of training with Living Sword Karate whether you are enrolled in our Karate program, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or our Muay Thai Kickboxing classes.

  1. Listen to you instructors – Maybe you’ve come in after a long day at work or this is an early morning class before you hit the grind and its hard to focus, but your instructor is there to teach so pay attention to what she or he has to say. Pay particular attention to the questions other students have because if you are new to the technique you will likely face those same problems soon enough.
  2. Ask questions – Don’t be afraid to speak up and ask questions about a technique your instructor demonstrated or even something you saw online. The people around you are also a good resource to help you learn and to weed out good information from the noise.
  3. Set goals – If you don’t know where you are going you’ll never get there. It’s easy to chase the belt in a martial arts class but it is better to set some goals that have more to do with learning technique or building your fitness than with rank. Remember you are earning rank based on what you know, and the belt will never grant knowledge or experience.
  4. Establish a routine – Good habits are essential to achieve anything, and martial arts training is no exception. Whether you hit every morning class or come out two evenings a week you must be consistent or it will be too easy to quit training. If your schedule changes, make a conscious change to your training routine too so you aren’t left just trying to fit something in.
  5. Build the right mindset – Most of us at one time or another have a fixed mindset where we believe that our basic qualities such as intelligence, talents and abilities are just fixed traits. It can take time to shift into a growth mindset but if we believe that our talents and abilities can be developed over time we can combat those thoughts like “I’m just not good at cardio,” or “I’m just not quick on my feet,” that only serve to hold us back. Those things may be true now, but they aren’t fixed and you can work on them and see real improvements.

For more information about starting martial arts with Living Sword, whether you are interested in Muay Thai Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, or Shotokan Karate please contact Living Sword here.

Our karate program meets in the evenings at Covenant United Methodist Church and Saturday at Advent Presbyterian Church. Kickboxing meets in the mornings at Advent and we’ll be adding evening classes soon. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu meets in the mornings and evenings at Advent as well as Saturdays. For more complete schedule information visit our schedule page.