Have you ever had this thought creep into your head when training, or something like it?
“Man, I really suck at this Muay Thai thing. I always make the same mistakes. I get my butt kicked in sparring, and while it seems like people around me are getting better, I’m staying the same.”
^^This thought isn’t just common in Muay Thai, it’s virtually common in every martial art (particularly ones that test you with sparring).
And the truth is, many people experience this thought mostly because of one thing.
Ego.
You’ve heard it before, and maybe you need to hear it again from another perspective. But the truth is, nobody really cares about how good you are at Muay thai or any martial art. Nobody cares when you get a technique wrong, or the coach has to correct you for the 100th time. Nobody cares if you get dropped in sparring, or gas out after rounds on the bag and have to sit out.
Nobody cares.
Now that you’ve acknowledged that, here is the most important thing you remember.
At the end of the day, EVERYONE sucks at muay thai. How? Because there will always be a bigger fish so to speak. You may feel like a king at one gym, and then a peasant at another. (Which in my opinion, makes Muay thai so much fun, because there’s always bigger hills to climb, even after decades of training).
Here’s what YOU should care about.
– Am I better than the last time I trained? (NOTE: The only person you should compare yourself is you, not the guy next to you)
– Am I giving it my 100% effort every time I come or am I holding back effort?
– Am I training for something or just going through the motions? Your goal DOESN”T have to be fighting. It can be getting in shape, losing pounds, or simply being consistent with a habit. Those are all wins. In fact, those carry you more in life than having a fighting career. More on that in another blog post.
– Am I obsessed with outcomes, or learning to love the process?
^^^ This last one I want to go a little deeper. I can tell you from experience, that there will come a point in which you may get bored with Muay Thai. I experienced this with Taekwondo. I simply got bored after 20 years of doing it, not because I couldn’t find a challenge, but because I had gone from loving the training to hating it, simply because the art became more about achievement rather than development. This is why I was drawn to muay thai, it wasn’t about a belt, but simply having fun. Taekwondo unfortunately has a reputation for being a belt driven art. More on that in another blog post.
So next time that thought creeps in your head, put things into a healthy perspective and know that this life is very short. Don’t waste it being negative. You don’t benefit from it, and neither does it glorify your Creator when you dwell on negative things.
Hope you all have a good holy week, and a blessed easter!
– Coach Kelley