Becoming Better at Hapkido Starts in Your Mind

Becoming Better at Hapkido Starts in Your Mind

At the beginning of the New Year everyone wants to start off the year strong, but it is finishing strong that is also important. Many goals are never reached because people get caught up in what is happening in their lives, and because they have not developed the mental strength to keep themselves going when the momentum from the New Year wears off.

A lot of getting yourself to your goals and surpassing them is about being mentally strong for when those hard moments hit. But being mentally stronger doesn’t mean it has to be a tough grind.

Becoming better and stronger at your Hapkido, doesn’t start in the Dojang. It starts in your mind. No matter what your goals are, you will need mental strength to get there.

Building mental strength is fundamental to improving your Hapkido. Just as you go to the gym and lift weights to build your muscles, you must also develop your mental health using mental tools and techniques.

Most people struggle with random thoughts that leap into our head unannounced. However, we can use meditative practices to assist us in reducing the impact these thoughts have on our Hapkido, as well as our daily lives.

Our thoughts and beliefs directly lead to our emotions, once we recognize how we think triggers our feelings, one of the practices we can utilize is meditation, to help us change the way we think.

Meditation is about training in awareness and getting a healthy sense of perspective. You are not trying to turn off your thoughts or feelings. You are learning to observe them without judgment.

Learning to meditate is like learning any other skill. Like looking deeply into a weapons drill or self-defense technique sequence. It takes consistent practice to get comfortable. And the goal of meditation is not to control your thoughts. It is to stop those thoughts from controlling you.

Mentally tough people know exactly what they want to achieve and are committed to making it happen. When you are committing to your training, you make decisions that will get you to your goal. When you are committed to yourself and continually show up to train, it is not a matter of if you accomplish your goal, but when.

Being motivated is not the answer either, it is too easy. You can read an inspiring article and get motivated. Motivation doesn’t keep you going. Commitment and discipline you do.

As a Hapkido practitioner, you must stay in the present moment, keep your focus on the things you can control, and not be distracted by everything life throws at you. However, it is not easy to stay in the present moment, as your mind tends to wander quite easily. Like everything in Hapkido that you must practice, being present, deliberate practice, which will help keep focus where it needs to be.

The road to success in Hapkido is never straightforward or easy. It is full of challenges that force you to make a choice between quitting and continuing. These crossroads separate the mentally tough from the mediocre.

To become the best Hapkido practitioner you can be, you need to overcome your weakness says and look at your failure straight in the eye. You need to keep on pushing yourself to the limit, stepping out of your comfort zone. This is the only way to take your Hapkido journey to the next level.

About the author: Richard Hackworth is a multi-arts Grand Master who has dedicated his life to the research and development of the martial arts lifestyle. He is the author of the book, Be a Life Champion: The Martial Arts Way. Hackworth is the host of the annual USA Hapkido Union Instructors Certification Course and Dan Rank Exam held in Florida. To reach him for information on seminars, private lessons, or business coaching email him direct at richardhackworth2@gmail.com .

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