How you practice is how you perform

This credo was first shared with me early in my training in taekwando at DeSantos Martial Arts, by one of the instructors whom I admire the most -- mostly because he embodies this sentiment. When you first start applying it to your approach to martial arts you realize how vital it is: you cannot expect to perform at a high level, if you don't practice at that level regularly, and systematically.

I found myself coaching some great kids yesterday at a tournament. They were amazing in how they stepped up to perform in what for many of them was an unfamiliar setting. But my mind kept coming back to this lesson throughout the day. They were all performing really, really well -- but most were unprepared for what they were facing. The kind of tournament they were competing in was of a different quality then they were used to, and it showed in their performance. Which made me come back to Sir Tran's lesson -- if they want to perform differently in this kind of environment, they will have to refine their approach to their training.

And because the best lessons of the martial arts apply outside the confines of the mat, I have come to see how my everyday behaviour ends up determining how I perform. I can't expect to get different results if I keep doing the same things all the time.

It seems a truism -- what you've done in the past is what you'll do in the future (unless you choose to change your behaviour). But first you have to recognize that change is necessary.

Again, more on this later...