Role Model

What examples do you set at practice?

It's easy as human beings to think other people aren't doing things the "right" way. But ask yourself, would you want a group with people who do what you do? Behave how you behave?

Think about how you act in your group during practice. Are you easily distracted or looking for reasons to be distracted? Are you always trying to tell jokes or make conversation? Are you so focused on your technique that you're not aware of what's going on around you? Do you approach drills like they're a chore?

Over the years I've had to address a lot of my bad habits at practice, both at karate and taiko. Sometimes I got called out for them, other times I was able to step back and see them for myself. Are there still some that I need to address? Yep. Am I trying? Yep. Is it easy? Nope.

A good test for whether a trait is detrimental to a practice or not is to ask yourself, "what if everyone did this?" If that's too unrealistic for you, then ask, "would new members to the group get in trouble if they did this?" Aside from what hierarchical or seniority protocols a group might have, it should be pretty easy to answer those questions.