In sports, even at the professional level, athletes report for annual Spring Training or Summer Camp. And while they are there, they work on something called “the basics.”
The basics are the foundation of success. Master them – then master them some more. And whenever you find yourself lagging in your field, if you go back and review the basics, more than likely you’ll find your problem there.
The other day I received an email from an idiot. He claimed that I over-charged for my Combat Conditioning book and DVDs because half of the information he had already learned in his kung fu class. Well, goodie goodie for him.
But the real question is not “Have you seen this already?” The real question is: Are you doing this? In his case, the answer is ‘NO.’ He supposedly KNOWS but does not DO. Well, I’m sorry but those who do not DO – do not KNOW. It would be like me watching tai chi – then saying “I know that stuff.” Yet, anyone who is a serious practitioner of the art knows that you need to practice it daily – and that even when you’ve been training in it for a couple decades, you are still finding areas you need to improve.
Areas for improvement are “as limitless as the ocean.”
I can say the same about the Royal Court from Combat Conditioning. There are three exercises in the Royal Court. They are Hindu squats, Hindu pushups and bridging. I’ve been training in them for many years now, and through my books, DVD’s and seminars – have taught hundreds of thousands of people how these exercises should be done. Yet, when I conduct seminars, I can find something for each person I meet that he or she could improve upon.
The same goes for myself. When I do these exercises I find that the depth of them is boundless. A simple change in breathing can bring forth a profound difference in how the exercise hits me. Or a change in foot position or hand position. Or a change in what I am picturing in my mind whilst I train.
Some years ago I was flying home from Phoenix, Arizona. Seated next to me was a competitive triathlete. We spoke non-stop for nearly four hours, and I took note of many things she said about training and locked them into my repertoire. One of them was as follows: “When things get tough and I think I can’t go on, I just picture a waterfall and then I have more energy and am able to endure.”
Hmmm, I thought. Wonder how that would work with Hindu squats and pushups?
In my very next workout, I used the waterfall visualization. All I could think after doing a record number of reps was “WOW.” Now that’s freaking good.
The above illustrates why I don’t take anyone seriously who says, “I already learned that in grade school, high school, the army, kung fu class” – and so on. Learning is one thing. DOING is quite another.
And the prizes in life, the great rewards – they go to the DOERS. Be one of them. Get my Combat Conditioning book and DVDs and change your life for the better.
Kick ass – take names!