As athletes, we all have a wonderful opportunity to enjoy life by participating in the sports that we play. No effort or sacrifice seems too great when going down the ice and getting a chance to score or playing the game to its fullest.
The same philosophy should apply when training. Although there are no goals or accolades in the gym or on the field, the greatest gain is a sense of personal achievement through disciplining yourself to get better. Training is a commitment. It requires no less than your concentration, your effort, and your drive for the pursuit of personal achievement. Your Head, Body, and Soul need to be there when you play, when you train, and ultimately when you live.
Martial Arts are training systems for combat but more importantly for aligning the “Big Three” (Head, Body, Soul). At Painstation, we try to keep this in mind when we are training. Regardless of the exercise, we strive to be present and give our best effort.
Training is a method not only to improve your body’s ability to take on the challenges of your sport. It is also the way to train your mind to face challenges which ultimately takes concentration and courage (Mind and Soul). This is not to say that the intensity of the training sessions should always be 100%. However, the intent to give your best effort in a warm-up, stretch, main work, and cooldown should always be present. Life is meant to be lived, and if you are like many who feel that we only have one shot at it, then “THE TIME IS NOW”.
The greatest obstacle or adversary is not outside ourselves but rather within. Fear of “Pain” can stop us or it can drive us to new heights. Pain can come in many forms. The one form that most people think about is pain when we get when we get hurt or injured. Of course, we do not invite injuries and should not inflict needless suffering upon ourselves. Facing challenges however, like running faster or longer, by giving the extra effort when we are tired, by pushing through one last rep to the end and then adding a set, are all things that require us to break out of our comfort zone. Staying within our comfort zone is safe but defeats the purpose of training. Training is designed to transform you and make you stronger than you were previously. To only strengthen the body, is to only strengthen one third of ourselves.
What sacrifice are you willing to make to improve your skills as sportsmen and why play our games? The reason is that to play is to enjoy and live life to the fullest. To improve and continue to stay motivated requires effort in the face of adversity. “TRAINING IS THE WAY” to develop your Body, Mind, and Soul, in order to live life to the fullest. Happy Training!
David Arsenault
