I’m excited to announce the June KravMaga 21 challenge, for Krav Maga Experts’ students to make a commitment to take at least 21 online Krav Maga classes overall. We started the count from June 1st.
21 classes (all classes count, including power and mobility and stretch) Those who complete the challenge will get a special surprise from me. That means you need to commit to five classes per week plus six extra as a bonus. (You know how I love to give you 10-second bonuses. Be grateful it’s only six this time. It will go up in the future) Hopefully, you can do one a day, but if you need to alter your schedule to double up on classes some days because you can’t practice on certain days, no problem. There are many paths for success, find yours.
I wanted this challenge to start simple. Do more classes. I just read a YouGov study, where it said 50% of Americans made the New Years Resolution to work out more. I think that is a great goal for us to begin with because it’s not complicated and it’s achievable.
Success is all about being consistent and showing up. That’s the secret of progression, both physically and mentally. Once you create good momentum, keep going. Losing that momentum is very easy. We all have reasons to not show up. However, progress in that forward momentum requires determination and consistency and making it a part of your schedule. We cannot allow Covid-19 to get in the way of our Self Defense training.
Best of all, because we’re training online, the commute is excellent. No worries about trains running late, you just have to open your computer and log in.
So I want all of the students to take this new month to be committed to yourself, and embrace a path of self-discipline and motivation. These past few months have been very difficult, and that has taken a toll on our health. Beginning in March, people’s physical activity in New York dropped by 50%.
Set this challenge up for yourself. Commit to yourself that you will take the time to do this. Have the intention that this is going to be a time of tremendous personal growth and then follow through. The secret is to register for these classes in advance and put it into your calendar. Block out the time (and ten minutes before to get ready) and make it clear that during those times, you are busy and are not to be disturbed. Remember, It is your time for yourself and yourself only.
Use your time efficiently during this challenge. After every class, write down three things you did well at and three things you’d like to improve on. Also, it would be a great idea if you shared that with us, your teachers. We would love to know what you are working on, so we can provide feedback and cover material in classes. Remember, if you are struggling with something, it’s almost certain other students are struggling as well. All the teachers want to make the classes as effective for you as possible, but we can’t read minds. Even if you’re normally shy, you don’t have to ask questions in front of the class, you can email us personally. Please, reach out to us because we want to help you be the best you can be, and make sure our lessons reflect your needs. (Also, we really do miss you, so it makes our day to hear that you are training hard and want to learn more, and to be able to help you)
This is also a great time to try new teachers and new classes. If you haven’t tried a stretch class or a power class or a strike class in our Krav Maga online program,now is the time. I want you all to be well-rounded fighters and gain skills from as many sources as possible. Even if you really feel the most comfortable with one teacher, or one teacher normally works best with your schedule, this is the time to expand your horizons. Every one of the teachers has a different perspective and great things to offer from their personal knowledge and journey. Ask lots of questions to the teachers, so you can learn as much as possible.
Training online means you are accountable for yourself. I’m not in the room with you, so I’m limited. What I can give you is my belief and confidence in you. This is your time to shine.
I ask a lot of you but I will never ask you more than you are capable of. I am challenging you because I know you will benefit so much. In the end, you will look back and say “Wow, I really did it, it wasn’t as hard as I thought,” and realize you are capable of so much when you put your mind to it. You will realize that you can devote more time to training, and you will see your progress improve at a much better rate since you are building on your training consistently.
Even if your schedule doesn’t normally allow for this, set up your time to allow for it this month so you know you are capable of achieving a big goal.
I think we need to start by challenging ourselves. Every great challenge is uncomfortable at first, but if you achieve that challenge, you will feel better. Actually, you will become better in a well-rounded way, both physically and mentally. You are going to trust yourself more, you are going to feel more competent and more confident, and you will know you are capable of achieving any challenges that are in your path.
I know you all see me now, as an instructor, and think it was always easy for me. I remember very well what it was like to be a new student struggling to reach the end of class without collapsing from fatigue. I train you the way I was trained, so I know exactly how you feel. I do it because I know that rigor is the best way to improve. Pushing myself so hard was very difficult, but it also really challenged me to expect more from myself and to understand the secret of success. That’s why I push you all so hard in online training, I don’t want you to lose any momentum.
I am confident you’ll look back at the challenges you overcome and realize they weren’t as tough as you thought, and you’re ready for more.
Next Week: Trouble-shooting The Challenge. Send me your feedback on how you’re handling the challenge and I’ll address it in my next post.
Kida,
Raz