Mistakes as a Necessary Part of Your Self-Defense Training.

Forget your mistakes, but remember what they taught you. Dorothy Galyean
Failure is just another way to learn how to do something right. Marian Wright Edelman
A smooth sea never made a good mariner. English proverb.

Self-defense training offers a physical challenge as performing techniques involve coordination, rapid movements, and stamina. What sometimes gets overlooked are the mental and emotional challenges that come with training.

One of these challenges is dealing with our mistakes. All of us, have misread an attack, dropped our hands, forget to scan, performed sloppy strikes etc.. There are no exceptions. The best instructors and practitioners in the world have made more mistakes then they could possibly count. In fact, they have become so proficient because they made so many mistakes and learned from these mistakes. They persevered.

Some of us are hard on ourselves when we make a mistake. We see it as inadequacy and sometimes we are embarrassed (especially when an instructor is watching). It is easier said than done but we need to conceive mistakes as learning moments as opportunities to improve.

Don’t forget that if a mistake is not revealed it cannot be corrected and your progress slows. So, keep training, keep making mistakes, keep learning from these mistakes and become a more proficient self-defense practitioner.

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