Motive. a factor or circumstance that induces a person to act in a particular way.
My attitude is that if you push me towards something that you think is a weakness, then I will turn that perceived weakness into a strength.
Michael Jordan
Excellent documentaries draw you in. For me, this happened with the Netflix documentary series, The Last Dance, which examines the last NBA championship of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in 1998.
There are many reasons to laud the series. The intense action, the insights into team success, raw human emotion, and of course, Michael Jordan himself.
One aspect that fascinated me is how Michael found motivation. He wanted to be the best – individually and collectively – as many players do. He alluded to legacy. There were also the ego-based motivations. There were some slights. Players on the other team questioning his skills (something that always bit them back). There were also, as some commentators suggested, some imagined slights. A brush off by an opposing team’s player, coach or executive, for instance.
Fascinating.
So, a day or so after watching the documentary I began thinking about what motivated me and others to strive at certain activities, including Krav Maga.
For me, I could easily point to longstanding influences like fights growing up and developing an aversion to being physically weak. Thank you, Steven, Chris, and John! These days it is about being an effective teacher and offering the best training possible in case our students need to protect themselves. There is, on an even more personal level, the hypothetical scenario of protecting my daughters. Last but not least is passing on my skills to them so they can protect themselves.
Students have, over the years offered their motivations. Recently, one of our students told me she was caught in a headlock years ago and couldn’t get out. Her helplessness haunted her for years compelling her to take self-defence classes. Another student told us about being abducted by a taxi driver in a different county.
Some students have not had such traumatic experiences. Many want to develop awareness and confidence in case something does happen.
Others want their friends, or family to be prepared.
It is important to explore why you are taking self-defence classes. This can direct your training and long term goals.
What motivates you?
Image by David Mark from Pixabay
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Be the first to comment.