Junior Student’s Corner
by Sifu Charlie Romeo
Fu For You Fall 2024
As junior students, you have two assigned classes every week for training Kung Fu. These classes are essential to your progression as a martial arts student, so it’s important to prioritize them and keep a consistent training schedule. Let’s go over a few tips on how to do this.
Setting Goals
Having clear goals is excellent motivation for maintaining a training schedule. When goals are set, it’s far easier to track your progress, and successes are much more rewarding. Goals can be small such as improving your sidekick, or they can be more significant like finishing the forms for your level or testing for your next rank. (Learn more about setting and achieving goals in my Junior Student Column, Fu For You Spring 2023, Setting Goals and Taking Action.)
Stick to Routine
Having limited available classes per week makes it easy to stick to a consistent training schedule. However, missing one of your two weekly classes is a large setback in your training, as there are few chances to make up the class. Having commitments outside of Kung Fu is expected and encouraged, but it’s beneficial to your progression as a martial artist to work around your existing training schedule and prioritize the classes you have available to you. For example, make sure you complete your homework before Kung Fu class, or set aside time after class, to ensure you’re able to do both. While school should always be prioritized, try to fit your Kung Fu training alongside your schoolwork rather than choosing only one.
Have a Training Partner
It can sometimes be difficult to maintain motivation on your own. Having a training partner that keeps you accountable can help you stay on top of your training. Try to keep some friendly competition with each other; for example, see who can attend more classes next month, or who can do more pushups by the end of the summer. Remember, friendly competition means working with your partner, not against them.
Listen to your Body
This is possibly the most important tip for keeping a consistent schedule. Staying healthy ensures that you’re actively able to continue your training and work toward your goals. This includes staying hydrated, getting fresh air, and eating appropriately. Listening to your body also means knowing when to take a step back so you don’t burn yourself out or worsen injuries. If you have too much on your plate, it’s impossible to keep a consistent schedule long-term. The longer you overfill your schedule, the faster and harder you will burn out. Take time off when needed – this may seem contradictory to my points above, but a few classes off, when necessary, can save you from missing months of training.
Conclusion
Whether you attend 2 classes or 6 classes per week, staying consistent is the best way to regulate and progress in your training. Learning Kung Fu takes more than simply showing up every now and then—it takes time, focus, and consistency to become the best martial artist you can be.