Dave Kovar, motivational speaker, successful businessman, and martial artist, recently posted the following statement:
By developing our physical stamina, Martial Arts not only increases vital energy, but also develops mental toughness to get through life’s biggest challenges.
I wholeheartedly agree with this statement.
Our martial arts training requires us to learn and practice the techniques, develop a no quit attitude, and build the physical strength and stamina to use the techniques when we need to.
We can know the technique in our mind, but if our body is not strong enough or our cardio is not sufficient to carry us through a situation, we might not succeed when it matters most.
John Hackleman has said that the fighter in the best shape has the most chances for winning. Sometimes your sheer strength and cardio will overcome the opponent’s initial barrage and allow you to win even if they are technically more skilled.
I have noticed that the martial artists who spend the time training their bodies and overcoming physical challenges tend to develop the mental toughness that is needed to make progress in their training.
That same mental toughness leads to success in life.
Successful people tend to have a mental toughness that allows them to overcome the distractions that might otherwise pull them away from their dedication to their goals. Successful people overcome minor aches and pains and keep going when others give up. Successful people don’t care what other people are doing, they just do what needs to be done.
We became a PIT affiliate in 2008, and added CrossPITs to our schedule. We also made two PITs a week the minimum requirement for progression in our belt programs. It’s been a great fit for Kaju AZ and been a way to expand our Ohana too. I think because of our PIT affiliation and dedication to working hard, our students tend to be much stronger in mind AND body than others.
At last year’s Martial Arts SuperShow, I was training in the Pit Master’s morning workout and there were a lot of people there. One person in particular caught my eye. He was smiling, talking to people, and was very personable to everyone around him. He also was working out harder than most people and you could tell he was no stranger to hard workouts. It was Kyoshi Dave Kovar himself. He’s got nothing to prove but keeps fit, physically and perhaps more importantly, mentally. It’s no wonder to me why he is so successful.
Make your next workout your best workout!
Train Strong to Remain Strong!
-Sigung Kelly