Training your Mind.

[Marine_Boy]

From the thread that i last started Old Warrior quoted that in his training, he draws upon his darker experiences. Be that personal or other.

My question is:

"What experiences / emotions etc. do you call on to give yourself an edge in your training".

Perhaps you may have found that you were so tired, hot and thirsty and on the verge of passing out that you just want the sadistic training exercise devised by your sensei to stop.

I have been told by my aikido teacher that in some dojos, the sempai and sensei make a point in physically hurting their students just to get an edge in them. And in fact, there is a fine line between a feeling of dedicated / concentrated training session and all out war in the dojo.

Personally, as a youth mountain biking; I frequently worked myself into a fit of anger, rage and hatred on long steep uphill climbs. The things that usually got me seeing the red mist was my own emotions on not being able to date girls and how I looked. Well actually less on how i looked !!!

I know that was just a phase in all teenage males, but nowadays i spend time practicing zazen and meditation and to figure out what it means to have muso-ken "no-thought sword" or no mind.

Anyway, I'll be glad to hear your views.

Stan

[alexpollijr]

Err..

I breathe in the air.

Anyway, one day it was really really hot and humid and practice was over three hours already with no water at all so I began to have sensorial hallucinations about grape juice. I swear I could feel the taste on my tongue.

[Sinta]

Hrm, what keeps me going? Anger? Sometimes.

Why I decided to begin Kendo was not that it as also something I wanted to do since I was 12, but I needed to release the stress I had from work and school. I'm an English speaker, with 5 years experience in German and I'm battling out my Business/Informatics apprenticeship with the language. I'm an "outsider" in most social circles... well a lot of stress.

Getting to hit someone over the head with a shinaii, provides a good bit of satisfaction.

That was before I guess.. I still have stress as a factor. But I'm trying to focus simple determination. To be better and live my life with the kendo philosophy. Anger is not a good factor during battles. It blinds you. A clear mind and simple strong determination in the mind (here we go, Tai Chi again..someone smack me a few times.)

[Marine_Boy]

An interesting thought on my original question. The Thursday gone, I took part in an Aikido demonstration with three other seniors from my dojo. We were giving it to around 35, first year dance students.

I was slightly nervous to begin with as this was my first demonstration and I did not want to cock up and tarnish the name of my dojo and sensei. When the spectators started to arrive, my sensei said to us all to start our final preparations. Instead of doing more stretching, I sat, closed my eyes and meditated whilst breathing into my tandan / hara. When I opened my eyes a few minutes later, I felt the most intense narrow concentration and zeal, and that nothing was going to stop me.

Well that worked!

Stan

[xvikingx]

A good thing for stamina (mental and physical).... go somewhere, and just start running.... keep running untill your lungs and all your muscels burn. Make sure you run untill your body cannot carry you any longer. Also swimming under water for an extended period of time. Stay under untill you just can't hold your breath a second longer. Good way to break the barriers of how far you think your lungs can go.