The Tao of Jeet June Do - Attitude

Some motivational material in anticipation of the New Balance Real Run. This really influences me.

Extracted from The Tao of Jeet June Do

= Attitude =

The state of the athlete's mind as he faces his event determines the degree of excess tension he will carry into the event. The athlete free from excess tension as he awaits his performance is typically self-confident. He has what is commonly known as "a winning attitude." He sees himself as master of the athletic situation confronting him. To many athletes, being champion is a matter of 'psycological necessity'. Fed by previous successes and having completely rationalized previous failure, he feels himself a Triton among minnows."

As an event approaches, the athlete often notices a feeling of weakness in his midsection (butterflies in his stomach), and his heart pounds, he may experience pain in his lower back. The experienced athlete recognizes these sensations not as inner weakness, but as an inner surplus. These signs indicate a preparedness for violent activity. In fact, the athlete who expresses a feeling of euphoria before an event is probably in a poor state of readiness.

If emotional control is not well learned, critical moments in the fight when the emotional tension is highest will result in loss of skill by the fighter. His muscles suddenly must work against his own over-tense antagonistic muscles. He becomes stiff and clumsy in his movements. Expose yourself to various conditions and learn.

Experience shows that an athlete who forces himself to the limit can keep going as long as necessary. This means that ordinary effort will not tap or release the tremendous store of reserve power latent in the human body. Extraordinary effort, highly emotionalized conditions or a true determination to win at all costs will release this extra energy. Therefore, an athlete is actually as tired as he feels, and if he is determined to win, he can keep on almost indefinitely to achieve his objective. The attitude "You can win if you want to badly enough," means that the will to win is constant. No amount of punishment, no amount of effort, no condition is too "tough" to take in order to win. Such attitude can be developed only if winning is closely tied to the practitioner's ideals and dreams.