We've all had those moments. A time when we the Sensei or coach is "explaining things". We're not  exactly distracted, but we're not really paying attention either. We do want to be there, but sometimes we just...phase out. Here are some things to do.

1. Get enough sleep! 
   This is probably the most significant factor in your training. Not only does sleep aid in recovery from any kind of workout, but more importantly it allows the brain to reset, process, and recharge.
2. Hydrate.
   It is common to see water bottles filling an area in a Dojo or gym. It is interesting that people find it necessary to drink some water to feel better. This is more a psychological, rather than physiological, association. The best time to hydrate yourself is before training. Pre-hydration prevents de-hydration. Dehydration has been linked to increases in mental fatigue, loss of incentive (your brain starts to shut down to preserve water), and increased muscle cramping. It is true that you are, hopefully, sweating it out in the Dojo; but if you are feeling dehydrated, a sip of water during class will not do much. I'll write something more substantial on this if there is interest. Aim to drink at least 300ml of water about an hour before training, more if you know you are going to sweat a lot during a particular session.
3. Nutrition.
   Make sure you have energy to call on, not energy in reserve. The body/brain has a number of different systems it uses to extract energy and apply it in different situations. Without getting all #biochem on you, you need to ensure you have energetically prepared for a session. Usually a piece of fruit (bananas are a great source of everything you need) along with your water about an hour before training will suffice. Of course if you are like Jasmine (my daughter) it will be an apple, a pear, a Carmen's bar, and likely gunning for a piece of chocolate! 
   
   Your body will make use of the energy soon enough, and using glucose (natural sugar - also comes from carbohydrates when broken down) is a great way to give the body what it needs. Like most things, moderation is the key. Be sure to have something post-training as well to ensure you get a proper sleep too.
4. A.B.P.H.
   No, this is not another acronym for some special biological system in your body. A.B.P.H. is a  completely non-scientific term we coined in collaboration with a Year 6 Life Skills group I lead in 2009. It stands for Anti-Boredom Psychology Hack. It is basically using mental strategies to re-frame your perspective. If you are experiencing #brainfog , then clearly your mind has wandered from the focus. It is likely that you don't place personal importance on whatever is being demonstrated or explained to you. This is a common problem in education, and the Dojo is no different. Re-framing can be a fun process. It can involve an inner dialogue where you look at what is being explained/demonstrated and apply it in a different way, mentally. I use similar strategies when teaching children in schools about how to actually use mindfulness to avoid boredom and distraction.

This process does a few things, in a specific order. The first question brings my #foggybrain back to the technique, but engages playfully. Trying the technique out on a sibling, or an ex, can seem quite funny. Humour engages the brain and helps to bring it back to focus. The next element helps to further focus the brain by identifying a specific detail. The brain engages in small features of what is being presented. Lastly, we use our imagination (always a powerful tool in training) and start to prepare ourselves for when we practice what is being shown. 

This whole process can take merely seconds, but will go a long way to helping you stay on track, and getting back into the right frame of mind.

What are some of your funnier brainfog moments? Do you have a personal A.B.P.H.? Please share.

Darren Ball
Shihan, Yamagawa Budo.

We have, most of us, heard the sayings. Do something little everyday. Train for just 2 minutes. Do stances in the ad-breaks, etc. The trouble is rarely the time, but the motivation.

Training is just as much about motivation than the effort - and in my opinion one directly affects the other. It is easy to see the difference down at the Dojo between someone who is there to fulfill some personal commitment and someone who is there to simply...be there. Training is about being better at a particular thing, which includes motivating ones self.

Many people get exposed to, through social media like Facebook and Twitter, the motivational pictures and sayings. It is all good of course, but motivation and theory are just like philosophy. Useless unless it is applied. Pointless if it stays in your head. You must but it in your hands, feet and heart and actually go ahead and do it.

The fact is, sometimes we all experience lack of motivation. A slump that feels like we cannot break out of it, or perhaps we fall into 'Tomorrow Syndrome'. 

"The diet starts tomorrow"
"I will do that tomorrow"

When it comes to training, effort is always rewarded. Exercise increases motivation, mood and wellbeing in general. A half-arsed attempt at a Kata may not do the 'Spirit of Budo' justice, but a half effort is still an effort, and it might just be the thing that helps to motivate you to try harder and train more.

When you are feeling this way about your training, don't stop training! Keep training. Keep doing your practice, your exercises. Don't wait for a magic moment to change your mind/feeling, however, but know that in making the effort you are bettering yourself.

Share your feelings of de-motivation with your peers, family, friends and more importantly your Sempai. Listen to their own experiences and realise that being de-motivated is, itself, a part of your training journey.

This is an article from the past, but still informative and relevant...


What Fudoshin isn't...and other things you wont find here.
Darren Ball - Nidan. 2/3/03

A single art

Fudoshin is a system based on warrior training principles. The philosophy we embrace is that of the Bushi of ancient Japan. This word simply means 'warrior' and refers to all fighting men and women, including the class known as the Samurai. The Samurai's un-armed combat is usually referred to as Jujutsu. Actually, Jujutsu is in itself a concept of fighting which in general was applied to the warriors of ancient times. Our system is conceptually based, rather than technically based. This means that the concept of philosophy behind the training is focused on as being more important than the technique. 

As far as the techniques are concerned, you will find elements of Jujutsu, Judo, Karate, Aikido and usually many others. We use these systems to complement our philosophy of training in all areas of combat. You will find that all Martial Arts have similar concepts and are generally linked in their basic philosophies. This is the Fudoshin way. To study the arts in this way is to embrace the most ancient of combat training principles; if it works, use it. The Samurai did not care who owned a type of technique, or what school it was from. If it saved their lives, it was worth learning. Also, studying the concept rather than one particular style enables us to understand more about Martial Arts as a whole and we can become a more complete, true student of the Martial Arts. 

Many styles have different things to offer as well as their fields of specialty. At Fudoshin, we study areas of combat using techniques from multiple styles so that we may better understand the sciences of combat and the philosophy of Martial Arts.

Today is a very special day for Fudoshin. It marks the birthday of our founder, Robert Lawrence. After training extensively throughout Japan, Korea, the United States, France and in the U.K.; Bob Lawrence formed Fudoshin as an amalgam of his training. His motivations for doing this were that too many clubs, associations, organisations and instructors were embracing modern concepts of Martial Art which seemed to focus on competitions and gradings (i.e. belt-chasing). He could not find, any longer, anyone in his area of the U.K. teaching the Bushishin, or warrior spirit, the way he was taught it by his masters in Japan.

Robert Lawrence, in founding a system, is considered the Ryuso of the Fudoshin Combat System (Fudoshin Ryu). As the system grew larger in the form of more Dojo in more areas in and around south-east England, he also formed the Association of Oriental Fudoshin Arts (making him the Kaiso - or founder of a group/organisation). After a few years of operation, this soon became the British Fudoshin Association, with Soke Lawrence as the chairman/president (Kaicho).

Every year, on this day, we try and remember Soke Lawrence specifically in the form of training hard. We try and touch the essence of what he believed in so much - the truth of Martial Arts. As our Soke says to us often, "Only a true attack warrants a true defence", which send us down the path, what is the truth? What is this 'true way' that so many styles profess to teach, fewer styles profess to search for, and even fewer actually achieve?

The 'true way', or Seido, of Martial Arts is an entirely relative concept. Some people say that it relates to the most ancient of traditions. Sometimes this means that the ABC sword school is more 'true' because the XYZ school is 100-years younger. This, in my opinion is petty and politically motivated slander. What makes a style, a technique, a sensei or a student 'true' is in how that person or technique is applied. If there is any doubt in ones mind about the focus, power (both internal and external) and commitment one puts into any action or thought, then it is not a true technique.

  Unfortunately this leads some to believe that in order for a technique to be 'true', it must be done as fast and as visually powerful as possible, and that unless it could kill a man, or break through 4 inches  of wood. Nothing could be farther from the 'truth'.

 Shakespeare was on to something quite profound when he wrote "To thyne own self be true" (Hamlet), and the same goes for the spirit or 'truth' in Martial Arts. When we enter a Dojo, we are leaving all worldly thoughts behind us. All of the bother, stresses and anxieties of our daily lives behind us. The Dojo is a sacred place, a very special place. Not because it has the spirits of the ancestors residing in it, or something magical because of the 'energy' that goes with the name Fudoshin. There is no special qualities about my belt, my sword or my Dojo that make them more mystical. The thing that makes them special, or 'true' is what I myself do with them. I make my training special. I make my belts special. My sword, my spear, my club, my teacher, my students and my Dojo. They are special because they are special to me. Much is the same with the often elusive 'truth' we are searching for. It is nowhere external to be found, but it resides inside each of us, waiting to be awakened. How to awaken it? Now that is something for your Sensei to worry about, and something for the student to look forward to.