The primary focus of this podcast episode is the exploration of maintaining motivation during periods of stagnation in one's martial arts journey. It is an undeniable truth that even the most dedicated practitioners encounter moments of inertia where the desire to train wanes, and one feels encumbered by fatigue or disinterest. In addressing this phenomenon, I emphasize that motivation is not the progenitor of action; rather, it is through the initiation of action that motivation is cultivated. We delve into common pitfalls such as repetition fatigue, comparison traps, and the burdens of perfectionism that may hinder progress and enthusiasm. I propose actionable strategies, including focusing on incremental goals, altering one's training environment, and reconnecting with one's foundational motivations, in order to reignite the embers of dedication and propel oneself forward in the pursuit of martial excellence.

Takeaways:

• The martial arts journey often presents challenges, including moments of stagnation and frustration.
• It is essential to understand that motivation is generated through action, not the other way around.
• Maintaining consistency in training is vital for cultivating a black belt mindset and overcoming obstacles.
• Awareness of factors such as repetition fatigue and comparison can help individuals stay motivated.
• Changing one's environment can reinvigorate motivation and enhance the training experience.
• Remembering the underlying reasons for pursuing martial arts can provide the necessary drive to continue.

Have you ever been stuck in your martial arts journey?

Let's talk about it.

Welcome to the ATA Nation podcast.

Welcome back, nation.

We are super excited to have you back with us for another episode of the ATA Nation podcast.

I am your host, senior master Zach Hayden, and it is a joy to be with you.

We have our athlete of the week coming up, but before that, we have get to our main segment.

We're going to be talking a day.

Hey, guys, let's be honest.

Even the best martial artists, we get stuck.

There are days that we don't want to train.

You know, you're just tired.

It's yucky out right now.

I don't want to do that.

You get frustrated.

You know, you're.

You're just not feeling it.

But those moments are the.

The real test of whether you have a black belt mindset.

Okay, so we want to talk today about keeping motivated even when motivation disappears.

Keeping moving, going forward, even when motivation disappears.

Because this is a struggle for everybody.

I was just talking to some students the other day about, you know, the fact that, you know, there are days you're gonna have to do things you don't want to do.

That's part of life.

That's part of the lesson of martial arts.

So let's.

Let's start with the motivation myth.

Here's the myth, guys.

Motivation doesn't start action.

Action creates motivation.

Action creates motivation.

Motivation doesn't create action.

You have to take action.

This is a core value at our school is taking action.

You know, we are always take action ata.

We've got to do the work, and then you will feel motivated.

I tell kids this all the time.

You don't.

You have a bad day at school, make sure you go to taekwondo because what you're going to want to do is sit on the couch.

You're going to want to, you know, doom scroll.

You're going to want to watch some YouTube, but you won't feel any better.

You need the endorphins to go through your body, and that comes from kicking and punching some bags, hitting some things, swinging your chucks around.

You've got to make sure that you are creating a habit of taking action, and then the motivation will come.

You will feel motivated later.

So many students quit because they don't want.

Want to go to class.

And their parents will even say, hey, when he gets to class, he loves it.

We got to remind ourselves that action creates motivation.

Motivation is an emotion.

It's not a strategy.

You think an Olympic athlete like, like Michael Phelps, this is the guy I use as an example in my classes all the time.

You think a guy like Michael Phelps is really thrilled, really excited to go.

Do you know his breaststroke again?

He's done it like a billion times.

He's not motivated to do that.

He's motivated to achieve his goals.

So he does that.

Momentum is greater than motivation.

Momentum is greater than motivation.

You have to start moving, you need to start going, you need to keep going, you need to keep moving.

The motivation will come and it ebbs and wanes because it's, it's an emotion just like anything else.

This is a huge deal.

You know, I tell students all the time at my school that I was never the most talented martial artist.

I was never the most talented martial artist.

I'm not the most talented martial artist.

But the reason I'm a seventh degree black belt is because I kept showing up.

I kept showing up and showing up and showing up, doing the work, putting in the work.

You, you get better by going by doing it.

And then you're more motivated, you're more excited when you get better.

Confidence comes from competency.

You gotta make sure you're doing the work.

So there's usually three things that cause people to feel a lack of motivation or get stuck.

And we wanna, that we kind of watch out for these.

So one is repetition fatigue.

This is a big one we see with some black belt.

Sometimes especially you get your black belt really young, you can't test up those kind of things.

The routine starts to feel really boring.

So that's one of the reasons people feel stuck.

And we're going to get to what to do about that here in a minute.

But number two, the second thing is maybe like a comparison trap.

We're looking at the other people around us.

Why don't I have red letters?

I've been doing it like that guy.

Why am I not that ranked?

Why is that person better at this than me when I've been doing the same thing?

So we're comparing ourselves, then we're like, oh man, I'm not as good, I'm not doing this.

Okay?

We lose that motivation.

And often a third way that we get stuck is perfectionism, pressure.

You know, I can't do it as good as them.

So I'm, I, I don't want to do it.

I'm not very good.

I can't do it.

We want to make sure that we, we, we don't run into that.

Okay?

You know, I, I don't, I think repetition fatigue is the one that I get more often than anything.

Sometimes a perfectionist pressure.

You know, like I said, I'm not the most talented martial artist.

And so sometimes that.

That gets me.

I can be like, man, I'm not really.

We'll see.

I don't know, maybe the comparison trap, too.

I don't know.

A little.

A little bit.

So here's some tips.

If you've been struggling maybe with motivation or, you know, some people who are struggling with motivation, or you're an instructor and you're talking to your students about motivation, and if you haven't had this, you will.

I absolutely love what I do, but there's still times you don't have.

You don't.

You're not motivated to do all the things, all the individual parts.

I'm never motivated to do burpees.

Never.

But the goal that I want might require some burpees strategy number one, to kind of get you unstuck if you're in a stuck focus on the next step and not the finish line.

So let me give you.

This is the example that I. I use all the time with.

I did a marathon one time.

I hate running.

Running is, I think, a dumb thing.

I don't run for fun.

I know a lot of people who run for fun and they like it.

It's joyful for them.

Not me.

I learned martial arts.

Fight or flight.

I'm going to fight.

I don't.

I don't want to run.

But there was a time that I was doing some running and mostly because I needed to.

My sister signed up and I needed to.

To beat her.

I couldn't let her do it and me not do it because I have fomo.

So in this marathon, which is a dumb amount of miles to run, dumb.

That's why we invented cars, why we have horses and things like that.

But you get to this point where you're like, I do not want to do this.

I am going to walk.

And I would just look and go, okay, I am going to run until I get to the next street light, the next telephone pole, the next telephone pole.

And I get to that telephone pole and go, okay, okay, I'm okay.

I can run to the next telephone pole.

That's all I got to do.

Next one.

And then I get to that one and again, okay, just to the next telephone pole.

So instead of looking at the long term, you look at the short term.

I watched a documentary one time about Navy SEALs going through a hell week, I think it was.

And they said, the secret is I just got to make it to the next meal.

Just looking at okay, I can make it to the next meal and then I can make it to the next meal and then I can make it to the next meal.

That's the, the key.

You can't be like, I can make it seven more days.

You'll just give up.

Okay.

You've got to sometimes setting the goal, looking at the next thing instead of long term, that can help you get in stuck.

Number two, get you unstuck, change your environment.

I do this regularly with my fitness and my health, like eating.

I think it's part of my ADD or, or something.

I don't, I'm not really good at sticking with like the same thing forever.

So I will switch up my, what I'm doing every, every couple of months.

You know, I like, okay, I'll get on this kind of eating plan and not like a diet but like, like right now I'm doing intermittent fasting but eventually that for me like gets boring.

Okay.

Like I could still do it, but the motivation is just not there to do it.

But I've got the momentum of doing something healthy.

So I will switch to, okay, now I'm going to do some Paleo or I'm going to do low carb or I'm going to do something like that.

And same thing with working out.

So I might be on a phase where I'm like, okay, I'm going to do, you know, more lifting and then I'm going to.

And sometimes it's all the same kind of workouts, but I switch like, okay, I'm going to get a, I've got a personal trainer right now and then I'm going to go do a little more of this in my fitness or whatnot.

So I'm just changing up the environment a little bit and I think this one is really important for those martial artists out there that get stuck in their repetition fatigue.

Okay.

You know, go to a different class.

If you're a black belt and you've got like, okay, maybe we got these sparring classes and I haven't been making many of those.

Maybe make more sparring classes, spend a little bit more time with your weapon, you know, do a little more self defense, do something, change it up a little bit in your environment, whether that's training, where you're doing it, who you're doing it with, obviously still at your, your martial arts school and stuff.

But how can I tweak it a little bit to change my motivation or not change my motivation, but just make it a little more exciting for, for a while.

Um, and Then strategy number three.

This is huge.

Remember your why you will get like, hey, I'm going to be an 8th degree black belt.

My goal is to be an 8th degree black belt,.

To be an 8th degree black belt.

You know what I got to do?

I got to work out.

I don't doesn't mean I'm motivated to work out.

Means I'm motivated to get an 8th degree black belt.

So I'm going to go work out.

What's the why that's going to keep you going?

It's huge.

You know, it's easy to get stuck, but you can't let that be the end of something.

I was talking to some people the other day.

Martial arts or my leadership class.

Martial arts is something that you can literally do for, for your entire life.

It's fun to do your entire life.

And we want you to be able to keep yourself motivated for doing that.

So this week I challenge you.

Look at these things that might keep you stuck and take action.

This week, ATA Nation excited to have with us another awesome athlete of the week.

Can you introduce yourself, sir?

What's up guys?

I'm Joey Zaworski.

I'm a fourth degree black belt and I train out of Verona, Wisconsin.

And that's it.

Are you up with the moe's?

Is that where, where you are?

Excellent.

Okay.

Part of the level up family?

Yes, sir, absolutely.

So hey, what, you're a fourth degree now?

How'd you get started in martial arts?

Who?

I started in martial arts just before I turned about 8 years old.

I actually got into it from watching bunch of TV shows like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, kicking it, Power Rangers, things like that.

And that sort of is what got me wanting to start trying it.

Excellent.

Very cool.

And obviously it seems to have gone pretty decently for you so far, you know, you know, fourth degree black belt.

And you, you teach, right?

You're an instructor?

Yes, sir, I teach full time.

Full time.

So what was that did you think, you know, how early on did you think, hey, I might, I might do this as a career?

Was that something early on or later on you were like, hey, that, that might work.

It actually was a pretty early, pretty early desire of mine.

My mom has like, has old copies of things from when I was in like first grade.

People being like, what want to be when you grow up?

And I would put I want to be a karate instructor and things like that.

So yeah, it was always, it was always interesting because for years they would ask you in school, like, what do you want to be?

And no one ever really had an answer.

And I was looking around like, I know.

I think I know what I want.

Very cool.

Yeah.

That's awesome.

And you have.

Or were you from the Wisconsin area before?

Are you a transplant?

What's the.

The journey there?

So I am a transplant.

So I've actually, I've had a pretty.

A pretty extensive journey going around.

So I am.

Originally I was born in Ohio, and I started training in Avon Lake Ata.

Then I moved to another school in Westlake, Ohio.

And then 3ish years ago, I moved to Louisiana to train under Master Jude Grayson.

And then around four months ago, I moved up here to work for the mos.

Excellent.

Very cool.

That's Louisiana and Wisconsin have a little bit different winters.

You.

You ready for the Wisconsin winter?

Absolutely not.

No, sir.

We're gonna.

We're gonna see how it goes.

Everybody's.

Everybody's weren't.

They're like, oh, it's not gonna be that bad.

I'm like, it's.

It got to like the 50s here.

And I was like, nope, let's.

Nope, let's.

I'm ready to go.

I'm ready to go back to Louisiana.

Let's change it.

Well, are you might need to pick up some, like, snowboarding, some skiing, something like that.

Do the winter time.

So, hey, if we're looking at competition, what's your go to event when it's time to compete?

XMA weapons for sure.

Okay.

What weapon?

What's your go to weapon?

The commas.

Okay.

Have you always been an X Men guy?

Is that something that you've always been excited about doing, or was that, you know, Master Grayson threw that all on you?

I've always been interested in it.

I didn't start competing in it until I actually got my first degree.

That was about when I started doing extreme and creative.

I actually didn't start doing weapons until I was closer to doing closer to my third degree.

Master Grayson was a big part in helping me really able to start kind of putting things together.

When it came to the weapons side, I kind of had the ideas, but he helped me sort of form it all together.

Very cool.

What about if you had to pick an event that was like, maybe not your top event, not your favorite thing to do it tournaments, what would that be?

Because we love them all.

I mean, we don't want to leave anything out, but if we had to.

Pick one for sure, for sure, I would say probably it would probably be sparring just because it's sort of.

It's sort of the newest one.

For me, I'm still sort of getting my feet wet.

Especially being new to the 18, 29, 4th 5th degree ring.

I'm still getting used to fighting the big guys and doing all that stuff.

So I would say sparring, but I, when I started I didn't really like sparring.

That was always kind of the thing I shied away from.

But when I moved schools the first time to Master Brad Clemens and Master Chad Coley's school in Westlake, they really helped me find a love for sparring and combat that I didn't know I had.

Very cool.

That's, you know, we, we love all of the events.

I would.

That 18 to 29 4th and 5th degree division is like, you know, it's scary.

There's some, some top talent in that, that division.

Sir.

So what about goals?

What kind of goals do you have?

Maybe competition wise, instruction wise, training wise.

What are you looking at for the future?

I mean, obviously in the future I think I would like to own my own school.

Whether that's in, in conjunction with Level up or something more on my own.

I'm still kind of in the process of deciding that.

But that's definitely something in the future.

Competition wise, win at least.

I'd like to win at least one title in this ring.

Cause I think this is kind of like the one that run that really means something kind of kind of stakes your claim, so to speak.

But yeah, just working, working to get better.

Really trying to improve my traditional events as well as my extreme and creative events.

Trying to get better at teaching overall.

Things like that.

Oh, that's, that's great.

What, speaking of teaching, what's the thing that like for you and you know, obviously having wanted to do this for a long time, what's one of the great benefits or pleasures of being an instructor in martial arts?

What's, what's something that like gets you up in the morning and are like yeah, that's awesome.

Just really getting to, to see the passion that I had for the sport in my students and getting to watch that grow.

It's one of my, it's one of my favorite things to see.

Especially like because when I was coming up I didn't have a really big X amain creative coach.

So being able to be that for a lot of younger students and being able to help them grow from a earlier stage is really cool for me.

That's awesome.

Love it.

So hey, we always like to wrap up with what's it mean to you to be a champion beyond the belt?

I would say to be a champion beyond the belt is tough one.

Yeah.

There's so many things that, you know, like level up.

You know, you guys are always working on those, you know, getting people to level up, not just at the school, but in life.

And it's so hard to like encapsulate that idea into just one little, one little answer.

It's, it's kind of fun to make people do.

Absolutely.

For sure.

But I would say it's.

It really is about taking those, not just being a martial artist inside the school.

That's a big thing I like to sell my students a lot is like, you know, when you leave here, once you take your belts off, once you take your uniform off, you don't stop being a martial artist.

You don't stop trying to become a future black belt.

You still take all of those things into your life with you, and you've got to continue to apply those life skills.

And it's still, and even me still, I'm still working on all of that stuff, working on creating those differences, making sure that I'm not letting competition affect my personal life and vice versa and things like that.

That's smart and that's tough.

I mean, it's, it's an always evolving thing, you know, whether we're, whether we're a, you know, orange belt or a, you know, fifth degree black belt, you know, working on improving and making sure that we're, we're taking this outside of the school.

So.

Awesome, sir.

Well, congratulations on being one of the athletes of the week.

We really appreciate your time today and good luck with the Wisconsin weather.

Thank you, sir.

I'll need it.

I appreciate it.

Super cool to see athletes across the country and across the globe in recent weeks.

If you are interested in being an athlete of the week, I've had a couple of people reach out to me and say, hey, how do I get on the show be an athlete of the week?

Those athletes are picked by the ATA brand ambassador.

So you need to reach out to them and make sure you follow them on Instagram and all the places.

Make sure.

Also you are subscribed on YouTube to the ATA Martial Arts YouTube page.

This podcast drops there as a video.

It also drops as audio on on your favorite podcast feeds.

And we've been working with the ambassadors to put a few more shorts out there on YouTube as well.

So you want to make sure you stay up to date on YouTube for ATM martial arts as well.

Now, quick programming note.

You may have noticed that this episode came out on a Monday instead of our typical Fridays.

We are going to try this Monday thing.

Just with the holidays coming up and schedules and all kinds of things on our end, it's a little bit easier and I just want to see.

I think it might be better for our ATM martial artists.

A lot of times people are on Fridays.

You're heading off to tournaments, you got all the things going on and just not as much time to check it out maybe.

And it might be a little easier for you on Mondays.

If it's not, let me know.

I would love to know what's best for you.

If you hit the subscribe button, comment on YouTube would be great.

Hit that.

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Subscribe on YouTube or on your favorite podcast feed.

That's going to wrap it up for us today.

Make sure you guys are checking out these upcoming events.

Lots of cool stuff coming up.

We've talked about the H. Julie Classic in Little Rock coming up in like a week.

And for those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you have a great Thanksgiving week.

Get out there.

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