At The Way Family Dojo, we value leadership and character development through martial arts training. Our experienced instructors lead by example, as they continue to learn and grow themselves.
One way to create a path of growth for martial arts, life, and leadership skills is through goal-setting. Here are four tips for setting effective martial arts goals:
1. Be Clear and Specific
When setting goals, be very clear about what you’re setting out to achieve. Avoid being vague. For example, a goal like “get better at martial arts” makes sense. If you’re training in martial arts, you probably want to get better at martial arts. To make this goal more effective, make it specific. Narrow your focus to a skill that you want to improve. Setting specific goals helps you recognize when you’ve achieved your mission.
2. Set Realistic Expectations
Choose a goal that challenges you and is possible for you to achieve. If you’re just getting started in martial arts, set goals that are appropriate for beginners. Focus on developing your skills and techniques. If you’re more experienced, take a look back at your past achievements and think about what you’d like to tackle next. Looking back at what you’ve done helps you to determine what is realistic.
3. Create Short-Term Objectives
Some goals are possible to achieve within weeks or months. Other goals, like a black belt, can take years to realize. For long-term goals, make sure you create mini-goals for yourself. These short-term objectives create checkpoints to success. Without these smaller goals, you may lose motivation to achieve the things that take longer to attain.
4. Celebrate Accomplishments
Once you achieve a goal, no matter how small or large, acknowledge your accomplishment. Celebrating your success can be as simple as taking a few moments to reflect on all the hard work you put into reaching a goal. The sense of accomplishment that comes from realizing a goal helps fuel future goals. So take a moment to be proud of your success. And then re-start the process for your next goal.
The Way Family Dojo provides world-class Martial Arts training through programs that integrate life-skills and leadership mentoring into every class. To learn more about how to get started, contact us today.