Training Tip #3 – Success Factors in Becoming a Better Student
Any good student does research and invests the time to REALLY understand the subject matter of whatever they are studying. At its core, we are a Shillelagh Stick Fighting Art. Of course, it is so much more than that. Our art includes joint locks, throws, takedowns, etc etc. A very well-rounded martial art.
What is UNDERNEATH all of that is the need to understand where history comes from. There is a need to understand the broader story of this martial art and others related to it. As a lifelong student of the martial arts, it is imperative that you do your best to grasp the history and the perspective of what it is you are studying, where it comes from, who used it and why.
And I can’t think of a better source for the history of the Shillelagh than John Hurley. His books are mandatory, and they are incredible reads.
Over the last 3 and half decades of studying martial arts, it is deeply ingrained in my heart and soul that what we study is by it’s very nature, VIOLENT. In the training hall, it is very easy to really forget that.
Everything we do has the potential to cause life altering injury to the other person (or ourselves) and as such, it is critical that you expand your knowledge to the actual study of violence itself. You need to understand WHY people get into violent altercations to BEGIN WITH, the different kinds of violence, where they happen, who perpetrates it and how to de-escalate before it ever goes “hands on”. The best way to win a fight is to never be in one to begin with.
With that in mind we have developed a list of violence professional authors and book titles that we consider required reading. This should be considered the MINIMUM books you should have in your library.
We can personally recommend each and every book on this list. I have personally trained with Rory and Marc, and they both provided me a paradigm shift in my worldview on martial arts.
I have distilled some of their knowledge in a presentation lecture called “Module Zero” that you need to go watch right now on our Youtube Channel
Then go read Marc and Rory’s books. All of them. Then read them again.
Invest in your training and invest in your own knowledge base. You owe it to yourself as a serious student.
We also have a presentation video on How to Find Success as a Student on our Youtube Channel as well as in our Bundle Packages.
We look forward to seeing you on the mats.