Muay Thai training tips

Motivation Vs Discipline.


So what comes first, the chicken or the egg or in terms of actual training: Motivation or Discipline?
Lets take a closer look:
Motivation:To provide with an incentive; move to action; impel.

Discipline: to bring to a state of order and obedience by training and control

Let’s break it down even further…

Motivation

 Motivation is simply the WHY?? Motivation are all the salient and sometimes silent hidden reasons that get you up in the morning. That have you walk back into the gym, bruised, sore and in pain the day after a punshing training session.
Motivation is what has you work your ass off day after day, week after week, month after month. It’s the thing(s) that get you through the drills, the blood, sweat and the tears.

It’s what has you hold on when every fiber of your being reasonable and sanely want to let go, give in.
Motivation is what drives you.

Lets take a deeper look at discipline.

Discipline

Discipline is the willingness to do the things that you need to do to produce the results that you want to have. Period.
Its about taking the actions that are consistent with your objective. It’s the structures and regiments that you have to put in place in reality (in time and space) and the measures with which you will measure and track your progress.
E.g If your objective is to win a fight in 6 weeks, then the measures that you could put in place would be for example:

  • Setting up a training programme with your coach that would focus on the aspects of your game that you need to improve E.g Weight training, flexibility, combinations, counters, clinch work etc.
  • Scheduling the dates and times for these activities
  • Establishing the benchmarks for tracking your progress…and the most important step….STICKING TO IT! No kidding putting your butt on the line and do the things you set out to do.

So which comes first: Motivation or discipline, you guessed it…Motivation, the reasons WHY you’re committing to something, if you don’t have a strong enough reason, chances are you won’t keep up or follow through on what you set out to do.

However, Motivation without discipline counts for nothing. Just empty hopes, desires and wants that you’ll never achieve because you don’t have the wherewithal to knuckle down and go for broke, consistently and persistently.

Like Bruce Lee said: Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do. …