Breaking bad habits

[ShotokanKid]

How do you personally break bad habits?

What is your suggestion? I have a few habits I would like to break myself of.

Could you give me some tips and suggestions?

[White Warlock]

Really matters what the habits are, and whether they are not in fact addictions. State the habits.

just to cover a few:

if you bite your nails, wear gloves or keep a jar of bitters oils around to moisturize your hands with.

if you suck your thumb, same thing with the bitters or the glove

if you burp a lot, take simethicone regularly until the 'urge' is removed by the lack of gases.

if you pick your nose, gloves or play with jalapeno peppers when bored (but remember not to touch your eyes).

[finale2001]

How do you personally break bad habits?

What is your suggestion? I have a few habits I would like to break myself of.

Could you give me some tips and suggestions?

what you have to do is form a new and good hibit in place of the old one. i read an article that says it takes about three weeks to form a habit.

[aefibird]

Try doing something constructive in the place of the bad habit. You'll probably stay away from the bad habit more if you do something else than if you just stop the bad habit without having something better to fill its place.

That's partly why some people start eating more when they quit smoking - they need to fill the gap that smoking has left. Eating gives them something to do with their hands and helps take their minds off wanting a cigarette.

[Manabimasho1]

When you say "bad habits" do you mean in Martial Arts?

If so continue to read.

I have noticed alot of martial arts bad habits lately I will list a few and I am sure everyone does one of these atleast!

#1 Tugs thier pants just above the knee during thier stance or before a kick. Almost 99.9% of the time they do it 3 quick times.

#2 While in a fighter/boxing stance some of you for some unknown reason lift one of your hands up to your face to rub your nose!

#3 Way to many people trying to block, block, block, block, then attack attack......You create a rythm that any pro or vet of sparing can interprat.

#4 The turning of the foot while in a stance like your Bruce Lee.....Come on guys n gals.....that's just getting down right silly.

#5 I have noticed alot of TKD students/Masters do combo attacks then leap back..........WHY!!!!!!! you were pressing the attack LOL

#6 During streetfights- Taking off your shirt or jacket while not watching the other guy........can you say SUCKER PUNCH!

#7 Kicking at the worse possiable time!!! I see so many people try to kick me when im 3 feet from them! What is the point in that!!!!

#8 The Peekaboo boxer stance! THis has to be the worse thing you can ever do in a fight. A peekaboo stance is when you take your hands into a fist and basicaly rest them on your Cheeks of your face. This blocks your vision and I love to personaly smash thier hands into thier eyes and say "Stop hitting yourself".

#9 Spinning move followed by another spinning move. Ok I have seen this ALOT when sparring with JKD students....not bashing but just explaining. They will move in to do some combo and 2 of the moves are spinning! Like a spinning backfist, then they spin the other way to kick or close in elbow........umm can you say OFFBALANCE.

#10 Not watching your surroundings! This is a big deal for me in the style I use we are taught early on that a fight can be easily won by paying attention to the enviroment. Nothing is funnier then seeing a full grown man trip over a chair during a fight or sparring on accident.

#11 Wild rage like rushes....Oh man I love it when someone just charges me, either they blast in wild haymakers in sloppy aim or they try to do a wrestling like football tackel. Your sefu/sensei/soke would be ashamed!!!

#12 Taking off your shoes during a real fight! WHY....the shoes are harder then your foot! Keep them on and kick thier shins to death.

#13 Not taking off hats! The worse case is the guy you run into who wants to do some friendly sparring and he has a hat on. Either take it off, or hold it in your hand to help you. Anyone can easily grab the bill of the hat and move you around like a rag doll from there.....where the head goes the body must follow.

#14 Jumping into a stance right off during an actual fight. For me this is a biggie. I don't even use a stance during sparring at the begginning I don't want the other guy to know I have skill untill the fight is over. When I spar it never fails the other guy will do his stance and usualy telegraph to me what style he knows, how skilled he is, what foot he leads with, if he is left/right handed, where the blind spots are, where his stances balance is at, and I can almost read how the other guy will lose.

[White Warlock]

#1 Tugs thier pants just above the knee during thier stance or before a kick. Almost 99.9% of the time they do it 3 quick times.

That's because most people are wearing ill-fitting gis, or over-tight pants, and the things hang-up on the kneejoint. I prefer loose-fitting pants or stretch pants.

#2 While in a fighter/boxing stance some of you for some unknown reason lift one of your hands up to your face to rub your nose!

Credit that to Bruce Lee and the ensuing emulation.

#3 Way to many people trying to block, block, block, block, then attack attack......You create a rythm that any pro or vet of sparing can interprat.

Beginners and intermediates do plenty of this, partly because the majority of schools teach defense before offense. Go figure.

I mean, seriously, go figure. Teaching defense before offense is as odd as the horse before the carriage. One must follow the other, lest you don't learn 'exactly' what it is you are to defend against.

#4 The turning of the foot while in a stance like your Bruce Lee.....Come on guys n gals.....that's just getting down right silly.

??? If made obvious and dramatic, setting is a clue-in to your opponent. A telegraph, but if done right, and in transition from one action to the next, setting is perfectly acceptable and allows both more power to be generated and the ability to transition to the next set, as one would do if they were attempting to play through in a pool game.

#5 I have noticed alot of TKD students/Masters do combo attacks then leap back..........WHY!!!!!!! you were pressing the attack LOL

Indeed, i've seen this as well. One argued to me that it was because they don't have strong close-in skills, and thus didn't want to get caught in the opponent's strengths.

#6 During streetfights- Taking off your shirt or jacket while not watching the other guy........can you say SUCKER PUNCH!

I haven't seen this much.

#7 Kicking at the worse possiable time!!! I see so many people try to kick me when im 3 feet from them! What is the point in that!!!!

showing off, intimidation, trying to gauge distance... overall n00bness.

#8 The Peekaboo boxer stance! THis has to be the worse thing you can ever do in a fight. A peekaboo stance is when you take your hands into a fist and basicaly rest them on your Cheeks of your face. This blocks your vision and I love to personaly smash thier hands into thier eyes and say "Stop hitting yourself".

Yes, i've seen this plenty of times. As was taught to me, go bullwinkle (thumbs to side of head, fingers outspread), make a fist, and then create the victory sign by bringing your elbows together and in.

#9 Spinning move followed by another spinning move. Ok I have seen this ALOT when sparring with JKD students....not bashing but just explaining. They will move in to do some combo and 2 of the moves are spinning! Like a spinning backfist, then they spin the other way to kick or close in elbow........umm can you say OFFBALANCE.

I haven't seen it in any particular style over another. This has a lot to do with training, in which many skills focus on performing 'one' or the 'other,' these being linear or circular, and not a transition back and forth from each to set, strengthen, and maintain balance.

#10 Not watching your surroundings! This is a big deal for me in the style I use we are taught early on that a fight can be easily won by paying attention to the enviroment. Nothing is funnier then seeing a full grown man trip over a chair during a fight or sparring on accident.

It may be funny, but this has to do with many practitioners, and non-practitioners alike, that are simply unfamiliar with the way their body and mind are affected by adrenalin. In this case, tunnel-vision occurs, allowing the person to be able to focus better with the 'immediate' threat, but losing peripheral awareness as a negative side-effect.

Practitioners need to 'experience' the effects of adrenalin more often, and learn to both utilize and prevent limitations created by this natural super-drug. That's pretty much the only way to break this habit.

#11 Wild rage like rushes....Oh man I love it when someone just charges me, either they blast in wild haymakers in sloppy aim or they try to do a wrestling like football tackel. Your sefu/sensei/soke would be ashamed!!!

Many things cause people to do that. One of them is lack of confidence, combined with fear. Another is early-on training in sports, such as football or rugby, that provide an unrealistic expectation of such things. Yet another is when someone does not have striking skills, yet holds strong confidence in their grappling skills, so they 'hope' to avoid the striking ranges by 'rushing' in to their range of strength. Obviously, in many cases this backfires... but not in all.

#12 Taking off your shoes during a real fight! WHY....the shoes are harder then your foot! Keep them on and kick thier shins to death.

Not all shoes are made equal. Some shoes i've worn were simply a bad idea to fight in, being they had flat soles, could fall off easily, or extended my height, increasing the possibility i could twist at the ankle and fall. Women, especially, encounter this last problem.

#13 Not taking off hats! The worse case is the guy you run into who wants to do some friendly sparring and he has a hat on. Either take it off, or hold it in your hand to help you. Anyone can easily grab the bill of the hat and move you around like a rag doll from there.....where the head goes the body must follow.

Again, not all hats are made equal. If your hat is set firmly on the head, this may indeed be an exploitable accessory. However, most of my hats sit loosely on my head, so if someone were to try and exploit them, it would merely backfire, causing them to waste one action, possibly be distracted for a moment, and provide for me an opportunity that i may have desperately needed. It may also serve as a barrier to my hair. Something the opposition would have to struggle with in order to 'grab' my hair underneath the hat. Such a delay may create sufficient opportunity for me to recognize their intent and counter.

#14 Jumping into a stance right off during an actual fight. For me this is a biggie. I don't even use a stance during sparring at the begginning I don't want the other guy to know I have skill untill the fight is over. When I spar it never fails the other guy will do his stance and usualy telegraph to me what style he knows, how skilled he is, what foot he leads with, if he is left/right handed, where the blind spots are, where his stances balance is at, and I can almost read how the other guy will lose.

Agreed, and this also falls into the habit of people to 'prepare' before entering into physical confrontation. Don't. Don't prep. Just get busy, right from whatever position you are in. Make the assault and follow through by 'transitioning' from one stance to the next whilst setting for the next assault, and the next, and the next. No commercial interruptions, no photo shoots. Just do it. Nike.

[Manabimasho1]

#1 Tugs thier pants just above the knee during thier stance or before a kick. Almost 99.9% of the time they do it 3 quick times.

That's because most people are wearing ill-fitting gis, or over-tight pants, and the things hang-up on the kneejoint. I prefer loose-fitting pants or stretch pants.

NO NO not what i mean lol...........They do this in Habit when sparring in tight jeans, lose jeans, hip huggers, shorts even, jogging pants, under armor spandix suits, That is what I mean lol......Yeah its a given that if they didn't get thier pants hemmed or sewed then I can see pulling them up or tugging but they do it in class so often when sparring outside for fun in everyday wear they do it.

MY grandmaster pointed it out to me because he noticed it and for some reason it is usualy 3 tugs that are quick, I have actualy seen a guys fingers heading for thier thigh area and lunged at them and they tug fast 3 times instead of blocking or sidestepping.

As I said I swear I have seen sooooo many do it in shorts too! Now that you know I am complaining about it don't say im full of it. go out sparr and watch for it....it is nuts.

[White Warlock]

Well, i haven't competed since the 80's. In real life confrontations, people don't prep like that, so it's only a problem for competition.