Don't Lose Your Focus

[Alan Armstrong]

Focus is very important factor for all martial artists, that needs regular attention and maintenance, as if you don't use it you will loose it.

Sometimes focus can be an issue especially when you have that, seen it many times before feeling or having a touch of ADD at the wrong moment.

We have focus pads and make up plans and strategies to stay on target, as others use photography while others shoot guns or arrows.

Humour, imagination or something interesting to focus on works for me, to hold on to my attention span for as long as possible.

What do you do to stay focused?

[JR 137]

I’m forced to stay focused. If I lose it, I’m going to catch a kick with my face or a punch with my stomach.

During solo stuff like basics and kata, I pay attention to how the technique feels and how to improve it.

Karate is the only workout (for lack of a better word) that I’ve never once been bored or lost focus. No idea why. I’ve even lost focus during wrestling, which is a big no no for obvious reasons.

[bushido_man96]

Staying focused during a class for me usually isn't hard to do. Its when I've got down time that I need to focus more, and I usually try to work my mind on different things. Reading helps, playing word games helps. At work, I try to keep an eye on the surroundings, and at times I'll push myself to be on the lookout for cameras, mirrors, what people are doing or not doing, etc.

[Alan Armstrong]

Here is karate focus explanation.

Personally I have been focusing on my legs for gaining strength, speed, flexibility and agility, (as feeling that I have been spreading my self thin with many types of exercises, for the last six months) now doing the same type of focusing this time for my upper body, with the idea to maintain the improvements made.

I am feeling and seeing the benefits of re-focusing my training sessions with concentrated efforts, it was difficult at first, pushing past that psychological barrier, but now knowing that it is working out for me, I aim to continue focusing my energy in this way.

With the third part of this re-focusing my workout routine will be on core exercises and maintain my new gains, for my lower and upper body and hopefully integrate the three parts and focus once more on improving my overall performance.

[Alan Armstrong]

Karate kid, breaking ice scene.

Focus

[sensei8]

For me, I stay engaged with that which it is that I'm dealing with. That for me triggers me to focus much more across the board.

Ever see the movie with Kevin Costner where he's a MLB pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium; For The Love of the Game?? In this movie, Billy Chapel, Mr. Costner's character, working on achieving a perfect game. To settle himself while he's pitching, he does one thing to harness his focus...he speaks to himself, but not just about each batter, and with the Yankee fans, but to himself, in which he says...a repeated line...his trick for concentration...he utters to himself....Clear the mechanism. He then takes care of business on the mound!!

While I might not utter those exact words to myself often times, I do trigger my focus sharply by speaking to myself, but when the time awakens, I am focused at the Nth degree because that is me. After all, I've been at this for quite some time, in which when focused is demanded, it'll be there wholeheartedly!!

Spoiler alert: Btw, Costner's character does pitch a perfect game.

[Alan Armstrong]

Sorry sensei8 haven't seen the movie.

Focus could also be blotting out distractions.

Another example:

Focusing, listening and being aware on what another person is saying, whereas there are those that are on the contrary more concerned and thinking/focused about what they are going to say instead.

I see this sometimes in coffee shops where two people are talking about what they are concerned with and neither has a clue or interest in what the other is talking about; which to me looks like a situation comedy of sorts LOL

Just today herd that we only listen to 20% of what others say, probably due to thinking of what to say instead of paying full attention in the moment.

[sensei8]

My wife is a school teacher for kindergarten to 3rd grade, and she tells me that the age of the child is the length of their attention span. So, a 5 year old has an attention span for about 6 minutes!! I'm 61 years old...sometimes, I've the attention span of 61 seconds, and not 61 minutes!!

[Alan Armstrong]

My wife tells me that I don't listen, or something like that LOL

As I do seem to focus on things other than her, till I leaned about "relationship maintenance" LOL

She tries to catch me out on the spot, asking me to repeat what she said last, so having plenty of practice, have learned to memorize her last sentences, even though not understanding what she is getting at. LOL

To prove to her that I can still use my brain "focus" I do the shopping without a shopping list, while she tells me verbally what to buy, again with practice and a little creative word associated as imagining sugar for instance goes in the gas tank... also dividing what I Iike, she wants and what the house needs, as this is usually the same, it isn't really that difficult, what is though is to make her believe it is. LOL