How I trained to win

by Rochelle E. Brenner

How I trained for my 4th-degree Black Belt & National Championship and you can, too, in no particular order:

1. I read Inner Excellence, the same book AJ Brown was caught perusing on the Philadelphia Eagles sidelines. It was a good book.

2. I applied lessons from the book, especially the part about visualizing performing at the level I aspire to. I imagined being great at my katas when I laid my head on my pillow at night.

3. I went to classes I enjoyed regardless of whether it was directly related to my advanced katas. My favorites were: sparring with friends, Muay Thai, alongside the black belts of Mt. Airy, and advanced training with legendary instructor Mr. Anthony Atkins. Those sessions made me love martial arts and inspired me to be a better black belt.

4. I ran a mile more often than I wanted to so that by the time I had to put multiple miles in, I had at least gotten in 1 mile enough times that I could increase mileage. It only takes 10-15 minutes of giving up phone time. Sometimes I’d deny myself listening to a podcast until I ran with my headphones in. I also played ultimate frisbee, another fun hobby that entails a lot of running.

5. I practiced everywhere: in the car, on a ski lift, on the beach, on a cruise ship, at the bedside of sick relatives, buying furniture, out with friends. I recommend this for everyone: Practice a kata every half mile of a hike, or every 15 minutes of a beach walk or every 20 minutes of crocheting. In other words, pair it with something else you enjoy. I didn’t dread practicing or have to set aside time. I incorporate it in my hobbies and all of the other fun things I want to do. As a result I practiced every single day, no excuses. Practice in the pool, on the beach, every time you park the car, every time you lose a life in a video game. I didn’t give up anything. In the book Reset by Dan Heath, he talks about filling in for useless time where nothing is happening. I did that kind of thing: filled in the gaps Rocky-style with karate.

6. I practiced naked: This isn’t for everyone, but, I went to a clothes-free heated spa in Cheltenham. This was my favorite way to get in an intense training session. I practiced my katas in the steam room, sauna, hot tub, charcoal room, jade room and granite room.  I went to heated rooms no one else was in and if someone came in, I’d pretend I was stretching then sit there and enjoy the spa setting until I could have a room to myself again. It made the practice fun and relaxing. I already had the reward of being somewhere I enjoyed. I call this “hot karate.” I was able to practice for hours in this setting because I was already at a mom’s happy place: the spa.

   
   

7. I told people: I made sure people around me knew I was training toward a goal so that they would ask me about it, and not let me quit, and expect me to be training. 

   
   

8. I asked myself what I couldn’t do in the past and wanted to dedicate this belt to as my own personal creative endeavor. In this case, I created two curriculum sets that were above and beyond the curriculum required for the belt. 

9. The full list of what I did: traditional Kenpo katas Tiger Set and Kenpo 6, Shotokan kata Heian Shodan, and two original pieces: a weapon set called strap kata with 3 techniques using a modified unique belt as a weapon, and a creative musical form to a medley of Madonna songs inspired by her dance moves.

   
   

10. I competed in a national tournament to demonstrate unique moves, get out of my comfort zone and force myself to get to competition level. I pondered that I could meet the level of competition but never expected the level of success I experienced: I won the divisional round of every event I entered: kata, traditional and weapon. I wanted to incorporate a unique style, even if I don’t win, the effort is worth it. The win allowed me to then compete against all the other division winners male and female at the next level, and I won that division: Grand Champion of all 18+ Open for the Madonna-inspired kata. I got 3rd for Traditional, and got the highest score among females of that division (but two guys beat me).

    
    

11. I wrote down the moves to the kata so I could read them.

    
    

12. I watched videos of Madonna to get inspiration from her dance moves.

    
    

13. I asked 2 audio people to put together a mix of Madonna music: Ms. Analisa, a red belt, and Mr Freed, a black belt made the music.

    
    

14. I’m engaged in an ongoing effort to design martial arts attire to be comfortable and stylish, particularly for women. In that process, I ordered a fishing belt that I realized could be modified into a clever, useful weapon. It’s maneuverable similar to traditional weapons, has the benefit of being lightweight and can be taken onto airplanes and past security. It’s a clever weapon, if we were to train with it. So I created a wearable weapon strap, a kata, and three self-defense techniques that could be used on the mat.

    
    

15. I applied a concept from Inner Excellence called ‘Thoughts vs Circumstances.’ In cases where my circumstances were bleak, I didn’t let thoughts about it override my determination to get the belt. I worked on accepting the circumstances as simply stated, as opposed to my emotional reaction wracked with racing thoughts. Friends died. Family got diagnosed. Betrayals happened. And most destructive: My ex-husband filed a sinister tortuous lawsuit to undermine my role as the mother of my children. It’s by far the worst thing I’ve ever gone through, a legal abuse that I never imagined was possible with that man or this court system, something that is a daily struggle in which I have no support. But at least I thought about it less and have a belt to prove I didn’t let it destroy me yet. 

    
    

16. To increase spatial awareness, and get in more reps, every time I did the kata, I’d do it facing all four directions (north, south, east and west). It’s an easy way to change things up and prove that you have it memorized because you have to remember how to turn each way.

    
    

17. I practiced entire katas as if they are one move, just flowing from one segment to the next, with the goal that there would be no pauses or breaks along the way. This is the “water” element of martial arts. I’m most comfortable with fire – intense. I also practiced earth and air. Final performance was fire.

    
    

18. Prayer every step of the way.

    
    

19. I thought hard about what I could do at Level 4 of 4, the peak of ability and performance. Not level 1 or 2 or 3.9, but the actual max I’m capable of doing right now. An advanced degree black belt is like getting a phD, it’s specializing in a particular area of training, not just repeating what’s assigned or completing a multiple choice test. 

    
    

20. In conclusion I wrote most of this before I tested and for my own fun. I still have plenty to improve and accept any feedback requiring improvement. If you want to train at the next level, write your list of what you are willing to do and what you think it takes. It doesn’t have to be the same as mine, I imagine “hot karate” is not going to take off. But your goal should include impressive calculations on thought process, training and commitment. This list is maybe too much information, maybe not enough. Many times I have not wanted to move and I have a very good excuse to simply give up. I may seem active and engaged to where this is easy to just go to the spa and train naked, but I’d give up the belt, the trophies and my left arm to end the court case, protect my kids and co-parent in peace.