3.5 Lessons From Kickboxing

I've had the good fortune to train in Boxing, Kickboxing and other various styles of martial arts since I was 13 years old, and during that time I've been exposed to the fight game on a regular basis. To me, fighting remains one of the purest forms of competition there is. Think about it. What could be a greater challenge (or greater insanity) than willingly climbing into a ring with another trained fighter whose entire purpose for the next several rounds is to punch and kick you in the head while you're attempting to do exactly the same thing to them?

But what’s the real focus is that the fight game tests far more than physical skill. It tests your conditioning, preparation, courage, discipline and ability to think while someone is actively trying to separate you from your senses. It forces you to confront the person standing across from you, but it also forces you to confront the person inside of you. Your fears show up. Your doubts show up. Your weaknesses show up. And sometimes, when things aren't going your way, you discover whether you're willing to rise to the occasion or simply look for a way out.

That's one of the reasons I've always believed martial arts teaches us so much about life and business.

You may have absolutely no desire to compete in Kickboxing, Boxing or MMA, and after getting punched in the face a few times, I certainly understand why, but the lessons learned inside the ring apply remarkably well outside of it. In fact, the principles I've learned through decades of martial arts have become part of the philosophy behind Black Belt Living.

Here are 3.5 lessons from Kickboxing that can help you improve not only your martial arts, but the way you approach your life.

1. Stay on Your Toes

A fighter who becomes flatfooted is much easier to hit. Their offensive movement slows, their defensive reactions become predictable, and they have difficulty getting into position quickly enough for an attack or defense. A skilled fighter stays light on their feet so they can move when necessary, strike when an openings appear and change direction when the situation demands it.

Life and business work much the same way for most of us.

The moment you become too comfortable, stop learning or assume that yesterday's success guarantees tomorrow's results, you begin making yourself vulnerable. You stop paying attention. You become less prepared for change. Eventually life throws something at you that you didn't see coming.

Staying on your toes doesn't mean living anxiously and waiting for disaster. It means remaining engaged in your own life. Keeping yourself physically healthy, developing yourself professionally, maintaining meaningful relationships, learning new skills, etc. Pay attention to what's changing around you. Don't allow yourself to become so comfortable with where you've been that you stop preparing for where you're going.

This is especially important for martial arts school owners and business leaders. The curriculum that worked ten years ago may need updating. The marketing strategy that once filled your school may no longer produce the same results. Your students change. The parents change. Your employees change. Technology certainly changes! And the marketplace changes. If you become flatfooted as a business leader, eventually something is going to catch you with a punch you should have seen coming.

Black Belt Living is about remaining intentional enough to recognize change and disciplined enough to prepare for it. Stay on your toes and you'll be far better prepared to move when life takes a swing at you.

Here are a few ways to stay on your toes:

• Getting up early for reflective time

• Training even when you don't feel like it

• Eating well most of the time

• Continually developing your personal and professional relationships

• Learning something new on a regular basis

• Consistently giving people more value than they expect.

2. Look for the Openings

Watch an inexperienced fighter and you'll often see someone throwing everything they've got and hoping something eventually lands. Lots of punches. Lots of energy. Lots of effort. Unfortunately, not always a lot of strategy.

Sometimes they get lucky. More often, they just get tired.

A skilled fighter approaches things differently. They watch, they move, they test their opponent's reactions, they look for patterns and weaknesses. Maybe the opponent drops their right hand when throwing a jab? Maybe they become vulnerable after kicking? Maybe they always move in the same direction when pressured? The experienced fighter doesn't simply attack harder; they pay attention until the opening appears.

How often do we do the exact opposite in life?

We become so focused on what's going wrong that we stop looking for what might go right. We complain about our job instead of looking for the next opportunity. We complain that business is slow instead of looking for an underserved market. We complain about our circumstances while completely overlooking an opening sitting right in front of us.

Opportunities rarely walk up, tap you on the shoulder and say, "Hello! I'm the opportunity you've been waiting for!" Usually, you have to look for them.

For a martial arts school owner, an opening might be an underserved age group in your community, a new program your students have been asking for, an instructor ready for greater responsibility, a corporate program/relationship with another local business or a weakness in your student experience that, once corrected, dramatically improves retention. Sometimes your greatest opportunity isn't doing more. It's finally noticing what has been there all along.

So keep your eyes open and maintain your professional network. Continue learning how to market yourself and your business as best you can. Study your industry and talk to successful people. Ask better questions and look for problems you can solve and people you can help.

In the ring and in life, opportunities don't always last very long. So when the opening appears, you need to recognize it and be prepared to act. Just like a Kickboxer.

3. Protect Yourself at All Times

Anyone who has spent time around combat sports has heard some version of this instruction: protect yourself at all times. And there's a reason for it!

A fighter who drops their hands because they think the action has stopped can quickly discover that the other fighter had a very different interpretation of the situation. Sorry Charlie! You may believe you're safe, but if you aren't paying attention, you may learn otherwise rather quickly.

And life has a similar lesson in store for all of us.

Most people are good people, most business relationships are legitimate, and most friends want good things for you. But not everyone operates according to your standards of fairness, honesty, respect or integrity. You may be playing the game according to one set of rules while someone else is playing according to another.

Protecting yourself doesn't mean becoming cynical, suspicious or afraid of everyone around you. It means being wise.

Take care of your health before you lose it. Protect your finances before there's an emergency. Put important business agreements in writing. Build relationships with trustworthy professionals. Protect your reputation by behaving consistently with your values. Surround yourself with people who want you to succeed rather than people who secretly enjoy watching you struggle.

For a school owner, this also means protecting the business you've spent years building. Have proper insurance, understand your contracts, protect your intellectual property when appropriate. Develop systems that don't depend entirely on one employee, maintain adequate financial reserves, and pay attention to what's happening inside your school instead of assuming everything is fine because nobody has complained lately.

You don't need to live with your hands permanently covering your face, but you do need to remain aware of what's happening around you.

Black Belt Living isn't about expecting the worst, it's about becoming prepared enough that when something unexpected happens, one bad moment doesn't destroy everything you've worked years to build.

3.5 Keep Going—No Matter What!

Remember Rocky? In the original movie, Rocky Balboa gets his opportunity to fight Apollo Creed, the heavyweight champion of the world. Rocky doesn't ultimately win the fight of course, but what makes the story powerful is that he refuses to quit. He keeps getting back up. Round after round, he stays in the fight when almost everyone expects him to fold.

And that's why we cheer for him.

Nobody would have cared about Rocky if, halfway through the movie, he had said, "You know what? This is harder than I expected. I think I'll go home." There wouldn't have been many sequels either.

Life will eventually put you in your own version of that fight. Maybe it's your health, maybe it's your marriage, career, finances or business, or maybe it's a goal you've been chasing for years without getting the result you expected. If you're not facing something difficult right now, enjoy the break because another round will eventually begin. That's simply how life works.

When it does, you have a choice: you can allow the challenge to define you, or you can decide how you're going to respond to it.

However, "keep going no matter what" does not mean blindly doing the same thing forever. A good fighter makes adjustments between rounds. If the jab isn't working, the corner changes the strategy. If you're getting caught every time you move in one direction, you stop moving that way. Persistence without adjustment isn't toughness. Sometimes it's just stubbornness.

The same applies to Black Belt Living. Keep pursuing the objective, but be willing to change the plan. Identify the real cause of the problem. Look for several possible solutions, then talk with people you trust. Maybe find a mentor or coach. But always ask for help, review your progress, adjust your strategy, and then get back in the fight.

There will be rounds in life that you win easily. There will be rounds where you get knocked around pretty good. And there may even be moments when you find yourself flat on your back wondering what just happened.

That's OK. Take a second, figure out where you are, then get back up. Because one bad round doesn't determine the fight, and one difficult season doesn't determine your life. Stay on your toes. Look for the openings. Protect yourself at all times. And when life hits harder than you expected, make the adjustments you need to make and keep going.

That's not just good advice for Kickboxing - That's Black Belt Living!

FREE OFFER: If you feel you need help on any of these aspects, shoot me an e-mail or give me a call and we’ll see what we can come up with! 727-517-6802 or CoachJohnKyle@gmail.com