First published: 24 April 2022 @ 6:00 pm
Isolation is a necessary part of training. Many martial arts, including karate, are practiced in a group setting.
This can be advantageous for the development of skills and social interactions. But, it can also cause several mental health issues if not carefully.
In many cases, doing physical activity in a group is much more efficient than training alone. Training with others will allow you to develop and perfect your skills much faster than if you were to train alone.
It will also give you more opportunities to apply your skills in different situations against different opponents.
Training with others has its drawbacks as well though. These difficult times are especially prevalent when one begins to compete at the highest levels of their art or sport.
Photo by Leslie Jones on Unsplash.
The most obvious drawback is that there is no way to control who you train with or against and this could result in uneven matches or people that don’t match up well with your skill level (or lack thereof).
Another drawback that isn’t so obvious is that it could negatively affect your mental strength because of the social pressure associated with training in a group setting.
If people are paying attention to what you do, then there will be pressure from them to do well so they can feel good about themselves for being around someone so good. There is also pressure to perform well so that you don’t look bad in front of the group.
This can be a strong enough pressure to distract you from what you are trying to accomplish.
If you want to reach your full potential as a martial artist, then training in a group setting should be avoided as much as possible.
To reach your full potential, you need to have a strong mind that can stay focused on the task at hand no matter what is going on around you.
The most efficient way to develop this type of mental strength is through the practice of kata and Kumite (sparring) alone with no distractions.
This can be difficult because most people feel more comfortable training with others rather than by themselves, but it is necessary if you want to develop into the best martial artist that you can be.
Click on the next page to learn more about how to sharpen your mental strength during isolation training!