By Gavin King, 2nd Dan Go So Kempo

“So, if I bring hip through first it’ll load the energy up in the shoulder…” I think to myself as I mentally rehearse the strike for the hundredth time in my minds eye.

“… Hip first, then the shoulder and bang, release the energy!” I glance over at the clock and notice the ungodly hour, “Jeez it’s getting late, best get off to sleep now!”

“… So hip first, then the shoulder and release the energy! What about the elbow? Must keep that elbow in or the energy will leak out… So up through the hip, up to the shoulder, out the arm (keeping the elbow in!!!!) and out through the… “, my train of thought crashes as the alarm clock meets my gaze like an oncoming train, “… 4a.m??? Oh man, I’ve got to be up in a couple hours!”

Those that know me will testify, without much duress, that I am somewhat compulsive and obsessive in my approach to life. My brain is usually running at 400mph processing the most inane of thoughts and questions. Many a night has whisked by with endless thoughts of techniques, philosophies and concepts, all burrowing away deep inside my head. Countless nights that should have been spent trying to claw back some much needed beauty sleep lost lying in my own technique filled insomniac hell! So many mornings walking weary eyed into work looking like death warmed up past jeering colleagues.

“’Ave an ‘eavy one last night Gav? So what was she like, stud muffin???” As I stumble to my desk. Embarrassed that my night was spent with a thousand mental gyakazuki’s rather than with some local strumpet!

I’ve often stated my theory on chasing too many “Wabbits”. Chase too many and you’ll end up Wabbitless. The Elmer Fudd pronunciation helps it to stick in peoples heads! In addition to chasing too many Wabbits, I’m beginning to realise the dangers of spending too much time chasing one Wabbit for too long. It knackers you out! What’s the point of chasing a Wabbit only to be too tired to do anything with it once you’ve caught it?

With me I have the added trouble that I usually chase my Wabbit so hard that once caught he’ll usually grass up his mates. Rather than getting eaten himself, the Wabbit will tell me where two or three of his mates are in exchange for his life. Now that leaves me starting a fresh chase whilst still being exhausted from the first one! There is only so long that you can chase something before you need to take a break. Fail to take that break and rest assured your body will do it for you!

As Martial Artists I think we are sometimes our own worst enemies. We constantly push ourselves beyond the normal limits of endurance. Building an unyielding discipline forcing us to never quit and keep pushing ourselves on. It’s extremely difficult to tell the difference between quitting and taking a break. It takes just as much discipline, if not more, to know when to rest rather than push ourselves into the realms of injury and exhaustion. Remember there is a very distinct difference between giving up and resting! This concept applies mentally, physically and emotionally.

Physical rest is easy enough to comprehend and achieve, you simply take a break. Emotional and mental rest are entirely different beasts to conquer, ones that both require discipline of the mind. If you mentally try to stop thinking about anything, you’ll end up thinking more about not thinking about it than you did thinking about it in the first place! Bit of a head fry that one isn’t it? Re-read that sentence back, just thinking about that is enough to bring on a mild psychosis.

So how do we stop thinking without thinking about it? Meditation is a very powerful way of calming the mind. There are countless methods of meditation, but one I found recently is very simple and works particularly well for me. It involves a reciting a mantra over and over again. Now I’ve never been a particular fan of mantra’s or chanting. I always feel a bit of a prat doing them, but this one is sneaky… it’s a mental mantra! A mantra that you recite in our head! That way you can do it without anyone knowing your doing it, cool huh?

All you need to do is repeat the words “Tea Leaf” in your head over and over again. Pick a rhythm and mental pitch that is comfortable for you and just repeat “Tea Leaf” in your head. That’s it! Try and do it for about five minutes and I guarantee you’ll feel completely different afterwards. When practicing you’ll find that your mind will naturally start to wander, just bring your attention back to the mantra and carrying on repeating it. Pick a quiet location to do the exercise like a private room, a bench in a park or even the toilets at work, and make sure you’re comfortable. At the end you should feel calmer and far more grounded they you did to begin with.

Give it a go and it’ll give your poor mind the much needed break it’s probably screaming out for! After that you’ll be ready to start hunting Wabbits again!