The training plateau

[TaoBoy]

I often contribute articles to a martial arts magazine and am thinking of writing about what I call "The Plateau". It's the place you get to in your training - generally around 2 years in - that you feel like everything is slowing down. You know there is a heap more to know. You know you've grasped the basics. And somehow, everything slows down and you get frustrated. I've seen many students pack up and leave at this point.

Some healthy discussion on this would be helpful. Have any of you guys hit 'the plateau'? If so, how did you overcome it? How did you feel? How long did 'the plateau' last?

Thanks!

[Hau Tien]

I was told shortly after my last test by my Sifu that I would probably "plateau" for a while. I thought to myself "No freakin' way", and threw myself into even more workouts/practice, and immediately noticed wonderful results.

I surprised both him and myself.

My suggestion for getting over that time is simply to do MORE. And vary it. Don't just work forms/sparring/etc. Add some weight workouts (bodyweight or otherwise), add some running, add anything you can to keep it interesting. Do research on your style. Research other styles. Consume all the knowledge you can.

The more I learn, the more I want to learn. I've been at it about 3 years and I get more and more drawn in every day ;)

[Wu Lung]

Hello Taoboy. That is a great idea for an article, but might I point you to an article I wrote myself recently ;). It was originally published on www.Cyberkwoon.com (read it here) (http://www.cyberkwoon.com/html/article.php?sid=162) and will soon be in the first issue of Warrior's Way (http://www.warriorswaymagazine.com/) magazine also, due out soon.

I'm not sure if your article will be different or much the same, but just for info.

Take care.

[TaoBoy]

Thanks for your article - it is very well written.

My motivation is to write a short piece (one page) about the common pitfalls and then point out some things to help the student pass this phase in their learning. More of a "How to get over the plateau" piece.


Anyone got more to add?

[Wu Lung]

Excellent. Best of luck with it! ;)

[FatherDog]

Originally posted by Hau Tien
Consume all the knowledge you can.

That's good advice for anything, really.

[Shadow Dragon]

TaoBoy.

There a multiple plateaus that anybody taking a long term venture will hit.

When they come and how they are over-come is pretty much personal and can vary a lot.

In many JMA & KMA the bigger plateau is often at 3~6yrs when the sought after 1st BB is awarded.

In short the pleateu normally happens when a certain "goal or benchmark" has been passed.

Hope this helps.

[SevenStar]

the plateau also happens with weight training - it's the point where you are making zero progress on your program. I'd imagine people in most sports go through it. How you deal with it depends on what activity you are plateauing in. with weight training, I take off for about a week, then change up my program and start back. With MA, I take a few days off and analyze myself. I keep a journal of my progress and I will update it, then rethink what I am doing and where I need to improve. I find that when I do that, I get re-motivated, which helps to push me in training. The next step is to get back to training, harder than before.

[Tsuei]

There are always plateaus.. both large and small as we train and progress... not just in MA but in playing music etc. Then there are PERCIEVED plateaus.. we think we are slowing down and not getting anything new, when in reality we are learning as much as we ever did but we aren't being dazzled by it... it seems small since we already have so much information.
I Experienced this tis morning as a matter of fact. I felt like I hadn't really learned anything in awhile.. then I realized I have recently added several new kicks to my repertoire as well as having added a large chunk of a form I had been working on- A shaolin form.. teacher told me to repeat a rather long section I had been doing on the right side.. moving it to the left. The instruction on this lasted about a minute. I wasn't dazzled. Didn't FEEL new... got home and realized I had added about 33% to that form at that moment!
It's like the 'sophmore jinx' 2nd time around -a performer's new album or a movie sequel.. you always expect more.. everything new has to live up to the higlights of what came before.

[eulerfan]

I haven't hit the two year mark yet so I have no personal remarks to make.

However, there is a guy in my club who hit a plateau and stopped coming. This guy is amazing. His kung fu is beautiful and he's exceptionally didactic by nature. We learn so much from him on those blue moon occasions when he shows up. We beg him to come back but he says that, the more time that passes, the harder it is. We run into him at the gym and have something of a campaign going to entice him to return.

So, I would be very interested in reading your article when you're done with it.

[MightyB]

It should be a good article.

I know that I've plateaued several times, I've also seen many of my friends that have been in the school do it too.

Often, hitting that wall is the result of repetition without results. When you first begin to learn, everything is new so you make tons of progress in a short amount of time, but, eventually you hit a comfort zone where you no longer get any noticeable gains. The solution is some kind of change that will challenge and motivate you again. This often leads into greater insight into who you are as a martial artist and as a regular person.

Most people leave, some come back, some don't. Of 10 prospective Sifu named by my Sifu, only 5 remain (3 of which only recently came back after a lengthy time off). My Sifu would like to see all of them become Sifu, but in reality, he only expects 1 or 2 to make it.

[mantis108]

I generally use "plateau" in a different sense. IMHO there are about 5 different plateaus in the practice of MA. They can be mapped out with I-Ching graphics. I believe you can not put forth a theory without presenting the math, thus I am still working on my plateau theory. But that is rather beside the topic here.

To answer your question of what is in my view the most simple and direct , and I stress simple and direct, way of dealing with the plateau condition is meditation. Yes, plateau is a condition that is caused by an overload of stimulants to the body-mind continuum, which can not cope efficiently with all the information. In laymen's term, the person is stressed. So incorrect perceptions formed by the clouded mind like looking at things through a few layers of thick lenses. As I said before, and I am aware that not everyone would agree, the body-mind continuum suffers as a whole. Yoga sages and Kung masters alike have understood this plateau condition well enough that they included in their practice meditation to destress the body-mind continuum. With proper guidance of the masters, I am sure plateau condition should not be that much of a Bête Noir.

Anyway, it's a good ideal to write about your experience and share it with the community. Good luck in your project. :)

Mantis108

[TaoBoy]

I appreciate your contribution on this topic. I hope to have the article published in the January 2003 issue. I will also post it on my academy's website for you to read. I may even add a little thank you to you all in the article.