Training Tip - Video Tape Yourself!

When I was going for my first World Champ title in 1999, I video taped all of my competitions and then went back and meticulosly reviewed them in slow motion. Yes, slow motion. It drove my wife crazy because I would watch the same scene several times before moving on. I mostly did this with sparring because at that time sparring was the only world title that could be earned. It was important to win forms competitions as well as sparring because both forms and sparring awarded points and you needed enough from both to be allowed to compete for the title.

I watched the forms competition of myself and others to see who was winning and what did I need to work on if someone beat me in that particular competition. I watched the sparring competition to see what I did and what the other person did in response, and vice versa. I learned a lot about my habits and the habits of my competitors by watching those video tapes.

If you want to really improve your martial arts, video tape yourself and sit down and be your own worst critic. Then fix the things you did not like when you watched yourself. We all look one way in our minds, but quite possibly look very different in reality. When we watch ourselves from the perspective of an instructor, we see things we would not have otherwise seen. You may be surprised!

Written by: Stan Shields, Chief Instructor, 1999 Sparring Champion and 2006 XMA Weapons Champion.