The Drum Dojo...

In an effort to discover the correlation between music and martial arts, I've decided to embark on a personal journey that combines my two greatest loves in the world. What makes martial artists love to play music? Equally, what makes musicians want to practice martial arts? Here's what I discovered: I'm not the only one who ponders the same question. I recently came across a great blog from my friends at fretterverse.com that also attempts to dissect the similarities of musicians and martial artists. Dr. Matt Warnock wrote this wonderful piece called "The Music and Martial Arts Connection" and he determines that both arts possess the same degree of discipline: Art, Timing, Training & Revelations. Even though these concepts fall right on the money, for our purposes, I feel it's necessary to dive deeper. Music and martial arts are exactly what they claim themselves to be: art. When combined with consistent training and practice not only will you become nimble and faster, but the movements will become more fluid and executed with less distraction. Congruently, whether your instrument is your body or an extension of yourself, constant training enables the user to establish quicker and concreter results. Not only will on gain self confidence, the artist will also gain self awareness through setting boundaries and personal goals. As a martial artist, I'm learning to be patient with my progress. As a drummer I often felt frustrated that I couldn't break through the walls and get the fast feet I've always wanted. I'm finding, for me anyway, that martial arts calms my soul and clears my mind of all negativity, thus enabling to me perform better and with more focus. I believe wholeheartedly that music supplies much more than just the soundtrack to our lives. It expresses our deepest emotions in ways words can not. It provides another means of honest self expression. This leads me to believe that perhaps we all have our own soundtrack, that is, maybe there's a Rocky Balboa in all of us - complete with our own version of "Getting Stronger" and our own flight of stairs we dream of conquering. I want to trade stories with you: what song gets you going? What song gives you that extra wind to complete your training? So many factors contribute to maintaining motivation. Where does your motivation lie in training your instrument? Mine? Honestly, it depends on my mood. But if I had to pick an absolute favorite, I would pick The Who's "Love, Reigh O'er Me." It's perfect. It's so epic and soul bearing. As the song climaxes, you can practically feel the rain baptizing you as it falls on your face. It's almost like being born again into a whole new person, a better person, a fearless person. Here's a link to the good doctor's blog post: http://fretterverse.com/2010/08/13/the-musicmartial-arts-connection/

Plateaus

So I checked out this site in passing just to see exactly where I'm at in my head. For Huffington Post, I must say, it was very insightful.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/10/science-meaningful-life_n_4570843.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

I asked someone once, "What do you do when you feel you've plateaued?" I wish they would have told me to relax, take a deep breath and go balls deep into acquiring your ultimate goal. However, I felt that would sound lame since I need more of a scientific explanation revealing the cause of my current complacent-ness. Cue the article above.  

When you've plateaued, change a few things around. Practice something different. Work on something else. Relax more. Take a break for a bit. Above all, DO NOT STOP.  I've learned that it's OK to take it easy. It's extremely possible to burn out very quickly when you run multiple goals simultaneously.

In my case, I want to work on my feet but my right food is injured. I swear I'm becoming more clumsy as I get older. I want to be a better martial artist, because it appears that I think about music and fighting equally. Is that weird? I know so many musicians who absolutely adore being a martial artist. I guess they apply that mentality to their music. I must admit, however, I feel silly applying any Bruce Lee philosophy to playing like Dave Lombardo or Buddy Rich. On the other hand, they're the best at what they do.  

I was told that one needs to get out of his or her comfort zone in order to honestly grow as an artist and an individual. Baby steps, I suppose.

All I know is, I just want to move forward. NOW. Then again, patience is another goal I have of which I definitely need to more work...