If you are going to achieve a high standard in any area of human endeavour there is an inescapable, universal fundamental principle: get the basics right. For the basics are the building blocks of achievement, without them, real progress is at best limited.
The key is to develop your basics to an advanced level. And you do that by good quality practice. Once that is achieved, you can add to your repertoire with relative ease. This is because the more complex or elaborate skills are derived from the basics. The most flamboyant rock guitarist, for example, has to be able to hold down the strings on the fret board cleanly; honing that basic skill to an advanced level was a pre-requisite.
During the learning process we can easily be ‘seduced’ by the complex or the elaborate because it is more exciting than the basic. It’s quite a natural reaction. We see the expert’s greatness and are wilfully blind to the very obvious fact that it was borne out of thousands of hours of training in the basics. This flash of greatness was the tip of a very big iceberg involving a lot of sacrifice and probably suffering hidden below the water line.
What’s important to appreciate is that the performance of a complex, elaborate skill is not great per se. It is only great if it is performed to a high standard; and those who can do that have one thing in common – they honed the basics first.
So developing the basics to an advanced level is necessary as a platform upon which to build the repertoire of the world class performer; so too is maintaining that level. That’s why the basics must be constantly revisited and honed.
So what are the basics? They are the core skills, essential attributes and fundamental principles. And the objective of basic training is always to enhance these in some material way.
Good basics are the building blocks of achievement and without them you will struggle. Acquire them, maintain them and you might just achieve greatness!
SOUTH NOTTS KARATE 