USJA Coach - Judo Information Site

USJACOACHa a a a a a a a a a a aKEEPING AT ITby Dr. Chris Dewey, Head Coach,Starkville Martial Arts Academy, MS (reprinted by permission)Churchill's university commencementaddress is a philosophy of life. It is anattitude of resilience, and an affirmation ofthe nobility and integrity ofcharacteq evenunder stress.Given what we know of Churchill and hisguidance of the English people during theearly years of World War II when Englandstood alone in Europe, this testament is alsoa personal affirmation of everything hestood for. We can leam much from thissentiment and Churchill's attitude.We are too easily led astray these days bythe lure of something easy. Too often weturn aside when the going gets tough andthe effort does not appear to be matchedby immediate or expected rewards. Whattiotitl'n*i,,)o o"m pase ls)Philadelphia Dojo with Art Bourgeau, andworked on his Master's Degree inCounseling Psychology.Tony's fate was then to change. He left thepriesthood in 1991 and did not work outfor two years. He was reestablishinghimself in a world he did not know. Hewas depressed, andfelt lost. In 1993, Tonymarried Heather Hall, a medical doctor andpsychiatrist, who was a strong force inTony's return to Judo. In 1994, he foundRoger Burens, Yodan in Go-ju-ryu Karate,and they teamed up, exchanged talents, andTony was back in action.ln 1997, Tony was awarded a Doctor ofMinistry Degree in Marriage and FamilyChurchill was talking about is not simplybeing stubborn; he was talking about astrength of resolve which will not quit.Now, we're not talking about bashing ourheads against a brick wall, but inventiveresolve which seeksolutions to what mightappear to be insurmountable problems. Thecall is that we do not give up, we do notquit, and that if we stay the course we willfind the success we seek.The problem is that today, we quit too oftenwhen the journey is hard, and we lose selfesteemas a result of that choice. Werationalize our reasons for quitting, but thereality is always that we have underminedour own self-esteem. Quitting is also thebreeding ground of regret.Counseling from Eastem Baptist Seminary.He became an Adjunct Professor ofPsychology at Immaculate College, and hasworked in various positions in Philadelphiaas a drug and alcohol, mental healthcounselor and supervisor. He and Heatherhave their own practice in Upper Darby,PA.As a competitor, Tony never fended well.He won first place in 1987 in the WisconsinState Judo Championships and in 1990 tookthird at the Dutch CountrY OPen inPennsylvania; in 2000 he took second atthe Keystone Games. Tony says he wouldlike to compete and win in kata, andcontinue to teach Judo to the seriousstudent.'.:"-In his recent book "Ilrrsirrc.ss ut lhc Spcedof Tltougltt", Bill Gates gives l3 rulcs ol'life. One of those rules is that scll:csteenris what we gain liorn DOING sorncthing,not somcthing we gct licc. The point isthis: according to the 80/20 principlc, thclast 2Oo/of eltbrt is what vields 807c, ol-What Churchill was talkingahout is not simplv heirtl4stubborn: he was talkingabout a strength of resolvewhich will not quit.the rewards. From this perspective, theresult and the purpose of the journey isclear. If we quit when the road gets hard,or we feel stressed, or we are tired andfrustrated, we lose all the benefits of thejourney. Certainly, the difficult part of theroad will cause you to question yourmotivation, your ability and your resolve,but that's the point of the exercise. We leamwho we are when we refuse to give in to achallenge, when we become resourcefuland seek novel approaches to ourchallenges. We gain strength from doing,not from quitting. We discover the qualityof our character when we find out how wedeal with stressful and difficult challenges.Learning martial arts is not always easy,but the rewards of training willchange yourlife, There will be thresholds at which youwill want to quit. Only you can make thedecision to see it through and enjoy thoserewards.