Martial arts, particularly Systema and my teacher, Vladimir Vasiliev, have added so much to my life.The F Word No Not That One, Aside from getting to participate in the greatest martial art, I get to continually evaluate my life and make updates where flaws are seen. I understand things when they are “physicalized;” that is when the lessons are based on movement. They impact me more than verbally taught.

Martial arts, particularly Systema and my teacher, Vladimir Vasiliev, have added so much to my life. Aside from getting to participate in the greatest martial art, I get to continually evaluate my life and make updates where flaws are seen. I understand things when they are “physicalized;” that is when the lessons are based on movement. They impact me more than verbally taught.

Case in point, I have been using the wrong F word. No not that one. I am talking about Fast. As in. . . .
“I want to learn it, fast.”
“If I can really understand it fast then life would be better.”
“It takes too long to master that. Isn’t there a fast way?”
The problem here is 2-fold. Lessons, be they in martial arts or in life, never end. So why rush through them when another is sitting just behind them. And another behind that one. Ad infinitum.

Secondly, learning it fast does not mean you can do the action better. In fact, it is my experience that the things I do well are the ones that took the longest to learn. The ones that were “hacked” are long forgotten.
There is another F-word that can increase your learning by 30%, your IQ by 30%, and your ability to learn by the same percentage. At least.
That F word is Fun.

I know, there was a lot of build-up for a 3 letter word and a concept that you undoubtedly know. Bear with me a minute.
A long-term study was conducted and they found that whenever fun, lightheartedness, or humor was introduced into the equation, a minimum of 30% improvement was noted in the ability to learn, perform and remember long-term.
What group was this study conducted on? Brace yourself for this one.

Hostage negotiations. Yes, you are reading this correctly Hostage negotiations as in kidnapping and the like. Whenever the negotiator was able to introduce an element of lightness into the mix, a minimum of 30% improvement in success and safety was noted.
If this group saw that much improvement under THOSE circumstances by adding the F-word – FUN – how much improvement and joy and happiness can the rest of us experience under dramatically better conditions?!!