Having tournaments and events on the horizon to look forward to certainly helps to keep your karate journey mentally stimulating, but nothing makes karate more exciting that seeing your own measurable progress! So, let’s bring our attention for a moment to YOU and your goals for the year.
When looking at what you would like to achieve this year (and beyond), ask yourself these questions:
What new knowledge would I like to gain in 2025?
For example:
- Learning a new kata (or two)
- Learning the bunkai of a kata
- Learning new kumite skills and combinations
- Learning new self-defence applications
- Learning a new kick or technique
- Learning more about karate history, philosophy
How would I like to physically develop myself in 2025?
For example:
- Moving faster through stances
- Increasing flexibility for better kicks and stances
- More snap
- More balance
- More power
- More hip rotation
- Increased endurance and cardio
- Being able to push myself from the start to the end of class
- Losing weight, gaining weight, toning up, etc
- Reduced pain, overcoming injuries, better injury management etc
How would I like to mentally develop in 2025?
For example:
- Becoming more confident
- Being more disciplined
- Encouraging myself more and much less self-criticism
- Better time-management and a work/school/training/social life balance
- Having more mental fortitude to push through the down times in fatigue or motivation
- Becoming a person others can rely on (being true to my word and following through)
The fastest way to progress is to set out a clear plan of what you want. Goals help us by:
- Direction and Focus: Goals provide a clear sense of direction. They help you understand what you want to achieve, which makes it easier to prioritize your time and efforts. Without goals, it’s easy to drift aimlessly through life.
- Motivation: Goals act as a source of motivation. They give you something to work toward, and having a clear target often makes the journey feel more meaningful. The satisfaction of making progress toward your goals can keep you driven, even when challenges arise.
- Measure of Progress: Goals provide a way to measure your progress. Without goals, it’s difficult to track how far you’ve come or assess if you’re moving in the right direction. When you set specific and measurable goals, you can see tangible results.
- Personal Growth: Setting and working toward goals pushes you out of your comfort zone, encouraging you to learn new skills, overcome obstacles, and grow as a person. It forces you to develop perseverance, problem-solving abilities, and resilience.
- Sense of Accomplishment: Achieving goals brings a sense of satisfaction and pride. Accomplishing something you’ve set your mind to boosts confidence and reinforces the belief. This includes even the smallest goals.
We recommend taking a few minutes to set out some goals for 2025. Grab a pen and paper or open up a document on your computer. Keep them somewhere you will see them often. Don’t be afraid to share your goals with someone who will help encourage you and keep you accountable. Lastly, be sure to set S.M.A.R.T goals. If you haven’t heard about S.M.A.R.T goals, you’ll find a quick rundown of what S.M.A.R.T. stands for below.
S.M.A.R.T. Goals:
SMART Goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time based. How to create a SMART goal:
- Specific: Make your goal clear and specific. Do you want to learn a new kata, compete in your first tournament, grade to your next belt level? Choose your goal and start visualising the outcome you desire.
- Measurable: Define the measurable assets of your goal – if your goal is entering a tournament, do you want to enter kata and kumite? Is your goal to score 2 points in kumite or make it through the first round of kata? If you want to learn a new kata, is your goal to learn it to the count or your own timing?
- Achievable: Speak with your instructor about realistic and achievable goals. You might want to be the next GKR World Champion by June 2025, which is a great goal to have but may not be achievable if the next GKR World Cup isn’t until 2026.
- Relevant: All of your goals should align with any long term goals that you have. If your goal is to grade to green belt by the end of the year, a goal to learn Saifa to the count aligns with your long term goal of grading.
- Time based: All goals need a realistic timeframe and end date. If you make the timeframe unrealistic eg. I want to go from sitting on my couch to running a marathon in 2 weeks, you’re not making your goal achievable. Similarly, if you have too long a timeframe, there’s no push or urgency to make the changes and take the steps to get to where you want to be.
