U.S.C.A. Award for Best Martial Arts School in Flagstaff
"Water Mountain... is a very supportive place to train. The instructors really understand how to work with you to achieve success, and to continually build upon and reinforce your successes. Everyone, students and instructors, work together to form an extremely positive environment. When I walked into the studio for the first time, I immediately felt at ease--sometimes I come in early just to relax in the calming environment. I feel sincerely respected by everyone I've met here. WMMS is like a supportive family, always encouraging me to new levels...."
--Alan Kaufmann, East Flag
"Water Mountain has improved my health so much-sometimes I can hardly believe it! When I first started coming here I was having so much pain, I was just about disabled. Now I'm energetic, feel younger, and I'm nearly pain free. Water Mountain has changed my life for the better....You can come here to handle stress, have a more balanced life and receive lots of positive support both from the staff and from all the friends you make here."
--Maureen White, West Flag
"Water Mountain Martial Arts has been a huge asset for my sons now ages 11 and 13. They not only benefit from the strength and skill building, but also are learning self-defense and discipline. They have learned that it takes a lot of hard work to accomplish some goals in life, but also that it is worth it all in the end."
--Judy Stratton, Upper Greenlaw
"Master Steenrod, I am writing you this letter to thank you and Water Mountain Martial Society for providing martial and lifestyle programs that have been part of my life for several years now. WMMS allowed me to achieve success, and continually build upon my successes, by reinforcing my positive frame of mind, and by cultivating the processes that move students toward imminent objectives using a clear agenda."
--Josh Edwards, East Flagstaff
"Water Mountain Martial Society is a great place to train. Besides the beautiful facility, every instructor is professional, respectful, easy to get along with, and concerned with your progress. The lessons are always very useful and practical, and techniques are demonstrated in a way that makes them quite easy to learn and do, often with surprising results.
A question I've often found myself asking after a class is: "Was I really just able to do that?".
Training at Water Mountain has also improved my health in a long-term and lasting way, both physically and mentally. After training there I find myself with much less stress, as well as an increased drive to do well in life, with the skills and confidence I need to do so.
I would encourage anyone interested in training to try it out. You won't be sorry!"
--James "Bolt Cutter" Patton, West Flagstaff
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What is Your Performance Limit?
What I want to talk about today are the practical limits to training performance—in other words, how far can you go? What is the maximum limit that you can achieve?
I could tell you a general platitude: the sky is the limit, the limit is where you set it, there are no limits, anyone can be president (in America). These are ideals that are created because people as a whole have a relatively small understanding of what becoming motivated is or how to achieve the goals.
We all know that these statements aren’t true. If they were, everyone would be at the peak of their abilities. Are you at the peak of your abilities? Have you achieved everything you are capable of? Do you know how to get there—to tap the best part of you? Only by focusing on the truth, and stepping behind the mask can a person actually advance.
Actions taken and behaviors control the level of performance that can be achieved in anything. Those behaviors are much more important than limits imposed by a lack of talent or even the physical condition of the body.
So the platitudes are in theory correct. Rarely do people pursue anything far enough to reach their real limit--the limit that is built into them. So, in theory with the right behaviors and the right actions, anyone can become president, and the sky is the limit.
The limits of action and behavior are real, however, because they are the real things that restrict people. Ignoring them ignores the things that must be controlled to perform well.
The most important action is repetition. Doing the same task, properly varied, over and over again. Performance for anyone can be increased by increasing the reps.
Eventually, behavioral and lifestyle limits will pop up. Your life needs to engineered to allow you to do high repetitions. You need to have the behaviors in place that will have you do those reps. The truth is, you can’t simply do reps and expect everything else to bend around your desire. You have to control yourself and your life to permit those repetitions.
The first major performance limit that you will face is dependent on the number of repetitions that you are able to complete. The starting point for a person, whether it’s high or low, is unimportant. A training system should be able to easily adapt to even very bad positions. So, get excuses based around your starting point out of your head. “Ohh, I’m not strong enough. I’m not talented. I’m too old. I’m too young. It’s too different? I’ll look stupid.” I’ve heard these excuses thousands of times, and made them even myself. These are unimportant reasons.
If you can only do a thing once, every other day to start, then that’s your start.
Your maximum skill level is determined by repetitions. Without moving steadily up in repetitions, skill level will not change. That is the simple truth. Repetitions determine how far you can progress—not starting point.
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