Policing can be a very bizarre job.  It pulls you one way, and then in an opposite direction without warning.

I recall one evening helping a nice elderly lady look for her cat.  She didn’t have a cat, but I still wanted to find it for her.  

While searching for Mittens, I got a call for an out-of-control 16-year-old only 2 doors down.

Within probably 73 seconds I went from searching for a non-existent cat to holding down a disturbed kid who charged me when I showed up.

Again, the job could be bizarre.

So, how can you stay level-headed when you have no idea what you will be dealing with minute to minute?  Not to mention some extreme boredom when nothing is going on?

I found it best to listen to the “Serenity Prayer” and control what I could control.

Three of those Principles probably solved over 90% of the problems I faced in policing.  And the best part?  These Principles are 100% honed in martial arts.

Principle One: Clarity of Purpose

"Success" is easier to achieve if you know what it looks like before you start.

The narrower you can make your focus, the quicker you will achieve “Success”.

What matters to you <RIGHT NOW>?  Where does your focus need to be to achieve your goal?

In policing, if someone was violent with me, I had a single focus: Get them on the ground, faced down.  My Clarity of Purpose was absolute.  I would figure out the who, what, and why’s later.  I needed a safe environment first.

In Karate, maybe your focus is mastering your newest Kata.  Through your training, you realize the thing you had a hard time with in your previous Katas (and never fixed) is holding you up on your newest Kata.  Well, your focus just became a lot clearer.

Know your purpose and answers will appear.

Principle Two: Absolute Discipline

“Take care of the little things and the big things take care of themselves”.  I thought that was only something parents said to kids with messy rooms.

I had this obsessive ritual I went through to get ready for a police shift.  I never noticed it, but it was pointed out to me that I did everything in the same order every time I got dressed and ready to work.

After I dressed, I’d go through my equipment checks, test my pens, and fix things just so.  And I got made fun of a little bit for this.

But, I always knew where everything was, no matter how much stress I was under.  And, I knew everything was in working order.

And, though this does contradict some with Principle Three (more on that in a minute), this Absolute Discipline in preparation served me more times than I can count.  It was painfully clear who was and was not prepared to deal with emergencies when they occurred.  Not shockingly, those who were not prepared also lacked discipline in preparedness.

(They usually smelled kinda funky too…)

Can you think of a practice that stresses Discipline more than martial arts?  

A technique done just so has amazing results!  Change it just a little, and it’s garbage.  

It’s the Discipline that distinguishes the Amazing from the Garbage.

Follow this Principle.  Don’t be trash.

Principle Three: Adaptability

I struggle with some of this Principle of success.

Remember my "obsessive ritual” of getting ready for my police shifts?  It was hard dealing even just one little thing didn’t go right.  Perhaps I’m a little more daffy than I thought?

Despite this OCD-dominant tendency to get ready, I was aware that a small percentage of police calls I went on were Black or White.  Police live in the Gray area.  

Very little is certain.

Adaptability is a must!

Besides knowing who has the funniest-looking feet, there are other benefits to group Karate classes.

Size matters.  Strength matters.  Mindset, athleticism, pain tolerance, focus, fear, abilities, intelligence…

All of these things, and many more, matter in self-defense.  Working in a group class, you get exposed to many different variables.  This helps you learn how to adapt what you know to make it work at that moment (kinda like Principle 3 meets Principle 1!)

I’ve been taught techniques that work “no matter who you face”.  

Well, anyone who says that stupid phrase never went against a pain-resistant person.  I have.  And, the technique didn’t work.

Thankfully, unlike getting ready for work, I have great adaptability in self-defense.  I can go from stand-up striking, to in-close grappling, to ground control fairly easily.  I have established adaptability in my training thanks to training with so many different people.

If only I could find my “Monday” pair of socks…

Maintaining a practice of these three Principles took care of easily 90% of what I needed to do in police work.  

And, if it can work so well in such an unpredictable occupation, imagine what it can do in a more predictable environment!

The results would be amazing.

Are you lacking any of these Principles now?  

If so, perhaps you’re a Karate class away from heading down the path toward success.  Come check one out if you’re curious.  I’ll make it a painless experience for you to try and see if it might be what you’re looking for.

-john g