In the 20s, the German Eugen Herrigel went to Japan and began to study kyudo - japanese art archery.
His teacher was the legendary kyudo master Awa Kenzo, who was convinced that before starting shooting at real targets, beginners should learn the basics, and adhered to this technique to the maximum. For the first four years, Herrigel was only allowed to shoot at a haystack from 7 feet away. When he complained that the learning process was taking too long, Kenzo replied: “You shouldn’t measure the path to your goal. What is the significance of weeks, months, years?”
When he was finally allowed to shoot at a target located at the very back of the training hall, Herrigel's performance was a failure. Arrow after arrow, he became more and more confused as they missed their target. Herrigel was sure the problem was that he had poor aim. To which Kenzo replied that it was not a matter of this, but of the attitude to the process, which determined the outcome. And the puzzled Herrigel simply blurted out: “Then you should hit the target even with your eyes closed.”
After a short pause, Kenzo replied: “Come in the evening.”
Shooting with your eyes closed
After sunset they returned to the courtyard where the training hall was located. Kenzo stood in his usual place for shooting, and the target was hidden somewhere in the night. The master took a pose, pulled the bowstring and fired the first arrow into the darkness. Herrigel would then write, “I knew by the sound that she had reached her goal.”
Immediately, Kenzo aimed a second arrow and sent it flying into the night. Eugen jumped up and ran across the yard to check. In his book, Zen in the Art of Archery, Herrigel wrote: “When I turned on the light at the target stand, to my surprise, I found that the first arrow hit the bull's-eye cleanly, while the second split its shank and went through its barrel before digging into the center of the target.”
It's all about aiming
Great archery masters often teach that “it’s all in the aim.” The result is determined by all the little things: how you place your feet, how you hold your bow, how you breathe at the moment you release the arrow.
In the case of Awa Kenzo, the master was so attentive to the process leading to a clear hit that he could repeat all the movements exactly without even seeing the target. This complete control of body and spirit while moving towards a goal is known as zanshin.
The term zanshin is widely used throughout the world to describe the state of relaxed alertness in Japanese martial arts. Literally translated, zanshin means “attention without reserve.” In other words, attention is completely focused on the action and fixed on the upcoming task. Zanshin means constant control of the body, mind, environment without the slightest stress - passive vigilance.
Although in practice zanshin has a deeper meaning. Essentially, this is the choice of living a conscious life and following a specific goal, rather than mindlessly going with the flow.
Enemy of progress
As the famous Japanese proverb goes: “After winning a battle, tighten your helmet straps.”
The original phrase "katte kabuto no o o shimeyo" literally translates to "tighten your kabuto straps after winning the war" (a kabuto is a helmet worn by the Japanese military).
In other words, the battle does not end after victory. The battle ends only when you become lazy, lose your sense of commitment and the necessary focus. And this is another essence of zanshin: vigilant living even after achieving the goal.
We can use this philosophy in many areas of life.
- Literature: The battle doesn't end when you publish a book. It ends when you decide that you are a finished product, when you lose the vigilance needed to improve your skills.
- Sports: The battle doesn't end when you beat your personal best. It ends when you lose concentration and skip training or, conversely, do not calculate your strength and overexert yourself.
- Business: The battle doesn't end after a big sale. It ends when you become self-confident and cocky.
The enemy of progress is neither failure nor success. The enemy of success is boredom, fatigue and lack of concentration. The enemy of success is a lack of commitment to the process, because the process is what matters.
The art of zanshin in everyday life
“All matters and situations must be approached with the same sincerity, intensity and awareness with which you hold a bow and arrow.” - Kenneth Kushner, “One Arrow, One Life” (“One Arrow, One Life”).
We are obsessed with the result: like Herrigel, it is too important for us whether the arrow hits the target or not. However, if we were to transfer this tension, focus and sincerity to the process itself - where we place our feet, how we hold the arrow, how we breathe when we release the stele - then hitting the bull's eye would become secondary.
It is important not to worry whether you will hit the target or not. It is important to fall in love with the boredom of doing work and enjoy every moment of the process. It is important to capture this moment of zanshin, the moment of complete awareness and focus, and use it everywhere in life.
It's not the goal or the finish line that matters. What matters is how we achieve it. It's all about aiming. It's all about zanshin.
Aphorisms of Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov websiteThe war is only over when the last soldier is buried.
War is, above all, a simple art, and it’s all about execution.
Atheism consumes states and rulers, faith, rights and morals.
Baba hits backwards, forwards, and things go on as usual.
Even an executioner can be polite.
Time is most precious.
The whole earth is not worth even one drop of needlessly shed blood.
Where there are fewer troops, there are more brave men.
Hunger is the best medicine.
Civic virtues are no substitute for useless brutality in the military.
There cannot be two owners in one house.
Money should not be left empty.
Money is expensive, human life is even more expensive, and time is most valuable.
Virtue is always persecuted.
The one who grabs the heat with someone else’s hands will then burn out his own.
When going forward, know how to turn back.
Do you know three sisters? Faith, Love and Hope. With them glory and victory. God is with them.
Sincerity in relationships, truth in communication - this is friendship.
The peasant gets rich not with money, but with children. The children give him money.
The one who surprised wins.
Those who are good for the first role are not suitable for the second.
The uncut forest grows again.
There is no land in the world that is so dotted with fortresses as Italy. And there is also no land that has been conquered so often.
The leg strengthens the leg, the hand strengthens the arm.
It is more necessary to have unpleasant news to overcome than to receive pleasant news to console.
It is better to meet danger halfway than to wait in place.
Theory without practice is dead.
Learning is light and ignorance is darkness.
The more conveniences, the less courage.
To the pure - everything is pure.
About the Motherland
Great is the Russian God! We will go with him along the paths of ancient glory!
He who loves his Fatherland gives best example love for humanity.
We are Russians, we will overcome everything.
No army in the world can resist the brave Russian grenadier.
Nature produced only one Russia. She has no rivals.
Try to move this stone. You can not? So the Russians cannot retreat.
Show in action that you are Russian!
The Russian is distinguished by faith, loyalty and reason.
Rusak is not a coward.
Where a deer passes, a Russian soldier will also pass. Where the deer won't pass, it's all the same Russian will pass soldier.
All of Europe will move towards Russia in vain: it will find Thermopylae, Leonidas and its coffin there.
Die for the House of the Mother of God, for the Mother Queen, for the Most Serene House. The Church prays to God. To those who remained alive, honor and glory!
Victory is the enemy of war.
Soldier and Peaceful time at war.
Military science
Take care of the bullet in the muzzle.
They lie in the office, but they beat you in the field.
Fight not with numbers, but with skill.
Military science is the science of winning.
Military science must be learned in war. Every theater of war is new.
Do in war what the enemy considers impossible.
Discipline is the mother of victory.
He who is afraid is half defeated. Fear has big eyes, one for ten will seem.
Shoot rarely, but shoot accurately. Stab firmly with a bayonet. The bullet is stupid, the bayonet is great.
About enemies
The enemy is pushed back - failure. Cut off, surrounded, scattered - good luck.
Generosity befits a winner.
The enemy has the same hands, but they don’t know the Russian bayonet.
The French are violators of general silence and enemies of general peace. The French rejected Christ the Savior, they trampled on the legitimate government. Fear their depravity... You were happy with your faith - keep it. Treasure your conscience: may it not reproach you for being companions of the oppressors of the faith and people’s rights. Flee from false teachers.
About commanders
Pathetic is the commander who wages a war based on newspapers. There are other things he needs to know.
Learn to obey before you command others.
Eat your share, and give the soldier's share to the soldier.
Keep in your memory the names of great people and follow their example with prudence in your campaigns and actions.
Follow Aristides in righteousness, Fabrician in moderation, Epaminondas in untruthfulness, Cato in laconism, Julius Caesar in speed, Turenne in constancy, Laudon in morals.
About the soldiers
See in the unit - the family, in the boss - the father, in the comrade - the brother.
Die yourself, but help your comrade. The Church prays to God for those killed!
The soldier is dear. Take care of your health, clean your stomach if it’s clogged. Hunger is the best medicine.
You swore an oath. Die for the faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland. Defend the banner to the last drop of blood.
About Me
I'm proud to be Russian!
Yes, I served as a sexton, sang in bass, and now I’ll go sing with Mars.
If I were not a commander, I would be a writer.
The cabinet ordered me not to take any more fortresses.
Kamensky knows military affairs, but it does not know it, Suvorov does not know military affairs, but it knows it, and Saltykov neither knows military affairs, nor does it know him.
It's better to have your head off than to lose your honor. Through five hundred deaths I learned not to be afraid of death.
The Prussians accept my tactics, but leave their rotten ones.
A soldier is dearer to me than myself.
One minute decides the outcome of a battle, one hour the success of a campaign, one day the fate of an empire. I act not in hours, but in minutes.
Powder is not gunpowder, letters are not a cannon, a scythe is not a cleaver, and I am not a German, but a real hare.
Titles are not for me, but they are necessary for the public.
My honor is most dear to me. God is her patron.
(c) Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov
What advice can a physicist give and Nobel laureate, born in 1879 to modern workout athletes? They are simple:
* Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result every time.
* Everything should be simplified as much as possible, but no more.
* Imagination is more important than knowledge.
The whole point is the correct interpretation of his advice.
Einstein: Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result every time.
Translation: If some exercises don't give results, don't do them.
People think in patterns, that's how they are designed. Many people train week after week using the same program, although it has long ceased to produce any results, and their favorite exercises no longer show the same impact that they showed in the past.
And yet many continue to train according to the same scheme. ENOUGH! There is no need to continue doing this or that exercise if it does not bear fruit. And it doesn’t matter that your friends recommended it to you or that cool guy, or that it was voted Exercise of the Year by Exercise of the Year magazine. If you tried it and after a couple of months it did not bring results, give it up. Dot.
And although this advice seems very simple, many people find it very difficult to put it into practice. Largely because they believe in the idea that if something has worked for others, it should work for them. This point of view is actively supported by various fitness magazines offering training schemes for professional athletes (different from issue to issue, moreover). But for them it's a business. And for you, workout is a way to get a healthy, beautiful and strong body, with minimal costs and maximum interest.
The idea of workout is the active use of imagination during the training process. Come up with new exercises and combinations, analyze what you are doing and optimize your training. Freestyles allow you to use the muscles of your body to the maximum and this is their big advantage. Find what works for you. Find what gives you the maximum impact - and use it in your training!
Einstein: Everything should be simplified as much as possible, but no more.
Translation: Start with the base.
There is too much information garbage around, too many fitness clubs and gyms, too many exercise machines and too many different supplements. There are too many experts and too many opinions. Each of us constantly experiences information overload, day after day. If you try to sort through this whole heap, you can simply go crazy.
Therefore we need systems approach. It was not for nothing that Archimedes spoke about the importance of a fulcrum, which would allow the Earth to move from its place. You also need to find your footing!
And the base will become such a point for you. There are only four basic exercises in the workout: push-ups, pull-ups, dips and squats. All other exercises are essentially variations of these four.
I very often see people asking where they should start their workout journey. And my answer is always the same - from the base! First you need to fully master the technique of performing basic exercises. This will allow: firstly, to strengthen the muscles of the whole body, secondly, to gain the primary volume of strength, and thirdly, to prepare the body for more complex exercises and freestyle.
When you make a base, don't think about quantity. As Zef said, it doesn’t matter how many repetitions you do now, the main thing is to monitor the quality of each repetition. The technique must be perfect because this will not only allow you to avoid injury, but will also speed up the rate of strength gain.
I believe that every workout artist should do 25 overhand grip pull-ups, 35 dips, 50 push-ups, and 50 squats. You can start freestyling much earlier than you reach this level, but it is worth striving for.
Einstein: Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Translation: Imagination rules the roost.
Without freestyle, workout is just an advanced physical training. It is new and unique exercises and combinations that give this direction its uniqueness. Many people like the process of coming up with something completely new; they like this element of creativity, which is missing in regular training in gyms or fitness clubs.
Upgrading even the simplest exercises allows you to shift the emphasis to target muscle groups and add interest to the training process. A slight modification of the exercise can increase its effectiveness, not to mention the combo.
The most amazing thing about all this is the opportunity to better feel your body and understand how it works. It is very important to feel the muscles that are involved in the exercise, and not just do repetitions. If you don't feel a muscle, you won't be able to fully load it. This is a fact of life for 95% of workout athletes (except for genetically gifted ones and beginners).
Talk less, work more
We all started somewhere and were once beginners, we all have weaknesses and strengths, everyone is still far from ideal.
I'm sure you have this moment more than enough motivation to start your journey, and you don’t need to watch the video for the hundredth time
I hope this article was useful, if so, then when you return from training, send a link to it to your friends, and you’ll see that there will be even more workout enthusiasts
When it comes to finding a life partner, it's all about your compatibility. Sure, you can meet the sweetest and smartest man, but if your core traits, habits and values don't mesh, the relationship won't last. The stars will tell you who will be for you the best couple:
- Scorpio (October 23 – November 21)
Scorpios are the most loyal people you can find. They stand up for their territory and loved ones, it is this quality that makes them best friends and spouses. Scorpio will do anything for the people he loves.
- Cancer (June 21 - July 22)
Cancers are known as the "relationship people" among all the zodiac signs. They are warm, funny, loving and desire a home and commitment. Cancers - best husbands and wives, they want to settle down and feel secure with the family they love.
- Libra (September 23 - October 22)
Libras are the most romantic of all the zodiac signs, but their flirtatiousness, indecisiveness, and desire for perfection can lead people to assume they won't make a long-term partner. But this opinion is true while Libra is in search of an ideal partner for themselves. Once they find him, they will be loyal to him forever.
- Pisces (February 19 - March 20)
In addition to being everyone's favorite person, Pisces also make wonderful partners. Their gentleness and non-conflict nature prevents many scandals, and their idealistic views make them super romantic. Pisces thrive in relationships. They need security and stability. Pisces is the life partner you can always rely on and trust that he will be there no matter what.
- Gemini (May 21 - June 20)
Geminis are amazing in relationships. When they give their heart to someone, they are devoted to him forever, their love knows no boundaries, logic or reason. Of course, Geminis are known for holding on to toxic relationships, but overall they are trustworthy, interested, fun and interesting. They love their partners as much as they love themselves (and, yes, that's saying a lot).
- Taurus (April 20 - May 20)
Taurus are known for being quick to get carried away, but they also lose interest easily. However, when they finally find their person, they can be reliable and kind partners. However, they are anxious perfectionists and sometimes their partner may not like it, but they will try their best in the relationship.
- Capricorn (December 22 - January 19)
Capricorns make great life partners because they are organized, traditional, and committed to stable, monogamous relationships. In relationships, Capricorns tend to support their partner. They will lend a strong shoulder and encourage you when you need it. However, they easily let relationships overshadow everything else that is important to them, so they need to keep an eye on this.
- Virgo (August 23 – September 22)
Virgos can make wonderful partners, but the process of perfecting them is long and tedious. They are so prone to overanalyzing and obsessing over every little detail that they end up sabotaging any romantic connection. However, once they get into a relationship, they will find a way to survive the ups and downs that life sends their way. They are romantic by nature and will be happy to dedicate their life to the right person if they ever find one.
- Leo (July 23 - August 22)
Leos make great partners because they are fiercely protective of those they love. People often misperceive their aggressive self-centeredness, but in reality they treat everyone they love with the same protection and adoration that they treat themselves. Leo will do anything to protect their partners, children, friends or family, and they will protect your relationship as it is their own reputation.
- Aries (March 21 - April 19)
Aries are worthy companions; however, they are too logical and have an innate desire to explore and always be right. Undoubtedly, they are devoted friends and partners, but can sometimes hesitate. They will need to put in more effort to be able to stay in a long-term relationship.
- Aquarius (January 20 - February 18)
Aquarians are not relationship people, but they can become one when a the right person. It's incredible how quickly they change their behavior for the "right person" once they find him. Aquarians are so strange and have so many weird ideas within them that they can have a hard time forming relationships with people. Happiness in the life of an Aquarius comes not from relationships, but from creating some serious, fundamental change in the world. Thus, their priorities will naturally lean towards the latter.
- Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21)
Sagittarians are explorers, wanderers, thinkers and adventurers. They thrive when they explore. new information, meet new people and live “on the edge.” If a Sagittarius finds someone they want to spend their life with, they will quickly get along with that person. Otherwise, Sagittarius is very difficult to tame. He doesn't want to be in a long-term relationship. This doesn't mean that you CAN'T have a healthy, long-term relationship with a Sagittarius, it does mean that they are less romantic and committed than other people.