When does life take on more meaning? Is it when the children are born, or when the grandparents pass away? For most of us it takes a jolt, an intervention from the side to shift us away from doing to being.  Don’t get me wrong, doing is great, for practical purposes, but for most of us we just keep doing because that is all there seems to be.  Doing on a gross level is striving, goal setting, achieving, attaining, justifying, winning, losing etc. Doing on a subtle level is far more powerful as it is the driver of your physical doing. It is how you think and how you mould your life from past experiences and habitual patterns.

Being releases you from the need to win, achieve or attain. You can still play the game but you become detached from the outcome.  This then gives a space for you to become more engaged in the process, giving each step the exact amount of effort required to complete the task in the most positive way. So often, striving for the end result takes us away from the enjoyment of the process. In life we say things like; I will be happy when I earn more, I will be free when the kids leave home, or when the exams are out of the way I will be more relaxed. This is so true, and it is the conditioning of a mind, doing it’s own thing that will quickly replace this moment, with the promise of a better moment.  This is one of the ego’s biggest lies. In truth, there is this moment, complete and pure, then the next moment, complete and pure, and so on.

There is a great movie with Adam Sandler in call “Click”. He is given a clicker (Like a TV changer) that can fast forward situations in life. It literally moves you past the uncomfortable times to so called times that promise happiness. But the clicker becomes conditioned to fast  forward by itself (like the mind) and before you know it he is at the end of his life and realizes sadly that he missed out on so much.

Being means “letting go.” But I can hear you ask, If I let go, who will I be? Well you will be exactly the same as you were but with a softer, lighter touch to life. When you let go, your attitudes, ideas and beliefs are still there, but there is more room to observe your reactions to them.  You become supple to your approach to life and not rigid and stuck in your ways.

Slow down and make each moment in your life count.  Make the most of each situation by choosing to “be”.  Take a moment to indulge this fully. Let go of all that is going on, just for a little while. Sit and fully engage with what you are doing. When you lose yourself in “being” you are truly present and giving full attention to what is required in front of you.  Oh and don’t worry all your “stuff” will still be there, but by practicing this regularly you slowly give power to your ability to enjoy life’s wonderful process as a journey and not a destination.

Training in the Bujutsu way is the spirit in which the training inside the dojo is carried out. Train with a big heart and spirit, to the very best of your ability. Train in the spirit of the ancestors who created these lethal techniques, in which they trained to become warriors.

Respecting the heritage the art has come from and not watering down the core teachings. Not stopping when it gets tough or hard. In short working your heart out and Perservering.

Living the Budo way is to live a life dedicated to improving your whole self as a person. Constant practice of the warrior code outside the dojo, putting into real practice Respect, discipline, Loyalty, Self Control, etc…. and not just giving them lip service and talking about them or reading about them but actually living them to the best of your ability at that moment.

Using your training in Bujutsu to enhance the rest of your life in every respect to become a better person. Utilising the powerful teachings from Bujutsu; using the focus learned, presence gained and the awareness of stillness in order to not become a slave to your habitual reactions to everyday activities and situations.

Extending the lessons learnt in the dojo into your everyday life and living an honourable life where one is of service to others and thereby enhancing the entire world. This can only be done when you have forgot yourself.

Intense training in Bujutsu under the tutelage of the right teacher can offer a window into another dimension, once glimpsed, never to be forgotten and with practice gained more frequently. This glimpse serves to elevate one’s presence thus transcending usual egoic reactions. Thus Budo can be considered a path to enlightenment if one trains and lives with continued sincere practice. It is not a path for the fainthearted.

Rachael Crompton

Northstar Instructor.

No amount of thinking about taking control of your life will last. It takes discipline, determination and patience. To start you on the right path, even by reading the material below will resonate deep with in you.

 Awareness:  Only you can monitor, adjust and respond to your internal dialogue. Most of our lives are lived in the effects of others actions. Having a refined sense of awareness you can see situations with more clarity, feel them on a subtle level seeing the cause and not the effects of action and habitual thought patterns.  

 Stillness:  The one underlying, never changing constant is stillness. It is there before any action, during the action and after the action. Become aware of this stillness by pausing between activities. This pause stops a build up of energy and allows you to become aware. Conscious action can now be launched from this still awareness.

Neutral:  Once you become aware of this still awareness you can see your thoughts, reactions and responses with more clarity. This enables observation of the thoughts and creates a gap away from them. With in this gap you have a chance to take control of how you want to respond. All situations that present themselves are neutral, it is just our thoughts about them that colours our reaction. 

Ways to take control

1. Stop, breathe and be still. Close the eyes and count the breath from 1-5. Do this 3 times per day.

2. Practise meditation for 20 minutes each morning.

3. Exercise everyday for at least 20 minutes.

4. Practise the art of “non judgement” for one day, regardless of what you think.

 Be an active participant in your life. Forget ego, pride, or any other false limitation. Take a chance, you might just learn something really valuable about yourself.

Leave nothing on the Mat.

 Andy

1. Awareness (Zanshin)
Being present, focused and able to see situations happening around you. Being aware of your outer space, the space of other people and most importantly your inner space, all working effectively at all times.

2.Break balance. (kuzushi)
In order to gain the advantage the moment you touch balance must be broken, whilst maintaining your own balance. Balance is broken 3 ways:
a. verbally: yelling, screaming, talking.
b. passively : pushing or pulling
c. Aggresively : Actually striking your opponent.

Note. Learning to breaking balance should be the main system learned from white belt to black belt. Before any holds, locks, or submissions can be determined, balance must be broken. Most peoples balance will be well and truly broken after being screamed at and punched in the nose.

3. Distance (Miai)
Maintaining and controling the distance between you and others. If you cannot learn how to control this space, you have no hope of defending yourself effectively. You may over react, hurting some one unnecessarily or under react putting yourself and others in trouble.

4. Breath (prana)
Breathing is vital for life. Taking a breath when under stress and times critical for clear thinking, provides a small gap to become present, control stress, fear and panic where apon responding to the situation as it occurs.

5. Eyes (Metsuke)
Eyes are essential for sight and clear vision. Seeing things for what they are enables you to effectively respond with clarity. Eyes can be strong, confident focused, or they can be downcast and afraid. By having your eyes up, your shoulders are back, you walk with purpose.

Apply these to your martial arts, apply them to your life..

Andy
andy@northstarmartialarts.com.au

This video is was a heap of fun. It was filmed for season 2 of the “Fat Pizza” series on SBS.

Paul Fenech, writer, actor and director of PIZZA is a friend and was training martial arts with me for quite some time…When he found out I used to be a fight attendant he thought the idea of a fighting flight attendant was hilarious so wrote me into a show. I must admit, I really liked the idea of being able to ‘punch out’ an obnoxious passenger lol….

Paul and I worked the fight scenes out together.  The super market that we used was a war zone of rice bubble and sausage after we finished…

Andy

On biggest loser you see the end product of years of habitual conditioning which generally revolves around a deep seated dislike of who they are. Eating and a lazy lifestyle have thrust them into a deep hole of dispair. Luckily they have realised it and have taken massive action. With the help of a boot camp like existence and excellent trainers and support crew who are constantly attacking the negativity and forcing the contestants to confront their deepest feers and insecurities. Martial Arts for them was another skill to help them reach their ultimate goal. Read how Andy’s “3 Secrets” changed their lives..

With the help of Shannon the trainer I first pushed the contestants to their physical limit.  I use this method when teaching my martial arts classes. The best way of breaking the pattern of negative self talk is to really take hold of the physical body. By working it so hard you don’t have time to think, you are just trying to complete the task in front of you. In this way it becomes a gross form of moving meditation where by the conscoius mind is only thinking about keeping up and breathing, not how unmotivated and bored they could be. 

So by the end of the work out, the contestants were basically ready to barf…but I really had their attention for the second and important part; the board break.

The board break is not as easy as it looks. If it all goes to plan it can be a painless and liberating experience. But if you have even the slightest self doubt, the mind will play this out in the body and the board will not break!  The hand will simply bounce off the board and ‘wow’ it is painful. If you don’t break it the first time there is a greater and far more powerful reason to not break it on second or third attempt…PAIN.

The mind is a tricky instrument. Even the slightest hesitation or self doubt will be reflected in your ability to break the board.

The first secret  is to hear and recognise this nagging voice that has kept you in a negative cycle as just a thought and in fact if you just turn your attention to something else, has no power over you. Do this my taking 2 deep breaths and turning your attention fully onto the board.

You can practise this same process in daily life by not indulging the disabling thought. To do this you need to be alert to the kinds of thoughts that have become nothing  but disempowering habitual responses that have been lying to you for many years. A simple example may be: I am a shy person. So you spend years making up for this by indulging in behaviours that will either justify this to you or the opposite is to go out of your way to try and prove that this is not true. You cannot simply replace “I am a shy person” with I am not a shy person as that is also a thought and cannot really be trusted. Just don’t indulge the thought, don’t let it power up, break it’s pattern by turning your attention to exactly what is happening in front of you. Be present and improve your relationship with the present moment.

When you see the board from the board breakers angle, all you see is the front surface. You cannot actually see how thick the board is. So to the tricky mind, it could be paper thin or inches thick, you just don’t know. This can bring incredible self doubt as to your ability to break the board.  Again the mind will throw up all kinds of reasons why you cannot, and they will all be variations of the reasons that have disempowered you before.

The second secret is to move the body in a way that will reflect success. So while you are processing your negative self talk, the body is moving in a way that will, if actioned correctly smash the boards regardless of what you are thinking. This is a very powerful process. You want to break through barriers and obstacles in your life, you want to create powerful change in your life, but your thoughts have always stopped your body from moving. There is now a new more powerful voice saying regardless of what I am thinking, how I am feeling I am going to do it anyway. Then just start your physical movement in that direction.

The third secret is to visualise that there simply is no board therefore removing the last form of resistance that will stop you. If there is no board, there is no resistance and there is no slowing down or stopping as your  hand attempts the break. Of course there is a board but you take the view that it is simply a minor abstacle in the way of a greater purpose. If you focus on the board you will not break it. If your attention lies through the board you will cut through it with ease. We are faced with constant challenges in life. Some we handle well, others not so well. The challenges with a heart are worth the effort, if they have no heart then have the courage to let them go. Rising to the challenge may mean being confronted by your old negative habitual patterns, stopping your dreams in your tracks. The barrier may not be as  large as you think. Just walk upto it, look it in the eye, walk through it, around it or make a path for it to pass you by.

The challenge to get absolute beginners with major self esteem issues to break a board that many top martial artists have fumbled even after many years of training needed a huge pattern shift by the contestents. Regardless of what had gone on for them in the past, regardless of how they felt about themselves, their commitment to bring massive action and change their lives was reflected in their ability to smash through the boards.  Anyone can smash the board if they really believe that they are ready to change and be fully committed to that change. The slightest doubt or negativity will be reflected in the board.

The 3 secrets

Secret 1: You cannot always believe your thoughts have your best interest in mind.

Secret 2: Move your body in a way that will reflect success regardless of what you are thinking.

Secret 3: If we focus on the obstacle we will never break through it. Extend your awareness well past any barriers and use your momentum to break through them.

I have used the 3 secrets to create a life by design and live the way I want to live. Regardless of  my insecurites and negative habitual patterns, I have a great life. I stopped fulltime work when I was 40 and now live my life empowering others.

The 3 secrets are a practise. The practise is constantly coming back to them when you slip up. Like anything. the more you practise, the better you get….

Andy Dickinson.

Other than being great forms of fitness and competition, unless they have an inner substance, they are offer no more than any other sport or gym class.  Compared to the timeless and ageless lessons of the martial arts they are merely a watered down version offering a fast track to nowhere that will enhance the ego rather than give you the tools to loosen its grip.

The true lesson of martial arts is timeless and ageless and can be applied to what ever is being taught. This is real martial arts, and anything else is just a version of this truth.

We train in martial arts, get stronger, fitter and learn how to fight/defend ourselves, but what separates martial arts from the fads and trends discussed above is the ability to be able to control your inner space. This is a very powerful lesson and it enables you to make a clear and precise way to apply your martial arts in every thing that you may do. By learning the skill to observe the true self in action, you develop the ability to be calm, patient and in control in all activities. So there is a clear difference in just learning how to fight…. but don’t be fooled into thinking that this will not develop your self defence. Learning to observe the ‘self’ will make you an incredibly powerful person. As others are slaves to their egoic reactions and habitual patterns you will learn to see the truth in situations, circumnavigating the powerful and habitual desire to get involved with the drama and clearly developing the ability to quickly perceive situations before they happen.  

 Very few martial arts have made this quantum leap in awareness and have actually successfully integrated this philosophy logically into their system. This is unique to Shinbudo and unique to Northstar. It is interesting to also note that you cannot learn confidence, esteem or self control or any other of the advertised by-products of martial arts training by just learning a gross way of defending your self. All of your hidden subtle habits and patterns of thinking are too strong. It might work on a superficial level for a while but it won’t last. The only way to not be affected by your insecurities is not to fight them but rather become the present observer when they arise. Let it come up, see it, feel it then let it go as you turn your present awareness onto the exactly what is happening in front of you, with out self criticism. Practical ways of achieving the above can easily be added to your martial arts training.

 This new way of ‘being in control’ will never leave you.

Once you develop the way of being a conscious observer of life you don’t get so caught up in the daily drama. This consciousness will never leave you as you have been elevated above the general humdrum of human ignorance and it makes sense. Though the ego has its place, you have put it on notice that you will be keeping an eye on it and not believing all that it throws at you.

 As new students come into Northstar, they have not been shown that there can be a new way of living. As trainers it is our responsibility to recognise that we have developed a little further down the line and are more away of our own limiting behaviours. This enables us to treat all that come into Northstar with a confident, kindness and respect. Our service to new students and current members is a clear way of seeing our own egoic habits and patterns in action.

By taking a selfless attitude when dealing with new students will ultimately enhance the quality of our own life experience. How different this is to just learning how to fight…..

 I look forward to sharing my journey with you 2011.

 Andy

The Shinbudo System of Martial Arts was founded in 1992 by Andrew Dickinson. Andrew first commenced Martial Arts training in Taekwondo and boxing in 1978. Bullied at school, the concepts of martial arts fascinated him from the very first lesson. He felt an incredible surge of personal power ignite within and soon shed the skin of the scared school boy as he worked his way through the ranks, accepting every challenge, personal and physical to gain his Black Belt.

Andrew continued on, seeking out the best fighters, training and chalking up an impressive competition record. Soon after gaining his Black Belt and realising the short comings and limitations in Taekwondo (as there are with all systems of fighting) Andrew started to fill in the gaps with Judo and other grappling systems. As early as the mid 80s Andrew was experimenting with the idea of unrestricted sparring, that included kicking, punching, throwing and ground fighting.(MMA). This was a difficult time as there were few takers that actually wanted to participate in this robust but very effective form of free fighting.

Andrew wanted to increase his knowledge and experience and add more depth to his study. Taekwondo as Andrew studied, was rapidly vanishing into an abyss of ego as the frenzy for it to become an Olympic sport deleted what was left of any martial spirit and signalled an end to what was a dynamic and effective martial art. In the late 80s, after extensive research in Korea and USA, Andrew came to the conclusion that the political machine of the World Taekwondo Federation had completely destroyed and devoured the last remnants of any Korean Master still living in Korea. It was obvious that most Korean Masters, whether Taekwondo or Hapkido, that did not want to become a part of this had escaped to America or other countries, many to set up their schools safely away from the control of the Korean government. Modern Taekwondo continues to this day as a much watered down version of the original system, essentially focused on winning a game. (Andrew has a 4th Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo.)

Taekwondo has not been the only casualty. So many martial arts schools have become outwardly egocentric and inwardly void of substance and reality. Instructors demanding compliance and expecting worship just because they wear a black belt. The students and student base represent the identity of the head instructor boasting over competition statistics and number of plastic trophies gracing the walls and halls of his mini shrine set up and dedicated to themselves. They love seeing themselves in print, even better the front cover of a magazine, with one of their dedicated grimacing in pseudo pain. And they have really made it when they get selected to be in the hall of fame! A group of egocentric peacocks preening each others make-up in the mens room prior to accepting an award that they can then use to promote their flimsy egos even more.

Frustrated by the shortcomings in Martial arts Andrew continued to search for more meaning and deeper qualities. So many martial arts schools are breakaways of breakaways. With each division a huge chunk of the original teachings splinters away, only to leave the newly appointed head instructor’s distorted view of martial arts reality. Equally frustrating was that so many of the traditional organizations that were a direct line from original teachings were run by Australians that believed and acted more Asian than Asians themselves.

Andrew searched for schools that remained silent yet carried a powerful message. Schools that had not been tainted by the rush for power or recognition. Schools that could take him back to the beginning. Training in the Tenjin Shinyo Ryu School of Ju Jutsu (one of the founding arts of Judo) was a good start. It was run by a small group of dedicated Instructors simply passing on the teachings best they could of the current Head Master Kubota Sensei. Andrew trained for some years eventually grading to Black Belt in Japan. But with the lack of permanent training facilities in Japan and the focus that Kubota Sensei placed on the sport of Judo, Andrew moved on, focussing his attention on the little known  art of  Daito Ryu Aiki Ju Jutsu which was to change the direction of his training completely.

In Japan, many of the real combat effective systems of martial arts where banned after the second world war and systems such as Daito Ryu Aiki Ju Jutsu went underground. Over the years, as foreign interest in Japanese Martial Arts increased, the somewhat secretive system of Daito Ryu was sought out by many foreigners. So in 1988 Kondo Sensei, who runs the most famous Daito Ryu Dojo in Japan actively started accepting students who were serious in their pursuit of Martial arts.

In 1988 Andrew already with extensive experience in Taewkondo. Kickboxing and boxing, and a black belt in Tenjin Shinyo Ryu Ju Jitsu, turned his back on his competitive fighting, sold up and moved to Japan. He became the first non-Japanese student to be accepted by Kondo Sensei. Andrew received 12 months of intensive instruction directly from Kondo Sensei. The training included many hours of intense personal tuition by Kondo Sensei and the top Daito Ryu Instructors. It was through the sometimes brutal and unforgiving training in Daito Ryu, so obscure and unknown, yet famous as the founding martial art of Aikido, that was to re shape the course of Andrew Dickinson’s training and path in Martial Arts.

In Kondo Sensei and the Daito Ryu, Andrew had found an incredibly pure and effective system of martial arts and was extremely privileged to be a part of the system opening up to the west. For 12 intensive months Andrew felt the unforgiving ferocity of Kondo Sensei as he peaked as a true master of martial arts. The training in Daito Ryu was simple yet profound. Against much initial resistance Andrew had to forget all that he had already gained and learned. Within this humbling experience Andrew felt the fire of the Martial spirit. He indulged fully and took his training back to the beginning. Andrew rebuilt a rock solid foundation in martial arts based on several very simple yet distinct principles, without which, any martial arts technique would not be effective. These principles were in many respects the missing links in his physical development.

With the new grounding and understanding he had learnt from Daito Ryu Andrew re-applied his extensive knowledge of striking and grappling systems onto a now much stronger base. Over the next number of years, still maintaining his link to Japan, Andrew continued to fine tune and fill the gaps in every aspect of his own training. His striking system of fighting became so effective that many believed that that was all he had, so few ever got through the extensive kicking range that they never experienced the close-in fighting and grappling. Testing his system of fighting worldwide, Andrew was able to set strategies to beat other martial arts by moving in between the lines of their technique and unbalancing them with simple movements outside the realm of their usual fighting strategies. He quickly realised the weakness of his opponent and changed his strategy, merging techniques from several systems within a breadth of one movement. In his studies he made the simple discovery that many martial artists knew many techniques and systems but very few could synthesise them to a simple and workable model then turn the skills back on their own system.

Andrew has always been a teacher. He is one of those rare individuals that not only has the skills but can also empower and motivate any group, encouraging the personal best of each individual. The term Shinbudo is simply a generic term born out of the need to give some structure to teaching all that he has learned along the way. It can mean “true martial arts” and it can mean “new martial arts”. Both are just names and do not necessarily define the system.

The aim of Shinbudo is to teach immediate and practical fighting skills that can be learned, assimilated and used quickly and immediately by men and women of all ages. There are no flash satin uniforms covered in badges, no stylised artificial scenarios with compliant partners. Simple defensive combinations are taught in all ranges of fighting. Shinbudo is not about learning a 100 different ways to block, punch and kick and it is not about learning 100 different ways to throw or numerous defences against the same kind of attack. It is about having a basic but very effective group of simple techniques that cover all ranges of fighting. These include distant fighting with long range kicks and punches, in close fighting with knees, elbows and standing grappling and control on the ground. There is no time wasted learning complicated patterns or outdated rituals that have no real use. The work outs are physically demanding with emphasis on fitness and conditioning. Separate sparring classes are held and are done over many ranges working up to an all round format with kicks, punches, throws and ground defence. Shinbudo is a a non sport system that retains the traditional elements of martial arts yet is highly practical in our modern society.

1. You can learn enough physical skills to defend yourself in an hour. The mental and emotional skills take a life time to master. It is your own minds interpretation of a situation that will dictate your ability to be able to defend yourself adequately. Many train in martial arts for years and still believe the need to learn more and more self defence to be able to defend themselves. They only address the emotional aspects as they stumble upon them by mistake.

2. The truth in martial arts lay not in the learning of physical moves but in the observation of the moves as they arise out of stillness.

3. If there is any chance to evoke an opinion or judgement then emotional balance has been broken. Most martial artists will easily give up their advantage and clearly indicate their ability away simply by the badge on their uniform. Some wear one badge, others line their uniforms with several clearly outlining to their opponent exactly what they have studied and their intention. This is ignorance.

4. Your opponent will formalate an opinion about you in a micro second. How you look how you talk, walk and generally hold yourself.  Your ability and excellence as a martial artist will be how well you remain neutral under pressure and your ability to respond clearly to what is needed. Every situation that presents itself is totally neutral. All emotions including fear, panic, anger etc rise out of your interpretation of what is happening at that time. Unless you are still, neutral and in control, your reaction/response may not be in accordance with what is clearly happening. Your ability as a martial artist is how well you then apply this to daily life. There is no use being a great Sensei in your dojo if you get impatient standing in  a line or get angry at the first person that cuts you off in traffic.

5. The ability to have this response has to be practised in all daily activities, it is one and the same. It is the ability and discipline of the martial artist to bring this still awareness into every day life that clearly enables him/her to make martial arts a life choice of peace and transcend the art of fighting into the art of life.

6. Even the colour and material of the uniform will allow your opponet to make an opinion and easily formulate a plan to bring you down. While their is attachment and identification to martial arts bling, the ego is clearly involved. Once the bling and dogma has been removed, all that is left is martial arts, real martial arts. While there is an attachment to winning or losing or when winning or losing is the head of the system and not the tail, the system will be no better than a sporting school, void of effective martial art lifestyle.

7. Joining a proper martial arts school is not the same as joining a gym. Very few realise this. It takes years to gain the trust of a Sensei. The relationship between Sensei and student grows as the student proves his/her dedication and loyalty to the dojo and  commitment to whether the good and hard times.  Most never realise this and quit well and truly before any real learning commences.

8. Martial arts can be a business, it needs to be a business. Many great teachers can only grow and share their skills if they have a platform to live in the world. Great martial arts leaders offer great service. They have the insight to see the needs of the students and send their message out accordingly. The delivery may not always be understood by the student, but it is always the students welfare that is of the most important.

9.  A great Sensei will take you on a journey. They enable you to walk and be present on a path that only leads to ‘self’ discovery. Whether you can fight, get your next belt, become a black belt, win a competition, lose a competition or become a registered trainer, are learning MMA, BJJ, Taekwondo or Karate is of no consequence. 

10. What matters is your ability to be able to relate to the rest of the world in a way that enables humanity and propagates peace.

Andy Dickinson

1. Decide that you want to do it.

Take your time, think it through and ask your self the question; is this what I really want to do?

2. Get leverage on yourself.

I would always buy non refundable tickets to where ever I was going to grade or compete. Think about ways that you know will definately give you massive incentive to reach your goal.

3. Commit to your decision.

Tell someone that you know will hold you to your commitment. In fact make an announcement at work or on facebook/twitter. So if you don’t go ahead and commit, you may get egg on your face.

4. Take immediate action

Do something that will solidify your intention.  

 i. Get the info. Understand exactly what is needed.

ii. Set a plan. Work with in your time constraints

 iii. Work with in your limitations.

1. Family
2. Work
3. Size
4. Shape
5. Age

 5. Be Consistant

I always try to do a little everyday.    Don’t cram.

6. Get Fit.

A real important one. You may need to supplement your training with some extra cardio work. Remember a fit body is a fit mind.

 7. Imagery.

This is a huge part of my preparation. I do a lot  of mental revision, visualising myself doing the techniques, getting the order correct. This is great and only takes a couple of minutes a day.

 8. Diet and Nutrition, sleep and relaxation

Get the latest info. There is plenty available. In a nutshell: Nothing out of a packet. Heaps of fresh fruit and veg, plenty of water, limit the tea and coffee, eat lean, watch the carbo’s, give booze the flick during the week.

9. Don’t become obsessed with winning or the end result.

Win, lose, pass or fail, you have only really won if you know in your heart that you have done everything in your power to prepare.

 10, Fun    

Over and above anything else….