While it is exciting to learn that next new technique, and amass a wealth of material, what if you chose one thing (kick, punch, throw, submission), and wrung every ounce of power, application and use from it? What if you refined that one thing and made it your ultimate "go to" technique? Take one thing and make it your best.
The first step is to choose something.
No matter what art you study, you can take one technique and make it your best, make it your prized move. Depending on what you study that could mean choosing a kick, punch, throw, choke, lock, etc.
Next, start to refine and perfect it.
Make your movement steady and consistent. Use a mirror or better yet, video yourself practicing the technique. Is the motion clean? Is there a lot of extraneous motion? Be your own harshest critic. Try videoing yourself from multiple angles. Have a friend watch you. An extra pair of eyes can be revealing.
The last step is to find and perfect applications.
Again, start slow. Start with the obvious and then begin to brainstorm: How many ways can you apply this technique? Let's say you chose a kick or a choke, and assuming you want to use it in competition, how can you use it offensively? Defensively? How can you set it up? Can you apply it in different angles? What about variations? Have you seen variations of it already? Can you come up with a variation of the variation?
You can see how in short order you are moving toward making an incredibly useful technique. The process will help you to get the most out of the knowledge you have. As martial arts are often directly applicable to life, ask yourself, How can I apply this idea to my job or school work? However, if you'd rather not think of that, then just grab another technique and get to work. Focus. Eliminate distraction. Practice. Forge your one.
