Martial arts training in different locations - and different types of locations - can yield strong benefits. Different Training Environments - Episode 113 Show transcript below. What is up everyone? It’s time for another episode of whistlekick Martial Arts Radio, and here we are with episode 113. And today we’re going to talk about training in different environments. I'm whistlekick’s founder but I’m better known as your host, Jeremy Lesniak. whistlekick, if you don’t know, makes the absolute best sparring gear, apparel, and accessories for practitioners and fans of traditional martial arts.  I'd like to welcome the new listeners and thank everyone that’s come back again. All of our past podcast episodes, show notes and a lot more are at whistlekickmartialartsradio.com. From that site, you can sign up for our newsletter, and I really suggest you do so, because we offer exclusive content to subscribers, discounts and it's the only place to find out about upcoming guests. As the weather starts cooling, you might be in the market for something warmer – whether you’re headed to training, the gym or just looking for something comfortable, our sweatpants are it. Seriously, people love these things. I have a few pairs and through the winter months, they’re pretty much all I wear. Let’s talk about your training. Specifically, where you train. If you’re like me, like most people, the vast majority of your training is at your dojo, dojang, academy, training hall or whatever you call it at your school. You might have mats or a hardwood floor. But the surface probably doesn’t change. The lighting is probably the same and if you’re like most schools, you always face the same direction. For some martial artists, this routine can pose a problem. It really comes down to two things – engagement and practicality. By engagement, I mean that your surroundings have a lot to do with the energy you invest to your training. Different people, different locations and different sights, sounds and smells seem to wake people up and inspire them to train harder. By practicality, I mean that we adapt to our surroundings and aren’t quite as adept at taking action in strange environments. This doesn’t just go for martial arts, but for anything. It’s not a martial arts problem, it’s a human being problem. Let’s talk about the engagement challenge first. If you’ve been listening to the show you know that I’m an advocate for training with different instructors, attending seminars and otherwise varying your education. Of course, that will require you to go to different places and you’ll learn differently because of those environments, but what about the rest of the time? One of the most interesting things I ever saw in a martial arts class was when an instructor had a kid’s class turn 90 degrees and face a different wall. It was like a different group of children. They were suddenly attentive, powerful and really invested in the class. About 10 minutes later, as the energy level waned, the instructor did it again. Sure, there was likely some benefit from the small break the kids had, but I have no doubt that looking at a different wall was enough to wake up the children’s senses. In fact, I’ve done this myself when I teach children, and even adults, if they seem to be fading. There are other ways to up the engagement in your regular-old training facility. Changing the lighting can be huge. Adding a colored light or turning off some of the lights completely changes the space. Drawing the shades, kicking parents and visitors out for just one night, and even putting sunglasses on everyone can make a huge impact. Anything that alters the sensory input will prompt a response. The longer someone has been training, chances are, the stronger the response. Let’s talk about the actual physical space now. You can change it all you want, but at some point, you have to consider that it’s exactly the same space. There’s