Kicks, Kicks and More Kicks

    Focusing on my kicks in Tuesday nights black belts class showed many disparities. One was left versus right abilities (height, power, speed). It has brought to the front of my mind the fact that if I am doing a kick I will automatically use my left leg as that is the one I am most comfortable using. And for that I am now paying the price. My left hip is very unhappy with me. 

   I wanted the power, the speed, the coordination that comes with using my left leg while we were doing these kicks, I felt I was making good progress. But part of me wanted to see what the right leg could (couldn't) do. The right leg was slower, lower and off target. I wasn't surprised, I rarely use this leg for kicks, and it showed. Defiantly no six harmonies there, maybe two if I was lucky. 

   Part of me screams "then ignore your left leg and only focus on your right". But there must be balance or I risk more bias of a side. So I will start with the right, work out a few kinks, then the left gets to play. I want to see if I can find a balanced between the two so technique approaches a balance. 

   I most likely will always favor my left, I am a lefty by the way, but the right needs to start to assert some authority here cause I am leaving it behind. 

Push Ups  13200

Sit Ups  12650

Sparring  800 min

1609KM  1707.74 km

Acts of Kindness  1400 recorded

Hand Form  430

Weapon Form  445

Mastery recited 50

Shifting

   So now it is December. Why does this matter to me? Easy answer, in my job world, Sept, Oct and Nov are chaos, I work in the automotive industry and the beginning of  "Tire Season" (insert maniacal laugh here) starts in mid Sept and the weather dictates how busy I will be till the initial rush is over which is usually about now (early Dec). These three(ish) months account for over 60% of our annual business so to say it is an important time would be understating the obvious. This rush can be one of two things, chaos and freaking chaos. Almost every single person is in a panic and it is my/our (our = my staff and I ) job to de-panic them. Plus the end of Nov is my yearly inventory which accounts for a very large amount of my yearly wage so I need to pour everything I have into it. This period of time can and usually is mentally and physically all consuming for me. I liken it to juggling snow flakes in a wind storm. So now it is December, ahhhhh, I can breathe. The snow flakes are no longer ominous but pretty again. 

  Being that it is now December, I am able to shift to a different mindset. It is almost relaxing for me. Christmas parties, family get togethers, just the season in general, love it. It may seem busy but it is a Gooood busy. 

   I can now refocus on my Kung Fu as well, no blurred mind from work, no physical exhaustion from truckloads of tires and batteries and body panels and rims and..... I can already feel myself being recharged and I looking forward to channeling that renewed energy towards my forms. It is a breath of fresh clean air. From over stimulation to chosen stimulation. And as grading day and the banquet both approach very quickly, I now have the time and mental energy to devote much more time to both. I am really looking forward to the next few months to see what I can accomplish.

Push Ups  12900

Sit Ups  12350

Sparring  750 min

1609KM  1707.74 km

Acts of Kindness  1400 recorded

Hand Form  425

Weapon Form  430

Mastery recited 50

Future Leaders and Dreamers

    So Kid's Warrior Night has come and gone. It was monumental for me. Twenty eight students between the ages of five and twelve, five instructors and two extremely valuable helpers. Controlled chaos at times but worth every second. I have dozens of stories I could relate but really you just had to be there to experience the joy of it. 

   A couple of things really stuck with me though. Like my blogs title, Future Leaders and Dreamers, seeing the personality of some of these students really hit home with me. Artists (Todai Cynthia Bourque), happy observers (Todai Caleb Stewart), absolute limitless energy (Todai Kaine Street-Ramsey), pure quiet leadership (Todai Freya Paszek), willingness to help beyond his years (Todai Nathan Sloove), focus beyond belief (Todai Nathan Ferris), these are but a few examples of the marvelous students we have in our school. If that night would have been three times longer I still would not have grown tired of the priceless interaction I was receiving with the future leaders of our world. 

   I will cherish the opportunity of being allowed to be part of this event and I am looking forward to the next opportunity to be involved in any event like this. 

 A very very large shout out to my fellow participants;

Todai Hadley and Mikayla Smith-Jansen

Sehing Shira Csillag, Sehing Simon Kohut, Sehing Kayley Burke

and our ring master....

Todai Malinda Ferris

You all make this school a great place to be.

Push Ups  12870

Sit Ups  12308

Sparring  700 min

1609KM  1707.74 km

Acts of Kindness  1400 recorded

Hand Form  425

Weapon Form  430

Mastery recited 40

Only One Option - Success

Kung Fu Warrior Night! Nov 28,2025

   Fingers crossed, toes crossed, eyes crossed. I am excited for this. I am hoping this is epic. One for the ages. Repeatable.

   Seeing the disconnect from reality that most people live in these days (social media, gaming, etc), this is an amazing opportunity to engage the younger students with the school and Kung Fu. A night of games and challenges, Kung Fu infused but with a little twist here and there to fully (hopefully) engage the student in a night to remember of fun and new friends. 

   I am both excited and nervous about the night. If thing go right, BOOM, total success with smiles all around and eagerness to be more engaged in our school. If things go meh, a huge opportunity lost to inspire the next generation of martial artists. I feel the pressure of this, I understand the importance of this. Success is the only option, 100% success is my goal. 

Push Ups  12850

Sit Ups  12268

Sparring  700 min

1609KM  1670.08 km

Acts of Kindness  1400 recorded

Hand Form  410

Weapon Form  415

Mastery recited 40

So Many Forms

   I took some time Saturday to run through all the forms I know. No easy task if you are taking your time. So an hour(ish) later I reflected and how much fun yet utterly exhausting that was. And I also realized how many of these forms were in maintenance mode. Slowing it down to "feel" each form caused many many questions. These are questions I get when I think I know something versus actually being able to do them. Each form had it's own challenges and questions, some were an entire sequence that no longer felt right. It was an eye opener. 

   Then there are the forms I should know but have devoted zero time to. Why is that? There are two gigantic gaps in my forms knowledge that for some reason I have ignored. Again, why is that? Questions I need to answer honestly. 

   I'll be the first to admit that I do not devote as much time as I should to working/learning my forms. There always seems to be something else that takes a priority over this. I could list them but that is just a list of excuses.  

Push Ups  12850

Sit Ups  12268

Sparring  700 min

1609KM  1634.39 km

Acts of Kindness  1400 recorded

Hand Form  400

Weapon Form  400

Mastery recited 40

Together

   Alone with my thoughts yesterday I found myself reflecting on how I train and how those around me affect it. Pushing myself to my limits when it is just me pushing is full, and I mean totally full, of excuses. I hold back, I cheat, I excuse my excuses. On the flip side of that, when I am amongst my fellow Kung Fu brethren, I approach it much differently. Then there is when I am instructing, different approach then as well. 

   These different levels of engagement have never bothered me before, but they do now. The subject has been brought up many many times before, both in structured classes and in the IHC. Training in a silo, accountability, eye for detail, practicing with intent, one on ones, reaching out for help, being more resilient, it has been there all along. 

   None of this should be new to me, I hear what is being said but am I listening to and understanding what is being said? I will admit that no I have not been. My ego is and has been in the drivers seat for a very long time, I am but a passenger. When I train alone, it is good enough, but for who?  For me, for you, for anyone? When I train in a group, same question should arise right?

   With the evolution of the IHC I need to understand my training better. When am I training for mastery and when am I training for myself? Should they not be the same?? 

   I cannot exist as a martial artist by myself, this I know. I need the comradery that it brings, the togetherness. Even the concept of together separately applies here, not just for the flow of my Kung Fu but the very existence of my Kung Fu. I cannot do this alone. Only the presence of my fellow travelers in this everlasting martial arts journey can sustain me and feed my quest for being better than I was yesterday.

   Anyways, this is what happens when I have a Saturday alone with just my thoughts rambling around in my melon. I feel that theses are all valid questions that I need to answer, so I will endeavor to by using the resources so generously offered to me by Silent River. 

Push Ups  12850 , 

Sit Ups  12268

Sparring  700 min

1609KM  1595.98 km

Acts of Kindness  1400 recorded

Hand Form  400

Weapon Form  400

Mastery recited 35

Hard to Do, For Some (Me)

   Thursday''s Kids classes. Halloween game night. I was tasked with running one of the games. I have seen this game run by others many many times, I understand how the "rules" work. Well it was my turn to run the game this last Thursday. I realized very quickly that what I knew about the game and what I could openly orate to the students for instructions were two very different things. My mental road block went up immediately . I stammered, I hesitated, I was unclear, I failed. I was dying for someone else to come over and save me from this disaster. 

   Thankfully Todai Ferris just let it play out. As soon as I realized I was on my own (so to speak), I did what I could to salvage the game. I turned on the Goof. I started to have fun with them instead of being a spectator. While it was not an ideal outcome, it was what I had to give at that moment. There were still bumps on the road but it started to turn the corner from a disaster to mostly fun for the students. 

   I still feel it was a sub-par outing by me but it was also a great learning moment for me. What looks seamless and easy for another is because they are good at it and have obviously honed their skill to achieve this level of proficiency. Countless repetitions by them has made them both competent and confidant at this skill. I am not envious but in awe of the skill. 

Funny how teaching can be so unbelievably rewarding, if you let it be.

Push Ups  12250 , 

Sit Ups  11623

Sparring  700 min

1609KM  1561.09 km

Acts of Kindness  1400 recorded

Hand Form  385

Weapon Form  375

Mastery recited 35