Fun, Why Yes it is.

    I asked someone a simple question about their Kung Fu, "are you enjoying yourself?". The more I think about this, the more I look at my Kung Fu journey. If I ask myself the same question, I get the same answer, "of course I am silly, or we wouldn't be doing this". I wouldn't be putting myself out there if I wasn't. Yes, some of the "stressors" can  be limiting, or are they? Let's pick on the Tiger Challenge for now. 

    Performing in front of a crowd can still be crippling for me. I can feel my heart race, my blood pressure soar, my vision tunnel, my hands sweat, all the good stuff. So why in the heck do I do it?! Because of the purpose before the event and the reward afterwards. I am not talking about a medal or praise or non-praise, I am talking about my sense of accomplishment. I did it, I made it, I gave it my best, here I am like it or not. It is euphoric. It is a natural high that makes everything a bit shinier, it brings my training into focus. 

   Before Kung Fu, I would never have allowed myself to ever be in a situation like the Tiger Challenge. Never would I have gone in front of a crowd solo, ever, EVER! Now I don't hesitate (okay maybe a tiny little bit). The sure terror of being at the center of attention is gone. I now realize that this is also a part of my training. Not just self-confidence but self-awareness. Being able to remain calm(ish) when the situation demands it. Being able to focus on the task in front of me. This did not exist before my Kung Fu journey started. Hide, be quiet, go unnoticed. That was my way. Not no more (bad grammar - deal with it!). Bring on the Tiger Challenge, it feeds me, it enables me to grow as not just a Martial Artist but as a person (same thing!!).   

   So am I having fun, absolutely! And I will continue to do so for a very long time. Kung Fu is woven into who I am now, it is a Gordian knot that I will forever work to unravel, exploring new paths and concepts till my time is done. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Your Training is My Training

    First off, April 22 2023 Earth day clean up at Rotary park. What a turn out! Thank you to all who took the time to show up and do their part for our great Mother Earth. Best turn out in years proving that many hands make light work. Again, you have my thanks.

   So back to my topic of this week's blog. Thursday's optional class for the IHC. 

   It was a decent turn out, so much so that I had no room to practice my weapon form expansively. Therefor I migrated to the back of the training hall to give others more room and that is where I found the gold. Two of my fellow Kung Fu'ers were back there practicing, we engaged in conversation and a great mutual practice began. Some Lao Gar and Da Mu Hsing ensued and low and behold, thoughts turned into questions then into actions then into Kung Fu. Next thing I knew, I was covered in sweat and it was time to go home. Awesomeness.

    I think that for myself, this was exactly what I needed. Practice with a purpose. Instead of aimlessly practicing this or that, we focused on some key fundamentals, things I don't go out of my way to purposely work on very much. And by doing this, it opened some avenues of thought for me. Stances, rotation, centering, eyes and the ever watching presence of the "eye for detail". All great things to work on, all necessary to keep fresh all the time. By working on these with them, their training became my training, how great is that! 

   It is so easy to see sometimes how being engaged is a piece of cake. As Master Brinker would say," it's just Kung Fu". How true.

Pass it on

    I have talked about open training before, many times. Today will be no different. Yesterday's open training was another gem. While I got almost no "Me" training in, I did get to spend a large chunk of the time interacting with the many children there. It was truly heart warming to see their interest in what they are actually doing. One student in particular (Rice?), occupied a good portion of my time. It amazed me some of the questions he had, from what the uniform and belts and stripes represent to certain moves in stick 2. It was all over the map, I hope hope hope he got out of it what I did. I could see his mind was taking everything in, he was a sponge. 

   This interaction between him and I really made me feel connected to the Kwoon. Here is a student just beginning his journey, passing on knowledge to another student who is also just beginning his journey. By interacting with him, I was learning as well as him, learning through teaching. This was a golden moment, purely golden. Humbling.

   So while I didn't getting in the training I had planned, the training I got was immeasurably more valuable. Open training, priceless.

New Pains, Old Pains

 Maybe it’s the new medication that I am on, maybe I am over working my joints, maybe I am just getting old😁. I have a little saying I use, “my roving ball of pain”. It seems to venture around my body, one day it’s my knees, next day my shoulders, some days all of the above. I adapt, I change my routine, I try to work with it and not against it. Right now as I write this blog it is sleeping, content to let me be for a while. Sweet, I am enjoying the moment, no obvious pain. 

One thing I am really working on is transitions. To be able to flow from one move to the next while still executing the current technique. Hung 1 into Hung 2, the more I do it the more I find new ways to fail. One time I am hopping from 1 to 2, the next time I’m not but I have no center, this transition is a fun one to work on, good stuff. Time for a one on one to get some professional advice  

It's Been a While

   For the first time in quite a while, I don't know what to blog about. I have been training, I am still engaged. But it is just a muddle of thoughts and ideas up in my noggin. I'm working on flow, I'm getting my reps in, I'm tweaking my weapon form, I am doing Kung Fu every day, it's just that just nothing really jumps out and says "blog about me". Is it mediocrity? Is it lack of intent? Is it too much on my plate and I am not focusing on specifics? Dunno. 

   So instead of throwing together a disingenuous blog about nothing in particular, I will just continue to do the Fu every day, I'm sure my next AhA is just around the corner.

Beta Then Some

    Thursay Mar 23,2023, Beta version for our weapon form was due for the IHC. What an amazing night that was! Such a diversity of weapons, so much creativity, wow. This is year five for me in the IHC and I am more excited that ever about the year ahead. Once we get a demo put together, Kaboom!! I am so stoked. 

   Now that I have a beta version of my form, time to tweak. I noticed many many things in my beta that I need to fix, NOW! Somehow while doing my demo, I forgot I had feet. My arms were moving, my Tiger Fork was swinging and stabbing, but my legs/hips/feet stayed home that night. And boy did I feel it. At one point I thought my weapon was going to rip my arm off. It took a mighty heave-ho to get it moving again, that is supposed to be my hips job, jerks. Ouch. Felt that Friday, that's for sure. 

   Now that I have a "plan" I need to figure out what went wrong and what went right. Oh ya, and figure out what happened to the rest of my limbs and joints. I need all six harmonies to do this right, not two and a quarter. Needless to say, I am excited. A new weapon is a mystery wrapped in an puzzle hidden in plain site.

Balance

    I can see what I want to do, I can think about how to do it, I can visualize it in my mind, I see it is possible to do by watching other people achieve my objective, so why can't I convince myself to do it? That is a tough one to swallow. Is it my spirit, my intent, my dedication to mastery, my ego, am I just dabbling instead of taking positive consistent action? 

   I am asking some tough questions of myself lately. I feel like I am standing on the first step of a divergence in my martial arts training and lifestyle. To often I am given golden nuggets of advice that I don't take to heart. I just acknowledge them and move on. Excuse after excuse pull me away from what I know will benefit me emencly. And this is nothing new in my life, I have a history of doing this. And now I have a significant genetic/lifestyle health issue that has forced it's way into the equation. 

   The "superman" ideal that I have lived by for the past fifty-two years has not served me as well as I thought it had. Ego and complacency have not served me well either. I need to take control now because later is sooner than I thought. And that scares the crap out of me.

   This is my boat to steer, I am in charge of my own problems. I will and have started making the changes that I need to. I have consulted my physician, I have started to amass more and more information as to the changes I need to make, now to stop dragging my feet and wake up.

   As I finish this abbreviated blog, I am going to take the dog for a walk and enjoy the beautiful morning that Mother Nature has blessed me with. Savor, enjoy, balance, repeat. 

https://guidelines.hypertension.ca/prevention-treatment/health-behaviour-management/