Two black stripes and the I Ho Chuan

Its been two days since my promotion to Sihing and I still have a plethora of mixed emotions. There is a presence of accomplishment, reflection, and the excitement of a new beginning. That night I stopped and reflected on memories of when I first started and to where I am now. Wow, what a trip its been. The demands of physical and mental loads, the awakening of awareness and the depletion of some of my stubborn ways and my lack of empathy for people I thought were at the end of their gene pool and not long for this world because the evolution for them is over. Training at the hall, doing forms and kicks in my basement or garage or wherever. The discipline of doing my homework, because I knew the minute my next class came whoever the Sifu was that was teaching at the time would know right away if I did or not. The attention to detail of our black belts is infallable, they know whether you did your homework or not and that kind of discipline for me was what I was trying to source at that time in my life when I first set foot in the kwoon and met Sifu Brinker for the first time. Kung Fu has given me so many tools to improve and has shown me how to completely utilize some I already had but not using to their full potential. Attending boot camps, throwing kicks and punches to the point of exhaustion. Introductions to many kinds of weapons. This is something I have always wanted to do but never followed through. But the best part of it all is the people I have met and trained with. Students I have watched and admired, respected and learnt from. Witnessing students go from Que belts to Sihings, to Black belts. Watching some of my teachers earning their second and third degree rank, seventh degree, was just plain cool. People at the kwoon are all from different walks of life and everyone is unique. I don't find shallow politics, self entitlement or judgemental practices. The ones I have seen with this sort of mind set usually don't make it period or realize it won't fly at the kwoon and evolve into something spectacular.

One of my personal goals this year was to achieve Sihing rank and this was accomplished by participating in the I Ho Chuan. This has done a huge amount of things for my training and I really didn't notice just how much until now. My ability to adapt to almost anything life throws at me and still get in something pertaining to the art and the huge amplification of engagement. Engagement that has matured my training past the point I thought was ever possible. I don't look at my training as rungs in a ladder that I am trying to climb. I see a long road ahead but can envision all my goals in the distance, all the way to grand master. I have a busy year coming up and I plan on grading next year. This is going to be a tough one due to a promotion and the hours that will be coming at me. Trying to make my class on fridays is already going to be a challenge, but I will figure something out. The attention to the mechanics of every technique, form, kicks, and fitness has given me a deep perspective to my Kung Fu. What exactly I'm doing and why. Why something sucks and how to fix it. The awareness to all the things going on in the world and what I can do to at least try to help and make other people see whats happening. Pulling me out of my privacy and share with others what I am thinking. Helping me realize its okay to ask for help and work with others. That it is not a sign of weakness, but an excellent opportunity to evolve into a better martial artist and person. As I look back and see how far I have come, and look ahead to where I am going. I know I will full fill my goals as I look down at two black stripes.

Brian Chervenka