Just wanted to take this minute to wish all of you a healthy and happy new year and a well deserved christmas break to you and yours. It has been a year of great things witnessed and many great challenges defeated by some of the coolest people I have met in a long time. I am grateful to have had the pleasure of training with all of you and we should hopefully see you all soon. All the best to the Dragon team and to all the instuctors and students of Silent River. Merry Christmas!
Brian Chervenka
Tuesday 25 December 2012
Thursday 13 December 2012
Advancing from a distance but the hearts at home
I look at the date of my last blog and can't believe how long its been since I journaled and shared my latest thoughts, and said to myself "that just sucks". As far as things are going in my journey its challenging and in some ways sacrificial towards my family and kung fu. Although as I stated before my heart and dedication towards both is concrete. I have been putting in a lot of hours these last few months to better myself and of course challenging myself to beyond my capacities. Which tells me I am practicing kung fu and working towards mastery full bore. Kung fu means hard work, kung fu teaches discipline and respect in the form of always a constant evolution that is never mastered but ingrained into the depths of our souls. Ingrained into us so deeply that at times it would be so easy to say to hell with this. But I find the more I apply the deepest roots of our kung fu, which is internal, the more I crave the challenge of working harder and the more I can work towards the balance of leaving emotion out of my thoughts, especially dealing with the items I don't quite understand or in the learning stages of the unknown. I guess in a way the installation of automaticity sets in and gives an individual a look at practicing life in the void.
As far as training goes I have been working Dah Mu Sinh. I have been trying to work on the over extension of my punches and my heel coming up in certain areas of the form that has never occurred before. Forms are one of my most favourite parts of kung fu because if you can't get in time to train, you can do a few form reps and cover alot of basics in your training. Especially in this form because it is the base for all of our training pyramids. I also get very frustrated with forms because they are a constant evolution in perfection and correction. The never ending quest for balance. I have also been working on my kicks which need a lot of work. I have the basis down but have discovered the route of all my problems. Flexibility. If I kick low they're pretty good, but as I try to kick higher my center is lost and I am throwing myself all over the place. I have set up a stretching aid that I have learnt from reading Bruce Lees' fighting method. It consists of a rope and two pulleys that help pull the leg up in a stance. Once you have reached a certain height you slowly release the grip on the rope and try to hold your leg up, but continue to use the rope as an aid until you can hold your leg up on your own. We'll see how this works out. It like muscle building and stretching in one exercise.
One last thing I would like to share is my absence to the team. I am sorry guys I am not there. It bothers me alot that I don't have my hands on the rope. Right now I have little time with my family and usually jammed with extra work that requires, well, extra time. My focus is my daughter, she needs her fathers energy and the reassurance that I am dedicated to all her interests. My wife needs my help and my time as well. They both have a good solid understanding of what I am trying to accomplish both at home and with my training. My girls are tough and understand the sacrifices I have to make towards both and support me ten fold. Right now its a little different, I am at work everyday and spending very little time at home. Those of you that know me, know I mean no disrespect and I am fully committed to everything we are trying to accomplish this year. If I could make it work I would. See you soon hopefully and I will try to respond and make my presence known better than as of late. Once again sorry guys.
Brian Chervenka
As far as training goes I have been working Dah Mu Sinh. I have been trying to work on the over extension of my punches and my heel coming up in certain areas of the form that has never occurred before. Forms are one of my most favourite parts of kung fu because if you can't get in time to train, you can do a few form reps and cover alot of basics in your training. Especially in this form because it is the base for all of our training pyramids. I also get very frustrated with forms because they are a constant evolution in perfection and correction. The never ending quest for balance. I have also been working on my kicks which need a lot of work. I have the basis down but have discovered the route of all my problems. Flexibility. If I kick low they're pretty good, but as I try to kick higher my center is lost and I am throwing myself all over the place. I have set up a stretching aid that I have learnt from reading Bruce Lees' fighting method. It consists of a rope and two pulleys that help pull the leg up in a stance. Once you have reached a certain height you slowly release the grip on the rope and try to hold your leg up, but continue to use the rope as an aid until you can hold your leg up on your own. We'll see how this works out. It like muscle building and stretching in one exercise.
One last thing I would like to share is my absence to the team. I am sorry guys I am not there. It bothers me alot that I don't have my hands on the rope. Right now I have little time with my family and usually jammed with extra work that requires, well, extra time. My focus is my daughter, she needs her fathers energy and the reassurance that I am dedicated to all her interests. My wife needs my help and my time as well. They both have a good solid understanding of what I am trying to accomplish both at home and with my training. My girls are tough and understand the sacrifices I have to make towards both and support me ten fold. Right now its a little different, I am at work everyday and spending very little time at home. Those of you that know me, know I mean no disrespect and I am fully committed to everything we are trying to accomplish this year. If I could make it work I would. See you soon hopefully and I will try to respond and make my presence known better than as of late. Once again sorry guys.
Brian Chervenka
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