Training can and should be done no matter where you are or what you are doing. It has been said many times by our teachers as we progress through our training that students cannot possibly maintain or advance our skills if we limit our training to just when we are at the kwoon. When you reach the level of black belt your advancement to degrees is a incremental process that takes time. The accountability to our sworn commitments as black belts is expected to be done on our own. I know speaking from my own experience that it is very easy to let things slip or not make the training such a high priority. I train and then I don't, then I start to get concerned that if I don't, I will lose and forget everything I worked for, so that does tend to help with the motivation to keep my conditioning and skills up. The thing is it doesn't really seem to hit home because at the time, I am accountable to no one but me..... that is until I walk into the kwoon and practice in front of my teachers. Then it's pretty much front and center the lack of discipline, and to me I find it quite embarrassing as it shows just how much I need to practice and how much I need to catch up.
However, we are provided with a very valuable tool that was meant to be used as a guide and a method to keep us accountable and help us maintain our Kung Fu. I believe this is the whole point of the Code of Ethics. In order to maintain our own training and advancement to not only the standards of the school, but our own floating standards, and to be mindful of what is expected of us as Black Belts. We are asked to swear to an oath that is meant to be used as a guide to keep us engaged and uphold our style. For me and this year, this is my primary focus and tool and the more I use it, the better everything becomes.
All Black Belts of Silent River Kung Fu must promise to;
Set an example by approaching their art with passion, vigor, and vitality.
To approach our art with passion to me means put your heart into it, your intelligence and remain on the quest for perfection. Not necessarily as in perfect, because there is no such thing. We want constantly evolve and have the art become a part of you, like Bruce Lee said, express yourself and be yourself. Good enough or mindlessly training or letting your Kung Fu slip should piss you off and not be part of the program.
To approach the art with vigor to me means excitement and discovery, that spike of energy you feel when you really hit your forms or after hours and trying to perfect a technique it just takes off, pounding out those 100 kicks, 70 push ups in a row, or finally executing a spinning back kick that is graceful and your not scrambling for balance recovery. It's just a whole lot of alright and that's what your Kung Fu should be.
To approach the art with vitality from my perspective is longevity and conditioning. You can't execute Kung Fu properly or effectively if your physical fitness and conditioning is not maintained. So it's very important aspect of it. Stretching, making those muscles burn, ramping up the heart rate and driving yourself to puking is key. If don't keep these things up next thing you know you have injuries or you can't maintain or evolve your training, then everything goes down hill real quick. Keeping in mind we all age, so again to maintain the longevity of your Kung Fu, warming up those muscles is important, stretching is important and cardio is very important. This promotes a healthy body and mind, boosts metabolism and keeps you young. It promotes a proper diet and inspires a person to find those needs our body requires such as supplements or vitamins. You have to train smart but not use age as an excuse, but a tool to train better. The thing is if you keep telling yourself you can't do something, then you won't because your body and mind will listen to you.
So that's my take on this paraphrase of our Code of Ethics. See you at the Kwoon.
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