Stepping Stones

So my year has been off to a rough start as I came in late on everything that I needed to do to prepare for the year of the rat but being thrown into the fire and the calling of adapt and overcome the challenge is nothing new, I embrace that. However, although I can be a very focused and committed individual, I fail to keep whats best for me front and center and channel that focus and commitment for others instead. Seldom does the investment return as much as I have out into it, in the end your just another number. Don't get me wrong, this has provided me with many opportunities and I'm seldom out of work for very long as a result of these efforts and the well being of my girls are my whole primary focus. But in the end, my health, family life, and my Kung Fu are sacrificed due to the work-a-holic mentality I have. I plan to use the focus and commitment of a year of mastery to overcome and embrace and act on the change necessary. It will be a long overdue challenge but I am ready to see it through as I completely bombed the last two years. I start out strong, a good plan laid out, then boom, I'm gone never to be seen or heard from again. The damaging factor is perspective of priorities and where they sit for me. All or nothing does tend to come into play but I have learned to shove that to the side and I know this mindset is counterproductive. It's tough to overcome when it has been the mindset for so many years but I do know I need to break the cycle. Like any character defect, it's a work in progress and as of late I seem to be coming ahead.

I have been reviewing my forms and working on my conditioning as of late. This has been a little tricky as I cracked 3 ribs not too long ago and still in the healing phase. I honestly didn't know they were cracked and just carried on thinking they were bruised, nope they are cracked so I had to let them heal. This kept me from doing a lot of things and it sure doesn't take long for ones conditioning to lapse when you are limited to what you can do. Now I'm in an incremental stage of loading up my core and other aspects of conditioning. I am in some pain of course, but it is a good pain, an invested pain because I know each day I will become stronger, each day a little more flexible, and my muscle memory is awakening. Just have to be patient and embrace the incremental progress. That alone is sure a good feeling knowing all is not lost. Qigong has been both my friend and my worst enemy lately, but for me it has been my best tool for regaining endurance, timed breathing, and flexibility. I havent done it for so long so it's been a challenge remembering the form and of course actually doing it, but the results are noticable and effective for where I am curently at.

 
I have chosen the Long Axe or Halberd again for this years weapon. I just absolutely love this weapon and have spent countless hours with it on my imaginary battle fields and a lot of time and effort working towards mastering it. The repetitive weapon choice is not a comfort zone thing or an avoidance of challenge, it is part of a long term goal I set a long time ago. Once I have a very solid feel for the mechanics of the Halberd and a good solid understanding of how to move and attack with it, then I will move onto a live Guandao. To me, that's the ultimate weapon and once I reach the skill level I feel is accomplished, I'll take on this weapon. I can see it now, shimmering in gold with cool music and angels flying it over to me!! Best ever!

My hand form Loa Gar is another repeat with the intention of seeing through another long term goal of extreme challenge and the preservation of our lineage. I actually really enjoy the technical aspect of this form and style, the mystery to the mechanics and how it all works together is something I never get bored with. The form has teased me many times as I have momentarily seemed to unlock it's power, but then the inability to do it again prevails, all on the quest for knowledge I guess. One of the other reasons is Loa Gar or Hung Gar is officially an extinct art. Our school is probably one of very few that actually still practices it. Our lineage is very important to me as is my respect for our past masters. If you look into our schools lineage it goes back a long ways and many very talented artists have cut the path for us. This potency cannot die off and needs to be maintained or in the end, it's gone and all of that hard work means nothing.

 I'm not into contributing to the demise of traditional martial arts any longer as over the last few years I have done just that by not being at the school. This alone has kept me inspired during my abscence and has prompted me to act and instead of just turning into a black belt made of ice cream and turn my back on it all. I will continue to be a practioner of the art and not be afraid to get sore and sweaty to see it through. That's one of my primary goals this year to review and perfect all of my forms, intensify and regain my conditioning, and constantly review the curriculumn so I have a solid base and understanding of our style beyond what I already know. Besides I am supposed to be doing this anyway as one of our best tools, the Black Belt Code of Ethics is sworn to by me. Although I have repeated myself several times on this point, I'm gonna do this, is now going to be I am doing this. Well that's one post that I brought out of the drafts, many more to come as I actually want to see 52 posts this year instead of 5 or 6 and then I disappear. See you at the Kwoon.

Absence of Kung Fu

It becomes a real moment of truth if you do, or have trained, in the martial arts and suddenly stop or gradually step away from your discipline. Even if it's unintentional. What I mean by this is you suddenly become a doer or a doee. It's not hard to let something go unintentionally through distraction or other things in life that suddenly do, and will take priority over everything. That's life, and how you perceive and act on adaptation continues to cut the path....or doesn't. You just might suddenly lack some tools you once had and can't figure out where they were dropped or just simply placed somewhere else close by, and all you need to do is reach for it. Even in a life of distractions, if something is fully ingrained, it will always be with you. But if you don't keep it front and center, it will lose it's purpose. If you lose the mindset of benefit through investment, it will fade and suddenly it's gone. Even if you are strong willed, it's also very easy to take things for granted, one thinks that no matter what, something that powerful will always be there. But if it doesn't stay with you or you fail to act on the investment through discipline, it never really was. The art within won't grow or maintain on it's own.

 A harsh question does seem to come up for me when I constantly notice somethings missing and I fail to act on it. When I can't train the way I want or have the time I want. Was I really in it for me or was I in it to use as a stepping stone or temporary fix to something that was going on? Did I let it slip on purpose because I have lost faith in it's soul purpose, or some how adopted a mindset of corrupted ideology that became a justified excuse? Was it ever really as fully ingrained as I led myself to believe it was? In order to troubleshoot these kinds of things you have to dig deep, all angles, step back and look in the areas you normally don't. The thing is, if I never really had my heart and soul into it in the first place, if I never lived and practiced the art and invested the blood, sweat, and the dirt and appreciated and respected it, made it a part of me, why would I care in the first place that it's gone? Why would I even care to take the time to figure this out and find a solution? I wouldn't. But I do.....every day. I have applied the art in many cases without even realizing it's still just as strong as it ever was, even if I don't see it or feel it physically to the degree I think it should be.

To something that seems so complicated, it is in fact is very basic, just train and continue the investment and embrace even the tiniest amount of discipline and time to my Kung Fu as I can. It must become and remain a priority. Sifu Bryant put a really good post out a while back that really resonated with me. I won't go into it too far, but to put it straight, he brought up a point of financial discipline, pay yourself first. Damn rights pay yourself first! Brilliant point Sifu, thanks. That simple point alone had a major effect on me and instilled a new perspective and approach.

Absence of Kung Fu tends to throw me into another trajectory of aimlessness and frustration, I miss it. I know it's part of me and it needs to become more front and center. I need to change the perspective that it is not gone. Invest in it and me.The longer I have been away from consistent training and the Kwoon, the more and more it burns everyday, not the opposite of fade and call it once was. So that made me feel about better about my current status. I use the lessons and the purpose every day, it's just needs to come front and center, pay myself first. I guess we'll see where it all leads over the next while.

Training in the Badlands

So I've spent the last month or better in the Drumheller area doing a bridge project. It really takes me back to when I grew up in Southern Alberta. All the farms, the rolling hills and the ability to see for miles. The smell in the air as the soil is being turned up for seeding, coyotes, oh yeah and WIND!!! That's one thing I don't miss too much for sure especially when they are spreading manure..that's ripe. There is really cool trails around here and the scenery is really nice. I found an area perfect for weapon training and forms. The biggest issue is getting there as the days are long indeed and it's tough to get out there.

My routine hasn't been as efficient as I would like it to be by any stretch but it has been consistent and that's better than nothing. One added bonus is my room I'm staying at is pretty large so I have quite a bit of room for kicks, push ups and sit ups and some weight training. I can also do some of the forms that don't require a lot of room. But overall Dah Mu Hsin is the one that is practiced every day, that's the one that keeps it all moving forward. I'm starting to eat a lot cleaner and more consistently. It's so easy to not eat properly when you become so focused and engaged in what we do, but hours without eating is stupid and pounding convenient junk into yourself is even dumber. It takes it's toll for sure. Now I have a loaded up smoothy every morning, eat several times throughout the day and pound the water and some natural fruit juices and I feel great. Fuel is everything if you want to run like a machine.

Canada Day is coming fast and my Sais form is still in the works and Loa Gar is coming along. It's been tricky going back to two handed lighter weapons as I have trained with heavy weapons for the last 5 years or so but adaptability and versatility is key with any aspect of training so it was good to change it up.

I have about 10 or so journals in my draft that I will get out here over the next while because I need to get those up to date. I really noticed when the journals stay on track, so does the accountability and the discipline as does finding the time to train. It removes the urge to slack off or just give up because the year isn't going the way I want it too. So between this, the I Ho Chuan requirements and using the Code of Ethics as a tool of focus, I think things are going to work out fine, and that's just a whole lot of alright. See you at the Kwoon

Black Belt Code of Ethics Part 2

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.

 

Quadrants

We are taught through our training that the body, yours and your opponents, are broken up into quadrants and all things are based off of the center line. If this is not practiced mindfully it can effect a number of factors involving stances, execution of techniques with full body power to definite completion, and of course the channeling of power through grounded execution. This will also hinder the first three parts of the six harmonies because the required alignment to achieve full definition is impossible. You cannot engage the three efficiently because they are basically fighting each other. What I mean by this is some parts of the body are just loading up, some are already at full extension, and others are only halfway there which throws the trajectory and grounded power right out the window. Not to mention at this point your feel like a piled up gearbox.The timing is completely off and makes for very awkward transitions and this will translate throughout the whole form making it very difficult to not only maintain your center, but actually use it to its fullest potential. I have found that a lot of awkward areas of my form work and areas where I just don't feel any power at all, stumble during transitions, are a result of me not being mindful of the four quadrants and my center line.....and that pesky angled back foot.

I have discovered lately when practicing my forms that I am applying my techniques off center and my back foot is angled away from my center line as well which throws the power right past my opponent instead of through them. Not to say the foot should point to the center line, but it should run parallel. My punches for example are slightly to the inside of my lead leg, instead of following my center line. The result is an over extension of my arm, which leaves my elbow vulnerable, and my hip is not even part of it because it isn't even engaged or it's completely extended because of the angle of my back foot. During transitions the technique is leading the hips instead of the hips leading the technique, so by the time I have finished full rotation, there's not really much there. Also when making a transition, because the back foot wasn't lined up correctly in the first place, my back foot is nowhere near where it should be because its a technique behind making the next one come solely from the shoulders instead of the whole body. This will definitely remove any flow at all and makes it seem like I am starting each technique from the start because I feel continuously jammed and not working towards the center removes the timing and grounding required to actually apply what I am doing.

So I have been mindful of these things while practicing and I'm finding much smoother flow and transitions and I feel like the whole body is more involved. My forms feel really good actually and this should translate very well into the rest of my Kung Fu. My punches are not overextended and my stances have shortened up slightly. This makes me feel more grounded and the whole body is involved when I snap those hips and complete rotation with the heel planted and that back foot forward. Now I just have to re program that muscle memory through 1 MILLION repetitions and keep in mind to get good, before I get fast. See you at the Kwoon.

Vicious Virus

I was invaded by a virus from hell the past 2 weeks or better that was a real piece of work indeed. It would come in waves and each one would almost knock you to the ground, and then you seemed fine and then, just kidding!, wham again. I don't usually get sick too often and when I do I can usually shed it fairly quick, not so much with this viral spawn of satan but the immune system stomped it into oblivion so end of story there.

This down time cost me a bunch of training time and long days laboring through work but as far as I can tell it's over and it's time to crank up the dial. Trying to follow the discipline of always moving forward no matter what isn't always easy but if we keep the mind in check and focus on all options anything is progress. For example I did still continue to work through some training with smaller reps and complete my beta version. I also continued with working on some less laboring aspects of training such as stretching and reviewing my plans and goals and applying what I could. I wasn't able to perform at last class because I still wasn't well and didn't want to bring this evil into the Kwoon and share it with others because that's just not cool. It sucks though because it's always great to see everyone's forms and meet the deadline together with the team. I also missed a couple of black belt classes which bothered me even more because I want to take advantage of every single one I can before I head out of town some time this month. That's how it goes sometimes though and all you can do is deal with it and look ahead. I think though if I keep the plan in front of me and stay away from pulling a shift in the excuse factory or guzzling a big mug of resentment with a shot of pissed off...I'll pull off my best year yet.

Well that's all I really have this week and I hope everyone is doing well and basking in their own rays of awesomeness!! See you at the Kwoon.

Current Status

The last little while has been going well in regards to my quest for Year of the Pig awesomeness, with a couple things that needed to be addressed of course as it is never perfect and never will be. I've still just been coasting along doing my daily thing and not putting too much thought into it really, less self yack, more smack. Well completely no thought is impossible, but just more less paying attention to detail. I'm posting another quick journal because I missed a week....and I didn't even realize it, mostly because I caught some wack job virus that has really knocked the crap out of me but I continued on with priorities at work and I was out of town breifly.

Now this was and is a good thing because I caught myself slipping into my old habits of not keeping my Kung Fu moving along with me. Yes I was busy and not feeling well but I am working towards not allowing the justification of excuses or the distractions that seem to come along and take over my journey this time around. I realized at the beginning of the year that things needed to change and in order to achieve change, you have to maintain control of your plans. But you still allow yourself the ability to steer around those obstacles and leave the emotions out. For me at this time, it's all business. I can basque in the glory once I get the wheels of excellence rolling in the most basic format I can that suits me and my situations. That's the goal anyway, I just want to train and enjoy it no matter the circumstances and prioritize my training in a manageable way because I really don't want to lose it.

Physically things are coming along nicely, adding a little more day by day and resting accordingly. Mindless effort has done wonders really in regards to my forms and the neat fact is, the less I think about it, the more of those little things I seem to catch because I can feel them as I go. Stop, do a little adjustment and apply it through a few reps and the issue seems to go away. My weapon form is coming along in pieces basically. Trying to mold it all together to flow well and make it practical is always a challenge but I'm not that far off and have a version 1.0 ready to go. Loa Gar is well...Loa Gar....I really like this style and at the moment we are working on it quite a bit in Black Belt class so that's an unexpected bonus for sure. I'm doing school form reps fairly consistently which is very important as there is so much there that applies to all of our Kung Fu that can be lost if you don't keep it up.

 Mentally I'm feeling pretty good and training in a more valuable approach which has done me a lot of good. The only thing that concerns me a bit is my work schedule is about to go into hyper drive which usually kicks me off of my plan. Mainly because I let it, and make all kinds of justifications as to why I can't or how the system doesn't work for me. Honestly though my work schedules do pose a serious challenge, it's so hit and miss, long hours and unpredictable days seem to be a huge part of it as well. But this is my jungle and nobody is forcing me to do it. Adapting is key, which isn't really a problem for me when my hearts in it and the focus is there...I take care of business and take care of it with my signature of quality, no matter what it may take. But this is where things can and do go to absolute crap for me. Suddenly imperative task focus takes precedence over everything until it's done, but everything else that is supposed to move along with that focus and other personal benefits become less important. When this happens I have to start all over again or pick up where I left off and that isn't always so easy. I think when your intensity and focus get jumped around so much, you begin to lose the things that are a important component to you. You have this misconception that just because you can do things well and see them through, respect them, they will always be there. To a strong degree that's probably true if it really is part of us, it never leaves. But if you don't maintain those important things they can break down and disappear. Without the focus and discipline they will disappear and you don't even realize it. I don't want to go there, so that's why I'm here and the focus is mainly self improvement and restoration to what's important to me and my well being, my Kung Fu. I need to put my heart into everything, not just what's bright and shiny in front of me. See you at the Kwoon.