Personal Goals

Personal goals have been on my mind lately as I start to plan for the Year of the Tiger. I have a couple of big goals that I want to work on throughout the coming year. I know why and what I want to accomplish for each of these goals. I'm just not sure how to go about defining and measuring them yet, but I can visualize the intended benefits. 

As a past and present IHC team member, my experience has taught me that the IHC team requirements are tools and not hoops or boxes to check. However, I've never really thought of my personal goals as tools and didn't attach the same importance to them. I knew the benefits, but was still thinking about checking boxes. My perception has expanded recently and I am now seeing the bigger picture. I now realize my personal goals are tools as well and the added potential contained within each goal. 

The end result of taking advantage of a tool is not always readily apparent. Yes, I may have bigger, stronger muscles as a result of doing 50,000 pushups over the year, but there is also the knowledge gained on how to do a proper push up, obstacles overcome, determining adjustments for injuries, finding time to fit everything in, building consistency and developing perseverance. These are all valuable lessons. Not readily apparent at the start of the year and totally lost if you are just focused on checking the box.

I'm seeing my personal goals in a new light and reframing my perspective. My thought process and understanding is evolving. As I plan out my goals for next year I am more aware of the possibilities and appreciative of the coming benefits the year will bring. Now I just have to figure out how to define my goals so they can be tracked and measured.

Namaste everyone,

New Discoveries

Discovery 1

Something cool happened during last Monday's class. Our focus for the class was an application of the  triangle stepping pattern. Virtual training does have some limitations and yet there are positives as well. Not having a partner to work with provides me with time for more reps and because there is no obstacle in my way (opponent) I can feel if my momentum is broken and where it might need to be fixed. Not having to switch back and forth also gives me time to work on the other side when doing an application or technique. During Monday's class I added in some reps on my right side as well. This of course didn't feel nearly as good as the left side. The first 3 - 4 reps were pretty choppy and lacked any kind of flow. As soon as I got a bit more comfortable with my right side, I discovered that the knife hand felt better. I realized that I was more open and more committed. All 4 quadrants were working together better. Hmm..., interesting! The left side had been feeling really good. Working on the right side helped me to realize where I need to make some adjustments to get my 6 harmonies and the 4 quadrants working better.

I am seeing the benefit of taking some time to train on my not so good side. It helps to amplify areas that are not working. In addition it also amplifies sections that stand out as aha moments. I think the reason this works so well is because it is awkward and everything is slowed down. Both the good and bad is enhanced.

Discovery 2

The front thrust kick in Lao Gar 1 has been giving me some trouble for a while. Even though I felt like I was releasing after the knife hand, I couldn't get the kick to feel like it had much power. It always felt forced. As I was training today, I took a moment to think about what a front thrust kick feels like during our warmups. I tried a few and came away with the realization that when doing the front thrust kick in Lao Gar 1, I was only releasing my knife hand before the kick and forgetting about the rest of the body. Applying some basics and concepts from our practice drills has helped greatly and I now feel like I have it figured out. The kick feels much better now.

Namaste everyone!

Blogging is Like Meditation

I find blogging to be a form of meditation. Often when I sit down to compose a blog there are numerous thoughts floating through my head and I don't always have a clear picture. I am forced to stop, reflect and arrange my thoughts in some sort of coherent order and cohesiveness. 

There are usually always moments of stillness in my writing process where I close my eyes, breathe and allow thoughts and feelings to surface. And when I get stuck, I'll ask for guidance. This is not a quick process and usually involves deeper reflection which can also lead to new discoveries as a result. When this happens, my original blog subject can change completely or I have to reign in the new discoveries, jotting them down to revisit when the time is right. 

Working through the writing process helps me to expand my thoughts, feelings and experiences. I am able to create a more focused picture of where I am at, where I've been and where I am going. I've had aha moments while writing, where a piece of the puzzle suddenly fits. These are some of the best moments and would not have been possible if I hadn't taken the time to sit down and put in a bit of effort.

Namaste everyone!

Thirst for Knowledge

Quite often I overthink and can easily end up down the rabbit hole as a result. This thinking can also take over my ability to feel and develop awareness and to trust in myself. Becoming stuck on something has also been known to happen on occasion. 

I have been working on being aware of when my thinking is starting to take over so that I can reign it in and take a different approach. Instead allowing my body to just feel and do what comes naturally. This process is difficult for me, but I know that I will be a better martial artist and person as a result.

I am not trying to eradicate my habit of overthinking, just bring it under control. I want to still be able to take advantage of the benefits that overthinking and deep thinking provide and create a better balance between thinking and doing. 

Whether a particular character trait is seen as positive or negative there are always pros and cons. I see the cons when it comes to my Kung Fu training. Getting stuck on something and not being able to move forward can definitely be a problem. Lately though I am also becoming cognizant of the positive aspects.

For me, overthinking creates a thirst for knowledge. A need to understand the hows and whys which also then helps to expand my knowledge and understanding. I am also more aware and appreciative of observations and aha moments discovered along the way. Details are revealed and awareness developed. It may even help me to be a better teacher at some point in the future. 

Question to ponder:

If a person understands the basic concepts and moves naturally without thinking will they also have a natural ability to know and understand the hows and whys within those movements? Or would the hows and whys need to be learned? 

Namaste everyone!

All about the Hips

I am loving my hips! Thanks to a class taught by Sifu Hayes last month. His instruction was a gift that keeps on giving. One of those golden key opportunities which happen at different times for everyone. We had started class turning 180 degrees in a bow stance, which led into working on our cat stance transitions. This then led to removing our arms from the equation as we made our transitions which changed the cat stance for me. That's a whole other blog. Transitions and centering appeared to be the lesson. When discussing this with Sifu Ward, he felt the lesson was mostly about the hips. After I played around with this some more and concentrated on my hips, I could feel the hips lining up with the 6 harmonies. 

I have slowly been exploring various techniques, keeping more of the focus on my hips and letting them do the driving. This has helped a lot when turning out of an open x while doing Lao Gar. As long as I let my hips drive, the stability is much improved. I have also started to focus on this with my kicks and am seeing some improvement.

I think I was a newer green belt when I truly discovered my shoulders and how they moved in relation to the rest of my body. My hips though weren't even on my radar at the time. They had been functioning alright, but awareness and harmony needed work. It was Tai Chi where I first experienced the disconnect with my hips and started to develop some awareness. It always felt like more of a timing issue though. 

Hmm.. interesting thought just now. It still could be a timing issue, but with a different way of thinking. Instead of only working on perfecting the timing maybe I need to look at the underlying cause of the timing issue. What drives the timing? Oh my! Could it be the hips? Yay, something to explore further.

Namaste everyone!