Chinese Straight Sword

My straight sword form has been progressing very slowly these last 2 months and my goal is to learn all 32 combinations of movements by the end of the year. I had found a great video, but then ran into a section that was hard to make sense of all the transitions involved in completing a 360 degree change in direction. 1 step forward, 2 steps back and some self inflicted stuck in one place issues.

What I have learned is I need to commit to more time to learning the form and pushing through when I encounter challenging sections. It feels all consuming at times and there is the probability for other things to be dropped as a result. Maybe that is what needs to happen until I get a flow going and then I can figure out some sort of balance.

There are numerous videos to choose and learn from and I’ve narrowed down my resources to 3. I have moved on from the initial video I had been learning from and am using a second video with better angles and footwork to follow. There are also some minor variances throughout the 2nd video which I found frustrating at first. I quickly realized this is to be expected. 

The Yang style 32 short form was developed in the 1950's and over the years personal style and interpretation has created variations in the form. At the core there is a foundation of concepts, techniques and patterns to learn. My intent is to stay true to the integrity of the form as it was originally developed as best as I can. I feel the weight of responsibility in staying true to the form and excitement as I learn and grow with the form, finding my own art/style within the form.

Totals

Push ups & Sit ups: 1100/23110
Hand form: 3//308
Weapon form: 13/338
KM: 34/762
AOK: 28/749
Sparring: 0/130
Blogs: 2/28
Yoga: 30/11.5hrs
Tai Chi: 15/443
MM:22/562

Motivation

I read an article recently about motivation. It’s always good to reacquaint myself with the dos, don’ts and how-tos as I often struggle with staying motivated. What stood out for me is the author noted the importance of not letting more than 1 day go by without doing even just a small portion of your daily routine/numbers. I know from experience if I allow more and more days to pass by with out re-engaging, the mountain starts to feel bigger and further away. It’s much easier to re-engage after missing just 1 day.

Getting back on track this past week was a priority and thinking back to what I had read helped me to re-engage as needed. Keeping this in mind motivated me to push myself and I was able to finish the week with improvements in some areas compared to the previous week. The heat is still slowing me down so I will continue to find ways to make adjustments and stay engaged.

Totals

Push ups & Sit ups: 800/22010
Hand form: 11/305
Weapon form: 7/325
KM: 41/728
AOK: 27/721
Sparring: 10/130
Blogs: 1/26
Yoga: 0/11hrs
Tai Chi: 13/428
MM:17/540

Asleep & Falling - Kung Fu Takes Over

Something interesting happened to me while I was sleeping last night. 

As we all know it was another hot night and with no air conditioning to help cool things off I rely on my portable fan along with the furnace fan to draw up some cool air from the basement. After tossing and turning with little luck I decided to try laying on my stomach. Sleeping on my stomach used to be my go to position many years ago, but is no longer comfortable. After adding a few small pillows to support my back and my left arm I found a comfortable position and finally drifted off to sleep. 

What I didn't expect to happen was falling out of bed. LOL! What? How'd that happen?

I remember dreaming about being asleep and in my dream, thinking about needing to wake up and get out of bed. My dream self was telling me to get up, but I was so comfortable! Get up, do it! The dream actually propelled me for real to roll over and get up out of bed. And suddenly I felt myself falling. In this partially awake state my Kung Fu training took over. I was aware of the need to avoid hitting my head on the corner of the night stand as I tumbled out of bed. (I'm always amazed at how time seems to slow down in certain circumstances while everything around us is occurring at normal speed.) I'm not 100% clear as to what I did as I fell. My best recollection is turning my head slightly and putting up my hands to guard and protect.

After landing with a thud, I picked myself up and did a body check. I had managed to avoid the corner of the stand but still smacked my head somewhat. Awareness, control and response time all helped to lessen potential injury. I though briefly about taking some Advil just in case. Instead I crawled back into bed and took a few moments to send healing energy to the achy left side of my head. I woke up in the morning with no apparent negative effects from the fall.

I still chuckle to myself as I recall falling out of bed and am thankful for my Kung Fu training.

*Will post numbers with the intended post I had started the day before.

Slow Going

Oh, what a week! 

It's been overly hot which I have found challenging to even think about exerting myself physically. In addition to the heat I've been recovering from an outpatient procedure that has messed up my schedule and routine. And to top it off I've been struggling with my quality of sleep, all resulting in too many 'rest days' this week! 

Even though I didn't make great progress this week with my numbers I still had some positive moments and outcomes:

With the hot hot weather I was motivated to adjust my morning routine and get out for a walk most days, which I very much enjoyed.

After 2 weeks of not doing any Yoga I actually made time for some this week. 

Dealing with a few grumpy customers this week reminded me to not take things personally. I don't need to take on their bad attitude, rushed or tired energy. I can instead treat them with kindness and empathy and apply that same kindness, empathy and understanding to myself and others when encountering challenging interactions. 

I did some more teaching this week in the Young Dragons class. I love being able to focus on a smaller group of students and sections of forms and am learning to adapt to the needs of the students. Towards the end of class a student from my group surprised me by putting his hand up and answering questions correctly. He had been more engaged than I gave him credit for. I learned getting through to a student may not be obvious in the moment or even present itself as the intended outcome. 

Totals

Push ups & Sit ups: 250/21210
Hand form: 2/294
Weapon form: 6/318
KM: 34/687
AOK: 36/694
Sparring: 2/120
Blogs: 1/25
Yoga: 30/11hrs
Tai Chi: 18/415
MM:18/523

Honest With Myself

During last weeks meeting, Sifu Rybak talked about being honest with ourselves. Up, down, coasting or somewhere in between?

Regular blogging and recording of personal goals, team requirements and general training has helped me to focus on my steps forward and my successes. While this has been very beneficial especially during times of stress it has also produced a bit of tunnel vision validating my current path.

Being honest with myself can be challenging. I can be too hard on myself or too easy on myself. I can spin things many ways. What is truth, wishful thinking or ego inserting itself? And if it is too uncomfortable or feels like more effort than I have mental or physical energy for, I just pack it away into a closet, turn off the light and close the door. 

Obviously I don't shove everything into the closet. There always seems to be something I'm working at improving or learning and pushing myself, and that is very positive. If I'm being honest with myself, taking advantage of available time and making better use of my time is an area I struggle with. Lots of ups and downs in this area and room for improvement.

I'm thinking it would be a good idea to start adding more information when recording and tracking my numbers each day. An additional record of what I've done to expand myself, illuminating and cleaning out my closet. Keeping positivity and gratitude in front of me while recognizing weaknesses and areas for improvements. 

My ability and willingness to be honest with myself got a boost in the right direction and my closet got a little bit brighter.

Totals

Push ups & Sit ups: 760/20960
Hand form: 5/292
Weapon form: 12/312
KM: 30/653
AOK: 26/658
Sparring: 0/118
Blogs: 1/24
Yoga: 0/10.5hrs
Tai Chi: 17/397
MM:18/505