Sanshou Seminar

Yesterday was the last day of Sanshou class 😢.  It was a great seminar! This seminar has brought sparring to another level.  One of my best rounds yesterday was with Sifu Lindstrom.  He had put some pressure on me and I retreated (it was more like running around the ring).  I was trying so hard to do a technique that I lost out on the moment that was presented to me.  As soon as you are out of the ring, you think "I should have done that differently".  So why was this the best round and not the one I won?  It was because there was so much that I learned from that one minute.  It was the time where mind and body was not yet connecting but I felt like it was just within reach.  It made me want to do more, want to get better.

So what did I learn from this seminar?

1) I have mental blocks - Although I like to spar, when I have an opponent that is better than me, I become timid and defensive.  These are the times that I feel like I have lost all my training and I know that there is a lot of work to do before my actions become reactive.  Why am I timid? Fear and lack of confidence.  How do I get over this? As Sifu Brinker has told me before, exposure.  Not only do I need to keep practising, I need to practise with partners that are out of my comfort zone.

2) I need to increase my speed during sparring and that will improve my techniques - Just when I thought I had some solid techniques for sparring, the Sanshou class showed that I have good techniques when I go slow.  You can not go slow in Sanshou so it was a little humbling to see poor techniques arise when pressed.  It has made me look on how my sparring hours will need to change so I can work on speed AND technique.

3) There is so much to learn out there!  Every experience opens a new door which opens more doors.  Don't hesitate to open that first door and step through it.  You never know what you will find.

Thanks again for a great seminar!

See you on the mats!

Reality Checks

For the last few months I have been researching the West Coast Trail. It is a very difficult 77K trail and there have been lots of posts about how this trail can be both mentally and physically challenging.  It takes 6-7 days and the risks include hypothermia, sprains, falls and lots of rain.  So when the weather forecast for our Jacques Lake trail showed 2 days of rain, we figured why not try it.  It was only for one night, so the four kids and I headed out early Friday morning, leaving Mike behind as he was still recovering from his injury.


We had a few bumps along the way, but once we found the trailhead and backtracked to get on the right trail, everything was going well until we were hit with a lightening and hail storm at about the 10K mark.  After removing our stuff and waiting out the storm, we were then back on the trail but that was when the rain started.  It rained constantly for the next 4.4K and the temperature dropped.  We were cold and wet but we set up camp and had a hot supper. We were the only ones at the campground so it was just us on the mountain.  It rained constantly from that point onward and was still not letting up as we headed out the next morning.  We made it back wearing all the clothes we packed, shivering, wet and with cold hands but we did it. As much as I thought that I was prepared for this, I was not.  It was only one night and there were times that I severely doubted my decision and sanity. I wondered why I would even want to try something more challenging than this.


So was this a failure or a success?  There are a few of my kids that will probably say a failure but I think it was a huge reality check and therefore a success.  There were two main things that were obvious that I needed to work on:


1) Mental Preparedness -  Recognizing that I was starting to succumb mentally on this hike was the first step to stop it and reverse it but I admit I was at the point of tears when that happened.  I have had some mental challenges in Kung Fu class but nothing that really hit me like this. Using the tools that we have gained in class did help me overcome this and has made me acutely aware of the mental challenges I still have.  I am not sure how I can improve on this area but I know that I must work on it.  I will start with meditation but any other suggestions are greatly welcomed.


2) Physical Preparedness - Yes I am in better shape than I was but I am not anywhere close to where I need to be.  This is evident in the muscle fatigue in my legs, arms, and back.  Yes we walked 30K with at 25lb pack and then added another 10K over the two days but that is a start, not where I need to be at.  This is easy to fix and that is by just doing the numbers for I Ho Chuan.  It made me look back at my numbers and realize that I am no where near what I need to be at for my PU/SU.  Tomorrow morning is a new day to get them back on track.


Although this was a tough two days, it showed me where I need to improve in my Kung Fu if I ever want to be prepared to tackle my bucket list goal of doing the West Coast Trail and more importantly, what I need to work on for my black belt.  Reality checks are really a good thing if you can learn from them.


See you on the mats!

Seven Challenges Smart People Overcome

There was a link that was sent at work.  It was very interesting describing the seven challenges that smart people overcome.  It was by the fourth point that I found so many things that related to Kung Fu.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/seven-challenges-smart-people-overcome-dr-travis-bradberry/


1) Age - 'Kung Fu martial artists' don’t let their age define who they are and what they are capable of.   Before Kung Fu, I would never have imagined being excited about sparring or grappling on the floor.  Pushing limits that I have not done since my late teens.  Age really is irrelevant.


2) Negativity - 'Kung Fu martial artists' make their time count. Instead of complaining about how things could have been or should have been, they reflect on everything they have to be grateful for. Then they find the best solution available, tackle the problem, and move on.
As I reflected on this, my shoulder injuries came to mind.  There were times that I wanted to quit, that the constant pain would have been a good reason but I watched others deal with injuries around me. No complaining, just moving forward. So I found the things that I was able to do and worked on my shoulder problems and today it gets stronger day by day.


3) Toxic People - 'Kung Fu martial artists' believe in a simple notion: you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.
When our family first started Kung Fu, we came to class and we left. As time went on, we found many people who had the same goals and ideas as ours, and they were in the kwoon.  We have developed many friendships in our Kung Fu family, relationships with people who I find are strong, reliable, honest, caring, and supportive.



4) What Other People Think - 'Kung Fu martial artists' know that caring about what other people think is a waste of time and energy.
You are never judged when you walk in the kwoon.  If I was worried about what others thought, I probably would have never walked onto the mats. 


5) Fear - 'Kung Fu martial artists'  know fear is a choice better than anyone does, so they flip fear on its head.
There are many things in Kung Fu that can install fear but Kung Fu also helps us deal with fear.  My biggest fear before I started Kung Fu was pain.  I never wanted to feel pain, I was afraid of being in a car accident, I was afraid of slipping on the steps.  But Kung Fu has helped cure that fear and now I spar knowing that I will get hit but I learn from each of those hits.  I wear my bruises with a smile knowing that I earned them. The quote attached to this point was my favourite as well.
The worst thing that can happen to you is allowing yourself to die inside while you’re still alive.




6) The Past or the Future - No amount of guilt can change the past, and no amount of anxiety can change the future.  'Kung Fu martial artists' know this, and they focus on living in the present moment.
Where am I and what am I doing? Be in the Moment.  This is something that we are always taught in Kung Fu.  Learn from the past and prepare for the future but stay in the present.  That is where we make the change. 


7) The State of the World - 'Kung Fu martial artists' don’t worry about getting caught up in things they can’t control. Instead, they focus their energy on directing the two things that are completely within their power—their attention and their effort. They focus their attention on all the things they’re grateful for, and they look for the good that’s happening in the world. They focus their effort on doing what they can every single day to improve their own lives and the world around them, because these small steps are all it takes to make the world a better place.
This is I Ho Chuan! 


Guess this just proves that Kung Fu makes us smart people. 


See you on the mats!

Listen for the whispers!

As the world rushes around us, we have forgotten to take the time to sit back and listen.  We don't take the time to listen to the sounds around us, listen to what the earth is saying, listen to our bodies. 


If you saw me in class at the end of the week, it looked like I was on the receiving end of a good punch but it was not that cool.  I have a cold sore.  I don't get them very often and it usually is a result of high stress.  I couldn't think of any unusual stress level that would cause it this time.  My friend told me that she gets them from the sun.  Bingo, Canada Day was lots of sun so that must be the reason.  My body was telling me something and I was still not listening because another one came last night, there was no sun exposure for this one so I had to look back on my week.  There were three nights of disrupted sleep, early mornings and late days at work.  My body was trying to tell me things but I could not hear until it until too late.


When I started KungFu, my body spoke to me right away.  There were sore muscles, lots of sweat, aching shoulders and knees, but now I realize that was my body screaming at me so it was easy to hear it.  As my journey continues, I am trying to hear the quieter noises like when a move feels right or when it doesn't.  


This week I have felt a coolness at my fingertips while doing Awakening The Dragon.  It has happened a few times now, is it chi? Maybe, but similar to a whisper in the breeze, I am only catching fragments.  I haven't been able to feel flow yet so tonight I walked barefoot on my grass and tried to focus on feeling the earth.  Just absorbing the sounds around me and feeling the strength of the earth in my feet.  It was truly amazing. 


I will continue to stand in the breeze and listen for the whispers, absorbing what is given to me.  I realize that I am starting a phase of my training where if I focus on one thing too much, the rest will just slip away.  I need to let myself be open to absorbing that which is around me, even if its tiny fragments for one day it will all come together.


See you on the mats!

In the moment.

Last year we were on Parliament Hill experiencing Canada Day's 150th birthday which was pretty cool but it definitely was not as much fun as today's celebration.  This year was windy and cool but it added to the experience.  The dragon was similar to a HUGE kite and at some times we were hanging on for dear life.  We did demos on a hill, we did dragon dances in the wind, we did lion dances around a group of kids, we had a blast.  It was about being in the moment.  There were times that we had some bumps but we got over them.  It was a great opportunity and we had a very memorable Canada Day. Can't wait to see what next year brings.

See you on the mats!