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!