Help is Always Around the Corner

This weeks blog is about the help that is always around us, sometimes it is obvious and other times we need to ask.  This last few weeks there has been many times when I was given help from such amazing people. I would like to specifically thank Sifu Lindstrom, Sifu Hayes, and Mr. Sollinger for helping me with great strides in my Kung Fu and in my mental confidence. 


I will start with Sifu Lindstrom.  In the last few weeks, he has stopped by and helped me with Lau Gar, Tai Chi, but the one that had the most impact was helping me with my shoulder rolls.  I have a shoulder roll in my dual knife weapons form.  This should not be such a big deal but I can not do good shoulder roll.  Initially it was a mental block (that floor is so far down...) and then once I injured my shoulders, I just could not do them without pain.  First it was because of the injury and then later the injury became a good excuse.  I had suggestions of removing the shoulder roll from my form and I could have done that but honestly, it would have just been another excuse so I decided to power through this.  Last week I started to add them in my form but that did not turn out so good.  I ended up with a bruised shoulder and hip.  Hmmm, I must not be doing something right.  So Thursday, I got rid of the weapons and started at the basics.  I kept barrel rolling over and over and that was when Sifu Lindstrom came by to help.  He did not judge me, he just started with the basics and helped to show me where I was going wrong.  By the end of the night I was doing a shoulder roll instead of a barrel roll.  They were not great but better.  At least now I have the techniques so I can keep working on them until I improve.


In Lau Gar, Sifu Hayes showed me how the techniques could be used in real applications.  That always helps me because I like to know the why.  Mr. Sollinger has done the same with my weapons form (which he created, it is such an awesome yet challenging form!).  This allows me to focus on intent when I am doing the forms.  It is no longer just a block, but a "block the leg, use the momentum to follow through and strike the torso".  Mr. Sollinger also helped me modify his form so I can do a shoulder roll on my good shoulder instead of doing it on the bad one.  If I'm going to do this, I might as well be smart about it (and honestly, it still makes me scared but practice and time will help with that).


These are just three examples of help that I received recently.  Sometimes I had to ask for it but most times it was "can I give you a suggestion?".  If you ever hear those words, shout "Yes please!" and start to absorb the knowledge you are about to receive.  I have singled out these examples but they were not the only ones that occurred these last few weeks.  Things that were directly spoken to me and even more, the things that were spoken to others.  There is always help around you, sometimes you need to ask for it, and then you need an open mind to absorb what is being given.


See you on the mats!