Change

 Lots of change happening this time of year.  Simon is off to Lethbridge and won’t be home every 4 days.  Nate is working and always on the go. Katie is driving and is busy.  You would think we would have more time for us but that has not been the case yet.  Trying to find the new balance in our ever changing lives.  It’s a good change but still shifts the balance.  Hoping it will only take a minor tweak to get back on track.

Intensity - Seeing part 2 (with some sparring thrown in)

 Today I focused on where I was looking and WHY during my forms.  As I spoke with Sihing Kohut, I asked "should I be thinking 'downward foot block'"? The look he gave me was priceless.  It was a mixture of confusion and dumbfounded.  Why am I doing the action?  What is the purpose?  That was when I realized that not only did I need to bring my gaze toward my hand or foot, I needed to visualize the opponents actions  occurring that trigger my reaction.  I use to think I was doing this but today something just clicked now I know how wrong I was.  Later during my 1-1 with Sifu Csillag, he emphasized the need to turn my head before my moves in Da Mu Sing I (okay, in all my forms but this is an easy section to work on).  That really cemented in the "visualizing the opponents actions" before reacting.  

Why am I writing about this two days in a row?  During this weekend, I was given many suggestions where I can improve.  If I tried to fix them all at once it would be overwhelming.  Right at the beginning, we were told to look for similarities, things that can be grouped together.  So I have chosen to focus on "Seeing".  I have slowed down my forms so I can spend more effort on visualization.  Can I keep it consistently?  Absolutely not, I am breaking 8 years of habits.  Today when I become more confident, I felt myself get pulled back into those old habits.  I just acknowledged it, refocused and continued on.  It's going to take awhile to become the new habit but it will come.  

The other awesome thing today was having the opportunity to spar with Sihing Kohut.  Only twice did I flinch away but immediately recovered and continued without breaking stride.  I could see more openings and was quicker on my blocking and countering.  I felt confident, in control, and was able to try some of the techniques that we have been practicing in class.  It was great!  I know that he was not going full power or speed but he was being a great sparring partner.  He pushed me, gave me opportunities, but hit me when my guards were down (and I got a few good hits in on him as well LOL).  This is the type of sparring partner I want to be for others! 

Intensity - Looking but not Seeing

I use to think that intensity was speed and power.  Even though I was working on those aspects, I am not increasing intensity.  One thing we have been asked to work on is our eyes.  What does that mean?  I was given the example of “looking but not seeing”.  So today I did my forms slow and focused on what I was looking at.  Guess what I noticed?  My gaze was always out of focus and about 15 feet in front of me. I was keeping my head up and eyes to the front but I wasn’t seeing anything close to me.  Not realistic at all. I went through many forms and it was all the same.  I tried to narrow my focus on where I was hitting or blocking.  It took real effort to bring my gaze closer but I could do it.  As I write this, I am sure that I do this in sparring as well.  Why?  I try to expand my focus to see more in my peripheral view but I am losing out in my immediate view.  Another basic technique that I need to back track to the beginning.  This might not fix my intensity but it’s a start on that path.

Investment in the Student!

Yesterday I was able to partake in an event that resulted in one of those lightbulb moments.  The event had a huge impact in many ways but for this post I want to focus on "How much that has been invested in me, the student."

During the event,  I was thinking "Was this the best that I could give?" There were somethings that I was disappointed in and somethings that felt good.  I made a list of things I could improve on but it was definitely a "me" focus. 

When the "Investment in the Student" seed finally spouted last night, I asked myself "Did I show off my instructors investment to the best of my ability?" and I came up with different kind of list to improve on.  They don't have an investment in my 200m shuttle time, they have an investment in my cardio fitness.  They don't have an investment in where my gaze is in my form, they have in investment in my intensity and realization in my form. They don't have an investment in my broken horse stance, they have an investment in my stances being true to Kung Fu and developing my eye for detail.

I have been blogging that this is my path!  But is it really?  Sifu Csillag had posted previously about following in the paths of others and honestly, why would I want to be taking my own path instead of following one already laid down in front of me.  There is a difference between being on your own journey and taking your own path and even when you are on your own journey, you are not alone.  

Our instructors have been there to guide, teach and push us along our journey.  They do not do it because it's their job.  They do it because they believe in us.  They trust us with their knowledge.  They see the potential when we do not. They see the truth when we do not.  They are speaking their wisdom even though we are not listening.  They are showing us their experience even when we do not see.

So how do we stop missing out on all of this knowledge and improve the investment?  My first thought was all the missed opportunities when I didn't give 100% in my classes.   There have been Sifu's who have taught me along my path that I no longer have access to.  What knowledge have I missed by lacking engagement?  How much further would I be today if I gave more effort?   This last year I have been intent on engagement and even I can see the results in all areas of my life.  

This journey is not about being the first one to the finish line.  It is not about beating the person in front of you.  It is not about being left behind in the dust.  It is about being the best that you can be, always improving EVERYDAY.  It is about realizing all of the resources that you have in front of you, beside you, and behind you along the way.  The only way that you will fail this journey is if YOU quit.  For me, quitting is not an option.  I want to do justice to the investment made in me in all aspects of my life.  

See you on the mats!

Just 5 more minutes!

Just 5 more minutes!  We have all used this phrase at sometime in our lives.  5 more minutes of sleep, 5 more minutes of TV, 5 more minutes of studying, 5 more minutes to get something done that you have not completed.  Why are we always wishing for 5 more minutes?  

Saturday I did open training and got caught up in chatting instead of doing.  It made me realize that there are so many "5 minutes" that are lost if you do not take advantage of them.  I lost out on doing a form rep, actually it was many reps since it was more than 5 minutes of chatting.  Mediocrity just LOVES to sneak in and take away the minutes.  I need to make a conscious effort to be more aware of those lost minutes because I don't know if I have a lot of "5 more minutes" that I can spare.   So now I need to make up that time somewhere else but if I don't have a plan then it will just spiral.  

My plan is to make sure that I am aware of those fleeting 5 minutes and immediately do something to stop the fleeting and later I can reflect on the why.  I wonder how many minutes I am going to find?  I am going to track them and see.  

See you on the mats!

Taking Relationships for Granted

During our second degree meeting, Sifu Brinker made a comment on how we take the relationships of our black belts/ instructors for granted. 

When you first hear that you may think we are taking advantage of them but that was not the context.  We are not appreciating the gift of having them available.  We might be “waiting” until a better time to ask a question, to seek advice, to talk with them.  We are losing out on the opportunities that are right in front of us.  Losing out on knowledge that they have. Not appreciating the miracle of having them in our lives.  

Stewart Emery said “When we speak of miracles, we speak of events or experiences in the real world that are beyond the ordinary”.  We are learning an ancient style of martial arts by masters in our lives, in Canada, in Alberta, in Stony Plain.  How can that not be a miracle?  It is definitely beyond the ordinary.

Being reminded that we take relationships for granted couldn’t have come at a better time.  I was camping with my family.  I haven’t seen my siblings since before the pandemic and we have VERY different views on things but this reminder really gave me a different mindset.  I did not argue with anyone, I did not get upset because I know that things can change in a heartbeat and if I take relationships for granted I will miss out, I will have regrets.  Sifu’s conversation was a perfect reminder at the perfect time. Thank you Sifu!

What relationship are you taking for granted? What miracle are you missing out on?

See you on the mats!