Curriculum

One of the most difficult parts of planning our own school is deciding what to incorporate in our curriculum. There are so many valuable tools that I have learned here, and in China, and sometimes I struggle to see how the two will mesh together. I want to continue with my Kempo training. We practice much more application, sparring and shield work skills here than we did in China. But at the same time, a large portion of my practice there was what we call "internal". We practiced Tai Ji and Qi Gong every day, and built a great foundation for our internal alchemy. Not that this practice doesn't exist here, but it is not our main focus, at least generally, not until we reach a much higher level. 

Somehow, I like to envision a curriculum that incorporates both as major components to our training. I personally have felt the benefits of a daily practice that incorporates the internal and the external, hard and soft, slow and fast. And I'm certain that it can be achieved, it's really how to create the right culture in the school to nurture both these practices. Which I feel like Silent River has done in a way, but the question is how? How do you teach the student that is interested in studying meditation and qi gong, the value of something like sparring? And how does one teach the student most interested in practicing applications and techniques, the value of Tai Ji and meditation? 

In my daily gratitude journal, almost every day, I am thankful for the mentors I have, and the community I am a part of. I hope to be able to continue to communicate these values to the next generation of martial artists. 

Connections

I met up with an old friend I haven't spoken to in ten years this Saturday.  It's interesting connecting with someone that you haven't seen in so long. We grew up together from 7 to just after high school graduation. We lost touch, met up in China briefly, and that was the last time we spoke.

The most prominent thing that I recognized is that even though we are in very different places in our lives, there are many common themes.

A frustration with our inability to communicate effectively in our relationships.  And the fact that you get very little guidance in that capacity in school and as a youth.

Recognition that we are among many that we so often don't understand.  Our perspective on things of value is different than others we meet. I'm lucky in that I've surrounded myself with like-minded people at kung fu.

The knowledge that our grandparents are old enough that that are starting to require care and, that someday, it will be our parents, and then us in the distant future.  It's amazing how reminders of our mortality continually worm their way into our lives.

But among all those heavy topics, we managed to still laugh and share. Maybe we're not off to such a bad start after all. And I am thankful that during many of my formative years, I had friends like him to learn from.

Sparring

Sparring is something I've always loved. Not that I've ever enjoyed getting punched in the eye or nose or anywhere for that matter. But I love the thrill of it and trying to implement new techniques or styles.

When we were training in China, sparring was something that I dreaded. We didn't practice with control, and we had very little guidance. Most of our sparring was matches with opponents chosen for size, and the directions to punch each other as hard as we could. Further on, when we added kicking, there was somewhat more instruction, but still, for an unseasoned student, it was frightening. Yes, there were injuries, but fortunately, nothing that didn't heal.

Something I realized while sparring with a group on Saturday was how much I learned from those experiences. One, I learned that an insane Chinese kid isn't going to stop trying to punch you as hard as he can in the face, unless you punch him as hard as you can. Two, I learned that it's hard to let go of your control when you're not in a life or death situation. Three, I learned some things about technique, due to injuries from poor form.

But one of the things I definitely learned, that has made me a lot more confident in my sparring, is that put a pair of gloves on, and you can take a lot more than you expect. It's amazing to spar with people you trust. Mistakes can be made, but you know that everyone is doing their best to save you from injury. You can laugh with someone after a good punch in the eye, when there is no ego in the match, you're both just practicing.

I was reminded of the amazing culture of the students at Silent River, and how lucky I am to be a part of it. Thanks for all the rounds!

Step 2

This week the lion dance seminar started. It was very difficult for me not to take part in it. I was proud of myself though. That might seem weird.

I had decided previously that I was going to take part in the seminar, and over time, I started to question whether it was a great idea or not. I've been feeling a little overwhelmed recently, and I am trying to recognize when I start to feel that way.

I am one of those people that tends to over commit and burn out. I still don't have the same amount of energy I had before GBS, but I think I manage my energy pretty well. I have been starting out most of my days with a little meditation or qi gong to get myself off on the right foot.

Trying to take some courses and work full time is tougher than I expected, and so I'm trying to continue forward, and not let my school progress stagnate. It's interesting taking an online course. It challenges me and my tendency to procrastinate.

All in all, things are positive. I recognized the symptoms of negativity and made decisions preemptively to counteract it. Definitely another step in the right direction.

Pilates

I've started going to Pilates once a week. It was never something I was particularly interested in, but some things about my body after my recovery have changed, and I've started having some pretty serious back/hip issues that I wanted to do something about. Stretching helps, but it's not enough. 

I had a one on one session on Saturday morning which was really great. I noticed some things about my posture that could really use some changing. Also, I made some realizations about the fact that I'm not using the right muscles to do my stances sometimes. I think that might be why, my back actually gets worse the more I practice. Don't get me wrong, I'm still working on everything, but we made some small adjustments to my horse stance. And a few observations about some of my kicks that might help me out.

One of my goals this year was to work on strengthening my core to help with my back, and I feel like I'm definitely going in the right direction.