Training

Training for me is a lot like being a child in a toy store. I see all of the fancy things and I want them. The more time I spend there, the more things I want. This in turn, keeps me around for longer and so it is a self fulfilling & positive cycle.

Forcing myself to train when I lack the time & actual energy to do it properly is a lot like being a poor child in a toy store. I still see the same fancy things and I want them just as badly as I always have. But I understand that the investment is greater than what I can afford. So I crave them from a distance with a heavy heart.

Ultimately, I know that I can weather the storm and that this feeling won't last forever. But from this perspective, it's not hard to see why a martial artist might want to be in it all the way or not at all.

Reflecting

I've been at this for a few years now and some moments have given me a larger chance to grow than others. Even in the moments where I didn't feel too much of a change, there was at least incremental growth. Lately, I have only been able to grow achieve this kind of growth. An adjustment here or greater fluidity there. I have not plateaued, but I am stuck. I say this because I realize that I am unwilling to let go of what I think I know in order to learn something else.

I often tell myself to soften up and even try to soften up. But in the back of my mind, I can feel it. I know that if things go sour, I'm going to pump as much strength into that technique as I can to finish it effectively. Clean or ugly, proper or otherwise. And I'm sure that's not altogether a bad thing. If I were in danger and knew only what I know now, it would be the smartest thing to do.

But I also know that this mindset keeps me from getting softer. If a technique goes sour, there is a way to become soft enough to make it work. To actually improve the technique by being softer. I only know that it exists, but I don't really know how to get there. At least not yet.

I'm not sure how I'm going to pull it off. Nor how many reminders I'm going to need! But I think that's a crucial step in my training. It's the next step.

Plateau - revisted

In my last blog about plateaus (Aug, 2008), I was able to distinguish what made a technique effective by understanding how the parts fit into the whole. With that, I figured out what was missing. Since then I've learned to use that as an analytical tool to find the flaws in my technique. Not surprisingly, I adapted it to find flaws in other people's techniques and nowadays I shift my balance or squirm away from them regularly. Sometimes it is to teach them, sometimes to protect myself and almost always to entertain myself! :) Luckily, the three are not mutually exclusive.

I have plateaued again. I find that I often hold onto too many things at once. As a result, I cannot process information fast enough. So, this time around I've learned that my most useful tool is to let everything else go. If I am consistently unable to correct my posture, then I will make that my point of focus in the next turn. Often this will translate into the temporary lessening of another skill. Occasionally it will render the entire technique ineffective and it will leave me in a compromising position. This is an acceptable loss.

When I find myself in that situation, I then do the exact opposite. That is when I hold onto my training as tightly as possible. I focus on as many things as possible and I do something (anything) to get out of that bind.


I can't explain why, but this feels like it will be paramount in my training. I think it is a good idea to be able to let everything go - even your strengths - when they are holding you back. I also think that it is good practice to attempt to put it all back together as quickly as possible.

Ice water

It's hard to believe that I've only had my feet in a bucket of ice for the past four minutes. It feels like I've been in this position forever!! I guess this should be a testament to how little I've been injured in the passing months. However in training for the upcoming Kanreikai Karate tournament, things are different.

The only thing that I can take from this is that not all of the efforts for martial arts are seen on the mat.

Tomoe Nagi

Woah! I love the way that this guy does Tomoe Nage! I would steal this technique if I could!

Good to be back!

It feels great to be in training again without all of those injuries. While I never stopped taking classes altogether, the injuries prevented me from Ukeing too often. They also prevented me from attacking with as much emphasis as I would like. For the most part I would attack but at all times I was more concerned with being in a position to take perfect ukemi.

Now that my body is almost entirely healed, I will focus again on clean and strong attacks. Even when I was injured, I would always ask myself if I can get out of the ground lock and if so, how? To begin with, I plan on going back to my usual squirming out of lose ground locks whenever they should occur. However, in the past, I would squirm out and just peek up at my attacker to let them know that it was possible. I now wonder if I should add a little something to that.

When I squirm out, I'm thinking of pushing or pulling a person off balance if possible. I'm also considering the idea of pushing/pulling the torre off balance as a means of getting out. I should note that my plan would be mainly to counter senior students or maybe even some junior students who might benefit from it. I wouldn't use this as a standard policy for every student on the mat.

Preparing for Sankyu

I have one hand in a bucket of ice and the smell of Bengay on my shoulder is potent enough that it manages to distract my attention from the ice. At any other juncture in my life I would take that as a sign that something is very wrong. Instead the pain is a reminder of my effort and I just feel satisfied.

I'm changing as a result of Ju Jitsu.