Yes, this week was an amazing week at Silent River Kung Fu, with so much going on, including Master McNiell's visit, training, lion dance practices, classes, training for black belt, cane forms to perfect, knitting preemie hats for sihing kichko, training, and the Leadership seminars (which I was unable to attend, but the notes from sihing kichko were excellent once again. Its really quite difficult deciding what is the one most important thing I learned this week; but I put a fair amount of thought to it today, and realized that the one most important thing I need to embrace is very simple, and was touched on by one very quiet, unassuming, dedicated sifu.
Sifu Playter mentioned last week, in the leadership seminar, the 100x theory. From sihing Kichko's notes, I gathered the following:
- The one hundred times theory should be used everyday - pick one thing each day to work on;
- Don't play the numbers game - make each one good, perfect so that you don't develop bad habits;
- Practice slow at first to develop good muscle memory and increase speed once technique is good.
I've heard all this before many times, from many of the sifus, but Sifu Playter doesn't speak up as often as other teachers, so when he does, I can't help but feel that every word he says is something to be considered very seriously. So I've been considering his comments quite alot for the last week. I know it works, because I used it alot to work on perfecting my round house kick, the inside outside spinning cyclone kick, the cross stepping kicks, Lao Gar(100 in two weeks), and Cane(100 per two weeks). Recently, I used it to correct some techniques - the downward foot block, and stepping into bow stance with intensity. I've also started to use it to increase leg strength, by doing hidden leg technique, thrust kick from horse stance, and combination kick. As I move forward, I plan to use the one hundred times theory extensively. This next month I already have some ideas from the critiques received from Sifu Brinker (crescent kicks, spinning kick), I Ho Chuan Class (Cane form), strength training needs (sit ups, chin ups, kicks) and in Lion Dance practice (jumping from horse stance for the stack, projection step).
How will I get from where I am now, to where I want to be when I test for black belt? By using the one times theory to correct, and perfect.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
This week, instead of journalling and then reading everyone else's journal, I read everyone else's journal first. Everyone has their ups and downs. It's nice to see the ups which follow the downs in other people's journals. It keeps one motivated. This week is a down week for me. It's down because I feel way, way overextended and losing the follow-through on things I need to be focused on.
For kung fu, its the realization that IT IS TIME to put in place a serious training plan - one that has me peaking at the right time. I read some parts of 'The Fighter's Body', which Sifu Prince reccommended a while back. I saw what I needed to do, and I'm sure Sifu Prince followed that part about macro/meso/blahblah cycle-training. I'm excited and overwhelmed at the same time - because it is a struggle to find the time to properly think and plan out and organize my life over the next few months based on what's in the book. I have this feeling of standing still in my training, and I shouldn't be.
Personal life is challenging me too. It's as if all the transitions required in my life, are required right now. Jill needs my firm hand as she loses her way - priorities suddenly shift from school, getting a job, pursuing her badminton to being a social butterfly. Janet is in positive transition, which must not be missed by me - as she finds her strengths, her passions, like-minded friends,and looks for my support in pursuing her dreams. As a family, we are contemplating transition also, as our needs change and our current lifestyle (giant tract of land, far away from everywhere, with all sorts of animal units here,there and everywhere) runs counter-purpose to our future aspirations.
An enormous effort is required on all fronts.
For kung fu, its the realization that IT IS TIME to put in place a serious training plan - one that has me peaking at the right time. I read some parts of 'The Fighter's Body', which Sifu Prince reccommended a while back. I saw what I needed to do, and I'm sure Sifu Prince followed that part about macro/meso/blahblah cycle-training. I'm excited and overwhelmed at the same time - because it is a struggle to find the time to properly think and plan out and organize my life over the next few months based on what's in the book. I have this feeling of standing still in my training, and I shouldn't be.
Personal life is challenging me too. It's as if all the transitions required in my life, are required right now. Jill needs my firm hand as she loses her way - priorities suddenly shift from school, getting a job, pursuing her badminton to being a social butterfly. Janet is in positive transition, which must not be missed by me - as she finds her strengths, her passions, like-minded friends,and looks for my support in pursuing her dreams. As a family, we are contemplating transition also, as our needs change and our current lifestyle (giant tract of land, far away from everywhere, with all sorts of animal units here,there and everywhere) runs counter-purpose to our future aspirations.
An enormous effort is required on all fronts.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Project Based Leadership
Its time for an update. The last time that I posted an update on this project, (of helping to promote lifelong physical activity by providing more opportunities for physical activity at Onoway High School), I summarized what I was able to accomplish for the badminton season. Since that time I have had the opportunity to participate in the first two Leadership Seminars organized by Sifu T. Playter.
The first seminar was presented by Master Brinker, on the topic of public speaking. The parts that I found most helpful for my project related to the concept of recognizing that you have to convey your passion and knowledge and inspire others to participate or buy in to what you are trying to do. Previously, I had not considered this as an important ingredient in succeeding. However, I now see that part of the reason for some of the obstacles that I experienced when organizing the badminton activities was that no-one really new what was motivating me to provide these opportunities. The teachers at the Onoway High school may have assumed that I was merely excited about the wonderful sport of badminton. Even if that was all that was motivating me, they had not been given the opportunity to be inspired or to buy in to what I was hoping to contribute to the community. So looking forward to the remainder of the year with the track season, and to the new school year, I see that I need to address this and have some sort of presentation and acquire some sort of audience so that I have a bit of backing when I offer up more little opportunities.
The second seminar, presented by Sifu T. Playter, was on the topic of research. It had already been stated that to succeed, we must really know our topic; what the issues and objections are and what the arguements are for and against whatever you are passionate about. Additionally, it is important to know what has been done previously, what support is out there and so on. I found the latter to be what surprised me. When I first embarked on the project of providing more opportunities for physical activity, I had no idea that others in other communities may also had the same concerns and reactions as myself. My project is unique in that I am drawing on my personal experience and resources in the badminton, volleyball, kung fu, and running to provide the opportunities. I have not started my research yet, but already I am newly aware that there are community leaders in B.C. (Silken Lauman focusing on playgrounds) and Ontario (a group providing running buddy/mentorship opportunities to youth) that are concerned with the same things that I am and are also endeavoring to do something about it in their own communities. Dialogue with these groups will surely be helpful.
The Leadership seminars are proving to be a huge boost and guide to the momentum of my own Project Based Leadership. I feel more confident about what I have accomplished so far, and not so bad about the obstacles I have encountered because I have a better idea of why and how I can adjust as I move forward. I feel that the Leadership Project is a wonderful growing experience for me as I learn of rewarding and meaningful ways to act on my beliefs, thoughts, concerns and passions.
Looking forward into the immediate future - I will be helping the track coach. I had approached him a few months ago and found that while he sincerely agreed with the fact that the students lack physical conditioning and the girls are in particularly bad shape, he also seemed to view the situation as hopeless. He has, in the past tried things himself, and it seems that he has lost his passion due to the long term poor response to his endeavors. I've decided that the best thing to do is simply to get involved ( help with the practices, if there are any, and with the track meets, both of them) and see what opportunities present themselves. In the meantime, there are the assignments for the leadership seminars (research my topic, and prepare a presentation) and all the helpful ideas provided by the seminar leaders.
The first seminar was presented by Master Brinker, on the topic of public speaking. The parts that I found most helpful for my project related to the concept of recognizing that you have to convey your passion and knowledge and inspire others to participate or buy in to what you are trying to do. Previously, I had not considered this as an important ingredient in succeeding. However, I now see that part of the reason for some of the obstacles that I experienced when organizing the badminton activities was that no-one really new what was motivating me to provide these opportunities. The teachers at the Onoway High school may have assumed that I was merely excited about the wonderful sport of badminton. Even if that was all that was motivating me, they had not been given the opportunity to be inspired or to buy in to what I was hoping to contribute to the community. So looking forward to the remainder of the year with the track season, and to the new school year, I see that I need to address this and have some sort of presentation and acquire some sort of audience so that I have a bit of backing when I offer up more little opportunities.
The second seminar, presented by Sifu T. Playter, was on the topic of research. It had already been stated that to succeed, we must really know our topic; what the issues and objections are and what the arguements are for and against whatever you are passionate about. Additionally, it is important to know what has been done previously, what support is out there and so on. I found the latter to be what surprised me. When I first embarked on the project of providing more opportunities for physical activity, I had no idea that others in other communities may also had the same concerns and reactions as myself. My project is unique in that I am drawing on my personal experience and resources in the badminton, volleyball, kung fu, and running to provide the opportunities. I have not started my research yet, but already I am newly aware that there are community leaders in B.C. (Silken Lauman focusing on playgrounds) and Ontario (a group providing running buddy/mentorship opportunities to youth) that are concerned with the same things that I am and are also endeavoring to do something about it in their own communities. Dialogue with these groups will surely be helpful.
The Leadership seminars are proving to be a huge boost and guide to the momentum of my own Project Based Leadership. I feel more confident about what I have accomplished so far, and not so bad about the obstacles I have encountered because I have a better idea of why and how I can adjust as I move forward. I feel that the Leadership Project is a wonderful growing experience for me as I learn of rewarding and meaningful ways to act on my beliefs, thoughts, concerns and passions.
Looking forward into the immediate future - I will be helping the track coach. I had approached him a few months ago and found that while he sincerely agreed with the fact that the students lack physical conditioning and the girls are in particularly bad shape, he also seemed to view the situation as hopeless. He has, in the past tried things himself, and it seems that he has lost his passion due to the long term poor response to his endeavors. I've decided that the best thing to do is simply to get involved ( help with the practices, if there are any, and with the track meets, both of them) and see what opportunities present themselves. In the meantime, there are the assignments for the leadership seminars (research my topic, and prepare a presentation) and all the helpful ideas provided by the seminar leaders.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
NEW: Suggested Reading List
I was going to report on my progress in my personal black belt requirements this week. But two things prompted me to delay until next week. The first is that I attended the first of the Leadership seminars organized by Sifu Playters. The point of these seminars is to help us carry out our project based leadership goals. Next week we are to submit our topic and a quick blurb explaining why we have chosen it. There will be discussion and help provided in a structured step-by-step format over the course of the seminars. At the end of the five weeks, we are to present our project to the class. I've decided to delay my blog about my progress on the project based leadership for week while I reflect on my submission to the leadership seminar. The other reason for the delay is that I have been encouraged to start some sort of a reading list highlighting some of the books I have read and would like to reccommend to others. I think the goal is for there to be some sort of exchange of reccommendations between everyone. Ideas included starting a thread on Kwoon talk, having a segment on the Silent River Kung Fu site, or just starting a list on my blog. So this week, to get things started, I have decided to blog about the NEW feature on the side panel of my posts, the 'Suggested Reading List'. Already, I find this tool inadequate because it is just a list, with no room for a quick synopsis or comments. Nevertheless, I need to start something, and then work with that.
The list is in no particular order.
"The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963; by Christopher Paul Curtis. I read this book to my daughters when they were in Elementary school, and to some of my younger students at a Junior High Outreach school when I was an Education Assistant. The book profoundly impacted both my daughters and my students. And of course, I ended up crying as I read parts of the book both times. I was reminded of this book after listening to Mr. Tymchuck talk about his visit to Alabama last month to help build a house for one of the local citizens. He spoke of his visit to the church where the two innocent young girls died when the church was bombed - an act of racism and hate. His comments reminded me of how important it was for us to know our history, how we got to the place we are at now, what things we should never take for granted, and why there is still some hate and resentment in some parts of our world. This book is reccommended for students age 9-12, but is a good read for adults also.
I Didn't Do it For You; How the World Used and Abused a Small African Nation; by Michela Wrong. I commented on this book a couple of posts ago, so I won't repeat myself.
An Illustrated Short History of Progress; by Ronald Wright. Sifu Laurie reccommended this book to me about a week ago. I highly agree with her reccommendation. Wright reviews our history of civilizations (Easter Island, Sumer or modern day Iraq, Mayan and Roman) and points out that, for the most part, they have dissappeared because of human's habit of using farming practices that destroy our environment, and our propensity towards destroying our natural resources. A really easy read, and incredibly impactful at the same time.
Diet for a Small Planet; by Frances Moore Lappe. I've just finished reading the introduction to this book. The introduction was written a few years ago. The book was first published twenty years ago. Frances Moore Lappe is a great antedote to the gloom and doom I was left feeling after reading Ronald Wright's book. She has an optimistic view of the possibilities for change that are required if this present global civilization is to be saved from collapse. In her introduction, she speaks about something called 'citizen democracy'. I believe that we should all be reading this book.
Collapse: by Jared Diamond. He is the same guy who wrote "Guns, Germs, and Steel", and an article that I had recently reccommended, called "What is Your Consumption Factor".
Same theme as the the last two books. Very informative.
Well, that's it for now. I expect that a better reading list will have categories, like 'civil rights', 'environmental issues', etc.
The list is in no particular order.
"The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963; by Christopher Paul Curtis. I read this book to my daughters when they were in Elementary school, and to some of my younger students at a Junior High Outreach school when I was an Education Assistant. The book profoundly impacted both my daughters and my students. And of course, I ended up crying as I read parts of the book both times. I was reminded of this book after listening to Mr. Tymchuck talk about his visit to Alabama last month to help build a house for one of the local citizens. He spoke of his visit to the church where the two innocent young girls died when the church was bombed - an act of racism and hate. His comments reminded me of how important it was for us to know our history, how we got to the place we are at now, what things we should never take for granted, and why there is still some hate and resentment in some parts of our world. This book is reccommended for students age 9-12, but is a good read for adults also.
I Didn't Do it For You; How the World Used and Abused a Small African Nation; by Michela Wrong. I commented on this book a couple of posts ago, so I won't repeat myself.
An Illustrated Short History of Progress; by Ronald Wright. Sifu Laurie reccommended this book to me about a week ago. I highly agree with her reccommendation. Wright reviews our history of civilizations (Easter Island, Sumer or modern day Iraq, Mayan and Roman) and points out that, for the most part, they have dissappeared because of human's habit of using farming practices that destroy our environment, and our propensity towards destroying our natural resources. A really easy read, and incredibly impactful at the same time.
Diet for a Small Planet; by Frances Moore Lappe. I've just finished reading the introduction to this book. The introduction was written a few years ago. The book was first published twenty years ago. Frances Moore Lappe is a great antedote to the gloom and doom I was left feeling after reading Ronald Wright's book. She has an optimistic view of the possibilities for change that are required if this present global civilization is to be saved from collapse. In her introduction, she speaks about something called 'citizen democracy'. I believe that we should all be reading this book.
Collapse: by Jared Diamond. He is the same guy who wrote "Guns, Germs, and Steel", and an article that I had recently reccommended, called "What is Your Consumption Factor".
Same theme as the the last two books. Very informative.
Well, that's it for now. I expect that a better reading list will have categories, like 'civil rights', 'environmental issues', etc.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
April is done, and it is time to take stock of my progress towards the black belt requirements.
Daily training requirements: The forms marathon, april 1st pushup/situp challenge, performing a form at the spruce grove trade show, and preparing for the tiger challenge have all helped me progress and focus on my daily training. Unfortunately, I was also derailed somewhat by some injuries. As a result, my pushups and situps and forms are going well, but kicks took a beating. Looking forward into May and beyond, I will be making some adjustments to my daily training goals. First, the goal of 27400 or 100/day of round house kicks, will be adjusted to include a number of different kicks. This allows me flexibility to decide which kicks are appropriate for me to be repeating more often. Initially, when I had set my goal, I had felt that the round house kick was a key kick and should be repeated more often than others. Since then, I have discovered that I have osteoarthritis in my knees and ankles, and the doctor has sent me to some specialists to help prevent further rapid progress into my hips. Decisions as to what types of kicks I should be practicing more often than others will now be dependent on what is best for my future health. High impact kicks like flying kicks will have to take a back seat. So far I have found that kicks that work strength and centre, like hidden leg, cross step kicks, combo kicks and kicks from horse stance are less painful. I am sure that eventually, I will be able to resume the round house with intensity, but for now, I have pulled back from it because it seems to put some strain and pain on my left knee as I return to the bow stance. Flying kicks, though I had been very pleased with my training and progress in this type of kick recently, results in alot of pain in my knees. This is extremely dissappointing, but I have to resist the temptation to continue through the pain now that I know that I am irreversibly dammaging my joints. I am worried about my cardio vascular strength and stamina because I have had to stop running also. There is now some urgency to replacing this aspect of my training with a cycling program (Cycling and swimming are reccommended replacement activities for running: I hate swimming and I love cycling). This week I plan to put together a cycling program and some intermediate goals. The first step is to pull out the old Peugot 10 speed bike which I had rigged up with a computer that reads revolutions per minute, km, etc etc (the type you can purchase at Mountain Equipment Coop) and set it up on the stationary trainer. Then, referring to the books I just checked out of the library, I will put together a training program for the stationary bike and some goals for road cycling during the summer - like x number of km per week, or x number of road trips by August, or a charity ride like the MS one from Leduc to Camrose. I'm actually kind of excited about this change of plans. I love cycling.
Memorization of Mastery requirement: Done
Personal Requirements: 1000 repetitions of a Loa Gar: The forms marathon, and the public performance this month has resulted in some major progress towards perfecting this form. It's amazing how many layers of details are inherent in this form. Just when I think I have perfected something, a sifu comes along and points out a finer detail. Last week I looked up some videos on the internet, of martial artists performing Lao Gar. Their interpretations of the style, the speed, the actions were inspiring and intriguing. I have completed 386 repetitions of lao gar from Feb to now, and I am confident that I will hit the 1000 mark by the end of August.
Personal Requirement: Public Testing Performance: Specifically, my goal had been to enter the Tiger Challenge. When I found out that it was scheduled for May 2, I contacted Master Brinker to explain that Jill had the badminton provincial tournament in St. Paul, and Janet had the volleyball provincial tournament in Calgary that very same weekend. Both tournaments required overnight stays, and parents were expected to provide the accomodation, meals and transportation. I was, however, encouraged to find a way to make the Tiger Challenge my priority. So I signed up for the Tiger Challenge. In theory, Bert would accompany Janet, and, at 17 yrs old, Jill should be ok under the supervision of her coach. Then I started training for the competition. For me, preparing for the Tiger Challenge pushed me to the next level on a number of fronts. The competitions in the Tiger Challenge mirror the challenges on testing day. What better way to focus, train with purpose, and increase intensity. The Lao Gar form took off for me and my team forms partner. I took time to put thought into board breaks and practice them. A few fight sequences were coreographed. I focused on the cane form as a weapon form for the competition. I identified my weak spots. I got worried. My training became more intense.
Its unfortunate that I did not benefit from actually being in the competition though. But I just couldn't bring myself to put myself ahead of my daughters this weekend. By Sunday, before the competition I came to a decision; this particular weekend, it was more important to me that each of my daughter's have one parent with them to witness and support them as they challenged themselves and tested themselves in the events that they had spent so much time and dedication preparing for. So, as far as this Personal Requirement is concerned, it was not fulfilled as planned. However, I have performed lao gar at the TLC, and I am hoping that this, and future perfomances this summer will satisfy. I will have to run it by Master Brinker.
I will review the other Personal Black Belt Requirements in next week's blog.
Daily training requirements: The forms marathon, april 1st pushup/situp challenge, performing a form at the spruce grove trade show, and preparing for the tiger challenge have all helped me progress and focus on my daily training. Unfortunately, I was also derailed somewhat by some injuries. As a result, my pushups and situps and forms are going well, but kicks took a beating. Looking forward into May and beyond, I will be making some adjustments to my daily training goals. First, the goal of 27400 or 100/day of round house kicks, will be adjusted to include a number of different kicks. This allows me flexibility to decide which kicks are appropriate for me to be repeating more often. Initially, when I had set my goal, I had felt that the round house kick was a key kick and should be repeated more often than others. Since then, I have discovered that I have osteoarthritis in my knees and ankles, and the doctor has sent me to some specialists to help prevent further rapid progress into my hips. Decisions as to what types of kicks I should be practicing more often than others will now be dependent on what is best for my future health. High impact kicks like flying kicks will have to take a back seat. So far I have found that kicks that work strength and centre, like hidden leg, cross step kicks, combo kicks and kicks from horse stance are less painful. I am sure that eventually, I will be able to resume the round house with intensity, but for now, I have pulled back from it because it seems to put some strain and pain on my left knee as I return to the bow stance. Flying kicks, though I had been very pleased with my training and progress in this type of kick recently, results in alot of pain in my knees. This is extremely dissappointing, but I have to resist the temptation to continue through the pain now that I know that I am irreversibly dammaging my joints. I am worried about my cardio vascular strength and stamina because I have had to stop running also. There is now some urgency to replacing this aspect of my training with a cycling program (Cycling and swimming are reccommended replacement activities for running: I hate swimming and I love cycling). This week I plan to put together a cycling program and some intermediate goals. The first step is to pull out the old Peugot 10 speed bike which I had rigged up with a computer that reads revolutions per minute, km, etc etc (the type you can purchase at Mountain Equipment Coop) and set it up on the stationary trainer. Then, referring to the books I just checked out of the library, I will put together a training program for the stationary bike and some goals for road cycling during the summer - like x number of km per week, or x number of road trips by August, or a charity ride like the MS one from Leduc to Camrose. I'm actually kind of excited about this change of plans. I love cycling.
Memorization of Mastery requirement: Done
Personal Requirements: 1000 repetitions of a Loa Gar: The forms marathon, and the public performance this month has resulted in some major progress towards perfecting this form. It's amazing how many layers of details are inherent in this form. Just when I think I have perfected something, a sifu comes along and points out a finer detail. Last week I looked up some videos on the internet, of martial artists performing Lao Gar. Their interpretations of the style, the speed, the actions were inspiring and intriguing. I have completed 386 repetitions of lao gar from Feb to now, and I am confident that I will hit the 1000 mark by the end of August.
Personal Requirement: Public Testing Performance: Specifically, my goal had been to enter the Tiger Challenge. When I found out that it was scheduled for May 2, I contacted Master Brinker to explain that Jill had the badminton provincial tournament in St. Paul, and Janet had the volleyball provincial tournament in Calgary that very same weekend. Both tournaments required overnight stays, and parents were expected to provide the accomodation, meals and transportation. I was, however, encouraged to find a way to make the Tiger Challenge my priority. So I signed up for the Tiger Challenge. In theory, Bert would accompany Janet, and, at 17 yrs old, Jill should be ok under the supervision of her coach. Then I started training for the competition. For me, preparing for the Tiger Challenge pushed me to the next level on a number of fronts. The competitions in the Tiger Challenge mirror the challenges on testing day. What better way to focus, train with purpose, and increase intensity. The Lao Gar form took off for me and my team forms partner. I took time to put thought into board breaks and practice them. A few fight sequences were coreographed. I focused on the cane form as a weapon form for the competition. I identified my weak spots. I got worried. My training became more intense.
Its unfortunate that I did not benefit from actually being in the competition though. But I just couldn't bring myself to put myself ahead of my daughters this weekend. By Sunday, before the competition I came to a decision; this particular weekend, it was more important to me that each of my daughter's have one parent with them to witness and support them as they challenged themselves and tested themselves in the events that they had spent so much time and dedication preparing for. So, as far as this Personal Requirement is concerned, it was not fulfilled as planned. However, I have performed lao gar at the TLC, and I am hoping that this, and future perfomances this summer will satisfy. I will have to run it by Master Brinker.
I will review the other Personal Black Belt Requirements in next week's blog.
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