Cross-training

In this Winter of 2011, a few months after I’d started training in Yoshukai, I took a course at AKF Athens called CIT, Certified Instructor Training.  At 8^th kyu yellow belt, it felt a little early to be taking a course in martial arts instruction, but I’ve enjoyed teaching ever since finishing undergrad, and I was curious by the process.  To make a long-ish story very short, I learned as much about the process of learning martial arts as I did teaching, and from there, my martial arts training really started to take off.

An easy thing to forget at higher kyu-grade ranks is, at one point or another, we were all pretty raw when it came to martial arts.  Although I had some previous experience, I was really about as green as one could be, which is why it’s so important to remember that feeling when teaching.  It is a terrible mistake to assume that some aspect of technique or the martial arts way of life “goes without saying.”  When I started teaching voice, a mentor of mine encouraged me to always remember how I felt about five minutes before some concept was obvious.  In other words, mastery is often born out of a breakthrough from abject frustration.

So, back to CIT.  At that point, there was a fairly well-attended evening Yoshukai class at AKF.  It was extremely convenient to the ending time of most opera rehearsals, so I hit that one fairly often.  The Yoshukai class was at 6, and the CIT course was at 8.  In between, there was a 7pm Kyuki-do class, which I watched a couple times before being invited to the floor to try it out.  It was familiar to my Yoshukai training, but there were enough differences to make things very interesting.

After attending 3 or 4 of these Kyuki-do classes, I decided to start cross-training.  It was a defining decision in my martial arts career.  It opened my mind to new possibilities with my personal training, and it gave me a wider appreciation for the martial arts as a whole.   You see, I knew a good bit about different martial arts, and I’d known practitioners of various arts and seen their skill sets at work.  What I didn’t appreciate was this:  single-art training, which can be very rewarding for some, only tells part of the story.

Almost three years later, I’m now preparing myself for my first-degree blackbelt test in Kyuki-do.  My Shodan test conditioning continues its long-range benefits, and now, I’m planning on adding specific focus points relating to speed and agility, which have major applications in Kyuki-do.  In upcoming months, I’ll be keeping all of you up to date on my progress through the last 2 keup grades in Kyuki-do, as well as continuing blogging about the Yoshukai training process.

I’ll leave you with this:  I know that cross-training is not for everyone, but I would not be anywhere near operating at the level I am right now without the influence of both of these arts, along with my more tertiary study of hapkido.  From Yoshukai, I learned to generate power from the ground up, relying on a linear mode of attack which manifests itself in the grounded stancework and strikes of a true hard style.  Kyuki-do, on the other hand, has taught me a great deal about situational and mental flexibility.  Obviously, both arts have contributed to strength and physical flexibility, but each art is approached differently with regards to a broader curriculum.  Yoshukai’s curriculum, on the face of it, builds up in a very focused and deliberate way, which radiates throughout the entire process of kyu-grade training.  Kyuki-do’s core curriculum works in a very similar way, but along with that core are elements of judo, hapkido, jujutsu, kali/escrima, and many other styles which allow for broad growth in the martial arts.  I honestly do not feel as confortable with my throws as I do with kicks and punches, but I don’t think I really should at this point, given the amount of time spent on all of these techniques.  But, you know, that’s alright.  3 solid years back in the martial arts has definitely taught me that I have the time to learn the things I want to know.

More about Kyuki-do coming up soon!

Where's the Beef?

So, I was a little young for the commercial, but I do remember seeing it and finding the grouchy old lady extremely funny.  I’m not a tough audience member—I never have been.

So, for those of you who don’t remember or who never saw it, two old ladies are standing in front of a giant bun and marveling how big and fluffy it is.  It’s just the biggest bun they’ve ever seen.  A third old lady, the smallest, oldest, and crankiest of the bunch, approaches the bun and asks, “Where’s the beef?”

I’ve been thinking about that phrase in relationship to training and workouts lately.  It’s remarkably easy to put on a show of our fitness endeavors.  We can walk around in really comfortable and utilitarian workout gear, swig our bottled water, sweat a bit, and never quite get where we’re going.  It’s just a endless cycle of keeping up appearances.  And, for the most part, I don’t think we’re doing it to show off for others—instead, we’re convincing ourselves that the easier path is enough.

My question is this:  Where’s the beef?

Substance is not difficult to inject into workouts, but it has to be a conscious choice.  Whether the substance we seek is intensity, duration, focus, or consistency, we have to be acutely aware of how our workouts are shaping up from week to week.  And, just like the decision to continually work out, substance is a daily decision that eventually becomes habit-forming…for better or worse.

So, here’s a “Where’s the beef” challenge for the week that I will be attempting.  For each of my workouts this week, I will be focusing on one clear aspect of substantial work: 

First, I will increase the average duration of my cardiovascular exercise.  I think an extra 20 minutes will really get things moving.  As I’ve mentioned before, time is short lately, so I’m only going to do this occasionally, but it will move well into my next challenge.

Second is intensity.  For my next HIIT session, I am going to hit it even harder than before.  Afterwards, I’ll take stock of how I’m feeling and get a sense of heart rate for comparison.  I think if I keep this up, I’ll see positive results fairly quickly.

Third is focus.  In addition to the general workout regimen I’ve built since the summer, I’m also going to incorporate split-bodypart days into my regimen.  The general benefit I’m looking for here is to be able to move into higher quality and numerically higher reps.  I’m hoping most of these workouts will be bodyweight training to cut down on the need for equipment.  I’ll keep all of you posted on how this goes.  Any suggestions will be most appreciated.

So, that is the basic approach to my next series of workout months.  I have tests coming up over the course of the next several months in preparation for my Kyuki-do first-degree black belt test, and just like with Operation Shodan Fit, I’ll keep you posted on the approach and experience, and for those of you who don’t have a whole lot of experience with Kyuki-do, I’ll be giving some background on the art itself and my training experience so far.

In the meantime, with anything you’re working on, if you want to get to the substance of the matter, you can ask yourself, “Where’s the beef?”

Shodan

Here's a little background about the experience of post-testing for Shodan in Yoshukai karate.  Unlike with some arts, you don't hear the results of your test right away.  So, you have a few weeks to think it all through.  And, to be honest, if there's any way not to think about it and to keep training as usual in the interim, that's the best policy.

But, interestingly enough, I did expect to hear one way or the other before actual promotion happened.  In the WYKKO, official black belt promotions happen at the next major event after the test.  Winter Camp has the traditional tournament about 6 weeks later, Summer Camp has the Sunshine Classic tournament at the end of the summer, and the fall test has the Dothan tournament.  This year, due to a good friend's wedding, I'm not able to attend the Dothan tournament.  So, arrangements were made to perform the pending promotion in-house.

Here's where a little surprise came in.

So, I was expecting to hear one way or the other before the actual promotion.  At least, that's how I thought the process worked.  And, to answer some of your questions, I wasn't doubting that I passed, but I did operate under the assumption that I was just better to keep the outcome out of my brain space until I knew a clear answer.  To be honest, what happened just didn't occur to me as a possibility!

This past weekend marked the 3rd annual Athens Martial Arts Tournament.  Funnily enough, before the tournament bowed-in (formally began, that is), I fielded a lot of questions from friends in the dojo and in other area schools regarding the results of my shodan test, which I still hadn't heard.  After the initial bow-in, my friend Sam Cook was called up to receive his promotion to 2nd dan in Tae Kwon Do, which I am really glad I got to see.

Then Sensei was called to the front of the room, and suddenly it happened.  Before I knew it, I was kneeling at the front of the group, performing a formal bow to Soke and removing my brown belt.  I had absolutely no idea that Saturday would be the day.  Although the event itself was quite special and moving to me, what made it more so was that I was able to promote in front of almost all of my instructors and pretty much every student who trains with me on a regular basis.  It couldn't have been more special to me than that.

So, now the old "where are you going to hear something" question has been replaced by a new one..."what now?"

Here's what now!  I'll continue training hard, just as before.  I'm finding that martial arts magnifies the results of hard work, and the extra training time I put into my shodan test has rewarded me with a great step forward in the quality of my work as well as the general condition of my body.

Also, now I have another series of tests to prepare for in the upcoming months.  As I've mentioned before, I am approaching the last few tests before black belt in Kyuki-do:  I have my black stripe test (first keup, which is the Korean equivalent of the Japanese term 'kyu'), and then I have 2 advancement tests and my black belt test.  It'll be a whirlwind period of learning, polishing, and preparation, and I'll be keeping you posted as it happens.  I've mentioned before that my major goals in prep for this test are to improve my speed and smoothness of technique, so expect to hear some of the fun things I try with that goal in mind.

But, for right now, I'm going to celebrate my promotion the best way I know how:  by going to more martial arts classes!

OSU!

Post-test

So, lately, I’ve been asked one question repeatedly, “What are you doing now that the test is done?”

To be honest, I haven’t had great answers to that question, but the best one that comes to mind is this.  Very little is going to change now.  To be honest, I love the way life has changed since I’ve made a more constant effort to train on my own.  It has been nothing but good for me.  But, yes, there will be a few minor changes.  For one, now that the school year is in full swing, I can’t go full bore on training 6 days a week—there’s just not enough time in the day. 

Here’s what I will do:

·  I will continue to use the striiv at least 4 days a week, averaging at least 10,000 steps a day.

·  I will try my best to write 2 blog posts a week.  I won’t bore you with numbers from here on out, but I will keep writing on fitness in general and martial arts in particular.

·  I will have several forms workouts on my own during the week.

·  I will focus more on strength training and flexibility now that I’ve stepped up my cardio.

Still sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?  It probably is, but it definitely won’t chew up 3 hours a day, which I don’t have anymore.

So, on to a recap of the test.  It was a memorable experience, but interestingly enough, the most memorable thing about it was that it absolutely flew by.  The whole day was over before I even knew it happened.  I definitely enjoyed the experience, but it was a blur of activity—so much was happening that it’s difficult to pinpoint a lot of specific memories.  What won’t surprise you is this: my clearest memories of the test were the mistakes I made.  Thankfully, I wasn’t aware of a ton of mistakes, and we’ll see what I get back from the testing board, but there were a few major things that I will be working on moving forward.

·  Now that I’ve got more stamina, I definitely want to focus on the flow and tempo of kata.  It’s one of those things that definitely develops over time, but I’d especially like to get that aspect more under control—especially with weapons.

·  I’m going to experiment with my guard in semi-knockdown.  I have an issue where I’ll punch and kick, but I won’t be totally active in deflecting attacks towards the last minute of a round.  I’d like to tighten that up.

·  I will not accidently pop my uke in the head in self-defense.  Period.  It wasn’t terrible, but in self-defense, you can rehearse and rehearse the demo, and a slight change in body position in the actual test can mean a pulled technique might accidentally land.  Fortunately, I didn’t hit her hard, but I felt bad (and still do) about the contact.

So, some of you have already had this experience, so I’m sure you can relate.  For others who might one day test for your black belt in one art or another, here are a few dos and don’ts to make life more pleasant in preparation:

·  DO ramp up the physical aspect of your training as your test approaches.  I can’t tell you how much Operation Shodan Fit allowed me to give the testing performance I wanted to give.  I know I could have gotten through it in the condition I was in at the start of the summer, but I’m pretty sure it would have been a miserable process.  The training allowed me to show my best karate.

·  DO ask your instructor for help in training.  My experience in this was fantastic.  I mainly needed help with conditioning and fight prep…I got that and much more.  Remember, that instructors have a whole dojo to think of, and although they need to keep everyone moving forward, they’re more than happy to assist in your preparation.  I’ve found that if you won’t ask for something, don’t expect to get it.

·  DON’T wait until the last minute to get incidental items together.  I am so glad I got my boards, photos, and other incidentals together more than 10 days before the test.  Testing nerves are enough without scrambling to find a Home Depot that’s open on a Saturday morning.

·  DO protect your body in training, especially in the last couple weeks.  Please don’t let avoidable minor injuries take the shine off of your testing performance.  I’ve seen this happen before, and I bet it’s not fun.

·  DON’T forget to eat healthy the week of the test.  Hopefully, this process has been a part of training, but that one greasy burger the week of won’t help much.

·  DO spend plenty of time with your self-defense partners.

·  DO several walkthroughs of your break before you actually have to do it.  This will take a lot of edge off of this aspect of the test.

·  DO get a decent amount of sleep.

I’m sure that some of these go without saying, but it helps to see it in print.  For all of those who I train with regularly, making the decision to persevere and progress through the kyu grades is a major step…You won’t just find yourself there; you’ll get there because you wanted it.  If it’s what you want for yourself, I support you 100%, and I know you can do it.

 

See you in class!  OSU!

Pre-test

As many of you know, I test for shodan, first-degree black belt, in Yoshukai karate in just under 2 weeks.  Usually, coming down the home stretch there are several things that happen to both confirm and reinforce preparation.  One of the most useful is the pre-test, which happened just a little while ago.

Here's the rundown:

Sensei Hofmeister allocated 3 hours to run through what amounts to an entire black belt test.  Since the 2 uke for self-defense weren't available today, we did all material except for self-defense.  Today's lineup went like this:

Nunchaku kata:  Kihon Kata Nunchaku, Kihon Kata Shodan Nunchaku, and Yoshu.

Bo kata:  KK Shodan Bo, KK Nidan Bo (run twice), KK Sandan Bo

Sai kata:  Zenshin kotai sai, Shihohai sai (run twice), Rohai sho sai (run twice)

A rapid-fire series of basics and basic combinations.

All open hand forms except the Kihon Kata forms, which were blended into one form to view the different parts systematically.  Niseishi was run twice to accommodate shime (strike-testing of stances and body mechanics).

Then, my 5 testing combinations were run, followed by Ippon Kumite (1 step sparring).

After this, a short series of combinations was dictated by Sensei for me to perform.

Then breaking, and wrapped up with semi-knockdown sparring.  The whole proceedings ran just under 2 hours.

All-in-all, I think things went well, and there are a few observations I would like to share with you:

First, operation shodan fit worked.  Absolutely.  I found I had much more stamina than ever before, and I was able to ramp up intensity and find my "zone" for longer than I used to be able to.

There is a minor issue that arose now that there's more stamina.  Here comes a stupid car analogy!  Building stamina basically amounts to having a bigger gas tank with better access to the fuel.  But, what I didn't anticipate is this:  training as hard as I did is also analogous to adding a whole-new higher-powered engine.  Now to milk the metaphor entirely dry...the stronger engine guzzles way more gas.  So, I had to figure out early on how to ration out my energy so that I could be as intense as possible without running myself directly into the wall.

So, now, a major hurdle has passed in preparation for this test.  I have 2 weeks to tighten down the screws, and I'm confident that I'll be able to give a test performance that I can be proud of.  Here's an important thing to remember, though:  It can always be better.  Going back to my post on "Yoshu," I can be happy with the idea that my performance on any given day is indicative of my best work for that day, but I can't be satisfied and rest on any aspect of training accomplishments because it can always be better.  Always.

So, operation shodan fit continues!  In two weeks from today, I will have taken this test.  I'll be a little hobbly and a little wobbly...a little tired and probably a little wired.  And, then, it's on to the next task.  Life is really so much fuller when focusing on a set of s.m.a.r.t. goals, and I'm looking forward to the realization of this set of goals.

More to come as the clock counts down!

OSU!

Operation Shodan Fit: Week 11 Results!

This week was complicated very much by my car of 8 years croaking on me.  Fortunately, that ordeal is now done, so I'm back in the saddle both with the intensity of workouts and in my new vehicle!  Look forward to a recap of the pre-test experience, and the countdown to Shodan testing begins...It is two weeks from today!

Sunday:

Workouts:  HIIT

Steps: 10548
Stairs: 67
Miles: 5.1
Calories: 1160

Monday:

Class:  8:00-9:00 Yoshukai 9:00-9:30 Judo
Workouts:  Spent the day in an auto shop.  Workouts weren't in the cards today. :-(

Steps: 7412
Stairs: 79
Miles: 3.5
Calories: 1002

Tuesday:

Class:  6:00-7:00 Yoshukai
Workouts:  Forms, Tabata, Weapons (sai focus)

Steps: 10193
Stairs: 99
Miles: 5.0
Calories: 1230

Wednesday:

Workouts:  HIIT

Steps: 10233
Stairs: 101
Miles: 5.0
Calories: 1181

Thursday:

Class:  12:00-1:00 Yoshukai, 7:00-8:30 Yoshukai

Steps: 10501
Stairs: 81
Miles: 5.1
Calories: 1053

Operation Shodan Fit: Week 10 Results

As many of you have heard, this weekend has been a doozy with my car dying on me and dealing with all of the hoopla that comes with that.  I've been running around getting things under control
for the beginning of school, so the loss of transportation was a big hit, but I'm working things
out now, and I'll be back in the saddle soon.  As for last week, I recorded all of my totals on
the striiv, but when I tried to open the file, it was corrupted.  I can still see charts for the
last month on the device, but I can't seem to see individual days, so here are approximate
results.

Sunday:

Workouts:  Tabata (pushups, sprints)

Steps:  10500
Stairs: 125
Miles: 5
Calories: 1100

Monday:

Classes:  8:00-9:00 Yoshukai, 9:00-9:30 Hapkido

Workouts:  Forms and Weapons--spent a lot of time with the bo

Steps: 12500
Stairs: 100
Miles: 6.25
Calories: 1400

Tuesday:

Classes:  12:00-1:00 Kyuki-do, 6:00-7:00 Yoshukai

Workouts:  Tabata on the heavy bag.

Steps:  15005 (I actually remember the number for this one)
Stairs: 250
Miles: 7.5
Calories: 2000

Wednesday:

Workouts:  Forms, HIIT

Steps: 10500
Stairs: 125
Miles: 5
Calories: 1200

Thursday:

Classes:  12:00-1:00 Yoshukai, 7:00-8:30 Yoshukai

I twisted my ankle on Thursday, so with the exception of classes, I spent the day recovering.

Renewal

As many of you may know, Athens Yoshukai accepts new students twice a year, usually at the beginning of each academic semester.  There are a few reasons for this, and now that I've spent 2 years actively involved in the teaching process, I can confirm that this really works well for us.
 
Probably the hardest thing with a new group of students--even students who start at roughly the same time--is keeping the momentum of classes moving forward while making sure that there isn't too much of a lapse in new material.  It's definitely a challenge, and a well-executed approach really pays off when a group tests to 8th-kyu yellow belt.  After that, fundamentals are in place and we get to see the new martial artist hooked on the fun of training.
 
So, shop talk aside, the beginning of a new semester is always exciting, and more importantly, it gives us all an "excitement booster shot" that drives us right into our own practice feeling renewed as well.  Here's a little look into some highlights of the past week:
 
One of my favorite traditions--I suppose it would be a tradition.  At any rate, it always happens--is after new students have had their first few days of class.  The class reforms as 2 to 3 long lines, and everyone in the room executes a basic block, punch, or kick in drill...100% with full kiai.  The spirit goes through the roof, and at that moment, it becomes clear that from day 1, we're always working on our basic technique.  It happened my first day of class 3 years ago, and I always enjoy the experience.
 
Monday nights, we have a half-hour's class alternating judo and hapkido.  This mostly serves to enrich us with skill-sets that some of us don't get regular opportunities to develop, and it's a lot of fun.  Last monday, we spent the half-hour working on grappling, which will be an event at our upcoming local tournament.  After learning a basic pin/escape and a guard pass, everyone had the opportunity to do some light grappling randori (free practice, also known as "rolling").  If you've never seen this in action, it's a real treat.  With very few exceptions, smiles are everywhere, and I'm willing to bet green money that the new students who got the opportunity to grapple on their first day will remember that experience for a while.

Thursday brought it's own bit of exciting fun.  We began with a team warm-up exercise composed of straight back/forth laps across the dojo of the following exercises:  bear crawls, crab walks, full-body pulls (man...), and leapfrogs.  There was one catch...the two lines with a brown belt at the front had 4 students to Sensei's 5, which meant that the high rank had 2 full laps an exercise!  Now, to be honest, I'm only moaning and groaning for comic effect...doing the extra exercise was a fun challenge, especially on the full-body pulls (lying flat, dragging your body across the floor with long-drags of both hands).

Also, Thursday night, we had a suprise get-together as a thank you for Sensei McCandless.  When I found out this was going to happen, I was moved by the initiative that 2 of our yellow/blue belt students took in making this event a success.  It was a fitting tribute, and I'm hoping it is the first of many fun social events for the dojo.

Obviously, the excitement in 6 class can't be adequately distilled in just one post, but this is a good sampler.  This week, keep an eye out for a musing on some recent days of fight training, and more on Operation Shodan Fit.  As always, thanks for the continued support--seeing and feeling the results of this exercise plan has been great, but the constant cheering on from my friends has made it even better. OSU!

Operation Shodan Fit: Week 9 results

Alright friends, back to school week was insane.  Everything is fine; don't get me wrong.  But, I did not have much time to myself, so my blog posts on fight training, new students, and smart goals will be coming up soon.  As for today, I really only have time for a quick update on OSF.  I'll edit the post probably on Sunday to include class hours and personal workouts, but for now, here are my Striiv numbers:

Week 9 Results

Sunday

Steps: 11008
Stairs: 106
Miles: 5.3
Calories: 1282

Monday

Steps: 10550
Stairs: 108
Miles: 5.0
Calories: 1297

Tuesday

Steps: 10913
Stairs: 26
Miles: 5.4
Calories: 1367

Wednesday

Steps: 10371
Stairs: 89
Miles: 5.2
Calories: 1372

Thursday

Steps: 10264
Stairs: 277
Miles: 5.1
Calories: 1422
I like how the distances and calories are becoming more consistent.  Now that it working out that way, I can start pushing these aspects of my workout a little bit to either include a little more distance or a little faster pace.  More about this soon!  Thanks for all your support.  It has really made this process fun and exciting!

Operation Shodan Fit Week 8 Results

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm getting ready to start a new "workout week" starting tomorrow for the new school year, so this week of transition was a little odd, but it was definitely fun to throw the gauntlet down and have a record-breaker day today.

Here are the results:

Monday:

Classes Attended:  Yoshukai 8:00-9:00

Workouts:  Forms, Weapons (bo intensive), Tabata

Steps: 11,451
Stairs: 171
Miles: 5.7
Calories:  1,241

Tuesday:

Classes Attended:  Kyuki-do:  12:00-1:00, Yoshukai 5:30-6:30

Workouts:  light forms, Weapons (sai intensive), HIIT

Steps:  11,191
Stairs: 98
Miles:  5.5
Calories: 1,311

Wednesday:  (DAY OF REST)

Thursday:

Classes Attended:  Yoshukai 7:00-8:30 (Seisan/Yoshu intensive)

Workouts:  Forms, Weapons (nunchaku intensive), Tabata

Steps: 10,729
Stairs:  146
Miles:  5.1
Calories: 1,278

Friday:

Workouts:  Double forms, double weapons

Steps:  11,478
Stairs:  75
Miles:  5.6
Calories:  1,291

Saturday:  (Distance Record-breaker day)

Classes Attended:  Kyuki-do with Master Kim 2:00-3:00, Kyuki-do Practice test 3:15-5:00ish

Workouts:  Forms, Weapons (bo intensive), Tabata

Steps:  27,257
Stairs:  343
Miles:  14.1
Calories:  3,154

And, to go with the "I'm down 20 lbs" revelation, here's a comparison between two tests at AKF--one in the Spring, and today.

Red stripe test in March:

And today:

(Photos courtesy of Kim Durden Photography)

Adaptation

So, it's pretty obvious that I've been a little light on posts the past two weeks.  There are a couple of reasons for this:  1.)  I've only had a few blog ideas that I was really into, so I don't want to write filler nonsense and waste your time.  2.)  I needed a little break from writing, but not from working out.

So, a basic rundown:  the workouts are moving along very well.  With every passing week, I'm feeling better and better, and I'm constantly meeting small goals and making new bolder ones.  Oh, and there's a big milestone as well:

I'm down 20 lbs. total, and I've been able to confirm it over several random weighings, so it's not just a fluctuating low.  I'm pretty jazzed about that.  Many thanks to all of you who've commented over the difference in my overall look lately.  It's been great to have such support.

Now, moving on to the "adaptation" mentioned in the title of today's post.  On Monday, the school year starts again, which means that I need to make some specific plans in order to accommodate the wild shift from "not all that busy" to "sweet mercy every day is busy" mode.  So, I've been thinking about how to make things work, and here's what I've come up with:

I'll be recording Striiv results from Sunday-Thursday now, with cardio rest on Friday and Saturday since those will be the fullest "leisure days" of the week.  I'll be able to hit a lot of the same classes, and I'll also be able to do my forms and interval workouts as well.  There will probably be a few "week-to-week" adaptations around November to accommodate academic crazy season, but by then, I will have taken my Shodan test and can ease up on the reins a little bit.  But, I only intend to ease up a little--partly because this exercise is contributing so well to my quality of life.  And, I'll have my Kyuki-do 1st degree blackbelt test sometime in the Spring/Summer, so there's another reason to keep training hard.

So, keep an eye out tomorrow for this week's results, and next week, I have a new list of topics to muse on, so I'll see you then!

Operation Shodan Fit Week 7 Results

So, this week has largely been a work week, so I haven't had the time I might have liked to post on some of the fun things that are going on, but keep a lookout next week, I have a couple of posts in the works detailing the CIT (Certified Instructor Training) process as well as the latest in my fight training.  I'm working to figure out how to keep fairly regular with the blog once the school year starts in earnest, so we'll see what happens!

Here are the week 7 results

Monday:

Classes Attended:  8:00 Yoshukai 9:00 Hapkido

Workouts:  Forms workout (double sai)

S: 10577
M: 5.3
ES:  131
Cal: 1092

Tuesday:

Classes Attended:  12:00 Kyuki-do, 5:30 Yoshukai

Workouts:  HIIT, run through of kick curriculum

S: 9731
M: 5.8
ES:  179
Cal: 993

Wednesday:

Classes Attended:  7:00 Kyuki-do

Workouts:  Forms workout (3x open hand), Tabata squats/dips

S: 11314
M: 5.6
ES:  186
Cal: 1214

Thursday:

Classes Attended:  7:00 Yoshukai (Fight Training)

Workouts:  Tabata sprints/pushups

S: 10121
M: 5.2
ES:  93
Cal: 1011

Friday:

Classes Attended:  6:00 Kyuki-do

Workouts:  Light stretching and calisthenics.  I spent most of the day painting, which worked the arms/shoulders pretty well.

S: 11501
M: 5.8
ES:  212
Cal: 1277

It's a Habit: Operation Shodan Fit Week 6 Results

Remember at the very beginning of this phase of training when I said I had read that it would take about 3 weeks to break a habit and start a new one?  Well, continued study suggested that it was more like six.  Now that I've reached that threshold in my own personal training, I have to say I agree.  I honestly don't feel right if I'm not working out on any given day (except for my rest day each week).  The habit has set in!

Here are some benefits I've noticed in these first several weeks:

·  An energy boost--seriously...I can train, work, and otherwise run around all day.  I love naps, but I'm needing fewer and fewer.  I'll still have them on the weekends, though.  Let's not get crazy.

·  Better sleep!

·  More efficient movement--less wasted energy.

·  Fewer clumsy accidents.

·  That great sore feeling--not an achy feeling, but rather an affirmation of hard work well done.

·  Easier focus and problem solving--and I wasn't even having trouble with that!

·  Less tolerance for garbage food.

· And the list goes on!

And, with that, here are the week 6 results:

 

Monday

Classes attended:  8:00 Yoga, 9:00 Judo (pinning focus)

Workouts:  DAY OF REST!

 

Tuesday

Classes Attended:  12:00 Kyuki-do, 5:30 Yoshukai
Workouts:  Forms workout, Tabata sprints
Steps:  10,575
Stairs:  73
Miles: 5.1
Calories:  1,226

Wednesday

Class attended:  5:00 Kyuki-do (Takedown, MMA flow drill, Kali focus)

Workouts:  extended Bo kata workout.  HIIT

Steps:  11,281
Stairs:  75
Miles:  5.5
Calories: 1,353

 

Thursday

Classes Attended:  12:00 Kyuki-do, 7:00-8:30 Yoshukai (Combinations, Bo focus)

Workouts:  Body weight strength training, Open hand forms

Steps:  6,010
Stairs:  81
Miles:  2.9
Calories:  943

 

Friday

Workouts:  Forms workout, nunchaku focus

Steps:  17,595
Stairs:  115
Miles:  8.8
Calories:  2,105

How Do You Do The Math?

So, lately, I spend a lot of time engaged in activities that allow me to do a lot of thinking:  working out, some of the more mundane preparation for the school year, house work...you get the idea.  Luckily, a lot of people have been either actively or passively giving me a lot of ideas to roll around in my head.  What follows are a couple from Kyuki-do Summer Camp last weekend, and I think they are worth sharing...so here goes!

Interestingly enough, two of the most profound life lessons this weekend (and there were several more which are just as good) revolve around mathematics as a metaphor.  The first was a geometric metaphor shared by Master Jeff Kim, and the second was an arithmetic metaphor shared by Grandmaster Ok Hyung Kim.

Just like in grade school, let's start with the arithmetic.

On Monday, I mentioned how our Saturday morning workout with Grandmaster Kim turned from a seemingly simple one to a sweaty, hard-edged blast by the end.  It was beautiful.  Once he had sufficiently worn us out, Grandmaster Kim shared a bit of wisdom with us before we broke for breakfast.  He said in life, we do basic arithmetic every day.  He didn't mean paying bills, buying groceries, or going to the movies.  Instead, he said the way we live life was arithmetic.  We could add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

To illustrate, he posed the following math problems:

100 + 10 = 110

100 - 10 = 90

100 x 10 = 1000

100 / 10 = 10

Simple enough, yes?  This is where the life metaphor entered the lesson.

Addition and subtraction are small scale, and in them lies the metaphor for how we deal with everyday things.  "Addition people" find the positive spin.  Small problems become challenges or opportunities, work is given a game-oriented approach, and everything else is just a little more than the neutral passive.  "Subtraction people" always take a little something away from the sum of their experiences.  Mild complaining, gloom, dullness...these are the symptoms of subtraction.  Now, by saying "addition people" and "subtraction people," I'm using a general description.  I think in everyday we find situations where we make the decision to come out a little ahead, and sometimes we slice away a little from our portion and toss it aside.

Multiplication and Division are , in turn, large scale.  "Multipliers" have long-term outcomes in mind, and their totals are enormous.  I would imagine that the successful folks out in the world have a lot of "multiply" to them.  "Dividers" end up with significantly less than their portion...you get the idea.  Again, there are days where we are just multiplying all over the place, and those probably stand out as important days in our lives.  And some of our worst days are divide, divide, divide.  Obviously, it take a lot more work to be consistently a multiplier, but imagine the possibilities...

Now, onto the geometry:

If I remember correctly, "The Triad" is a Tony Robbins idea.  It describes a paradigm for reversing a negative trend or reinforcing a positive one.  It looks like this:

The foundation of the triad, physiology, affects our base emotions and biochemical state.  Take a look at these two pictures:

You don't need to be a body language expert to know the emotional content of each picture.  These were the first images that popped up on a google image search of "joy" and "despair."

Our physiology has a definite effect on our emotions.  Think of the days that you just don't feel like coming to class.  It happens to me at least once a week.  I'm either busy with something, not feeling well, tired...name the excuse.  And, I'm still feeling it when I get into class.  However, the first time I'm called to attention, something changes.  Then we start moving around, kicking, punching, blocking, and before you know it, I'm having a ball.  My physiology has been activated in a positive way, and my emotional makeup has changed entirely.  Motion leads to emotion.  Ever dance by yourself with the music turned way up and no one around?  Isn't it fantastic?!?  The mind responds so well to our physical state, it's no wonder our parents, grandparents, and teachers would often say "sit up straight and act like you're somebody!"

The second part of the triad, focus, describes our direct experience of the world.  I won't elaborate hugely on this, but I feel the focus is the arithmetic metaphor.  What are we focused on?  How do we view the world.  A positive focus multiplies positive emotions, and vice versa.  I believe we ignore the implications of this at our own happiness's peril.

The final portion of the triad, language, is the way you control and express your experience of life to yourself and others.  I can't read minds, but I assume (I believe correctly) that because I have a fairly constant inner monologue going, those around me do as well.  What are you saying in your own head?  In my music teaching, there are words that I don't allow in my students' thinking:  stress, control, pushing, effort...these each have a negative effect on the vocal apparatus.  Then, from there the inner language is focused outward.  We all know a few Eeyores in our personal orbits--the rainclouds just follow them around everywhere.  Now, I'm not discounting that some are just dealt some rough cards, but I do know some amazing people that have it rough and are still wildly positive.  Just a thought.

So, this turned out to be a little more in depth than I originally planned, but I feel it was worthwhile.  And so, I leave you with the question that started this post:  How do you do the math?

Kyuki-do Camp Trip Report and OSF Week 5 results!

At around 4:30 this morning, I arrived back in Athens after a 15-hour drive from the metropolitan Chicago area.  Besides the unholy-late arrival time, you can probably already tell the statement signifies adventure...and it does!  I just returned from the annual Kyuki-do summer camp at YMCA Camp Duncan in the metro-Chicago area.  I know I haven't yet elaborated much on Kyuki-do, but I definitely will in future blog posts.  In fact, after the completion of my Yoshukai shodan test, I'll be in continued training for my Chodan (1st degree black belt--using Korean terminology) in kyuki-do.  So, more training, more blog posts!

So, here's what you'll see in this post--because it's going to be a longer one.  The main body of the post will be a fairly complete trip report of my experience at Kyuki-do camp.  At the bottom, you'll see the workout results for week 5 of Operation Shodan Fit.  There won't be numbers this week because I didn't have the striiv at camp for reasons which will be obvious later.  However, there were lots of workouts and many exercises that I have brought home with me for everyone!

The drive up was actually fairly quick.  Mr. Robert Bishop, Mr. Daniel Williams, and I made the trip in roughly 13.5 hours, which flew by because of good conversation and audiobooks.  We arrived early enough to hit a martial arts class at Kyuki-Do Martial Arts of Huntley with Master Rick Bjorquist.  It was a great hour's workout, and I'll tell you this--a martial arts class after a long drive is an excellent way to smack the road haze right out of you.  If you ever have the opportunity to train with Master and Mrs. Bjorquist, jump at the opportunity--he is a high-intensity, technically excellent, fun, and overall high-quality instructor.  So, after an excellent and satisfying dinner at a local restaurant with Master and Mrs. Bjorquist, we settled in at a local hotel to get some much-needed shut-eye to prepare for camp.

From check-in to check-out, there was always something going on at Kyuki-do camp!  Here's a quick rundown of what went on, and I'll elaborate on some of the things I learned in future posts.

Friday:

After check-in, we started with an insane variant of dodgeball called "ga-ga."  It's sort of a combination of handball, dodgeball, and pitfighting...very intense.  Apparently, the game was invented in Israel, and it is now quickly becoming a summer camp favorite.  Google "ga-ga ball" if you want more info.

After ga-ga, we joined Master Blumreich for a couple of seminar sessions taught by Master Jeff Kim, which are designed to teach goal-setting and leadership for instructors and owners of schools.  The things I learned there will easily fill several blog posts, so be on the lookout for those in the near future.

Before dinner, we had COLOR WARS.  Have any of you participated in a color run?  The idea for color wars sprang from those runs, and the ensuing melee was the brainchild of Ms. Nikki Holden.  Basically, the first portion of color wars was a massive water fight.  Blasters from little single-shot pool toys all the way to battery operated monstrosities got everyone good and wet.  After that, each participant was given a package of colored corn-starch, and we proceeded to sling, smack, and smear the colors over everyone in a grand and glorious color fight.  The results were a more kinetic way to tie-dye shirts.  I'm hoping mine doesn't wash out too much, but we'll see what happens.

After dinner, we had an hour training Kali (also known as Escrima or Arnis), which is a Filipino combat system that empasizes weapon-based combat.  Our class used Kali sticks, also called yantok, which are equal length sticks made from rattan.  The next hour was a blur as we worked a few partnered striking drills, which emphasized some of the basic patterns of the style.

We ended the day with one more leadership seminar with Master Kim, and then hit the hay to prepare for the next full day of training.

Saturday:

Saturday began bright and early with a 6:30 workout with Grandmaster Ok Hyung Kim, the founder of Kyuki-do.  Just like I did with Soke Yamamoto, I will blog a bit more about him later.  But, for now, a little about the workout.  Grandmaster Kim has a fairly simple, straight-forward manner of running a workout.  We started with some simple striking drills, and what seemed at the beginning like a light morning workout turned intense almost without realizing it.  It was a memorable hour with a very special man, and I sweated my tail off for the entirety of the workout.

The rest of the afternoon was comprised of martial arts seminars and traditional camp activities.  Since Saturday was the longest day of training--here's a bullet list of Saturday activities (not necessarily in order) to give you a basic idea of what went on:

·         A Muay-Thai striking clinic, teaching combinations for use at future Kyuki-do black belt testing.

·         A defense seminar against basic strikes and combinations.

·         A grappling seminar focusing of the Kyuki-do pinning form.

·         A seminar teaching the first two Kyuki-do MMA flow drills.

·         Blobbing (jumping onto a big balloon, launching a fellow participant into the water)

·         A climbing tower

·         Swimming

·         Boating

·         Sparring/Grappling with the Masters

·         And more as well--I'm still a little hazy from the ride back!

Sunday:

Friday began with another bright and early workout--a forms workout at 6:00am...perfect for knocking the cobwebs off.  After a fun bit of hang-out time, we had a short review period before a large picnic.  As for the review, I spent time working the Kyuki-do reversal form and 24-count locking form.  To be honest, my chops on both of those is still fairly basic, so I'll forego an in-depth explanation until I know a bit more.

At the picnic (we ate early so we could get on the road), we had bulgogi and kimchee, which are traditional Korean dishes.  I'll tell you something right now--even if you aren't an adventurous eater, any non-vegetarians owe it to themselves to try bulgogi, which is a marinated and grilled beef recipe--I could have completely gorged myself on this stuff.  As for kimchee, I know it isn't for everyone, but I really enjoy it, so if you have the opportunity, snag yourself some of that too!

After that, we hit the road for the 15-hour (we hit some nasty traffic in Chicago and Indianapolis), we are now back in Athens!  Kyuki-do camp was an amazing experience, and I hope that others in the dojang will make every effort to attend next year's camp--the hike up is worth it!

Now, for Week 5 results of Operation Shodan Fit!

Monday:

Class attended:  8:00 Yoshukai with 9:00-9:30 Hapkido.

Workouts:  Forms workout, Tabata squats and chair dips.

Tuesday:

Class Attended:  5:30 Yoshukai at Tate.

Workouts:  HIIT!  Light weapons forms workout.

Wednesday:

Class Attended:  5:00 Kyuki-do

Workouts:  Double forms/weapons

Thursday:

Class Attended:  7:30 Kyuki-do at Kyuki-do Martial Arts of Huntley, IL.

Friday:

See above!

Saturday:

See above!

Sunday

See above!

 

So, now that I'm back, it's back to rough and tumble Shodan training--more blog posts coming up!