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!