Simple but yet powerful

In the last week Sifu Brinker was teaching us one simple drill - jab, hook, reverse. So simple but it amazes me how much is in one simple drill.

Foot work, speed, distancing, pace. power, the 6 harmonies, targeting, working with a partner, position play, attention to all detail - and more.

This drill can be used to teach so much. It is these type of lessons that make me love Kung Fu. Simple but yet powerful.

Change of plans

I started running practice after Mike told me we were signed up for the sunrun 10km race in Vancouver. I had good progress with my training but the on Thursday I hurt my bac and could hardly walk. I wasn’t sure how I’m going to do in the run. Sitting down was pretty painful and the flight was not great for my back. After walking around Vancouver on Saturday I figured I could at least walk the 10km. The first 2km of the race were hard. I was stiff from waiting for my start time. But after 2km, I felt better and decided to run. This was better and my back did not hurt. I was running / walking with Mike’s pace and we completed the race in a good time for my state.
Not as planned but pretty good.

what is the point?

While being part of the IHC I had to blog once a week. I try to keep this up as I believe that all I do during IHC year should be sustainable and done even when I am not part of the IHC.

But sometimes I wonder... The last few posts, are getting almost zero traction. Almost no one is reading them. So what is the point?

I guess that these blogs are mostly for me to benefit from and not necessarily for others. So it doesn't really matter who and how many people are reading my blog.

Leading

When I'm leading a team I want them to grow and get better. For that I need to be honest and provide constructive feedback on how they need to improve. But it is really important how it is done.

I should not be telling them they are doing it wrong in a negative way or without a way to get better. I should not just say in a team meeting "you all suck" but let the specific people who are doing it wrong how they can improve.

If I truly want to become a leader and not just the manager - I need to make sure I lead.

water?

I have been trying for some time to get back in shape. It is a challenge I’m not dealing with successfully. I’m exercising lots but not seeing results. I’m also eating lots which is not helping.
I think my brain tells me I’m hungry when I’m actually thirsty. I’m going to try to get more water intake on a regular basis.

Angry

Sometimes I can get angry. I think most people think I am angry all the time - but this is just how I look when I'm thinking or when something is disturbing me.

But sometimes I can get angry about something that is happening to me.

Motivation gets you going. Discipline keeps you growing

We all want to join something that looks like FUN. Maybe something we did when we were kids, or something someone told us they enjoy. We will be highly motivated to do it but for how long? This is also true with New Years Resolutions -we are highly motivated for awhile.

How do we keep on going making sure we continue to gain the benefits of what we decided is good for us? This is where discipline comes in. And in order to be able to be disciplined you must establish a routine while you are still motivated.

Make sure it doesn't happen again

How do you handle events that go bad when you do not have full control of it? It doesn't help to think "what if I did this" or "what if I did that" as we cannot go back in time (yet).

So you just need to mitigate the current event, endure it ends well and then make sure to take all necessary steps not to get to the same situation again.

It is OK to make a mistake. It is not OK to make the same mistake twice.

Fake it 'til you become it

It really makes a difference how we see ourselves. If we see ourselves as weak we will become weak. If we see ourselves to be strong we will be strong. Our body language has lots to do with how everyone around us and how we see ourselves. If we stand tall, open our shoulders, we will look more confident. We will look like we can do anything we want.

But what if we don't feel confident? Well - we need to fake it. We need to act like we do and then our body will send signals to our brain telling us that we are confident. It is just like smiling when we are happy. And becoming happy when we are smiling.

When dealing with bullies, being confident is key. But you need to convince yourself that you are confident. This start with changing your body language. It also works with sound focus. This is why a small tiny sound focus is not serving you right. You need to shout it out loud. Even if you are scared. You fake it! You shout like you are the strongest person around. And you will become the strongest person around!

(https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are) 

take care of yourself

I’ve been flying lots lately so I hear this often. In the case of a pressure loss, you take care of your mak first and then once you are ok you help your child. This seems counter intuitive as you would like to help your kid first. But how can you help your child if you are not breathing well? Taking care of yourself allows you to take care of others.

Same in Kung Fu. In order to help your kids, or anyone else, you need to take care of yourself first. Making sure your training is appropriate. Then it is easier to help others.

Not a Pig

I'm not in the IHC group this year. But what does that mean? I've developed habits that are here to stay. So not much should change other than not being on class on Thursdays. 

I am continuing my training and continuing with my physio to get my shoulder and hip back in order. It has been a challenge in the couple months to keep my cardio training with my hip and my weapon forms with my shoulder injuries. I did start a new running routine and I have been practicing Tai Chi more lately. 

It was good to see some of the new faces on the team helping out at the banquets. It looks like a strong team! Best of luck in the year of the Pig. 

We are the Change

I'm only one person, so what can I do? Well - we can do lots and if we all do it we can change the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcnAYdrV074

"Leaders"

Leaders are ones that should be followed because they are respected and trusted not because they were given an authoritarian power. "Leaders" that lead by intimidation, mocking others are not true leaders.

Leaders are not immuned from mistakes.  On the contrary - leaders are vulnerable and not be afraid to admit their mistakes. A leader is not necessary the best in everything on their team and they can and should continue to learn from other.

Someone who thinks that they are better just because of the rank given to them is not realizing that others might have strength that they are lacking at and therefore will not be able to lead as they are actually crippling others and themselves.

Up in Flames

I should be happy we are still alive. I should be happy we still have a house to live in. So how come I am saddened because I need to spend few hundred dollars?

Our dryer caught on fire today. The fire alarm was going off. Kobe and I were pretty close and saw the flames coming out of the dryer. Kobe ran to get the fire extinguisher and after few sprays the fire was off. Lucky for us the house did not catch on fire.

But now I need to buy a new dryer... :-( 

Martial Arts Community

For me, there are many benefits being part of the I Ho Chuan team. One of them is being part of a martial arts community. We practice together as we develop our forms, preparing for demos and working on projects together. There are many opportunities to work together - the Adopt a Driveway, painting the bridge, preparing for the Pandamonium, practicing for the banquet. It is really rewarding to be part of a team!

Teaching Rewards

I love teaching Kung Fu. If you would have asked me when I started practicing Kung Fu if I would ever do it, the answer would have been a definite NO. But as my kids started practicing Kung Fu, I enjoyed helping out in their classes and one thing led to another.

I think teaching is one of the best things that happened to me in Kung Fu. As I am teaching others, I get so much back. Leadership skills, organization skills, everything in Kung Fu makes more sense once you need to teach it as you really need to understand what you are doing. There is no doubt that my progress in Kung Fu is enhanced by my teaching.

I teach the advance kids class and while it is sad for me to see the kids in my class moving into the adults class, I know that this is part of their progress. It is nice to see how they evolve as young adults. This year is special for me as other than my son, it is the first time that kids that I was teaching are going for their black belt. It was a pleasure teaching all 3 of them as kids and it was a pleasure to see them growing up in age and in their Kung Fu training.