Travel and a Heating Pad

Stiff and sore , unable to move quickly.. I have been like this for about a month and I am getting tired of it.
You would think this is due to some injury but it is not.
I have been bogged down at work with managing a large workload and a team of people. Between the lack of training and the accumulation of stress it feels like my body has aged 25 years in one month.

My sister is a Massage therapist and a Yoga guru. She has told me numerous times that people store stress in their body and it transmits into physical pain, typically in muscles and joints. I usually tell her that 's a bunch of smoke and mirrors but maybe she's right and there is something to that.

Anyways,  I'm back from being on the road for a while and very glad to have left Yellowknife.
Yellowknife is one of those locations that seem to exhaust me for some reason.

It starts off feeling like this ....

                                              (tourist picture)

but , by the time I leave , it feels more like this....

                                          (not tourist picture)
                                       
Anyways...time to stop blaming Yellowknife for my Woes:). Time to get back to training, getting my mobility back and looking forward to helping out with the Dragon Dance if the I Ho Chuan can use me!:).

Traditional Martial Arts vs MMA

The age old debate...which martial art is the best?

are the traditional martial arts antiquated?

Is all about the MMA now?

The general public now looks at MMA as THE martial art.

It seems to be an unfortunate situation where the martial arts community has turned on itself. Instead of the MMA circuit, primarily the UFC(ultimate fighting championship) advocating the positive aspects of Marital Arts , it has set some bad examples and misconceptions that the public has embraced.(blood, money and glory) Further to that, the so called"traditional martial arts " community has lashed back in a way that only embarrasses itself and validates comments and behaviour from the MMA crowd.

From the schools of martial arts and the pro-fighter community...this can become a heated discussion, some to the point of hostility from different  perspectives.
There is resentment towards MMA as it misrepresents the martial arts and at the other end of the spectrum ... the opinion of traditions in martial arts to be useless and the training ineffective.

Somewhere in the mix is  truth and somewhere all of this has become distorted and misleading with the facts hidden in opinion.

Somewhere in the mix people have also confused self defence tactics with skill in sport fighting.

I have to admit, I find value in the MMA training and enjoy watching the strategy that unfolds within the ring, however, I also feel disappointed in the superficial and shallow character that it promotes. but you could say the same for some traditional martial arts schools , depends how a school of traditional martial arts is run.

I am lucky enough to be part of a traditional school that addresses the martial artist for what they should be. Someone who develops not only body with skill but character of the individual through training and practice of all three aspects ...Body, Mind and Soul. Our Silent River Kung Fu strives to practice what it preaches.

Not all martial arts schools that boast traditional training embody what they advertise.

All that being said, the current day thinking or bold statement is... the ultimate martial artist or "fighter" is the practicing student of an MMA school.

Ultimately  I feel it is not a logical comparison.
The way I look at it is this...

MMA and the traditional martial arts(kung fu, karate, etc) The two "systems" do not parallel each other but instead the MMA fighter is a branch from the traditional martial arts or at least they should be a branch of the traditional martial arts. If they choose to bypass the foundation that martial arts philosophies and training provide then what they have become is a short term ring fighter with a finite life. They are missing out on the lifestyle, the character building, the ability to endure, adapt, and embrace all aspects of life. This foundation, which some individuals in the MMA circuit started from utilize this to become successful in their professional fighting careers.
The training that is the corner stone for a traditional martial art is to master the basics so you build a foundation that is solid and from there you can specialize.
You can see the foundation in some of the fighters by way of their solid foot work, stances, balance etc. ,(the part that becomes boring and looses its luster for the impatient student).

So bottom line for me, of course kung fu is valid in the ring, but lets think how this would work.
Anyone who chooses to compete must focus on some pointed training aspects to achieve a win.
Kung fu has laid out the foundation , the platform from where you shall choose pieces of your training to focus on and practice relentlessly for a fight or competition. Centering, mental focus and the discipline to train and respect your opponent come from your practice of the traditional martial art, although we may not train on a day to day basis to fight in pro -competition the pieces are there within our lessons to specialize if we so choose.

Again, in summary, the MMA is the collection of specialized pieces of the martial arts. It is about  creating a fighter for sport, who can apply certain aspects to dominate an opponent who does not see it coming...

The argument is illogical...Traditional Martial Arts vs MMA, but the question is a baited question that fires up an emotional defence.

As for our kung fu, the fighting skills are there, riddled throughout our training, the focus is up to us, but we have the benefit of the foundation it provides and the lifestyle it advocates.

Thankful

Lucky enough to spend Thanksgiving weekend in Campbell River , BC.

Great weather, lots of friends, fishing and celebrating. In the early morning you could catch a spectacular sunrise while looking over the Ocean water at the mountains in the distance. Nothing but nature to wake you up...well,.. the float planes and a 8 year old son were minutes behind with their own method to break the silence!

 It was a nice break and I did get a chance to slow down and be thoughtful and thankful.

To health and and contentment.

Training Partners

Learning any Martial Arts means practice...lots and lots of practice. and with that,  practicing with a training partner is critical. But how do you find a good training partner? 
First , you have to know how to be one yourself...

Good training partner
listens to the instruction and demo  then goes slow with intent to ensure both have the right idea

Bad training partner
comments during instruction, becomes a distraction, then full of ego, speeds through technique.

Good training partner
allows for repetition and analysis of technique before stopping drill to ask questions

Bad training partner
quick to critique and find fault in the technique without thought

Good training partner
gives feedback when asked

Bad training partner
constantly corrects their partner regardless of their own mistakes

Good training partner
keeps their uniform clean, nails trimmed, removes jewellery and knows what a shower is!

Bad training partner

well ...you know...


Pretty lucky with Silent River Kung Fu, over the years I have had great partners and still do. The higher ranking colored belts are good to set an example and it makes for a great learning environment. For that I am thankful.

If we all show consideration for one another and work to have our partners succeed along with ourselves, it becomes a "'win win" situation!
See you on the Mats!

And yet another day passes by

I find myself without any clear direction these days. even when I sit down to Blog I have incomplete topics and thoughts to share.
Part of this scattered direction is too much on the plate without a plan of attack. Trying to accomplish too much at once. This is not Mastery..it is the practice of trying to be a Jack of all trades(before November) and of course, how the saying goes...you become a master of none.
People always say...if I just get this out of the way, I will be able to go back to that. With the exception of a life crisis, this way of living becomes unsustainable.

Maybe a goal or an achievement was not meant to happen in a short period of time , maybe the slow methodical process of incorporating bite-size pieces in your life is the way to sustain, manage and balance so everything you do has quality in it.  Everything.

 If its rushed, if its a panic, something must be compromised.

Maybe Mastery is not achievable but getting closer to it is.

A mentor of mine from years back always used to say '...You have to be Flexible and Versatile...".
We used to laugh at him all the time because that was his answer to everything.
Another one he always used "...Don't forget the basics...".
Again, his reply to complex problems. He laughed at himself for all his sayings too, and we would jokingly call him Mr. Motto.
Years later, I have not seen him, but his words come back to me almost every day. There was truth to his Words, in how you think and how you act out.

Haven't forgotten you old friend!

A Weekend with Crazy People!

This weekend was Awesome!

I was invited to be a part of the Krebs/Regier Death Racing team some time ago, and I will not lie, I have been anxious for months about it. I am not a runner and this race put me way out of my comfort zone!

Anyways, I managed not to throw up, pass out, fall down or injure myself…actually I did fall down, 50ft from the finish line coming out of the woods after staying upright for 18.9999kms! Ms Krebs was good enough to catch it on camera too!

I was certainly not fast but I was very happy to finish and not let my teammates down.

This Canadian Death Race is something else…full of crazy people, but the good kind of crazy. The “why not, lets try it! Kind of crazy!  You push yourself and you look for a personal best with support from friends, family and strangers.

Each leg of the race had its own excitement..

Sifu Darcy Regier took up Leg 2 with the sun shining only to find himself battling a freak thunderstorm that pelted hail and then ice cold rain down on his run(some runners were brought down off the mountain due to threat of hypothermia) he continued on and made his way to the exchange hardly looking battered at all! His white shorts were still white…or maybe that was the hail that battered the mud off! Anyways,  Sifu Leitz was on his way after snacking on many hotdogs while waiting for Sifu Regier. Thankfully Leg 3 was not too long because by the time Sifu Leitz had made his way into the exchange finish line he was down to his last snack in his pack!(I have never seen anyone eat a meal as  they ran a relay race...where does that boy put it!). Then there was the Machine! Sihing Krebs…he  took off up Mount Hamel,Leg 4, 36km, like he was going out for some milk at the corner store…this man has run the race solo in the past! Science should study him…. Last but best…Sifu Alana Regier was off into the night for Leg 5. A black trail full of rocks, mud, bears, rivers and one mouse! I think the mouse is why she came in an hour earlier than we were expecting her!

What a great time, a  personal accomplishment for me and I got to hang out with some really great  people - even if they are a little crazy!