Journey to a new style...

[_Simon_164 195]

Happy new year all!

Haven't posted here in awhile, so some quick updates!

-Helped out in a Dan grading in October (highest being 3rd dan), and my instructor got me to run much more of the grading than I thought I would be, so it was a really great experience, super proud of all the guys who graded. Huge day!

-Had the annual gasshuku with the other group which was an amazing experience and really got a lot out of.

-I ran our annual beach training session a few weeks ago with a great turnout. It was so heart-warming to see how excited some of the ones who haven't done it before were!

Crafted a fun session (less planned than usual), but we still ended up covering everything on my list. Basic kihon, push/sticky hands and progressive variations, flow/connector drills, balance drills out in the water, kata and more in depth exploration and themes along with different modalities in which to practice, kumite drills and a mix of some slow and spirited kumite out in the water. Always ending with some strong kihon at the end and an "intention kata" for the coming year.

We ended up training for about 2.5 hours out there , I never really keep track of the time, but everyone really loved it and got alot out of it, had great feedback. Awesome day.

-My motivation is still a little bit of a struggle but I'm asking more questions of myself and really.... listening. As I'm training I dial in and listen to what's happening and where it leads. My curiosity and intuition I'm looking to trust...


That's it! Looking to explore more training variation through the coming year

 

[Gyakuto164 173]

You are clearly very fulfilled by what you’re doing; who could ask for more?

-My motivation is still a little bit of a struggle but I'm asking more questions of myself and really.... listening. As I'm training I dial in and listen to what's happening and where it leads. My curiosity and intuition I'm looking to trust...

Karate having had a (very) light steeping in Zen, perhaps you shouldn’t question yourself and instead, just do. We’re apt to ask ourselves loaded question and may well give rise to an answer(s) you want to hear whereas just doing might give you the answers you need.

Walk without explicit intention, Grasshopper

 

[Stuarto113]

Happy new year all!

Haven't posted here in awhile, so some quick updates!

-Helped out in a Dan grading in October (highest being 3rd dan), and my instructor got me to run much more of the grading than I thought I would be, so it was a really great experience, super proud of all the guys who graded. Huge day!

-Had the annual gasshuku with the other group which was an amazing experience and really got a lot out of.

-I ran our annual beach training session a few weeks ago with a great turnout. It was so heart-warming to see how excited some of the ones who haven't done it before were!

Crafted a fun session (less planned than usual), but we still ended up covering everything on my list. Basic kihon, push/sticky hands and progressive variations, flow/connector drills, balance drills out in the water, kata and more in depth exploration and themes along with different modalities in which to practice, kumite drills and a mix of some slow and spirited kumite out in the water. Always ending with some strong kihon at the end and an "intention kata" for the coming year.

We ended up training for about 2.5 hours out there , I never really keep track of the time, but everyone really loved it and got alot out of it, had great feedback. Awesome day.

-My motivation is still a little bit of a struggle but I'm asking more questions of myself and really.... listening. As I'm training I dial in and listen to what's happening and where it leads. My curiosity and intuition I'm looking to trust...


That's it! Looking to explore more training variation through the coming year

Glad to hear your journey is going great Simon! Thanks for the update, and I understand the motivation struggle. This has been a rough winter for us in New England. We have had a long period of intense cold and got some heavy snow recently. This weather makes it more challenging for me to practice my Kenpo, not to mention my job can be demanding on my time. Needless to say, plenty of obstacles in life, but if it's something we love we make it happen!

 

[_Simon_164 195]

You are clearly very fulfilled by what you’re doing; who could ask for more?

Karate having had a (very) light steeping in Zen, perhaps you shouldn’t question yourself and instead, just do. We’re apt to ask ourselves loaded question and may well give rise to an answer(s) you want to hear whereas just doing might give you the answers you need.

Walk without explicit intention, Grasshopper

Very well said, yeah I do know excessive conceptualising just leads to dead ends and justified conclusions that feel safe. Following the silent thread has been an ongoing contemplation for me...

Something is definitely being fulfilled, but something feels incomplete and uncertain... as good a place as any to begin really.

 

[_Simon_164 195]

Glad to hear your journey is going great Simon! Thanks for the update, and I understand the motivation struggle. This has been a rough winter for us in New England. We have had a long period of intense cold and got some heavy snow recently. This weather makes it more challenging for me to practice my Kenpo, not to mention my job can be demanding on my time. Needless to say, plenty of obstacles in life, but if it's something we love we make it happen!

Oh wow, yeah that would certainly be a challenge. I've noticed that it's important not to set rigid guidelines as to what it means to be training, ie it doesn't have to be a set template like training twice a week, but for those busy weeks just little pockets of exploration, 5 or 10 minutes of delving into a sequence, form, technical improvement, principle, hitting the bag etc can be super helpful.

 

[Stuarto113]

Oh wow, yeah that would certainly be a challenge. I've noticed that it's important not to set rigid guidelines as to what it means to be training, ie it doesn't have to be a set template like training twice a week, but for those busy weeks just little pockets of exploration, 5 or 10 minutes of delving into a sequence, form, technical improvement, principle, hitting the bag etc can be super helpful.

That is so true, just a little bit here and there helps with keeping things fresh. Getting to my school twice a week is kind of a goal for me, but it doesn't always work out that way. That's when I do a little bit at home. I actually integrate my kenpo training into my workouts and it's a great compliment.

 

[HighKick]

Happy new year all!

Haven't posted here in awhile, so some quick updates!

-Helped out in a Dan grading in October (highest being 3rd dan), and my instructor got me to run much more of the grading than I thought I would be, so it was a really great experience, super proud of all the guys who graded. Huge day!

-Had the annual gasshuku with the other group which was an amazing experience and really got a lot out of.

-I ran our annual beach training session a few weeks ago with a great turnout. It was so heart-warming to see how excited some of the ones who haven't done it before were!

Crafted a fun session (less planned than usual), but we still ended up covering everything on my list. Basic kihon, push/sticky hands and progressive variations, flow/connector drills, balance drills out in the water, kata and more in depth exploration and themes along with different modalities in which to practice, kumite drills and a mix of some slow and spirited kumite out in the water. Always ending with some strong kihon at the end and an "intention kata" for the coming year.

We ended up training for about 2.5 hours out there , I never really keep track of the time, but everyone really loved it and got alot out of it, had great feedback. Awesome day.

-My motivation is still a little bit of a struggle but I'm asking more questions of myself andHa

Happy new year all!

Haven't posted here in awhile, so some quick updates!

-Helped out in a Dan grading in October (highest being 3rd dan), and my instructor got me to run much more of the grading than I thought I would be, so it was a really great experience, super proud of all the guys who graded. Huge day!

-Had the annual gasshuku with the other group which was an amazing experience and really got a lot out of.

-I ran our annual beach training session a few weeks ago with a great turnout. It was so heart-warming to see how excited some of the ones who haven't done it before were!

Crafted a fun session (less planned than usual), but we still ended up covering everything on my list. Basic kihon, push/sticky hands and progressive variations, flow/connector drills, balance drills out in the water, kata and more in depth exploration and themes along with different modalities in which to practice, kumite drills and a mix of some slow and spirited kumite out in the water. Always ending with some strong kihon at the end and an "intention kata" for the coming year.

We ended up training for about 2.5 hours out there , I never really keep track of the time, but everyone really loved it and got alot out of it, had great feedback. Awesome day.

-My motivation is still a little bit of a struggle but I'm asking more questions of myself and really.... listening. As I'm training I dial in and listen to what's happening and where it leads. My curiosity and intuition I'm looking to trust...


That's it! Looking to explore more training variation through the coming year

Happy to you and yours! Sounds like a great start to the new year.

How long did the gasshuku last?

 

[Gyakuto164 173]

Very well said, yeah I do know excessive

Something of which I’m very guilty!

just leads to dead ends and justified conclusions that feel safe. Following the silent thread has been an ongoing contemplation for me...

Rather than silent, Zen would suggest to be without intention/goal - ‘mushotoku’

Something is definitely being fulfilled, but something feels incomplete and uncertain... as good a place as any to begin really.

Oh that’s just a little existential angst…unusual in one so young. Just keep going…

 

[isshinryuronin54 54]

something feels incomplete and uncertain.

Yes. It's called life. It's the motivation to keep exploring and improving. Beware of life getting too comfortable.

 

[_Simon_164 195]

Happy to you and yours! Sounds like a great start to the new year.

How long did the gasshuku last?

Thank you you too!!

It was over a weekend, about 10 hours of training all up

 

[_Simon_164 195]

Something of which I’m very guilty!

Rather than silent, Zen would suggest to be without intention/goal - ‘mushotoku’

Oh that’s just a little existential angst…unusual in one so young. Just keep going…

Oh yes, the silent thread is by nature without intention, hence silent. It's following the direction of an uncertain pulling... hard to explain haha, it is rather paradoxical!

And yes, the deep existential angst has been gnawing deeply at me since even younger... thank you

 

[_Simon_164 195]

Asked the other group (same ones I go to for their annual gasshuku) if I could attend their Yudansha session yesterday and again they said I'm more than welcome. 1.5 hour one way drive to attend it and it was worth it.

Was a fantastic 3 hour session, and I tell ya, it is so humbling and SO wonderful being the lowest grade in the room. You learn so much from being surrounded by those better than you, and even though I wasn't a part of their group they still taught and gave me great feedback. I feel like I don't always have that opportunity in my dojo, so it's nice feeling like a beginner again. Even got to be uke for the main instructor for most of it which was quite an honour.

It really is heart-warming they allow me to join, as whilst I do the same style, we're different clubs that don't have anything to do with each other. And even though I insisted on paying something, they didn't charge me anything for it. In a world of such divisiveness and exclusivity in martial arts at times, this is really awesome to see and experience

 

[drop bear2]

Asked the other group (same ones I go to for their annual gasshuku) if I could attend their Yudansha session yesterday and again they said I'm more than welcome. 1.5 hour one way drive to attend it and it was worth it.

Was a fantastic 3 hour session, and I tell ya, it is so humbling and SO wonderful being the lowest grade in the room. You learn so much from being surrounded by those better than you, and even though I wasn't a part of their group they still taught and gave me great feedback. I feel like I don't always have that opportunity in my dojo, so it's nice feeling like a beginner again. Even got to be uke for the main instructor for most of it which was quite an honour.

It really is heart-warming they allow me to join, as whilst I do the same style, we're different clubs that don't have anything to do with each other. And even though I insisted on paying something, they didn't charge me anything for it. In a world of such divisiveness and exclusivity in martial arts at times, this is really awesome to see and experience

Buy a t shirt. Then they can't stop you giving them something

 

[_Simon_164 195]

Buy a t shirt. Then they can't stop you giving them something

Good point haha! I have bought many of the books they've produced so I guess that's payment haha

 

[_Simon_164 195]

Had a really rough morning... but did a little hybrid training session which was nice...

Strangely the number 3 came up a bit, which is symbolic in many ways but also one that's come up as a curiosity for me in a few areas.

Did a jog around the lake then 3x30s hard runs (1m jog active rest).

Got home and did 6x kata (a multiple of 3), I think I did Gekisai dai, Sanseiru, Seisan, Shisochin, Naifunchi Shodan and Saifa.

Then some hard bagwork rounds, 3x 2m rounds.

Then I went outside and saw that it was sunset, and also the moon was up. Something compelled me. I oriented my body to face the space in between the sun and the moon, and did Sanchin kata ("3 battles/conflicts"), followed by Tensho kata. I did my kata directing the energy of them towards that... "space in between".

I feel not much attention gets given to that space... that sense of uncertainty. Mystery. The place after starting but not at the end. OR the place after an ending, and not quite at a beginning. A threshold. The Irish poet John O'Donohue writes a bit about it... that liminal space...

-----------

"At any time you can ask yourself: At which threshold am I now standing? At this time in my life, what am I leaving? Where am I about to enter? What is preventing me from crossing my next threshold? What gift would enable me to do it? A threshold is not a simple boundary; it is a frontier that divides two different territories, rhythms, and atmospheres. Indeed, it is a lovely testimony to the fullness and integrity of an experience or a stage of life that it intensifies toward the end into a real frontier that cannot be crossed without the heart being passionately engaged and woken up. At this threshold a great complexity of emotion comes alive: confusion, fear, excitement, sadness, hope. This is one of the reasons such vital crossings were always clothed in ritual. It is wise in your own life to be able to recognize and acknowledge the key thresholds: to take your time; to feel all the varieties of presence that accrue there; to listen inward with complete attention until you hear the inner voice calling you forward. The time has come to cross."

JOHN O'DONOHUE (To Bless the Space Between Us)

-----------

Seemingly empty space but filled with so much.

It was like my kata was a devotion to and surrender to that space, whatever may unfold or even be here at present in my experience, unseen but subtly felt. A recognition of its place, an offering of myself to it

 

[Gyakuto164 173]

Good point haha! I have bought many of the books they've produced so I guess that's payment haha

Ask them to sign their books so they know you’ve bought them.

 

[Gyakuto164 173]

Had a really rough morning... but did a little hybrid training session which was nice...

Strangely the number 3 came up a bit, which is symbolic in many ways but also one that's come up as a curiosity for me in a few areas.

My friend and old work pal completed his PhD with Stephen Hawking; he’s very bright (and a bit awkward at times!). In a dull staff meeting he wrote out my name on a bit of paper, assigned numbers to each letter and then proceeded to apply complex mathematical manipulations to those numbers; calculus, matrices, metrical tensors and eventually came up with a single number., “ You’re a three.” he said socca voce.

I feel not much attention gets given to that space... that sense of uncertainty. Mystery. The place after starting but not at the end. OR the place after an ending, and not quite at a beginning. A threshold. The Irish poet John O'Donohue writes a bit about it... that liminal space...

Of course space isn’t nothing…

 

[Gyakuto164 173]

 

[Same Trick108 9]

Strangely the number 3 came up a bit, which is symbolic in many ways but also one that's come up as a curiosity for me in a few areas.

Did a jog around the lake then 3x30s hard runs (1m jog active rest).

Got home and did 6x kata (a multiple of 3), I think I did Gekisai dai, Sanseiru, Seisan, Shisochin, Naifunchi Shodan and Saifa.

Then some hard bagwork rounds, 3x 2m rounds.

Then I went outside and saw that it was sunset, and also the moon was up. Something compelled me. I oriented my body to face the space in between the sun and the moon, and did Sanchin kata ("3 battles/conflicts"), followed by Tensho kata. I did my kata directing the energy of them towards that... "space in between".

The Reason for Triple Techniques in Kata

Sitting at my computer, sippin’ on a protein shake. An e-mail pops up. It went something like this [slightly edited]: “Dear most handsomest Karate guy in the whole blogosphere, I have been wondering for a long time why we do some kata techniques in sets of three (3). For example, in some kata...

www.karatebyjesse.com

 

[_Simon_164 195]

My friend and old work pal completed his PhD with Stephen Hawking; he’s very bright (and a bit awkward at times!). In a dull staff meeting he wrote out my name on a bit of paper, assigned numbers to each letter and then proceeded to apply complex mathematical manipulations to those numbers; calculus, matrices, metrical tensors and eventually came up with a single number., “ You’re a three.” he said socca voce.

Oooh interesting! Congratulations! Great number!

Of course space isn’t nothing…

Oh that looks fascinating, may look into it, cheers. Yeah nothing isn't a possibility anyway except as a concept. Nothing doesn't exist as something, only existence exists . But I'm very intrigued with those in between, "not-yet" places...