Today was the first day of the required masters training at Spring Nationals in Las Vegas. I have been getting ready for this for the last week and haven’t kept up on my posts.
The entire theme of the all day training centered around a couple key concepts. Tradition and Discipline. We worked on all the color belt forms and got deep detail. One of the most beneficial learning parts was to be able to get some clarification on my current form and some of the footwork parts i have been struggling with.
In some regards, I very much felt like a beginner again. So much more to learn. The “best” part was the fitness test at the very end. Going to be sore.
Much in the way of discipline was going back to some the principals we used to have more in the forefront. Moving with purpose, lining up straight, all moving as a group., yelling/answering up loudly. We would drill a form and if we didn’t all do the same move at the same time, or some weren’t putting max effort into their techniques, we would get stopped and had to start over.
I am grateful my body held together and if not for the modern miracle that is Advil/Tylenol, things would feel much, much worse.
Tomorrow i continue regular (non masters) training with black belt weapons form reviews. Since i need to review all these as part of the process, this is timely.
It’s been a few days since I’ve posted. Been having a few challenges and it seems they are causing some performance/training setbacks, and perhaps need to re-establish how things get “counted”. I’m struggling with how far to “push” myself. On one hand, I want to always press for my best, but I’m finding a difficult time accepting that as we age, injuries are more frequent, and take longer to recover from. I have to train much differently than I did in my 20s and 30s, and I need to stop comparing my workouts to others on this path. Sometimes we focus too much on grasping control things, and we lose sight of the goals. If I can relax and let go, maybe I can break through a couple training plateaus and release the frustrations.
Sometimes you have to slow down in order to speed up. I have been having issues with some timing and footwork in my form and today I decided to work out a few kinks. I don’t have enough room to do my whole form without running into things, so I think I’m going to try to see if I can take a video at hte school tomorrow to see what is going on. I’m pretty sure once I see myself, it will be way easier to figure out the issues and work on fixes. I’m beginning to feel just a bit more comfortable doing this new form, so that felt good. I’m looking forward to Master’s training in 2 weeks at Spring Nationals in Las Vegas to get some more tips and feedback.
After a great weekend at the Eagan Tournament on Friday and Saturday, it’s time to get after it. Watching everyone perform at the tourney and show off their work and dedication inspired me today. I was thinking back to when I was more active in competitions and how I’d train over and over again. This journey feels similar, yet the goal is much different. I find myself studying each technique more and more, making small modifications to see if I can improve it. It isn’t just do it to get it over with, but a new level of measured discipline is the essence to stay focused on the task at hand. There are new learnings every day for me in places I least expect it, and it is leaving a feeling of wonder and awe. Part of me wished I had these insights years ago, while the other part of me acknowledges that I likely wasn’t ready for this level of detail.
Today’s Workout
Theme of the day – Proper Technique
Training qualities – direction
Single Ssahng Jeol Bong Black Belt form (3 times)
Single Bahng Mahng Ee Black Belt form (3 times)
Songahm 1-5 (3 times)
2 mile run/walk (20:40)
50 pushups
Inwah 1-2 (3 times)
Front plank (1.5 min)
Side plank (1 min each side)
50 pushups
25 Side kicks each leg (slow – 2 sec with 5 lb weight)
25 Front kicks each leg (slow – 2 sec with 5 lb weight)
Today was a day to just dig in deep and do it. Short, sweet, and to the point. I don’t really have anything that inspired me today, outside of the desire to just get sweaty and work hard.
