I’m going to combine a bunch of days together as this weekend was the annual Black Belt camp in Spirit Lake, IA. I had to be down there Friday for a workout with the regions high ranks. The main goal I had was to learn as much of my current form as possible. I have to make up a section in my form, with specific number of moves and specific direction changes.
I picked today’s image mostly because this weekend marked a number of changes. First, there will be a new presiding grand master inducted this year, and we got to hear some of the vision he has for the organization. There were some changes to how we are to present and teach some of the moves. There were new colored belt weapons curriculums introduced. Change can be good if you are ready to accept it.
I was able to learn my whole form, get some good tips on sparring and combat, new self-defense drills, as well as get some additional detail on previous material. 13+ hours of training across two days. I took a couple rest days on Sunday and today and will be back at it with more detailed workouts the rest of this week.
Happy Birthday sis!! Things felt pretty good today, and tomorrow I head down to Iowa to black belt camp for the weekend, so I’m pretty excited about that.
Today, I felt like I was back in the saddle. I have a couple of students that were having a rough go of things, and today’s image reminded me why I love to teach. “Yeah that same thing happened to me and this is what worked for me…” Being able to share personal stories with them seemed to help them deal with their struggles. I was so inspired by their perseverance tonight, it made me proud.
If things were easy, everyone would do them. Watching these athletes on the Olympics reminds me that the wins you might see are only one small part of the story. The rest of the story is in what you don’t see. The 4:30 am wake ups, training when no one else is up yet, tears of frustration when they are learning something new, and don’t get right away. The bruises on the body and the ego. Still they push on. They give of themselves to inspire others.
Crisis averted. It seems that yesterday’s pain may be mostly attributed to breaking up some scar tissue. I was a bit sore, but definitely felt better this morning that I did last night. That being said, I am not going to press my luck today, and will modify my workout to make sure.
Today, I’m pressing on and continuing my training. As I look at the Facebook group that was set up for us, I have seen others also experience injuries and setbacks. While it gives a feeling of not being alone, it is a reminder to listen to my body so I can keep training. Feeling optimistic today!
Today’s workout
Theme of the day – Pace and Peak
Training qualities – Starting position, recovery, balance
2 mile walk
25 front kicks each leg
35 pushups
25 side kicks
35 pushups
25 round kicks
30 pushups
25 hook kicks
1 min front kick starting position each leg – balancing on Bosu ball
1 min side kick starting position each leg – balancing on Bosu ball
This morning when I got up, I was a bit apprehensive about yesterday’s workout. I taught tonight and perhaps over did a few things, didn’t properly warm up or something else, but I hurt.
The image I picked today has some relevance to me. Today is a rough one for me because I’m afraid. I’m afraid my body will give out on me and I will not reach my goal or I will have yet another setback. I’m afraid of the pain of the past. Pain of rehabilitating two ACL repairs and a low back disk. Every time I press things and I feel some scar tissue of the past hurts break loose, I am reminded of how painful that rehab was. Starting over again, building up from nothing, much like a phoenix. I somehow have always found a way to press on. I will find a way again to grow from this pain. Today was a setback, and tomorrow is a new day. They say all you need to do is get up one more time than you get knocked down. Time to get up.
After a rest day, I’m going after it with my workout. Feeling pretty good today, so we will see how the workout goes.
I was thinking about some training qualities today, and I am choosing to work on discipline. Today’s image fits in a few ways. I think people begin a journey and have high confidence and motivations are high. Days and weeks go on, and the reality of the work and effort was perhaps underestimated. This is where self disciplined execution and personal accountability move to the drivers seat. New words like dedication, determination, discipline come to the forefront. There is another word Master Niska uses in class that I believes sums them all up….Grit.
