Lion Dance

I am feeling very disappointed right now as I will not be performing the Lion Dance at our Chinese New Year’s Banquet. For me this is the highlight of the year and it is the thing that I enjoy the most about Kung Fu. Any lion dance is an awesome experience but there is something about our banquet one that is extraordinary. I am happy for the other people who will be performing as it is a feeling that cannot be explained but one that must be experienced. The thing I am struggling with is what to do with my time. I am going to the practices to help Sihing Dunning, Sihing Tymchuk, Sifu Wiebe and Mr. Fuhr with pointers and things that they can do to improve the dance (but only small things as they are all doing extremely well). It is more of a way for me to stay engaged in what is going on and to feel like I am still part of the team. I hope they all get the same sense of accomplishment and enjoyment out of it as I have in the past. I have been part of the Lion Dance for the past 3 years (maybe 4) and it will be good for the new dancers but still disappointing.

The Blog!!

I am still struggling with blogging on time. I set a reminder in my phone and it goes off but I am usually in the middle of something at work (only place that I have access to internet) and so hit ok and then forget about it. I think part of the problem for me is sometimes I feel what I want to write cannot be expressed how I want or by the time I do get a chance to write about something the emotions that I felt are gone and the blog just doesn’t feel the same. I am not trying to make excuses but it is the thing that I struggle with the most being on the I Ho Chuan team.

Random thing

So it’s been quite a while since I have written anything and I can't even explain why. I usually follow other people’s blogs but have recently fallen behind on that as well. This last while has seen some trying times for me at home which has had an effect on my Kung Fu as well. I was going to the beginner class but have had to cut that out (sorry Sifu Playter) and I have even had to miss some of my other classes that I instruct. Sometimes things feel overwhelming and you don’t really know how to do everything that you need to. Anyway I have set a reminder in my phone to go off twice a week to get my blogging back on track. The wrists are mostly healed but still quite stiff and pushups are still a challenge mostly to do lack of strength from not doing them consistently for quite a while. On the upside: the Lion /Dragon dance is coming along it’s just a matter of coming up with the right story while incorporating all the essentials. I am also working on some techniques that we can use in the demo highlighting San Shou. That’s all for now.

What do I need to do?

I am sitting on the bench again in Kung Fu and am watching them run through the demo. What I noticed sitting here is that there are more people not in the demo than there are in it. I know some people on this team are thinking this is not fair or why am I not in the demo. I cannot answer that question for you but I know why I am not. Due to things that have transpired in the last 3 months my practice time has been minimal to say the least. I probably could have done more and I know I definitely should have done more. I do have a plan of attack to start preparing my participation in the demo. I am looking at doing a fight choreography using San Shou techniques and am looking for a partner or partners. I am also going to focus on working my form. So if you are not in the demo like me, all we need to do is focus and work hard which is why we are in the I Ho Chuan anyway. Sifu Lindstrom

Do as I say not as I do!

The Tiger Challenge is tomorrow and I am one of the people who has not signed up to compete. The biggest reason is I have not spent any time working on my forms these past 2 months. I have been trying to let my hands heal and have taken some time off from a lot of my training. I tried to push through in the beginning but think I did more damage and set back to recovery. Although things are better, I feel that if i enter, the quality of my form would not be there and i am not comfortable just performing a form without working hard on perfecting it for display. However on the other hand, performing is one of the requirements I agreed upon when joining the I Ho Chuan. I feel like i am letting my teammates and therefore the entire school down. How can I tell people they should enter and it is the best thing they can do for themselves when I am not doing it myself.

Frustration.

I think i a frustrated with myself mostly. I still have the hand issues but I have finally started to limit what i do so they can heal. If I had done this sooner, my recovery would be a lot farther along. The frustration comes in not being able to do the things I want to and it feels like I am now just drifting along like a piece of space junk. My lack of participation does not only affect me< but it also affects the team. And now the wheels are turning but not sure where to go....

Look ma, No Hands!

This has been a very frustrating 6 weeks. I severely sprained my wrist and then 2 days later I sprained my finger on the other hand also pretty severely. I am very limited in what I can do and it has affected my engagement in Kung Fu. Even though I am showing up to teach my classes, it doesn't feel like I am able to give everything that I need to. It has also been hard on the recovery as I keep reinjuring both either by demonstrating or doing things that I shouldn't. Time to take a step back, and carefully consider what i am attempting to do so I can heal properly. I will continue to show up to class but you may notice the participation level decrease for the next while.

Mud Hero(s)

Well we all survived as far as I am aware. I will admit that I was quite nervous about going to this. I did no training for this as far as running goes because honestly I hate running. Although there were some areas that were difficult (the vertical climb back up the hill was extremely difficult), I completed it in just over one hour. The personal sense of accomplishment was great, but the real benefit was the bonding that we did as a group. The support and encouragement throughout the race and then being able to revel in the success after was an unbelievably awesome experience. I have already committed to going next year and I hope we have even more people from Silent River go.

Boot Camp

I have to say that this years boot camp was awesome. The seminars were very well done and the participation level from black belts was awesome. The thing that sticks out for me is how some of the participants were able to complete the day even though they thought they couldn't. to see someone push themselves beyond what they thought was possible is truly inspiring and makes me happy that i was able to see it first hand. That is what keeps me engaged in my Kung Fu. Sifu Lindstrom

Unacceptable

I just realized how long its been since I have blogged. It has been way too long and I need to focus more on this. I am back and I will discuss more about what has been going on with me shortly.

Teaching

This blog has been in my mind for a while now but I just couldn't figure out how to express it. Even though I still don't know the best way to express it, I figured I should put something out there as I feel very strongly about this. to start off, I will tell you why I feel the need to be an instructor. 1) It is the best way that I have found to learn something. In order to instruct someone on how to do a technique, you need to understand that technique. The best example of this was in the intermediate class two weeks ago. we were covering knife defence and I asked Sifu Freitag a question on the vertical hammer fist defence. I have been doing this technique for 7 years and it finally saw how to do it correctly. That is why it is so important to be an instructor. 2) I would like to help other people progress. Not just in their kung fu but personally as well. The best way I can do this is by being there to help guide them on their journey with the ultimate goal for them to achieve their black belt. There are more reasons but these are the two that really stick out for me. This is why I help to instruct all the students in the teen/adult classes, the san shou class and the fitness class. It is also why I am always volunteering to cover someone else's class whenever I can. It doesn't just benefit the student, it benefits me as well. After all, I am still and will always be a student.

Free Food!

Now that I have your attention, keep reading for details. We had our first demo of the year on Saturday and it as always, was a lot of fun. Even though I only had a small part in the demo, you still feel like you are a part of something special. We have another demo coming this weekend in Onoway and I hope everyone can make it out for this one as well. Even if you are not comfortable with your form there are always self-defense techniques that can be done. On a side note, my work is having a Bar-B-Q after the parade on Saturday so everyone that is at the demo in Onoway is welcome to come by for a burger or two or more. Hope to see you all.

Acts of Kindness.

I am a little slow in getting this up but here it is. Monday's acts of kindness: - held door open x2 - let person in front of me at store - made eye contact and smiled at server - let vehicle merge x 2 Tuesday's acts of kindness: - held door - let vehicle merge x 2 - made eye contact and smiled at server As you see, a lot of these repeat themselves and as such have become a habit. There are probably more that I don’t remember and that's okay. This way, it keeps it fresh in my mind. It's like my son that says everybody does it that way so how can I change anything? I'm only one person. This attitude is very frustrating for me and I keep telling him that as long as people have that attitude, nothing will change. All change must start with one person, why not be that person?

Round and Round.

Do you ever get the feeling that you are chasing your own tail? Lately, that is what it feels like to me. Certain things that i want to achieve are almost within reach and then wham, you have to change directions and are now going in the other direction. no matter how fast you run, you just cant quite catch it. I have to admit that some of my I Ho Chuan goals have started to dip a little bit (maybe one or 2 a lot). This is where the choice becomes tough, do you try to run faster or stop running in a circle, relax, breathe and figure out a new plan. As soon as you formulate your new plan you realize that your tail is long enough that all you have to do is reach out and grab it and never needed to chase it. I know this is an obscure post but it was the easiest way to explain what i was trying to say.

Bulding Confidence.

Last night in San Shou, we had a mini tournament to determine the champion for session 1. It was an awesome display of control by the students and they really showcased what that class can do for someone. The unfortunate part is that there were only 6 students there which is a little disappointing. I don’t want this to sound like I’m repeating myself because I have blogged in the past about the benefit of this class so I will keep this short. This class may be in danger of being cancelled if students do not start attending and that would be a shame. I think people feel this class is all about sparring when it isn’t, it’s about building your skill set and improving your confidence. If you are unsure about this class then I would like to encourage you to show up on Saturday at 9:00 pm during pandemonium as that hour will be focused on San Shou techniques. This way you can get a feel for what the class is about and what it can do for you. The people who should be in this class are the ones who don’t like to spar. Kevin Lindstrom

I'm Back

I made it back without being eaten by the shark! While I was away, i did a lot of thinking about where I am in my life. The focus of this thinking was where i am in my family. It seems like that is the area of my life that needs the most work. I am trying to formulate a plan of how to fit everything together without sacrificing my commitments to the kwoon but it hasn't been easy. It shall remain a work in progress.

Jaws

It has been an interesting couple of days in Hawaii. we saw a person get hit on a scooter (good thing we didn't rent one of those).The weather has been chilly (warm enough to wear shorts as long a you have on a parka). And the best part is they have closed the beach right in front of us due to a shark attack. Makes you glad it was too cold to contemplate going in the ocean now. The beach is supposed to be open at noon today but they are still patrolling the waters looking for the shark. Its hard being away from the Kwoon but it is nice to be able to spend time with my wife and I am glad that we are here. See you all soon.... Hopefully!! Duh Nuh Duh Nuh Duh Nuh Duh Nuh Duh Nuh Duh Nuh Duh Nuh Duh Nuh......

Rush Fit

It’s been a very busy these last 3 weeks. One of my goals for the I Ho Chuan was to complete the Rush Fit training program 6 times this year. It is an 8 week program and it basically a workout. It takes one to two hour a day and the hardest part is trying to fit it in with everything else I have to do. I am sure we all struggle with time management and an hour or two a day may not seem like a lot, but somedays it can be tough. So how have I managed? There is no secret; I just get up at 6:00am instead of 7:00am now. The first few days were a bit rough, but now not having to worry about trying to fit it in after work is worth it. The San Shou class had 4 students this week (3 I Ho Chuan members) and 6 black belts (2 I Ho Chuan members). I would still like to encourage all I Ho Chuan members to attend this class as it will be the best way to get in your sparring rounds and the class is a lot of fun. Anyway, I will leave it at that. Kevin Lindstrom

Fight, Fight no Spar.

I was a little disappointed with the turnout at San Shou class on Tuesday. We had 2 students show up and 4 Black Belts. Only three of these were part of this years I Ho Chuan team. One of our requirements is to log 1,000 rounds of sparring. What better opportunity than a sparring class to get these rounds in. Some people are intimidated by the thought of a sparring class, but the new structure is ideal for any and all experience levels. The focus of this class is to give you skills that will improve your confidence which will improve your sparring. All members of this years I Ho Chuan team should be attending the San Shou class (black belts included). This is my favorite class as you are learning a variety of skills from a variety of instructors. Whether it is in close fighting, takedowns, leg traps or striking, every week it is fresh and new. There are no more weekly competitions so the stress some people feel over that has been removed as well. I hope all of you realize what an opportunity you are missing here. Remember, it is never too late to join as I didn’t until I was a Sihing. Even though I was losing my first few (quite a few) matches, I learned more about sparring than I had learned in all my previous years in Kung Fu. All the students in that class have great control and they make you feel comfortable. The class is about improving your skills and it’s not about winning your match. I have found that I am now focused more on how I got hit and what I did wrong than how to hit my opponent. I think if some of you came to this class, a lot of you would end up staying. Kevin Lindstrom

Not Thursday

The team is getting together on Thursday evenings to get in more practice time. The problem being, Thursday is one of the only free days I have at home and I cannot give it up. It is important that everyone is aware that I will not be there on these nights as I have to find that balance between the team and my family. I am concerned that when it comes time to start preparing for demos, that Thursdays may become a common thing. There is more I feel I should write about this but I think we can cover that in our next team meeting. Kevin Lindstrom

Faster!

Everyone wants to know how I like the new hair cut or they want to know why I did it. To me it’s only hair and no matter how bad it looks or you seem to think it looks, it will grow back. Sifu Stoddart was incredibly brave to do this and so was Sifu Ryback. I decided to do it to offer support to those two and so they wouldn’t be on stage alone. We are a big family at Silent River Kung Fu and family supports each other. Sherri, you did a great job and overall, it was an awesome experience. Sifu Brinker was right, I do feel faster now. Kevin Lindstrom

Why Blog, Why?

It seems funny to me when I think about. For those of you not inside of my brain right now, I will fill you in. I have not blogged since November 22 and before that seems like forever ago. The question asked is always why not. It’s not like I don’t have lots of ideas and I constantly tell myself I should write about that or maybe this or maybe even this. My problem is that I don’t make it a priority and then the thought passes and I let it go. Why do I do it? This is the question that I asked myself right before I started this blog, so instead of having this conversation with myself I decided to have it with my computer. I follow all the blogs at Silent River Kung Fu and find myself able to relate to a lot of them. So why should I not share my thoughts as well. So here are two things I would like to share: 1) The 1,000 pushup, situp, calorie challenge was a great way to start the year. It made me feel like I took my first step towards achieving something. 2) I was going to try and do 1,000 burpees (squat thrust with the pushup) on Chinese New Years but was unable to. Sometime in the near future, I will attempt as I told people that’s what I was going to do. I shall post on Kwoon Talk when I am attempting this. Until next time.