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