Teaching

Last night I had the privilege of working with the black belts on grappling with the focus being on basics. You need to have a different mindset as the focus needs to be more on what they need to look for in the students but to also explain why. I learned a lot last night as the questions were really insightful and this helped me analyze what I am trying to accomplish when I am teaching. If you get the opportunity to instruct a class, do it as you will learn so much more about the technique and why we do it that way. Thank you all for the great class.

Communication

This week I want to talk about my communication skills or more specifically my lack of them. I have a hard time expressing my thoughts and what I am feeling in all aspects of my life. It is something that I am well aware of but also something I have not been able to improve very much. This hinders me in my relationships and in my ability to get assistance when I have a problem.

Last year was a struggle for me as I was away so much and didn't ask for help from the team. I would say that my inability to communicate my struggles led me down a path of failure and ultimately regret. I need to find a way to change my mindset on this and not worry about how foolish I think I look when I need help.

I have already asked Sifu Ryback to help we with my weapon form but I hope that I can ask others for help this year and that they will help hold me accountable for my actions or inactions.