The Cold Continues

We have had 4 days straight now of whiteout conditions up here with temperatures hovering around the -75 mark. It's times like these that I ask myself why am I here. I know the reason why, but I question if it is really necessary. The answer is of course yes but sometimes I wonder.

The same can be said about training. I have asked myself why I still train a few times over my Kung Fu journey. And the answer is always because I simply enjoy it. The benefits I get far outweigh any of the negatives there might be.

Speaking of that, the camp has been in standby mode so I have actually got a little extra training in. Bonus

Brrrrrrrrrr!!!

That was my day up here yesterday. Whiteout conditions, you can only see 2 feet in front of you and exposed skin freezes in 2 minutes. Just generally a cold day where even inside has a chill to it.

Why am I posting this? Because I thought it was important to share, that even in these conditions, I was still able to train yesterday. The only thing ever holding you back is yourself.

A New Year

We are officially into the year of the Ox for the I Ho Chuan but it somehow feels different this year. This will be my ninth year in a row on the team and it always felt that there was an end to one year and a start of a new one. But not this time (to me anyway).

I am sure it is due to the extraordinary year we have had last year. With most of my training being done remotely or online, I felt like an outsider observing for most of the year. There were a lot of good things last year and I feel like I actually advanced further in some areas than I normally would have. However with that being said,I am ready to be back at the Kwoon.

Let me be clear that I want to be back but only when it is safe and makes sense. Until that happens I will continue to build on what the year of the Rat gave to me and appreciate the fact that I do have the ability to still train.

Adaptability

If this year has taught me anything, it's how to be adaptable. Instead of a long explanation, the picture below will explain it all.

While filming my form today, this happened. What did I do? I found a substitute weapon and carried on. I believe that this past year has helped me to be able to adapt to any situation even the absurd.

And yes there is a video of it breaking.

Why?

As we come to the end of another year of the I Ho Chuan, I have been thinking about why I still train. The first thing that popped into my head is because I enjoy it. It just makes me feel good about myself and like I am accomplishing something.

There are other reasons as well. It is a great way to stay in shape but it also helps me want to stay in shape. In motivates me to continuosly try to improve which also translates to my world outside of Kung Fu. And the biggest reason, is it allows me to hang around with like minded people and that is truly great.

This has not been an ideal year for training and I don't feel like I have been the best black belt I could be. I always felt there was something more I could be doing but I still haven't figured out what that is yet. Motivation has sometimes started to wane but I decide to focus on just doing and continuously trying to improve.

My goal this past year and carrying into this year is to work on sparring and grappling so when we are able to do this I will hopefully be able to pass on some knowledge to the school. That day that we can train together again will come, but for now I keep researching and working on things as best I can.

Continuing Forward

This work rotation has been one of the more difficult ones for me. The weather has been not great and the lack of sunlight does not help. It also doesnt help that the gym was closed for almost a week when we first arrived until all Covid test results were back. I think that the being away from home for so much this past while is starting to catch up with me. I also miss not being able to train like I want to. With the shutdowns and the work, it has been tough to do what I want. My numbers are good but the lack of space to do the form properly, makes it not feel like I am doing enough.

I am hoping that as the weather improves up here and I can start to do some more training at home outside, I will start to feel better about where I am at. I do feel like I am making progress it is just hampered by circumstances. I think that being on the team this coming year will definitely help me continue heading on the right path.

Year of the Ox

The year 2020 ended on a sad note for me. I will not get into details but it was not something I expected to happen. It was just one of many challenges faced throughout the year. In amongst all of this, I was also considering not being on the team next year. I thought I had justified my decision, but as the more time that went by, the more I had doubts. I had a meeting with Sifu Brinker and we discussed my reasoning’s on why I felt I should not be on the team and the benefits of being on the team. I had already second-guessed my decision and the meeting confirmed it. I will be a member of the team next year. With me being gone so much, this is something I need to stay engaged (which is funny because that was one of the reasons I thought about not staying on). I look forward to spending a year with the Ox team.