February 28, 2016

The first week entirely devoted to Monkey team was a neat experience.  New weapons, enthusiasm, confusion, excitement. 

For me, it will be the first time I am returning to a weapon I spent some time on.  My past experience with the rope dart was interesting because training on this weapon meant most of the techniques were constructed by winter practice in a 8x12 foot living room with many things to break.  As a result, the form from that time resulted in something very linear, hemmed in by the confines of my training area.

My hope for the rope dart this year is to apply some class to the form, incorporating something more than a string of linear techniques pasted haphazardly together. I want a form that is going to show the dart well enough, but rather show the Kung Fu and intent to the motion.

I think I have my work cut out for me. Space is always tough to find, so that element has not changed.  What is different however, is that I have a vision of what I want in my brain, hopefully I can get that to translate.

February 21, 2016

On our way back from the banquet yesterday evening, while stopped at the red light by the McDonalds in Stony Plain heading back to Edmonton, a drunk driver narrowly missed killing my son and I.  How is that for a concoction of emotions throughout the day.

The driver, estimated at travelling over 130km/hr ricocheted off two vehicles also stopped at the light beside us. If his vehicle were ten feet further south, we would have been the prime target of this vehicular missile. Vehicle parts rained down like confetti, my son thought a gun had gone off from the sound of the collision and he was crying. The sound of panicked people resonated.

Today, I had a great deal to reflect on.  I thought mostly on being in a room with the Sheep team only a couple hours prior, Sifu Brinker reminding us the importance of taking in this very moment.  That exact miracle experienced exactly that way will never be experienced again. Cherish it. Remember it.  Be thankful for it.  

February 14, 2015

This year will be the first banquet that my two kids will attend.  For whatever reason, circumstances have never worked in our favour for them to be a part of the awards ceremony in times past.

I am most excited at this because I don’t believe I have done a good job at relaying exactly what I do at Kung Fu.  I think there is a real realm of mystery with a lot of my friends and family as to what it is all about.  Most often I find my audience is lost in the first explanation that Kung Fu is not synonymous with Judo, Karate, or Tai Kwon Do. 

No doubt, my kids have come accustomed to household weirdness such as nunchuk socks, rakes that get articulated on the front lawn, or an extension cord becoming a rope dart for a moment.  That's all in good fun, but more importantly, my focus should be placed on the true nuts and bolts of what Kung Fu is to me. I am hoping that in the future I do a better job of translating the importance of Kung Fu in my life to the people I most care about.   

     

February 7, 2016

Recently on a radio-thon generating donations for a charity that was aiding with homelessness, a comment was said, “Really we are all just one decision, or circumstance away from being in a similar situation as people struggling on the street”.  That really hit home with me, and made me think about the importance of mindfulness in our days and decisions.

The thought was further solidified today while backcountry skiing in the mountains well west of Banff with a very good friend of mine. Our plan was to ascend up Vermilion Peak. The route required a switchback uphill climb through a tree region burned several years ago to the alpine and then a traverse along the ridge to the summit. As it would have it, the burn region had changed in that the undergrowth was very significant making the old route impassable. The gully had a major life threatening slide that probably had released yesterday covering tracks from skiers either that day or the day before.  From a snow stability stand point this can be an indicator of both good and bad things which I won’t go into here. 

At that point, the current avalanche conditions, the condition of the snowpack, temperature, weather, inexperience with the location, we turned around with very little consideration for continuing and headed for another location.  On our way down, we met 10 other individuals that made the decision to continue to climb up the avalanche path.  I can’t get out of my brain that had this slide happened at the wrong time today, there would likely be 10 buried bodies.

Just two unrelated things this week that really emphasized the importance of mindfulness in all that we do.