Moving past the Awkward

You don’t need to be great to get started, but you do need to get started to be great. There is a lot to be said for learning a new weapon and getting a form together.  It is really cool to see where everyone is at with their weapons, but what is always really awesome is seeing how far each will come in a couple months.

Basically at the point of just getting comfortable with the weapon itself.  And while I am certainly behind on where I should be considering beta version was due last class, I am not nervous about the direction I have to go.  At least the Sai’s are finally past the stage of incredible awkwardness.  Now is the fun part.  I like the idea of visualization for my form development.  I guess everyone has their own approach, but what I find works best for me is visualization.  I start to with an opponent, add a formidable weapon and envision an attack.  I let my body do what feels natural and let things come together in that respect.  I am not sure if this is a good approach, but it is just what has worked for me in the past.

On advice from Sifu I was able to find the right person for helping in a particular move I was working on which has helped maintain balance and make the motion more fluid and functional.  Thank you Sifu’s.

Well now that the awkward stage is over with, the first display of incompetence in front of the I Ho Chuan group is over, I am really looking forward to making some headway on my chosen weapon.

Developing a Growth Mindset

I recently listened to a TED talks presenter that was speaking on the concept of mindsets.  In his presentation he revealed the differences between what was coined a fixed mindset vs. a growth mindset.  Essentially we all approach problem solving in one of these two methods, the difference being each has a different perspective on intelligence and performance.  A fixed mindset reasons that success is a by-product of ability and natural talent.  A growth mindset differs in the fact that it equates success as the result of reflection, correction and willingness to learn.

The difference in mindset is best summed up in two sentences.  I can’t do that vs. I can’t do that yet.  It is suggested by the presenter that this view on intelligence/performance is critical in our success, where studies have shown fixed mindset thinkers resulted in an unwillingness to grow, to be challenged and led to stunted performance.  Growth mindset alternatively resulted in people that sought out more complex challenges, and had a higher capacity for learning.

Naturally I reflected on my own attitudes toward performance and found that in many circumstances I was a fixed mindset thinker.  Looking at some very noticeable challenges that face me in my Kung Fu training I often equate my inability to move forward to a God given lack of talent.  This way of thinking stunts progress.  In your own training, have you ever said, well I am just not a side kick guy, or, I never had the flexibility for that.  This my friend, is a fixed mindset way of thinking. 

The more I thought on this, the more I realized I had heard this exact concept before.  Mastery, by Stuart Emery outlines this exact concept of developing a growth mindset. If you haven’t, I would encourage you to read this, or review it and follow the link and listen to this TED talk.  See if you too can draw the parallels between a growth mindset and the concepts of achieving mastery.

Does the sentence “correct, don’t protect” ring a bell. A “protect” attitude is a fixed mindset thinker.  A “correct” attitude is a growth mindset.

Of course our Kung Fu training requires hard work, grit, determination, but perhaps these are just the product of the mindset in which we approach our training.

http://youtu.be/pN34FNbOKXc

Gratitude

I am currently reading “Walking a Tiger’s Path” by Margitte Hilbig.  There is a lot to be taken from this book.  This read, combined with a Kung Fu magazine that I have read to tatters and an article regarding Kung Fu early origins in North America really hit home how lucky and fortunate we are to be studying Kung Fu. 

In this world where entitlement seems to be the norm, I was humbled by the relatively short history that Kung Fu has had in North America.  The fact that we can study Kung Fu in a place like Silent River is a real privilege. A privilege that would not have been available to me a mere 50 years ago.

It makes me appreciate what I have.  It makes me want to learn about our lineage and history.  It makes me want to train even harder.  It makes me want to thank the pioneers of Kung Fu in North America including the Sifu’s that take the time to train us. To them we all owe a great debt of gratitude.

Year of the Horse recap

“Restlessness is discontent and discontent is the first necessity for progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man, and I will show you a failure.”  Thomas Edison.

Well the year of the horse I feel was neither thoroughly satisfying nor a failure for me.  In reflection, there were some very glaring misses with some very life changing successes.  I am not sure if this is the right way to approach the I Ho Chuan, but I really believe some goals are of higher importance than others.  In a sense I would have felt a great deal of failure if certain items were not accomplished.  From that perspective I am happy with what was completed this year.

I place a high amount of importance on my personal goals.  For me, over the last three years in the I Ho Chuan some of my greatest life successes have been a result of these.  This year was no exception.  Time at the youth camp proved to be one of the highlights of my year, and has led to a continued commitment in that respect.  I am very grateful for that. 

Every year I am faced with the same challenge of extended periods away from the Kwoon. While the situation is similar year after year, quite often the circumstances are very different.  Last season was a year of solitude and field camps, this year proved to be even a greater challenge due to larger time commitments, and tons of driving from job to job. The only thing consistent was inconsistency.  Even with that though, the formula remains the same.  Keep up with the pushups and situps, continue with the journaling, maximize sleep and eat as healthy as possible under circumstance.  Stray from that formula and engagement falls off the rails.

My weapon in retrospect was good and bad.  For me, the weapon selection is highly important, and the rope dart was very risky knowing that space is at a premium when on the road.  The weapon took a tremendous amount of my time this year at the sacrifice of some of the other requirements no doubt. Looking back I would not have changed my decision however.

Looking forward into the year of the sheep, I am really excited.  After three years, I think I am at a place now that I see the forest for the trees.  I am not afraid of failure, just more aware of its presence and less inclined to make excuses.  Failures force you to reflect, which I think is critical in the process of mastering anything. In reality though, it is the successes that add value. The no quit policy I think is there for that main reason. No matter what the circumstance, no matter what the outcome, at the end of the year you will come out better than when you started.  Knowing you did not quit, is a success in its own right.

Pyramid rebuild

I have recently been completing a great deal of review of previous curriculum and am really unimpressed with what is not coming to me second nature.  We speak of training as a pyramid in which a strong established base leads to a successful uprising of the training pyramid.

Call it neglect of the pyramid base, but I think it has led to some bad habits.  I think that at times when we train we sometimes get a little ignorant of what makes the pyramid….the pyramid.  It is not something that can be established and forgotten, but has to be revisited, practiced and re-polished more often than we realize.

For the time being the focus is going to be reworking things from the beginning, rebuilding the blocks that have been neglected.

A good dose of support

I just returned from field camp in Red Earth yesterday.  It is awesome to know that things are really going to turn into full on Kung Fu mode for the next few months anyway, as nothing seems to be on the horizon for field work.

I just want to give a great thank you to all the support that the students and Sifu's have offered to me in order to get my kung fu feet back up and running.  Mostly though, I want to thank my wife and family for the support they have shown in the last little while.  The picture is what I came down to find in my Kung Fu laboratory tonight.

Support is so grand when you embark on a program like the I Ho Chuan.  I am fortunate to have a wonderful supportive family, and furthermore a great group of people at Silent River.

So on another note, I found an excellent way to practice rearward break falls.  Sitting on a large exercise ball, roll backward for a controlled type fall to the mats.  I noticed the Kwoon had a couple of these balls as well.  I find this is a great intermediate transition method for people trying to make the jump from a rear break fall from the squat position, to a full on airborne rearward fall.  The ball allows for a slower descent that is more controlled and easier to time, helping to build confidence to a fall that might be required in a throw for instance.

Anyway, hope to see you all the Kwoon this week.

Vince.

January 11, 2015

I have recently returned to town and was able to get into the Kwoon for the first time in a couple months.  Running into training partners again has been excellent.  The last two days since I have been home has been an exceptional time of refocus.  It has started with a revamp of my training area, which has been converted from a dusty bowflex with toys hanging all over it, to a dedicated kung fu area.  It is small, but it will provide a good place to study and work on some essentials.

I am starting with a good deal of motivation.  Carrying the momentum is always an issue, but routine resulting in positive habits, accountability, and reflection will aid in success.  Time seems to fly as always, but I seem to have a clarity for what has to get accomplished.  Probably more so than I have in a long time.

In terms of scheduling, I have one more bout of work for a period of possibly a week, starting Friday.  Following that, it is pretty likely work will be buzzing off for a period of time.