6.23.11 & 6.26.11

This is getting harder to keep up with as school gets progressively more time consuming, especially when karate isn't all that interesting at the moment. Thursday class was pretty easy, we kind of goofed off more than we actually trained. Yesterday, well, yesterday was not fun. Training on a mere 3 hours of sleep was rough and training after a long night of partying was even worse. Made it through it though, somehow. Haha. I did feel the repercussions today though. It's one of only two times this summer that I've felt sore the morning after training. Class was good though. Tough, but good. We spent most of the time doing combinations and then modifying them a little bit after doing them for a while. Then, there were forms. Oh, how I despise forms. Luckily it was a higher level for that I actually enjoy doing and teaching. Hopefully, we'll start doing more interesting things from here on out though, because I can only do forms for so long before I want to start pulling my hair out!

6.22.11

I went to karate last night with the intention of training, especially since I skipped class on Tuesday night. So, when I showed up to class last night and saw that the head instructor wasn't dressed out and looked as if he was about to leave, I was curious to say the least. He explained though that it made no sense for 3 instructors to be there when there were only 3 people in class (besides me and the other instructor, there was one adult and two kids) So, he left and turned over the class to Michael. Another concern came to mind though as I realized that there were two little kids and one adult, which to say that combination of students is impossible to teach is an understatement. We began class though and warmed up as usual.

Then, the best thing that could have happened did. Michael asked me if I would teach the little kids while he worked with the adult! I was beyond excited. I taught kids for almost 7 years and loved it. They are the most fun to teach because you can just let go and have fun. Teaching kids makes me remember my time training when I was their age. I remember all the fun I had and all the friends that I met. It makes me remember why I am so passionate about martial arts and whenever I work with them I realize that training doesn't always need to be serious. There are the obvious times where we must be disciplined, but we should also continue to have fun with it so we keep enjoying what we're doing, which can be applied to anything that you do in your life.

I really hope that I can get more involved with teaching around here. I love training,  but (as I'm sure I've mentioned before somewhere in one of these posts) teaching is where my true passion lies within martial arts. It is the best feeling in the world to pass on your knowledge of something that you love to others and to see them grow and become better because of your knowledge and instruction. This is the main reason why one day I would really love to own my own studio.

I'm going to end on a side note today. As Michael was giving me a ride home yesterday, the little fact that I had not been in class on Tuesday came up. While talking about this, he made the comment "Yeah, I was kind of worried you weren't there. My first thought was 'I hope she's not lying in a ditch somewhere.' And I meant to message you on Facebook when I got home, but I forgot." What I took from this: You know you train too much when people start worrying about your well-being after missing just one class in the past 3 weeks. Hahahaha.

6.20.11

Class was great last night. I about passed out from how fast paced and difficult some of the things that we did were, but those are the types of classes I love the most. Most people hate being in pain or discomfort, and when the cause is anything other than an awesome class like last night's, I tend to react accordingly. When it comes to feeling the physical pain I do from martial arts though, it just invigorates me even more. It's actually a wonderful feeling. I feel accomplished and proud of myself for making it through these types of training sessions. I don't mind being sore or tired if the cause is from martial arts, and it's when you get to this point that you know you love what you're doing. It makes me fall in love with my martial arts training more each and every day, which I never thought would ever be possible.

6.16.11 & 6. 19. 11

Classes have been good. Nothing new there. I enjoy learning the TSD material (to an extent, some of if just doesn't flow for me, but I'm trying to find the positive in it, like that it is helping me become a more well rounded martial artist in general) I like that it makes me think and expand on what I already know. I'm getting back into the habit of constantly thinking about what makes sense and what techniques work together.

I'm still not physically where I want to be, but that's a long term summer goal. As long as I'm where I want to be by the end of the summer, I'll be satisfied. Which I foresee happening without a doubt now since I've recently decided to make some changes in my personal life that will make everything much less complicated and will allow me to start focusing on the things that really matter to me. Karate most definitely being a priority, only next to my education.

Goals for the next month: 1) Focus on training more on my SBD material, which has proven to be a challenge since I'm alone in this endeavor for right now. 2) Getting my lower back checked out/straightened out so that I can prevent any serious injury so I don't hinder my training in the future.

6.15.11

Good class last night. Did some...interesting combinations.They didn't flow very well and they were kinda difficult but fun nonetheless. Until we started doing jump kicks and I started to feel a pain in my calf. Hopefully this isn't an indication that I'm going to have issues with it this summer, but we'll see. I'm going to take it easy during class tonight and see how it feels. If it starts hurting anymore I don't know what I'll do, because more than likely I'll take a week off. Wonderful -__-

6.14.11

Oh, teaching, how I've missed you so much!

First class I've taught in over 2.5 years (at least) tonight went pretty well. I mean, there was only one other person there, typical of summer since everybody and their brother goes home. Hahaha. But I think overall it was good. My voice is a little scratchy from talking so much though. On a daily basis I hardly ever say a word (wow, I'm just now realizing this, what a weird concept) and I did a complete 180 today by talking the entire class. I can't wait to teach again! :)

Soo Bahk!

6.13.11

Tonight was, well to put it simply, another rough night, mainly because we did the same thing that we did last night (and saying that it kicked my ass is an understatement). I'm physically starting to feel much better while training though. Not at many aches and pains that I frequently ran into when I began my training again, which is success in itself and overall my flexibility is starting to come back (which is AWESOME!).

On the other hand, I'm still not used to the different training surfaces and therefore my technique has decreased. This has been my main focus (besides just getting through some of these classes) for the past couple of training sessions.

 I'm currently happy with how things are going overall though. I'm feeling much more at ease with those whom I train with, which has made the experience more enjoyable overall. I'm excited to see how the rest of the summer goes and to pick up a couple new forms, ho shin sool (wrist grabs), and il soo sik (one step sparring) along the way.

Soo Bahk! :)

Words of wisdom, or so I hope...

The instructor made a very thought provoking statement tonight:

"Martial arts is eternally humbling."

Short & sweet, but very, very true nonetheless. No matter how long you train, you're always going to run into something challenging, where you must then submit to the technique, the pattern, the bag, etc. You are not always going to win. You are not always going to be the fastest or the strongest. And training in the martial arts definitely reminds you of this each and every day. This is why those with egos that exceed their capabilities don't usually last very long. Those who are willing and able to realize that martial arts is more than a "sport", but rather a lifestyle will find they get much more out of their training than those who see it as a contest. Martial arts is not always about being #1, sometimes it's just about getting back up when you've fallen down and keep going on.

6.12.11

Karate was much needed today! I had issues with someone earlier today and I knew the only way I was going to feel better was by training, so thank goodness it wasn't cancelled like I was worried it was going to be. It wasn't very interesting, but it was very physical. It's amazing what adding one simple kick that you've done the entire time you've trained will do to a form. Basically, between the bike ride to & from and the class itself, I'm feeling much, much better and relaxed! Can't wait to go back tomorrow! :)

Soo Bahk!

6.9.11

Trained yet again last night :) Pretty basic class. Learned some of the TSD one-step sparring, which were pretty simple, but kind of confusing at the same time. Some of the combinations just didn't flow very well and didn't make much sense to me. But, oh well, if i want to start teaching then I'm going to have to suck it up and learn them. -_- Speaking of teaching, I'm super pumped because I'll be teaching my first class on Tuesday! :D I'm kind of nervous, which is a weird feeling since I love teaching. I guess it's mainly because of the fact that I'm probably not completely prepared to dive in and start teaching TSD yet. Physically, I know I'm ready and capable, with the exception of a few minor aches and pains here and there, nothing new there haha. Mentally, I'm definitely going to have to pump myself up. Until then, I'm just going to stick with being nervous and hopefully getting it all out of my system before Tuesday. :)

Soo Bahk!

6.8.11

Did pretty much the same thing tonight that we've been doing all week. The only exception was that tonight I worked with the instructor on kind of learning one of the TSD forms, which was awkward and interesting at the same time. The best part of tonight was after class though. The president of the TSD club on campus was giving me a ride home when he asked me if I would be interested in teaching some classes, which I was ecstatic about! And he also asked if I would like to become more involved in the club, like in a leadership position, which is awesome as well because many of the upper level members will be graduating soon, so they need to start finding people to take over the club and I'm here for another 3 years, which is possibly the longest out of the higher ranking members. 

Back to teaching though, I haven't taught a full class in well over 2 years now and it's the one piece that has been missing since I've started training again. I didn't ever think I'd have the chance to teach outside of my studio, so when he asked me if I'd be interested I was shocked and thrilled and honored all at the same time. It means a lot to me that he would ask me to teach mainly because, even though our styles are almost identical to each other, they are still two separate federations now. This is quite possibly the best thing that has happened to me in a while, especially karate-wise. I'm so excited to start preparing and learning the TSD material that I don't know so I can start teaching ASAP!

Soo Bahk!

(& now I guess I should also start adding) 

Tang Soo! :)

6.7.11

Short class last night, but good nonetheless. Definitely starting to feel the side effects of training 5 out of the past 7 days, but hey, there's no better pain or soreness than that from which you love doing. Onto training session 6 since last Wednesday. Can't wait! :)


Soo Bahk!

Last night I realized something

I've been training for 15 years this week. I'm so proud to say that I've spend 15 out of my 20 years dedicated to Soo Bahk Do. I'm so lucky to have found something that I love at such a young age. It's made an impact on my life that I can't even begin to describe. No matter what happens, there's nothing and no one that can stop me from training. I can't wait to see what the rest of my training holds for me, even though it might be some of the hardest training of my life, I wouldn't have it any other way. :)

SOO BAHK!

6.6.11

Another great night at karate tonight. Pretty much a repeat of last night, minus the walk there and the bike ride home. Definitely going to sleep like a baby again tonight! 

On that note, goodnight and Soo Bahk! :)

6.5.11

What a day! 2 mile walk to karate. An hour of really intense training. Another mile walk to my bike. Then, a 2.4 mile bike ride home. Needless to say, I'm absolutely beat! But at the same time, it feels wonderful!!!

As for karate (since that's the actual point of this blog :p), I was very pleased tonight. I trained with the more senior instructor off campus, who's also a third dan, who I wasn't exactly happy with last Wednesday, but that's in the past. I got much more respect this time around and he even pointed out that the others should be doing their technique like mine (on one specific occasion) and he asked me for my input a couple of times, which is a total 180 from last Wednesday when he basically called me out in front of the entire class, disrespecting my rank and training. As I said earlier though, this is all in the past now. What matters is that I know he does actually respect my rank and training, and that's the most important part.

Class tonight wasn't particularly hard, just really physical. We basically did basics and combinations the entire time, both hand and foot techniques. They were much different than what I'm used to, so some of them proved to be a little bit of a challenge, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. :p We finished up with 3 or 4 forms, one of which I did absolutely terrible on, but that's to be expected since that was probably the second time I had done it in...8+ years, literally. It was from a group of forms that we have just started to integrate back into our program, when I left for college, which is obviously no help to me. Haha.

Overall, today was really great. Lots of great exercise, all thanks to the buses not running in Blacksburg on Sundays, but hey, it was definitely much needed and it definitely doesn't hurt. Plus, it was later in the evening so the temperature had dropped and I was able to enjoy exploring Blacksburg at the best time of the day. :)

Goodnight & Soo Bahk! :)

6.2.11

Even though I was sore as all yesterday I still went to class, of course. Hahaha. It was good. Got back down to some real basics: stances. All in all, it was much better than Wednesday night, which I discussed with the instructor last night which gave me some peace of mind on the whole situation. I'm even more sore today though. I'm going to take the next 2 days to seriously do some rest and recovery. It's good to feel the pain of being sore again, even though it means that I'm out of shape, it also means that I've had good classes, I've been working hard and that I'm making progress. :)

Soo Bahk! :)

6.1.11

Not exactly happy. Training was alright. Everything else kind of sucked. I'm sick of doing jumping kicks and flying jump kicks, especially on tile floors like tonight. My knees and ankles can't take much more of it. Also, really irked by the lack of understanding of what sparring really is and the lack of respect I felt like I received tonight, but I may just be imagining that. Oh well, nothing can be done about that now. Time to study and go to bed.