Opportunity From Injury

I know my hockey years are major contributors to the mindset that I can push through any pain and if I’m not hurting then I’m not pushing myself hard enough. Respecting injuries and pursuing mindful recovery have never been my forte but I do recognize the importance of wise progression when it comes to training.

Some of my greatest training breakthroughs have come about due to a major injury. My first of five knee surgeries transformed me from a kicker to a more balanced fighter. A major car accident put me on the path to study holistic healing and give me major insight into the internal harmonies. A fractured ankle and chronic shoulder swelling forced me to throttle back my weapons training and share the demonstrating responsibilities with my qualified students.

All injuries feel like setbacks when I first suffer them but when I stay optimistic and mindful, every one of them represent an opportunity.

“Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records.” - William Arthur Ward (1921 - 1994)

Otter Therapy

It was disappointing to see the new regime in Libya start exactly where the old one left off. The destructive cycle of hate marches on. Maybe I am being naive but it seems like so many of our problems could be easily solved by taking just a single step. An act of kindness has more power than an act of hatred but seeing that potential can be difficult.

A few months ago I read an article about a litter of orphaned otters at the Valley Zoo. Their mom died of cancer shortly after their birth. After seeing the pictures in that article I realized that the only thing in the world cuter than an otter is a baby otter. Those cute little guys can bring clarity to anyone’s perspective. We need more otters.

“We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to let us love one another.” - Jonathan Swift (1667 - 1745)

The Process

I am coming to the end of my final official UBBT. UBBT 8 is my third consecutive Ultimate Black Belt Test and since the changes to the program require a person to be eligible to rank for a higher degree, UBBT 9 is not an option available to me. After three years and over 150,000 pushups later, the UBBT is fully entwined into my life and will always be a part of me. I am putting the final touches on my Student UBBT Team for 2012 and will be hitting the ground running. I have a lot I want to accomplish so there is no time to waste. Official UBBT or not, the process continues.

“How long should you try? Until.” - Jim Rohn - (1930 - 2009)

"P" is for Passion

Steve Jobs passed away this week. As a hardcore Macintosh user, I am the first to recognize the huge impact this man has had on my life. Seeing the tributes continue to flow in, there is no doubt that he has impacted almost everyone and his legacy will continue to do so long after his death. Everything already feels different with him gone.

It seems ironic to me that while Mr. Jobs is being recognized as one of the greatest CEOs of modern times, that recognition tends to gloss over exactly what made Steve Jobs different. It wasn’t just a matter of taste, as Steve would put it, but more about passion. Steve Jobs loved Apple and he believed in what Apple was doing. His vision was always about the long term future of the company he ran, not instant shareholder gratification. I can only imagine what our economy would be like now if all CEOs actually managed as if their responsibility lay with the company rather than the shareholders.

Somewhere we have lost our way. People are using the stock market as a roulette wheel — buying and selling stock in companies they don’t even care about in an attempt to make a quick and easy profit. As long as this continues, corporate strategy will continue to revolve around shareholder greed rather than company need.

Steve Jobs took Apple from the brink of collapse to make it the most valuable company in the world in just over ten years. Apple’s shareholders have made gigantic profits and they did so without having the company’s future compromised for quick and easy shareholder gratification. The answer to much of the world’s financial crisis may be found in Steve Jobs’ approach. Whether or not our greed allows us enough vision to recognize it remains to be seen.

“I was worth over $1,000,000 when I was 23, and over $10,000,000 when I was 24, and over $100,000,000 when I was 25, and it wasn’t that important because I never did it for the money.” - Steve Jobs (1955 - 2011)

"T" is for Tradition

Culture and tradition continue to have a major influence on my kung fu. Everything that has been passed down over the past couple of thousand years has a purpose that is as pertinent today as it ever was.

The stances, the movements, the subtle nuances that go into conveying an expression — they all bring a Chinese lion to life. As an instructor I watch in fascination when I teach a student the lion dance and how their head movement and facial expressions mimic that of the lion they are controlling. Their spirit becomes entwined with the spirit of the lion. This connection between student and lion cultures a person’s empathy and eye for detail. To move like a lion, one must think like a lion. In order to translate those lion thoughts into lion action, one must have acute body awareness. This is the reason why this ancient tradition continues to hold so much reverence in the kung fu community —the strongest lion dancers become the strongest martial artists and the strongest martial artists are the best lion dancers.

The dragon dance is very new to me. Mastering the dragon dance has been a goal of mine for a long time and as of last weekend I have begun this journey. The dragon dance requires synchronization with the entire team (10 on our team) in order to give the dragon life. The dragon’s head is completely static when it comes to expression so everything must be conveyed by the movement of the body. Like the lion dancer, the dragon dancer must also connect with the spirit of the dragon they are controlling but they must take that connection a step further by extending their awareness to include the rest of the team. While my team has only been together for a total of two hours, I am awestruck at how fast their connection is developing and how that connection is translating to exponential improvement in their performance.

Chinese New Year is less than four months away and for me the preparations for the festival dominate my time and my spirit. I feel more engaged in my art at this time of year and my motivation and drive are always at their peak. Having something new to learn and master and share with so many positive people will make this year that much more special.

"Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Without innovation, it is a corpse." - Winston Churchill (1874 -1965)

"D" is for Dragon Dance

Yesterday marked a milestone for Silent River Kung Fu when we held our first ever dragon dance practice. Our dragon has been in storage for a couple of years waiting in anticipation for Chinese New Year 2012 - The Year of the Dragon and Saturday was our first chance to dust it off and take it for a spin. We also used this practice as an opportunity to test out our new ‘Lion Cam‘ — an Oregon Scientific HD action video camera. We attached the camera to the dragon’s nose and recorded the dance practice from the dragon’s point of view. At one point of the embedded video there is a picture in picture feature where you can see both points of view simultaneously.

Thanks to SRKF’s Student UBBT Team for your efforts in our first ever practice. Despite this being the first time any of you have tried this sort of thing, you guys did great. I have no doubts that your performance come Chinese New Year will do our school proud.

“Practice is the best of all instructors” — Publilius Syrus

Knowledge

The eternal challenge in kung fu is figuring out how to maintain quality in your skill across your curriculum before something else falls off your plate. It does not matter where your goal in mastery lies, there are always new ideas and concepts to learn and adopt while staying proficient with your existing expertise. I see my kung fu studies and associated responsibilities as being comprised of three major components — maintenance, mastery, and accrual.

I maintain the majority of my knowledge with a broad focus. In maintenance mode, I keep as much of my curriculum in front of me as possible. I make sure I have a strong working understanding and basic execution of the principles. My goal is to minimize any  proficiency erosion.

I have only a few techniques and forms in mastery mode at any given point of time. My focus is narrowed and I devote most of my eye for detail upon mastering these few techniques. Typically, I will rotate a single form and maybe five applications through a mastery phase each year while the rest of my arsenal  remains in maintenance mode.

Accrual of new knowledge comes from both outside and inside sources. When I am working on mastering technique, my main focus is on developing the six harmonies in the technique. This attention to detail will always open new insights that can be applied across the spectrum of my knowledge. I am accruing new knowledge on a daily basis by devoting myself to mastering my existing knowledge.

Accrual of knowledge from a source outside of my immediate style puts a lot of pressure upon my training structure. Learning something new and different is exciting. Since the new, exciting knowledge is the shiniest thing in my kung fu, I always want to practice it. As with everything, nothing is for free and this new focus comes at the expense of mastering and maintaining my old techniques.

For me, perspective is the key to proper balance in my training. It is easy for me to get lazy and focus on the new rather than the old if I am not taking care of my mental well being. I try to start everyday by giving thanks for the knowledge I have and reminding myself of those who trusted me enough to pass it on to me. The sense of responsibility that comes with this mindful approach is usually the only incentive I need to stay the course.

“I’m not young enough to know everything.” — Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)