Sifu Stoddart: I DID IT! I DID IT! I DID IT!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

I DID IT! I DID IT! I DID IT!

Yes I did it! I finally figured out something. I started learning this new move with my rope dart, that can be kind of cool. I wrap the dart around the back of my neck and use my rotation of my neck to direct the dart to reverse direction. What isn't so cool is that every time I do the move, my glasses go flying and the rope just about rips my ear off. I tried keeping my hand close to my neck while holding the rope, and for a couple times, it seems to kind of work. It just wasn't consistently working and still clipped my ear slightly. I thought the best thing would be to have Sifu Brinker watch me and see if he had any idea of what I could do to make the move work smooth. I never seem to connect with him, so just kept trying different things. Then yesterday!

It is impossible to slow down the rope dart enough to properly annalyse the dynamics and technique within a move. Yesterday, I slowed it down as much as I could and just kept going over that one move again and again. Finally, it clicked, and I figured it out. I was tucking my chin too much which made the dart violently flip up and clip my ear and glasses, while changing direction of movement. By lifting my chin, it moved the rope in a more fluent motion, and kept it away from my ear and glasses. I also used more of my hips and upper body for rotation, along with my neck, rather than relying on just my neck. It kind of goes along with the bones, muscles, and tendons all moving together as one, instead of trying to just use my neck muscles for the motion. It is so much more fluent, and smooth, and less dangerous too.

I had anxieties every time this move came along in the form, and I know for sure my face showed it as I would grit my teeth, and scrunch up my face in anticipation of the . . . discomfort the move was causing. Now as I practice it more and more, I can relax and enjoy the excitement of the move, therefore making it too, look kind of cool.

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My 20 Wishes. . .I want to do:
1. Vacation in a cabin in the mountains.
2. Fall in love.
3. Travel somewhere exotic.
4. Buy a motorcycle.
5. Write my life story.
6. Take my kids and grandkids to Disneyland.
7. See my dad again and have him meet my kids, and grandkids,
8. Hike the West Coast Trail. (done)
9. Buy my own home.
10. Climb a Via Ferrata. (done)
11. Have corrective eye surgery.
12. Find a reason to trust. (Done)
13. Perform with chi.
14. Go caving.(done)
15. Learn to play piano again.
16. Go Skinny Dipping. (done)
17. Take swimming lessons.
18. Take a wood working class.
19. Take Ballroom dance lessons.
20. Straighten my front teeth.

My 20 Wishes. . .I want to be:
1. Conscious
2. Loyal
3. Faithful
4. Good parent
5. Respectful
6. Talented martial artist
7. Healthy
8. Physically fit
9. Reliable
10. Trustworthy
11. A good grandparent
12. Awakened
13. Honest
14. Independent
15. Strong of character
16. Confident
17. A leader
18. Uplifting to others
19. Full of a positive countenance
20. Free from suffering

I love adventures, and experiencing new things for the first time. Never has this been more true than in the experiences I get from kung fu. Earning a black belt seemed to be all about me. I sacrificed, worked real hard, disciplined myself, and grew to new heights I never thought possible. I watched my life change before my very eyes. Not just small changes, but big ones that even I noticed.

Being a black belt seems to be more about others. I help others to meet their potential through their own sacrifice, and determination. As I do this, I find great fulfillment watching others change the shape of their lives, and find their own sense of peace. Black belts are just ordinary people, but doing extraordinary things, at an extraordinary level. Through this realization, we start to evolve from black belts to true martial artists, with a passion for the art that we strive to pass on to others. We continue on our path of progression, but it is through our sacrifice towards others that changes occur.

I have a huge testimony of what we do at Silent River Kung Fu. I rejoice every time I teach a class, especially the beginners, and my heart swells when I see the future of kung fu in the excited eyes of the students. By helping these students find a new way to look at life, we help them become better individuals, through their own realization of self worth. This in turn builds stronger communities, and a much more positive world to live in. When we fully understand that, we start to look outside of the kung fu box, and begin to see that vision of what we are really doing as we teach kung fu. Instead of just seeing the techniques and the forms, the mistakes people do and the improvements people need to make, we start to finally see...the people.

Students come to Silent River Kung Fu because they have this idea that learning martial arts is fun. They keep coming back because it is fun. What most students don't even realise, is that they also keep coming back because here they feel respected, cared about, and they receive a sense of belonging. What is the first thing we do when we taste something really good? We try to get someone else to taste it by saying, "wow! You've got to try this." It is important to give all students, whether they are new or not, that experience that will make them say, "you've got to try this." Every student that walks through the front door should feel like they are a part of our kung fu family. We can do that by seeing...the people. Watching with an eye for detail, to see their needs, their emotions, their strengths, and their apprehensions. Only by doing that can we really begin to teach, and help shape the lives of others. From my own experience, I believe this to be the only way to progress to that next level as a martial artist. I believe it, I have experienced it, I trust it.