Thursday, May 06, 2010

I'm in training. Yay.

When ever life throws me a fast ball (curve ball? I don't really 'get' baseball metaphor) I find myself embracing kung fu ever deeper. All of the trouble, irritations and pain of daily life only serve to further deepen my connection to the one thing that brings me pleasure, release and confidence. In the end it will just be me, some cats, and about 105 Quyen, or forms, I'm sure. Right now I know about 15, in case you were wondering.

So, IKC, the big martial arts tournament in Long Beach grows ever closer and I've decided to shake off my current bout of setbacks and really concentrate on my form. From today I have almost exactly 3 months. I've worked in walking/jogging 4 days a week, plus extra practices on Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun. Although, in all honesty, some of these practices are less intense than others. A rigorous teaching schedule makes it hard to get the most out of the in class sessions. I need to step up my game plan and get more of a hardcore training in 3 x a week or more. I've been trying to work in a lot of sparring and self defense drills, as well as full speed form practices until I can't breathe any more. That's like, 2.

I don't have too many stats to memorize, but I weigh in at 120.5 lbs right now, and get pretty out of breath after doing about 2 thirds of the Rose Form. One of my shoulders has been bothering me a lot, as does one of my knees. I will keep you updated, sports fans, on the amazing differences my training schedule will bring. I tend to drop weight fast when I want to, but I do find it challenging to maintain stamina. It feels like the first time I take a nap, I'm right back to where I started from.

I want to bring home another 1st place trophy this year. That's the goal of all of this self torture. Well, trophies, and to further strength the bond between body, mind and chi. After all, if I don't have Kung Fu, I ain't got nuthin'. Oh, also, I will soon be writing about the philosophical and historical aspects of Kung Fu. Stay tuned for that bit of wit and genius.

Monday, May 03, 2010

Mermaid Art Giveaway at eWitch

A friend of mine from eWitch is giving away some of her lovely fantasy themed digital art. Visit the blog post for a chance to win your choice of mermaid or merman (rowr) print!