The Journey Begins....

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by corksil

A cup is made of clay. But only the space at the center can hold water.

I get it...

[corksil]

Originally Posted by csmith12

I get it...

Well then. Perhaps you can explain it to the class.

Me personally, I never did get it. I grew tired of trying, so I left -- and in doing so; founded a new school of teaching.

I call it the "I have no fcking clue what I'm talking about, but feel free to interject."

[csmith12]

My new 3 section staff is here! Mail man just dropped it off! Lol, my first attempts at handling it feel like hitting a soccer ball with a football bat. I sooooo got my work cut out for me.

[corksil]

I'm not entirely sure that there is a bat involved with football playing.

Even if you are referring to futbol, a sport which involves feet and a partially inflated round rubber ball and goal posts --- not to be confused with football, which involves a sharp-edged rubber ball inflated to a much higher pressure than soccer/futbol which is tossed around with hands and I think there is tackling involved.

I'm gonna stick to motorcycling for the time being, it's a hell of a lot simpler -- even with complex mechanisms referred to as engines involved.

Crankshaft geometry, 1.75:1, oversquare -- underbore. The magic happens when we examine the fuel involved in driving the machine.

Make no assumptions. Safety first.

And above all else -- if you ain't havin fun, you ain't doin it right.

[csmith12]

Getting better with the 3 section staff, it's taking a long time. But we took a break from the training to do something completely different.

Silence was our focus. We tried to do our forms/katas without making a single sound. God... we suck. So we started by just walking on carpet barefoot. After a new minutes, we are as silent as a cat but takes nearly all of our concentration. Next we try hardwood, again after a few minutes, we are completely silent again but must know the floor to not step near where it creaks. Next we try grass, much harder... but we can get it pretty quiet. Finally before we stop for the night, we try gravel. It took a long time to get even remotely close to quiet and even when fairly quiet, the instructor could here us a mile away lol. I guess we will have to learn to walk all over again.

I then put myself in the front and just sat, slowed everything down and just "listened". You will be surprised what you can here. The breath of a person, your own heartbeat, a wasp buzzing around 20ft away. What fascinated me the most was hearing the pocket change of a person in the waiting room, behind closed doors, through glass.

[corksil]

It has been my understanding that sounds are directly linked to thoughts in the human brain. Continuing along in the same vein, sounds are linked to feelings and the experiences which those feelings arose from.

It has been proven that certain sounds can cause a person to feel a certain way -- completely independent of their conscious brain. If you find yourself feeling a certain way all of a sudden, think about your environment and listen for a second. Sounds typically repeat themselves in a rhythmic way for some time, fading in and out with regard to their distance from the ear.

Silence is what tells us to be aware. We hear things, and often think nothing of them as most people are too preoccupied with what they are presently doing to remain constantly and consciously aware of their surroundings at all times.

It has also been my observation as a student of life that the various different martial arts all stem from the same core beliefs and concepts. Situational awareness, at all times, under any circumstance. Once learned, the skill can be fostered -- not unlike the way a parent raises a child -- and once strengthened and sharpened over time with lots of attentive dedication, the skill can become strong. I call it intuition, but we all must make sense of the world in our own ways as we are all individuals existing in this world from completely different mental perspectives. Call it whatever you please, or call it nothing. To try and define something is to try and compartmentalize it into a neat little mental construct from which the ego feels 'safe' because it feels as if it has attained some degree of competence and control of this chaotic world in which we all live for the time being.

All I know, is that I do not know. Follow those who claim to seek the truth, and run far, faaar away from those that claim to have found it.

EDIT --- the point I was trying to make is that silence seems to be the thing that makes us most aware; if one is indeed paying attention. In a theoretical prehistoric setting, a caveman would sit in his cave and listen to the howling of wolves or various other predators seeking to do him harm from a great distance. The time for concern would be when the howling had ceased -- signalling to him that perhaps he was being hunted and that the hunter was nearby and watching his movements. The silence is a void, a gap, a hollow space --- and in that hollow space, the awareness can expand.

I'll try to come up with another example -- camping in a forest. You may be dimly aware that bears are nearby, yet you won't feel as if there is cause for alarm until all sound ceases. It's the icy tingle down the back of your neck that "something is watching me."

In a more modern sense, my brain doesn't notice the subtle and faint sound of a dryer running for an hour. It's just a constant hum in the back of my thought processes. Yet, the second the sound ceases, brain says "time for action!" By paying conscious attention to things that seem trivial and completely pointless, we learn to expand our awareness in new directions.

If you run into any issues with your boy, tell him that "he who gets mad first, loses." I wish you the best of luck in all ways, shapes, and forms.

[csmith12]

Update, all this stuff is FINALLY starting to work. My son is starting to see how the little things effect the bigger things. And... the bonus! His patience is starting to grow. He still has much to learn though, as he no tolerance.

The boy's progress with the rope dart is coming along very slowly. He has the basics down but lacks control and accuracy. And I have been a slacker and not practiced with the 3 section staff like I should have been and still in the early stages of learning.

In the end, progress is slow but still moving forward.

[csmith12]

Stalemate as of right now...

Little injuries here and there and lack of solid and consistent practice time has gotten in the way, but we got a few good practice sessions in. Hopefully the off season fares me well.

The son has his jekyll and hyde moments. :\

Side note, do not challenge my son to a game of hillbilly golf. His rope dart skills give him an unfair advantage. fml lol

[csmith12]

So... not so out of the blue, the son comes to me and says I want one of these.



$1k of wood? LOL!!! Umm no. But, let's make it instead for some father and son time.

I will upload some pics.

[corksil]

Go to the local feed and farm supply store, buy an 8" wood gate post about 8ft long. Use a chainsaw to put a flat end cut on one end, and round the other end into a smooth dome.

Then take a 1/2" right angle drill (or any other drill with a lot of torque/amperage) and use a 2" auger bit to drill holes for the other pieces. Watch out if the drill bit dives too hard and catches because it will twist your arm right off if you're not careful.

For the other protruding pieces, perhaps you could cannibalize an old wooden chair or bar stool and stick the chair/stool legs through the holes. Maybe try a 16g common hot-dip galvanized framing nail through a hole to make a cotter pin of sorts and bend it at an angle so it holds the chair/stool legs through the perpendicular holes you drilled in the makeshift whittled fence post vertical piece.

Either that or you could simply tell your kid to go trim a tree to look like that contraption does and then he can spar with wood until he tires himself out.

[csmith12]

The chair/stool was a great idea! Still trying to source one from a yard sale for cheap. Thanks!

Update: It's my son's 16'th birthday today. He is in for a world of hurt. lol

He got his first job and will have to spar all 12 people in class tonight. I feel a lot of sweat coming on for him.

[csmith12]

The more I watch this the uglier it gets, but was totally fun to spar while truly blind. And yes... that shot to the stomach hurt like hell even though my son was holding back a lot.

Link to original page on YouTube.

When your blindfolded father can still backhand you in the face... priceless.

[DEFY]

Nice moves!!!

[csmith12]

Here is the warm up match before the blindfolded vid.

Link to original page on YouTube.

Lance still has much to learn about relaxing, but will make a formidable opponent to whoever wants to put themselves out there.

Yep... he had a bloody lip from that punch at the end.

After much review... I sacrifice my footing all too often.

[csmith12]

Uggg... setbacks

[DEFY]

Did your sensei, Walter Chang, get eaten by another grabloid?

[csmith12]

Well, not quite. Injuries and the start of REALLY hot weather has set in. Let's just say, not all injuries are physical.

[DEFY]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Well, not quite. Injuries and the start of REALLY hot weather has set in. Let's just say, not all injuries are physical.

That bites, I can deal with Hot just not humid.

[csmith12]

We haven't had AC or any kind of humidity control in 12yrs, 89 degrees with 85% humidity has been taught to me to be my favorite weather. It aint changing anytime soon.

[DEFY]

I can't breath when it comes to high humidity and exercise, they just don't mix well with my lungs.

[EternalNewb]

Any updates on your healing and progress?

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by EternalNewb

Any updates on your healing and progress?

Sorry for not giving an update. Both me and my son are at 100% mental and physical health...

Tomorrow is the day.... that our practice will be tested.

The plan

Son:
Test for his 2nd degree black back
Demonstration of power - to break multiple boards
Demonstration of control and intuition - to break a board while blindfolded
Demonstration of control of soft weapons - double chucks and rope dart
Demonstration of fighting ability above your peer opponent classification - he must spar me, at FULL speed but with enough control to barely touch, while showing calmness

Me:
Center judges table spot
Spar random students (helping them look at their best)
Demonstration of control of power - board breaks at 4 stations (as if surrounded by attackers, front, back, left, right)
Demonstration of control of hard weapons - single and double bo staff
Make my son look good while sparring a larger, heavier and more skilled opponent

I am sure we will come back injured in some way. But it sure will be fun to watch all the kids do well and get to play a bit too.

I am hoping someone gets some cool pics & vid. I am not allowed and will be busy. :\

[ally99]

Originally Posted by csmith12

That video and those ladies are insanely fast Joe, we are not even close to that yet.

The 3 section staff to my novice outlook is a combo of the solid staff, chucks and whatever else I make it. I am the creative type of person, so I WILL color outside the lines from time to time. My instructor may not like it much but it is what it is...

As you can see, I am not fond of putting a hard or sharp object at the end of a rope right now, as we have only been training for a couple of months. It will be a year or so before I think about something hard or sharp.

I got a video or two already in the works for this thread. Stay tuned!

You're a badass. Some things never change. You go, Chris!

[csmith12]

The demo went very well!!!

Here are a few pics... Sorry for the image quality, the person using the camera isn't a pro.

Yes, he is holding 2 pair of chucks.




Double bo staff!



Despite the two large sticks, my best weapon is still a mustache with the great power of swagger.

A new friend got some video, so I will have to patiently wait for him to send it over.

Here are the two best photos

Two martial artists
One large... one small
The courage of a lion
The spirit of a champion
The will of a fighter
The heart of a master




Also, the same hairstyle....

The little girl was soooooo awesome to watch.

[corksil]

Wow this really takes me back in time.

I studied my forms and practiced until I reached what I was told to be a high level but somehow I dropped out of the scene and passed the torch to a younger student. I tell myself that some day I'll return and pick up where I left off -- assuming my body is still capable of what it used to be.

Thanks for posting this chris, it really gives me perspective on what my priorities were at a previous point in time and how I can reintegrate focus and perspective into my current progress in life.

It's uplifting to think about and rekindles the thought that men are on this planet to lead others in the best direction.

[csmith12]

Lance passed his 2nd degree black belt test!

[csmith12]

Finally got the videos! Pretty cool stuff!

Link to original page on YouTube.

Link to original page on YouTube.

Link to original page on YouTube.

Link to original page on YouTube.

Link to original page on YouTube.

Just so ya know, NONE of that was choreographed or planned (me or my son), just freestyle fun.

["A"]

The goal of any martial art is self-control; without it, any weapon you willed is just going to hurt yourself.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by corksil

Well then. Perhaps you can explain it to the class

The molds of one's own choices are what maketh the man, when you can be anything, be kind first, then be what others do not envision.

Yea... still going on this thread, it's super hard.

["A"]

Mental Jiu Jitsu