Stumble It!
My kids do alot of prep prior to a tournament and the results of their hard work show. I have 53 trophies and medals in my hallway upstairs from the past 4 years. Ok, I'm bragging on them a bit, but a great deal of it is because of their work. They practice daily for weeks prior to a tournament. This dedication shows in class when they are practicing and in demonstrations. As with all things, they have alot to learn but I'm always so proud to watch them compete. They don't always win, and they are ok with that. It makes the ones that they do win all the sweeter.
Are you preparing to compete in the upcoming tournament? Are you as excited as they are? I hope so. It is a wonderful experience, although a bit nerve wracking. I competed once in our team demo competition and I was so nervous. I was terrified I would do something wrong and let the team down. Thankfully it went well and we won first place.
Tao Hsieh Wu Shu was never designed for competition. However, our students do so well and our forms are so beautiful we have a great record so far. We can thank Soke Geniesse and the others that helped put the forms together for this. Our system is different and each level is more technically changeling than most martial arts systems and in competition; it shows.
In class we spar to submission, and in tournaments it is point sparring, but due to the way we block we do very good in the sparring as well.
The next tournament is going to be different and I think all of our students will be challenged more than in the past. We cannot do any inverted moves in our traditional forms competition. Forms 3 and up all have some type of inverted move, so changes will need to be made. Otherwise, our students will need to compete in the XMA division, will we measure up in that division? You bet!
There will be a new section for our students to compete in this year: grappling. This will be an entirely new event for us to try. My oldest son is very excited about this.
I can't wait for this next tournament. It is going to be a lot of fun and I confident that all of our students are going to do great regardless of winning or not!
Good luck to everyone and I hope you are practicing.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The art in martial
Prior to beginning martial arts, I did not think of it as an art form, but merely a way of fighting. As I continue to learn, I see more and more of the art form in the movements that we do. Just as in dance, the smallest of details can change the look of a form (kata). The position of your hands, where you are looking, and the depth of your stances all make a difference. Watching my daughter perform her form is like watching her dance. Her fluidity and grace are beautiful to watch.
A weapons form can be the same thing. Have you ever watched someone performing a form with fans? Beautiful....
When I began learning form 1 my focus was: a. remembering the direction I should turn and which hand to use (I still get confused!), b: putting power and intensity behind my punches.
The number of movements in form 2 were greater but the focus for me was still on getting the kicks and punches correct.
Form 3 added more movements from many of the different systems that we learn in Tao Hsieh Wu Shu and some of the movements were definitely more artsy.
Form 4 begins to look like a dance with many of the movements flowing from one to the other. You can truly see the grace in our style when watching this form.
This leads to question do our forms add more grace as they get harder or is the student beginning to gain an understanding of the movements? Soke Geniesse will often tell us to flow like water. I believe by the time you are learning form 4 this concept begins to sink in.
Amazing....
A weapons form can be the same thing. Have you ever watched someone performing a form with fans? Beautiful....
When I began learning form 1 my focus was: a. remembering the direction I should turn and which hand to use (I still get confused!), b: putting power and intensity behind my punches.
The number of movements in form 2 were greater but the focus for me was still on getting the kicks and punches correct.
Form 3 added more movements from many of the different systems that we learn in Tao Hsieh Wu Shu and some of the movements were definitely more artsy.
Form 4 begins to look like a dance with many of the movements flowing from one to the other. You can truly see the grace in our style when watching this form.
This leads to question do our forms add more grace as they get harder or is the student beginning to gain an understanding of the movements? Soke Geniesse will often tell us to flow like water. I believe by the time you are learning form 4 this concept begins to sink in.
Amazing....
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Plantar Fasciitis
Well, I've learned alot about feet in the past 3 months, and I really don't like feet! But, I have been struggling with plantar fasciitis and I've learned more than I ever wanted to.
First, let me explain what plantar fasciitis is, just in case you don't know. It's pronounced "plantar fash-eee-eye-tiss". This is the condition that occurs when the long fibrous plantar fascia ligament along the bottom of the foot develops tears in the tissue. This creates pain and inflammation.
Plantar fasciitis causes the inflammation of the plantar fascia ligament which runs along the bottom of the foot. The plantar fascia ligament is made of fibrous bands of tissue and runs between the heel bone and your toes and stretches with every step. Inflammation develops when tears occur in the tissue.
The pain can be a burning, stabbing, or aching. It is particularly painful in the morning when you first step on your foot. The ligaments tighten during the night and in the morning when you put pressure on it, the ligament stretches and creates an unbearable pain. After walking and stretching, the pain will subside until you have been on your feet awhile, then the pain returns.
Athletes most commonly develop this condition. Excessive running, jumping, or other activities can easily place repetitive or excessive stress on the tissue and lead to tears and inflammation, resulting in moderate to severe pain. Athletes who change or increase the difficulty of their exercise routines are also prone to overdoing it and causing damage.
One of the factors that contribute to plantar fasciitis is wearing incorrect shoes. In many cases, shoes either do not fit properly, or provide inadequate support or cushioning. While walking or exercising in improper shoes, weight distribution becomes impaired, and significantly stress can be added to the plantar fascia ligament.
This is exactly what happened to me. Usually, I go see my buddy Jeff Rainwater at the Big Peach Running store for my running shoes, but this time I opted to save some money. I went to the local wallyworld and bought cheap shoes, but justified it by buying some nice inserts. Later that Friday I went running with Sensi TJ and guess what, my foot began to hurt that night and hasn't stopped since. Lesson learned, don't run in cheap shoes even if you have good inserts.
I have struggled for almost 10 weeks now with my foot hurting! It has been frustrating because I feel like it has slowed my training down. I passed my green belt test with my foot taped, but let me tell you, I was in tears trying to hold the monkey stance because my foot hurt so bad!
So, what is the solution? ice, rest and new orthodic's for my shoes have helped. I'm still on the road to recovery and after the cost of the orthodic's I really wished I had just gone to see Jeff in the first place.
Lesson learned, shoes are very important! Don't make the same mistake I did. If you are getting shin splints, or your feet hurt while you are running or training trust me, your shoes have something to do with it. Find a shoe store that specializes in running and get properly fitted with a good shoe. You will be doing your feet a favor and you will save money in the long run.
Keep training,
Lisa
First, let me explain what plantar fasciitis is, just in case you don't know. It's pronounced "plantar fash-eee-eye-tiss". This is the condition that occurs when the long fibrous plantar fascia ligament along the bottom of the foot develops tears in the tissue. This creates pain and inflammation.
Plantar fasciitis causes the inflammation of the plantar fascia ligament which runs along the bottom of the foot. The plantar fascia ligament is made of fibrous bands of tissue and runs between the heel bone and your toes and stretches with every step. Inflammation develops when tears occur in the tissue.
The pain can be a burning, stabbing, or aching. It is particularly painful in the morning when you first step on your foot. The ligaments tighten during the night and in the morning when you put pressure on it, the ligament stretches and creates an unbearable pain. After walking and stretching, the pain will subside until you have been on your feet awhile, then the pain returns.
Athletes most commonly develop this condition. Excessive running, jumping, or other activities can easily place repetitive or excessive stress on the tissue and lead to tears and inflammation, resulting in moderate to severe pain. Athletes who change or increase the difficulty of their exercise routines are also prone to overdoing it and causing damage.
One of the factors that contribute to plantar fasciitis is wearing incorrect shoes. In many cases, shoes either do not fit properly, or provide inadequate support or cushioning. While walking or exercising in improper shoes, weight distribution becomes impaired, and significantly stress can be added to the plantar fascia ligament.
This is exactly what happened to me. Usually, I go see my buddy Jeff Rainwater at the Big Peach Running store for my running shoes, but this time I opted to save some money. I went to the local wallyworld and bought cheap shoes, but justified it by buying some nice inserts. Later that Friday I went running with Sensi TJ and guess what, my foot began to hurt that night and hasn't stopped since. Lesson learned, don't run in cheap shoes even if you have good inserts.
I have struggled for almost 10 weeks now with my foot hurting! It has been frustrating because I feel like it has slowed my training down. I passed my green belt test with my foot taped, but let me tell you, I was in tears trying to hold the monkey stance because my foot hurt so bad!
So, what is the solution? ice, rest and new orthodic's for my shoes have helped. I'm still on the road to recovery and after the cost of the orthodic's I really wished I had just gone to see Jeff in the first place.
Lesson learned, shoes are very important! Don't make the same mistake I did. If you are getting shin splints, or your feet hurt while you are running or training trust me, your shoes have something to do with it. Find a shoe store that specializes in running and get properly fitted with a good shoe. You will be doing your feet a favor and you will save money in the long run.
Keep training,
Lisa
A little bit of fun
I had the coolest epiphany last week. I was watching a fellow student's yellow belt test thinking how well he was doing when I realized, "Hey, I passed that test too! I really can do all of the things he's doing". It was a really cool feeling.
Granted, I don't have the finesse and speed as many of our younger students, but what I lack in finesse I certainly make up for in enthusiasm. I really enjoy all of our classes. I have so much fun doing things I never thought I would ever do. Me doing a jump double roundhouse? Yea, well it wasn't pretty, but I did it and it was a lot of fun learning how to do it.
Isn't that what it's all about? Enjoying what you are doing. Life is short and we each only have one day at a time. I hope today that you smile when you are doing what you are passionate about. Share the enthusiasm. It is incredibly contagious and in today's times, we need a little fun. So whatever your fun is, indulge today. I plan to punch on our kicking bag awhile, what are you going to do?
As I tell everyone, if I can do martial arts, anyone can. If you haven't tried it yet, go for it! What have you got to lose, a little fun?
Granted, I don't have the finesse and speed as many of our younger students, but what I lack in finesse I certainly make up for in enthusiasm. I really enjoy all of our classes. I have so much fun doing things I never thought I would ever do. Me doing a jump double roundhouse? Yea, well it wasn't pretty, but I did it and it was a lot of fun learning how to do it.
Isn't that what it's all about? Enjoying what you are doing. Life is short and we each only have one day at a time. I hope today that you smile when you are doing what you are passionate about. Share the enthusiasm. It is incredibly contagious and in today's times, we need a little fun. So whatever your fun is, indulge today. I plan to punch on our kicking bag awhile, what are you going to do?
As I tell everyone, if I can do martial arts, anyone can. If you haven't tried it yet, go for it! What have you got to lose, a little fun?
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Do you feel like a martial artist?
I have been learning the art of Tao Hsieh Wu Shu for a year and half and I am just now beginning to have the inkling of feeling like a martial artist.
The first time was a couple of weeks ago during the great Atlanta flood. We had been fighting water for 4 days and I was feeling frustrated vacuuming the water out of our exercise room for the umpteenth time. I looked at the kicking bag and thought to myself, "I just need to punch and kick the bag for about 30 minutes and I'll feel better". Suddenly I grinned at myself, realizing that I actually knew how to do that. This was a great revelation to me. If your a guy then you probably grew up knowing how to do these things instinctively. I did not have a brother or Dad to teach me these things and was not very athletic, so for me this is a cool feeling.
Another huge milestone has been learning to overcome fear. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of times in class that I get intimidated, but it seems to be getting less and my confidence more. I attribute this to our terrific teachers and my fellow students.
The more classes I attend, the more there is to learn. The more that I learn, the greater my abilities will grow. As my abilities grow, my confidence increases. This confidence will one day lead to feeling like a real martial artist all the time and not just some of the time.
But the beginnings of feeling like a martial artist is a cool thing!
Keep on kicking,
Lisa
The first time was a couple of weeks ago during the great Atlanta flood. We had been fighting water for 4 days and I was feeling frustrated vacuuming the water out of our exercise room for the umpteenth time. I looked at the kicking bag and thought to myself, "I just need to punch and kick the bag for about 30 minutes and I'll feel better". Suddenly I grinned at myself, realizing that I actually knew how to do that. This was a great revelation to me. If your a guy then you probably grew up knowing how to do these things instinctively. I did not have a brother or Dad to teach me these things and was not very athletic, so for me this is a cool feeling.
Another huge milestone has been learning to overcome fear. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of times in class that I get intimidated, but it seems to be getting less and my confidence more. I attribute this to our terrific teachers and my fellow students.
The more classes I attend, the more there is to learn. The more that I learn, the greater my abilities will grow. As my abilities grow, my confidence increases. This confidence will one day lead to feeling like a real martial artist all the time and not just some of the time.
But the beginnings of feeling like a martial artist is a cool thing!
Keep on kicking,
Lisa
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