Session Review (Sunday, March 4th)

This review is almost a week late, but this week's been a little crazy what with the family coming up from Utah and whatnot, so I guess I have an out.

I met up with Homie and his girlfriend heather in Federal Way and we headed out to gasworks park. It was cold and windy where we decided to train, but the view of Seattle was beautiful. We met up with Zach, Alex, and Jesse and got a start on some Gung Fu. Since we had two folks that needed to be caught up on things, we took the mitt drills and broke them down into component parts before stringing it all together. We worked some bob and weave and Taan-Pak-Goang then took a break because the wind coming off the lake was pretty damn cold. We went and played around in the factory place, climbing poles and doing pull ups. I unfortunately didn't do any sort of warm up and made the mistake of trying to climb a pole, this being just two days after weighted chin ups and dead lifts so my muscles were in no condition to be doing that stuff. I ended up kind of straining my left shoulder/back/bicep which made me have to take it kind of easy the rest of the day.

We found a great platform under the covered area that we used to continue our training. We went through all three parts of the immovable elbow and flow drill #1 before finishing up and going back out and around the park. At this point, Jesse and Heather had to take off, so we parted ways with the plan of meeting up back in Federal Way.

Homie and I dropped Heather off and went out for coffee with my brother, who snuck up behind me and half tackled me while I had a cup of espresso in my hand. I braced just in time to not drop the whole thing, but some still exploded all over the place and we got to clean it all up off the chairs and tables. We hung out for a bit after that and then went to get some food at Hana Teriyaki which was absolutely amazing. If you ever go there, order the bento special. It's like 9 bucks and you get a shit ton of really good food.

We were waiting for Zach and Alex when we decided to go to Brigadoon Elementary and kick the shield a bit. After a while we decided soccer would be fun, so we left the school to grab a ball from Ronnies house, but on the way out we got stopped by a cop that told us he got called for someone fighting on school grounds. We explained we were doing some martial arts training and he told us it would be best to do it somewhere else. I am appalled at the fact that someone can see two people kicking a big blue air cushion and think that a fight is going on. It was frustrating, but we were finished anyway. We couldn't find a ball or get a hold of Zach so we decided we would go gas up and hit up Dash Point State Park. At the gas station Zach called and said he was close, so we went back to Brigadoon and met with him before going out to Dash Point.

There we just kind of messed around with the rope dart and a tennis ball that we found. I came across this really good spear stick and found out that I'm not too bad at throwing spears. We hiked up the trail and found the most gnarly widow maker I've ever seen. It was a tree sized log suspended from the top of another tree being held in place only by a thinner branch that was wedged tightly into the fork of the tree. We surveyed the area below the tree and decided to try and knock the tree loose by throwing sticks at it. After about 10 minutes, nothing had happened, so we hiked further up the trail and decided to go grab our gear to do some more gung fu training. On our way down, the park ranger drove by with his megaphone saying the park was closing, so when we got to the car we left the park and went to another smaller community park right next to Sara's parents house. There we finished with some double bong, double fook, closing, floppy chi sao, and a kind of cursory introduction to the basic premise of lunge close.

We finished with the gung fu and decided to have a sword fight before playing on the playground equipment. By the time we were done, it was already dark. We took our leave and I dropped Homie back at his place before heading home.

I had a great time, the only bummer was that Sara couldn't make it out due to her work schedule. I also didn't get any pictures at all... so we'll have to go back sometime soon.

Session Review (Sunday, February 26th)

Our session was supposed to take place up in Kirkland at St. Edwards State Park, yet after factoring in a few time restraints, we opted to train a bit closer up in Alki Beach again. The weather was supposed to be snowy all around us, but light rain there in Seattle, so we headed out to the same field we trained in earlier. The hike in was a good warm up considering it's mostly uphill, but we played a bit of soccer before moving on to gung fu. We hadn't finished with the chung chois before we got to see this huge bald eagle circling overhead which brought with it a light dusting of freezing rain that came down as we did our push ups. We finished warming up with some mitt drills before moving on to the technical portion.

Class was short, but sweet as we covered pak sao, taan sao, and goang sao each individually before stringing them together. Here we started to learn the importance of keeping the wu sao in place and staying loose. Arms were soon turning numb and the weather was clearing up, but still very cold, so we did some flow drill #1 and decided to "take a break" by running stairs.

Running stairs soon became jumping ledges, vaulting over handrails, kicking the soccer ball around, throwing the football, climbing the brick walls, and just generally messing around, creating little games and challenges along the way. This is usually my favorite part of the day because it allows us to let go and just DO. There's not really any instruction but there's a lot of experience being gained. It's really something else to reconnect with your inner human and to explore your abilities while indulging curiosity and a sense of adventure.

We never really returned to gung fu because the clock was ticking perilously closer to our end time. We headed back down the trail and to the beach where we stopped at a great coffee shop before going back to sunfish and ordering some cod & oysters to go.

Along the way home, we talked about setting up an at home training plan and a 30 day / 12 week challenge program. I've yet to work the final details out for either of these things, but they're on the way. I am looking forward to more progress and the better weather that will be coming with the blossoms on the trees. As of right now, I don't know where we are headed. If the weather looks decent, maybe we'll actually go out to St. Ed's, or maybe Browns Point or Dash Point in Federal Way. I'll keep you all posted. Till then, here's a bunch of pictures from our warm ups.

For whatever reason, almost every time I snapped the picture you guys were throwing knees.... I somehow managed to get a knee picture from all of you.

Session Review (Sunday, February 19th)

I didn't really know what to expect for the day ahead as I arose 7:30a.m. Sunday morning. The whole week prior was hectic and up in the air so I wasn't sure of what we were doing until Wednesday and all of the final details wouldn't come together until about 9:30 the day of the hike. The weather forecast said rain and snow at +1000 ft. Basically I didn't know if we were going to have much success with our trip, but luckily we got the rides figured out and made the trip to Tiger Mountain with little in the way of problems. I was excited that we were able to get my brother Ronnie and niece Alice to tag along, though I didn't realize how tough the hike would be.

The review I read of the trail said it was well maintained with a sharp incline for roughly a mile, followed by a more gentle sloping incline to the top of the first summit. This was not the case as the entire trail was steeply up hill. Alice made her dismay at this very clear to the rest of us, though it was more for dramatic effect than anything. The weather was dry for the most part and the scenery was beautiful. 

Before we hit the trail, I noticed that Zach has brought his Vibrams so I changed out of my big, warm, waterproof, steel toe boots and slipped my little foot gloves on. Within the first hour they were soaked through, of course, and as the elevation increased the temperature decreased. It wasn't too long before we reached the snow line, becoming increasingly aware that the choice to bring the Vibrams may have been an unfortunate one. Our feet eventually went numb, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, we soldiered through and pressed on to the top. We would have made the climb a bit quicker, but there were frequent stops in which we let the slower bunch catch up with the turbo bunch. Ronnie and Alice haven't been out hiking for quite a while so we had to take it easier for them because this was not much of a beginners hike.

The whole upper half of the trail was like this.  Cold feet for sure. 

Though the conditions were less than optimal, and Alice was convinced she wouldn't make it to the top, we eventually did. The view was mostly clouds, though you could see the surrounding peaks and snow dusted trees all around. It was really beautiful and stunning in it's own way. We settled in to eat and that's when we noticed the birds.

Alice kept getting spooked when the birds would come to land on her hand. 

I don't know what kind of bird this is, but they are fat little grey things that will fly down and eat right out of your hand. They have almost no fear and will try just about anything you give them. They were absolutely digging the cucumber I had, though carrots were a no-go. I imagine next time I come up I'm going to bring a whole bag of sunflower seeds just for the little guys because they were an amazing surprise and really made the trip worth it.

We finished eating and Alex hugged Zach's frozen feet for a bit. Just before we were getting ready to head back down, a nice group of old folks asked us to take a picture of them, which I agreed to do so long as they would get one of us, which they graciously accepted. 

At the top!

We hung out for a bit longer, but all that standing around was making my feet unbearably cold. It was like a phantom pain because I couldn't feel my toes or heels or anything, but it was all on fire. So Zach and I had to take off before everyone else and thus began the experience that was the descent.

Coming up was slick, but coming down was worse, I started out running which soon became just sliding down hill on my feet that at this point felt like little iron bars attached to my ankles. I really felt like the Disney version of Tarzan where he's surfing through the trees with his bare feet, only I was dodging hikers and their dogs on the way down. There were a few points where the steep hill would turn sharply and Zach nearly went over the edge on one of these. It was a great way to train being completely in the moment because depending on the terrain you might have to base out and slide, or step over and around rocks or roots, or hit the brakes, or run, or jump. All the while there's the very real danger of falling, either on the trail or off the trail. It was a whole lot of fun and I would love to go and do it again, though maybe in some warmer footwear.

We finally made it down past the snow line and the rest of the trail was a breeze. We would stop and chat with fellow hikers, or run, or pick up logs and throw them down the hill, or just mosey on down bullshitting with each other. Eventually feeling came back into my feet and I escaped with all of my toes. It was a really amazing hike and I had an awesome time.

Zach and I left our mark on the sign at the head of the trail. We were muddy and cold, but it was a great experience.

After the drive back home, we went out for coffee (Sara got to ride the Harley, lucky girl) and talked as is the usual procedure. We all figured that we had nothing else to do for the day, so we loaded up and went back to Brigadoon Elementary. Alice came with and we spent the rest of the day (and some of the night) playing soccer, messing around with the rope dart/3 section staff/nunchucks, and sword fighting with the Nerf swords. Once the sun went down Zach went and attached a glow stick to his rope dart and we had a little light show. I even got to let Alice swing it around for a bit, which she took to pretty well.

All in all it was an amazing day. It took all the stress and difficulty of the week and washed it away. It's great to be able to go out and accomplish something that is challenging, and to be able to include friends and family only makes it that much more special. There's also something incredible about the power of play. I can't explain all that well, but when I said my farewells to everyone for the night, I was bummed that it had to end, but I also felt rejuvenated on a spectacular level. My soul felt lighter and I couldn't help but to smile.

Like always, I look forward to next Sunday. It's a day of escape that I am finding invaluable to my mental and physical well-being. Thanks to everyone who came out! Next week will be Saint Edwards Park up in Kirkland. You are all invited, and if the radio tells true, we may have some snow to mess around in.  

Session Review (February 12th, 2012)

Today was a lot of fun. We pushed ourselves, got dirty, and had a decent workout in the process.

We started out near the playground at Sprinker park, in a little field that offered a decent place to work running technique. We did about 10 lengths and worked some high jumps/long jumps for a warm up. We then went on to balance drills, performing 1 leg toe touches x 20 on each foot and then walking around the perimeter of the playground on the wooden balance beams. We transitioned into squatting low, turning, stabilizing, and standing while on the beam, which became crawling on the beam, which became lunging low and catching a thrown nerf sword on the beam before tossing it back and standing.

Once we all got comfy with that, we designed an obstacle course with the swords so that you would have to go over some and under others while traveling along the beam, finishing with a 10 or so yard crawl to a standing position. I started taking pictures at this point, then my batteries died. So here's all the pictures we have of the day...

We then went into jumping. We stood on the beam and did vertical jumps, landing back down on the beam into a squat, eventually we began to step back from the beams and jump forward on to them, gradually increasing the distance.

Luckily the weather held out for us and made things less slick. I have been pretty worried about that and we only had to deal with some very minimal slipping, which was nice. It took away an element of danger and fear and made it possible for everyone to feel a little more comfortable doing the drills. After the long jumps, we went for high jumps, which is a similar but different animal. The fear of catching your feet on the edge of a platform is a formidable one and I noticed a bit of confidence coming back into the participants as they learned that they did have the ability to jump up on to something high off the ground.

We toyed around with that until everyone was comfortable with it and decided to move our party into the forest. We walked out to a stream that was lined with different sized rocks and boulders and I had everyone pick out a big rock and a smaller rock which they had to carry up to a clearing above the stream. We warmed our hands up by standing in a circle and passing around to the people next to us, changing directions every so often. It was interesting to see how the brain and body adapts to the different weights, shapes, textures, and slickness' of the various rocks as the exercise went on. We then partnered up with medium sized rocks and tossed them back and forth to each other, catching them and absorbing the energy like a kettlebell swing. We then tossed the rocks to the side and learned how to catch and spin with them without straining the body. I then covered proper heavy rock lifting technique and how to clean the rock up to the chest. Once everyone had that down, we lined up and power cleaned the rocks into a two handed throw, seeing how far we could launch them.

Next we learned how to throw the smaller rocks with one hand, like a shot put. We finished by returning our rocks (and many surrounding pieces of wood/stone) to the creek by tossing them down the hill, and we headed out for the day. On the way back we decided to play around on the climbing rock, but time was running short, so we went to 208 Garfield for coffee and lunch.

I didn't realize it when I wrote up the course for today, but the great underlying theme was dealing with fear. A lot of the jumps and rock tosses that we did today had an element of risk to them. "If I don't stick this I'm going to slip and fall." "If I don't get my knees high enough I am going to catch my foot and split my shin open." "If I don't catch this rock, it will land on my foot or hit someone else behind me." etc... Yet despite the constant presence of fear, everyone who showed up did amazingly well. I don't think we had one real fall or even a stubbed toe. No one got hurt because we were pushing the boundaries of our minds limitations, yet not  at the point of our bodies limitations. Most of the jumps that were being performed were simple to perform, the only trouble came when the voice in the back of the head made people stop or hesitate. In the series Sara and I are reading (Game of Thrones) there is a quote that comes up quite often from my favorite character. She's a ten year old girl who would rather be a swordsman than a lady and she's on her own in this war ravaged country trying to find her parents. Her sword instructor taught her that "fear cuts deeper than swords" and she must recall that fact so that she can act in certain situations to fight, survive, or save her loved ones.

Fear really does cut deeper than any blade. Fear can stop a person dead in their tracks, like a deer in the headlights, it can be disastrous. But it can also be an amazing source of power. When you learn how to control and channel your fear, you start to see that your senses are heightened and your awareness is almost super human. I remember me and some buddies all jumped on to a friends van as she drove us around the parking lot at Game Farm, she turned sharply and hit the brakes so me and another guy went flying through the air. I remember clearly watching the guy below me land on his feet backwards, rolling to his butt and cracking the back of his head on the cement, which caused me to focus on where I was falling, get my feet under me so I could land feet first. I remember every detail in that one or two second flight, from the look of shock on his face, to the feeling of pulling my legs up and bracing for impact. It was almost like slow motion. So fear is an energy source that can be directed and utilized when you simply practice overcoming it on a regular basis. It can be jumping off of a cliff into a lake, or off a porch onto some soft grass, it doesn't matter. You can strengthen yourself greatly by stepping out of your comfort bubble and pushing your mind and body to gradually progress beyond your current state.  Once you find confidence in your ability, you will see your progress take off in leaps and bounds.

Session Review (Sunday, January 29th, 2012)

Well, it was a rainy, cold, and wet day and just getting into the parking lot at game farm was a bit of an adventure in itself. I had forgotten how bad the puddles get in the lot but Bubby made it through okay, and Zach only had to move his air filter to make it across the three ponds that had accumulated.

Once we packed our gear in to the amphitheater we started with some gung fu, mitt drills, closing, double chung choi's while closing, and then we covered each mitt drill strike individually so that everyone could get a better hang of the technique. We did some bob and weave and ended with backfist chung choi's. I realized that I desperately need to get a few more kick shields to avoid lining everyone up and getting only 5 or so strikes per person.

We then took a bit of an intermission to swing the sledge hammer and kettlebell, play around with the rope darts and nunchucks, and I found a log that I got to play around with, trying my best to remember how Erwan does his log drills.

We then decided to pack everything back in the blazer and go for a jog around the park, after a brief primer and explanation we went into it, making it back all in one piece more or less. I'd like to devote a little bit of each class to running, so come prepared to sweat a little bit from now on and wear clothes that are light/easy to move in just for comfort sake.

I can't help but feel limited by the weather and I kept thinking about all the things we could do if only it were sunnier out. This helped me realize, however, that this gives us a perfect opportunity to build our strength and endurance and agility over the next few months so that when the weather breaks and the sun starts to shine, we'll be able to up the intensity a bit.

Next week we are shooting for Alki beach. If the weather is dry enough, we'll be doing a lot of running, crawling, jumping, landing, and balancing. We'll do some gung fu as well and maybe some throwing/catching drills. If the weather is crap, we will be meeting in a nearby garage and most likely we'll be delving deeper into gung fu techniques such as trapping and flow which are, honestly, more important than the strikes. So we'll play it by ear and see what happens.

Thanks to everyone for coming out, I really enjoy getting together with the lot of you. It makes for a great transition into the week.

See you all again soon!

-Rob