One Knight at Shaolin

[Kyellan]

After three years of doing challenges, I've decided that my long-run escapades might fit a bit better in a battle-log format. My plan is to keep doing light challenges, but the truth is there's a lot of stuff that I've done over these years that has kind of gotten lost in those old challenge threads: victories and failures, obstacles overcome and challenges that overwhelmed me.

 

So, I'm Kyellan and I've been here at NerdFitness for a little over 3 years. About two months after I joined here, with intentions of practicing German Longsword HEMA stuff via the original texts (mostly on my own, since there wasn't a nearby club at the time), instead I got convinced by the people here to screw my courage to the sticking place and join a local Kung Fu studio, in the hopes of learning some basic martial work from a teacher, rather than struggling through alone.

 

Subverting all my expectations, this local Kung Fu school turned out not to be your average martial arts experience. Instead of merely using it as a launching point for my other work, I fell in love with the practice, the discipline, the group combat therapy, and now I have a second family of martial artists, young and old, who I can't wait to spend my time practicing with four nights out of the week. Honestly, it's changed my life for the better in so many ways that it's impossible to count. It's the foundation that allowed me, in June 2016, to survive the Vermont Tough Mudder (along with my buddy @Oramac), and so many other things as well.

 

There's no denying, though, that I'm a 6-foot-1 blond dude. Nothing's ever going to change that!

 

So, here I am: one knight, learning the Shaolin disciplines. I primarily train Hung Gar, but our lineage also includes some Lau-family technique, as well as Bak Sil Lum (which is Northern Shaolin Kung Fu by way of a Southern stylist, so it's modified a bit). 

 

So, away we go!

[Kyellan]

Tournament Report

Wu Dao Kung Fu & Tai Chi Fall Invitational

Cambridge, MA

11/19/2017

 

Open Hand Forms Division (Intermediate/Advanced)

4 Participants: 3 years experience (me), 15+ years experience, 5+ years experience, 5+ years experience

Gung Gee Fuk Fu Kuen (modified; abridged)

2nd Place                         

 

     

 

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Bladed Weapon Forms Division (Intermediate/Advanced)

3 Participants: 3 years experience (me), 15+ years experience, 8 years experience

Bak Sil Lum Broadsword (complete)

2nd Place                        

 

 

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Sparring Division (Mixed)

3 Participants (1 beginner; 2 intermediate)

1st Place                  

[Kishi]

Hi!

[Kyellan]

29 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Hi!

 

Hiya! Thanks for dropping in.  

[Oramac]

Woot!!  I'm in!  Happy to follow along.  I've been thinking about adopting the Battle Log format for a while too, actually.  

[Kyellan]

Belt Test Report

Twin Dragon Kung Fu

Wakefield, NH

11/25/2017

 

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PASSED

 

 

Note: During my test last year, I was Sifu's first student (in 20 years of teaching) to skip a belt ranking. I went straight from no-belt to yellow.

 

Yesterday, I did it again, going straight from yellow to green (passing orange). I'm now among the three most advanced students in the adult Kung Fu class. I can't quite describe how deeply honored I am that Sifu believes in me this much. Also can't describe quite how terrified I am of what he'll expect from me going forward...  

[Oramac]

On 11/26/2017 at 9:08 AM, Kyellan said:

Also can't describe quite how terrified I am of what he'll expect from me going forward...  

 

Whatever it is, I'm confident you can handle it.