Osu

[Kishi]

37 minutes ago, Urgan said:

...randori? In the final analysis, it really is all about don't get hit. There is plenty of room for "play" where there isn't a named technique, you just sorta mix and match with whatever you feel like doing in the moment.

 

Ah. Well then. I guess I do Aikido. With knives. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some crow to go eat...

 

39 minutes ago, RisenPhoenix said:

Just don't break my finger like the Giant did.

 

Not on purpose~.

 

40 minutes ago, RisenPhoenix said:

I mean, yea, that is a thing some Woo Woo places get tapped into.  It can be a fuzzy line to work with.

 

Also always curious about how "effective" practitioners get judged.  At CNF I had to bow out of some judo/jujitsu people rolling around, because their start point would be my "you fucked up" point.  So I got to look like I wasn't an effective person, when in reality the positioning was not good for aikido and had I done things it would have seriously injured others.  Everything's got a weak point, but I feel like aikido tends to get some shit because it looks weird.

 

Well, the impression I was given was that he started outside of the "you fucked up" point. Like your sensei said a couple years back when I had the chance to watch - judo concerns itself with the "body range" of combat, whereas aikido concerns itself with the outer ranges - wrist to elbow generally, although I've seen video of some closer work. Our starting point is your "fucked up" point, and the impression I have is that our shodan basically met the aikidoka where they were and was effectively manipulated within the range. I'd have to ask him more and get more detail, but the fact that he and an ikkyu came down on me for my Bullshidoka attitude inclines me to believe he gave y'all the "college try" as it were (maybe literally so if he went with Harvard).

 

44 minutes ago, RisenPhoenix said:

In aikido you learn the technique to not be bound to the technique.  Later on you learn most of our forms/positions/kata/throws look very, very different when in motion than when dissected and discussed.  Hell, it was the First Doshu who looked at his dad and went "We have no way of teaching this shit, let me work on that" and came up with what we have today.  So, yea.  Not that different than what you did.

 

I guess not! See my earlier comments to @Urgan re: that. It's a weird bridge to have to cross - Manong says he just moves, and if anyone asks me I say, "I just move." It kind of freaks me out, having to explain that to people now, and I'm not sure that "technique is a consequence" is really going to fly. But oh well. It'll work for people who can understand, and that won't be newer people, which is just something I'm going to have to accept.

[Urgan]

3 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Ah. Well then. I guess I do Aikido. With knives. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some crow to go eat...

 

It's okay, this is a safe place~ 

 

4 minutes ago, Kishi said:

I guess not! See my earlier comments to @Urgan re: that. It's a weird bridge to have to cross - Manong says he just moves, and if anyone asks me I say, "I just move." It kind of freaks me out, having to explain that to people now, and I'm not sure that "technique is a consequence" is really going to fly. But oh well. It'll work for people who can understand, and that won't be newer people, which is just something I'm going to have to accept.

 

If a new person is going to pick a "fight"--literal or verbal--with you over this point when they are coming to you as a new person/potential student and doesn't give you room to bear this point out, they don't need to be fouling up your dojo's air. 

[Kishi]

22 hours ago, Urgan said:

If a new person is going to pick a "fight"--literal or verbal--with you over this point when they are coming to you as a new person/potential student and doesn't give you room to bear this point out, they don't need to be fouling up your dojo's air.

 

Well, part of the reason behind my nerves is that I'm going to their school rather than them coming to mine. They look like srs bznss. It even looks like they have a knife curriculum in place already and I can't help but wonder if I'm getting set to get punk'd.

 

*

 

Wednesday done!

 

Yesterday, the weather took a turn, so I decided to train at home instead of going to the gym. This choice was also informed by the fact that the space and equipment I use for elevated deck squats would be commandeered at the gym. The thing was, though, that I didn't actually need all that much help - those little exercise mats really aren't that tall anymore, and I thought, ah, I can do this on my own.

 

So, I did.

 

Assisted Squats: 1x21

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Full Squats: 1x15

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Deck Squats: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Cossack Squats: 3x2

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• So glad to be done with deck squatting! Or at least to be in a position where I can incorporate them into warm ups. They're not perfect, to be clear - legs tend to shoot wide when coming up although I can still squat narrow - but the major key I was missing was about rolling hard forward. It's a more core-intensive thing than I realized.

Handstand work followed. It worked out very well. The whole thing took about an hour or so and I even had time for some shadowboxing before the hour was up.

 

Not much else to report really. Ate dinner, WoW'd a bit, and went to bed. I'm kind of disappointed in myself that I didn't get down earlier, but you know that's just how it happens sometimes.

 

Tonight is Karate. Kind of itching to start swinging a bell again. Must resist.

[Urgan]

16 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Well, part of the reason behind my nerves is that I'm going to their school rather than them coming to mine. They look like srs bznss. It even looks like they have a knife curriculum in place already and I can't help but wonder if I'm getting set to get punk'd.

 

The point is you're the teacher. In this case, a new (formal) teacher, yes and that instantly makes it a bit scarier. How much do you trust Manong to set you up for success vs shooting from the hip? It's completely understandable how you'd feel anxious, given the circumstances, but my read of it is they just want to see stuff that works and you know stuff that works. 

 

16 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Not much else to report really. Ate dinner, WoW'd a bit, and went to bed. I'm kind of disappointed in myself that I didn't get down earlier, but you know that's just how it happens sometimes.

 

 

Y u do dis to us, sleep?

[Kishi]

22 hours ago, Urgan said:

The point is you're the teacher. In this case, a new (formal) teacher, yes and that instantly makes it a bit scarier. How much do you trust Manong to set you up for success vs shooting from the hip? It's completely understandable how you'd feel anxious, given the circumstances, but my read of it is they just want to see stuff that works and you know stuff that works.

 

Manong wouldn't set out to set up for failure, but he's definitely a go-with-the-flow, shoot-from-the-hip kind of guy. I think you're right, as far as them wanting to see things that work, and I know stuff that works. It's not like it's ever bothered me when I've had to teach shit to people in class - I do it in Karate all the time, now, and I do it in Kali already as well. What reason is there for this to bother me, beyond me being paid and feeling the pressure to provide good teaching?

 

22 hours ago, Urgan said:

 

Y u do dis to us, sleep?

 

#SleepIsAHarshMistress

 

*

 

So, resisting the Bells actually turned out easier than I thought it would. Work turned sideways yesterday and I wound up with a crapload of stuff to do; didn't get out until late and barely had enough time to go buy food for dinner and in the pot before having to change out and get back on the road for class.

 

Class wound up going really well. Wound up with yet another new student, a teen girl who was itching to spar from the get go. Man, if we could just get all our students on the mats at once, that would be something. K-sensei's kind of giddy, especially since one of the students was one who entered the dojo via Karate before getting hurt in Judo; the fact that she was on the mat after having got hurt shows good guts. I didn't get picked over for poor technique; even that little bit of shadowboxing the night before made a big difference. Insane.

 

Anyway, tonight I'm headed out to get paid to stab people. Should be good times.

[Urgan]

3 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Manong wouldn't set out to set up for failure, but he's definitely a go-with-the-flow, shoot-from-the-hip kind of guy. I think you're right, as far as them wanting to see things that work, and I know stuff that works. It's not like it's ever bothered me when I've had to teach shit to people in class - I do it in Karate all the time, now, and I do it in Kali already as well. What reason is there for this to bother me, beyond me being paid and feeling the pressure to provide good teaching?

 

You might have had an attack of insecurity at viewing what you do from a different perspective and you're just about to start teaching. It's okay. Just do the thing.

 

4 minutes ago, Kishi said:

#SleepIsAHarshMistress

 

#sleepeludesme

 

4 minutes ago, Kishi said:

So, resisting the Bells actually turned out easier than I thought it would. Work turned sideways yesterday and I wound up with a crapload of stuff to do; didn't get out until late and barely had enough time to go buy food for dinner and in the pot before having to change out and get back on the road for class.

 

Dat ain't the way we want to have things go down, but I guess if it kept you on the plan, it's good??

 

5 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Anyway, tonight I'm headed out to get paid to stab people. Should be good times.

 

 

Crabs with knives. It never gets old.

[Kishi]

On 8/10/2018 at 10:41 AM, Urgan said:

Dat ain't the way we want to have things go down, but I guess if it kept you on the plan, it's good??

 

Adapt, Improvise, Overcome.

 

On 8/10/2018 at 10:41 AM, Urgan said:

 

Crabs with knives. It never gets old.

 

It's the Gif that keeps on giving.

 

*

 

So! How'd it go? Did I teach well? Did I teach poorly? Was there an impromptu knife battle?

 

None of the above! I changed out at work, got to the car, fired up my phone for GPS and got a message from Manong that they cancelled at the last minute. Apparently, they're stoked to get stabbed over there but had a scheduling issue and couldn't clear out the time for us that they originally said.

 

So, with nothing else to do and with the evening free, I went back home and just chilled out, working on chores. Today, when I go to Kali, Manong and I are going to talk some more about ironing out a curriculum. I have some more thoughts on it, and I think I've identified some of the areas I was insecure about (mostly that I feel like I have one flow that I do really well and seem to work my way back toward, and I feel like I need to be able to do more). So today's docket will be upper body training and Kali, and we'll see what we figure out today.

 

Going off to game with friends tonight, and may be gaming with more friends tomorrow. Maybe. They haven't confirmed, and I don't go where I'm not confirmed.

[Kishi]

Weekend was very a weekend.

 

I spent Friday night reading up on nutritional protocols and stayed up entirely too late. Slept in. Skipped out on overtime. I'm a bad, bad drone.

 

On the flip side, however, I managed to get to the gym and hit up my upper body work.

 

Incline Push Ups: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Push Ups: 4x12

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• Struggled here. Got all my reps, toughed it out and stayed up the entire time, but definitely had some pause points here. Will have to stick to these sets and reps for a while.

High Rows: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Ground Rows: 3x3

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• Easier than I remember them being. I guess this whole notion of "paying my dues" to a given move paid off.

Hollow Plank: 4x48s

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• Whoops. Skipped my warm up set on this one. :X
• But then again, it went pretty great, so, I guess I can't complain?

Kneeling Push Ups: 2x10, 13

 

Kali afterward was pretty great. Had to get in and teach indepth to a student. Feels like I'm over the jitters on this. Just need to have a starting point and I can detail it all out from there. I notice, though, that my Kali is very simple compared to Manong's; I settle for 2-3 cuts before running away, and he likes to go for 5-6. We both have it in common, though, to repay every one stroke of the opponent with 2-3 of our own. So that's a thing.

 

Saturday wound up being grilling and games with the friends I helped to move. We got monsoon'd on that night, so I helped out with holding an umbrella over the grillmaster as well as providing moral support. Drank, talked, played Fibbage. Good times.

 

Sunday, I went to go train people for the first time in a while, which was pretty great. They're on a RP server for WoW, so I spun up a new character for that one and we'll see how it goes. Otherwise, hit the gym:

 

Hollow Body Tuck Hold: 1x9s

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Hollow Body Tuck Rocks: 4x48

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• Ah God but these get uncomfortable. Need to work on keeping my arms out and away.

Russian Twists: 1x30

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Side Plank Twists: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Side Arch Ups: 4x8

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Tuck Ups: 1x15

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Straddle Tuck Ups: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

V Ups: 3x3

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• Kind of get the feeling that my gut is in the way? Kind of don't? Hard to say.
• Mobility was a little tricky to get right, but eventually I figured out how to get the stretch I was looking for.

After that, I decided to test my hamstring and see how it was doing. According to the previous protocol, I'm mostly in the clear, as I've a painless gait, painless high-knee gait, and no problems in isometric contraction. I jogged a mile, and I could do it, but there was some definite discomfort in that hamstring during and after. Part of me is tempted to go back to work with the therapy bell, just to see if that hurts anything, and part of me is like, "Nah, you said you'd trust GB, and you don't need to do more than what you're doing now."

 

So, IDEK.

 

Watched my bro's stream. Should have used that time for chores. Shame on me. Binged S7 of the new Voltron on Netflix; really jonesing to finish it, but probably won't get to take a stab at it until Friday. (hurrrr hur hur) Thinking I'll take off that day to go fishing with my Dad anyway.

 

Anyway. Rest day today. Gaming possible to probable.

[Urgan]

Just gonna drop this here.....

 

 

[Kishi]

20 hours ago, Urgan said:

Just gonna drop this here.....

 

 

 

The best part is that the dude's title involves Defense Against the Dark Arts.

 

*

 

A twist! DM-san and Backup DM-san were both down with a case of Real Life, so no gaming last night. So, I went home and finished up Season 7 instead. It was worth finishing. Can't believe we're down to just one more. I will probably wind up going through the entire series when the last season drops, so I can get a sense of it. I don't feel like the show's truly had a weak season, but one of the weaknesses of the show is its tendency to gloss over character moments/studies in the name of action. Which I get, because it's a kid's show, and character studies are typically things that adults do more and fanfic authors have to fill in.

 

Still, the showrunners do the best they can, and as usual I was left wanting more, but not really with an ability to complain about what I got, you know? Like I'm trying to find it in me and I really can't. They almost didn't stick the landing on the final ep, but at the very last minute they pull it off and oh man.

 

Anyway, Karate on the docket tonight.

[Mistr]

Whoa, you've been busy. I finally got caught up on your thread.

 

Good for you in letting your hamstring heal and not pushing it, even though you miss the kettlebell training. This gives you a totally legit reason to mix things up.  

 

My sympathy on the stupidity at work. I have a friend who has a similar position here. She has also gotten frustrated with the agency and is looking for another position. At least this time you are making enough to live on while you are job hunting.

 

Yay for being invited to teach Kali. And for having more time to put together a lesson plan. It is one thing to know your own stuff and a completely different thing to get a group of total beginners to do what you demonstrate. You would be amazed how little body awareness some people have. Movement exercises exist for good reasons.

[Kishi]

15 hours ago, Mistr said:

Whoa, you've been busy. I finally got caught up on your thread.

 

Yup! There's been a lot going on. But you've had a lot going on too, so. Glad you could catch up.

 

15 hours ago, Mistr said:

Good for you in letting your hamstring heal and not pushing it, even though you miss the kettlebell training. This gives you a totally legit reason to mix things up.  

 

Right? It's actually given me a chance to slow down and assess things. Figure out what was going on underneath the hood and all that. In a way, I'm actually kind of grateful that it happened.

 

15 hours ago, Mistr said:

My sympathy on the stupidity at work. I have a friend who has a similar position here. She has also gotten frustrated with the agency and is looking for another position. At least this time you are making enough to live on while you are job hunting.

 

Yup. It's a remix of an old song, but I like this one better.

 

15 hours ago, Mistr said:

Yay for being invited to teach Kali. And for having more time to put together a lesson plan. It is one thing to know your own stuff and a completely different thing to get a group of total beginners to do what you demonstrate. You would be amazed how little body awareness some people have. Movement exercises exist for good reasons.

 

This is true. I've observed that a lot of the new trainees, when they come in, don't really have the body awareness that they need. It's unexpected, given that the ones who come in are reportedly high-level practitioners in their main arts.

 

*

 

Tuesday down. Had my performance review, aced it. Did better than I expected in some areas, actually, which is always fun to find.

 

Got back home with some time to kill, so I decided to break out the therapy bell just to see how I felt. Result was surprising. Was a little sore on the first few swings, but this didn't last, and afterward I was able to do my stretches, none the worse for wear. I was able to stretch out my right hamstring without pain. At this point, I'm trying it out on a provisional basis, just to see if I have any soreness or anything like that or any indications that it'll exacerbate anything. So far, nothing. If no other symptoms pop up, I'll be running these again on Saturday, to hit S&S program minimums and to maximize the amount of rest. If I have any soreness between here or there, it'll be nothing but rest for me.

 

Otherwise, Karate afterward. Went well. Drilled well, but got picked over in sparring. Sigh. And with the teaching on Fridays, class and work on Saturdays, and whatever shenanigans I get into on Sundays, I can't even really say when the next time will be that I get to hit a heavy bag and do extra work. On the plus side, a gym's going into the nearby shopping complex that allegedly will have heavy bags, but no word yet on when that's opening up. So, an annoying problem, but ultimately one that will be addressed in time.

 

Tonight should be leg work and judo. Kind of debating between throwing handstand work in tonight or saving that for tomorrow. Also not sure what to do with the upper body work on Saturday, given that KBs are working back into rotation - could move that to Friday and do that after teaching; it'd be a late night, but doable for that. Gym's open to 23:00 and teaching lets out at 19:30... should work.

 

So... yeah. Guess it's just legs tonight, then. And judo.

[Kishi]

Wednesday down!

 

Assisted Squats: 1x21

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Full Squats: 1x15

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Elevated Deck Squats: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: SKIPPED

 

Cossack Squats: 5x2

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• Regarding the deck squats: oops.
• Otherwise, good work. Hamstring felt fine doing the Cossack squats.

Judo afterward went fine. After going a few rounds of newaza, spent the rest of the time doing uchikomi with a new student who was super stiff and didn't want to take nothing at first. He got better over time, though. He was of a size with me, so spent a lot of time on ippon seoi nage and having to squat low to get hips below his belt. Figures on leg day I get the leggy throws.

 

Anyway, it was J-sensei's birthday yesterday, and between that and having to settle for quality food outside of macros for dinner, I pretty much just gave myself license to cheat. It happened. No regrets, although definitely got a food hangover to show for it. Those symptoms, however, seem to be passing pretty quick, which is nice.

 

No karate tonight on account of going home to fish with my dad. Thinking I'll play hooky, though, and get off a little earlier to go play with handstands and shadowbox before going home.

[Kishi]

PHWAAAAAAH

 

Okay. So, past couple days didn't do anything like going according to plan.

 

Thursday had a bunch of cases turn sideways, and I wound up with enough to do that I got out of work late as opposed to early. I didn't have time to practice and get home to see my folks, so I elected to go home. The folks cooked up a good dinner for me that was even within macros. Shock and awe, y'all. Went to bed afterward, though, and proceeded to get no sleep between the ambient light in the room, warm temperature, and lack of white noise. I feel so spoiled typing that out, but it turns out that I've gotten so used to engineering a good night's sleep for myself that I guess I really struggle now when I don't have control over that kind of thing.

 

So yeah, no sleep, and Dad's idea of sleeping in was 0620, so yeah. Went out, hit the lake. It was a palmy 90+ degrees with no breeze and no clouds where we proceeded to get no strikes at all. Still, I was content. I just wanted to spend time with my dad, and I did, and it was a good way to get some time away from life, you know? Get away and recenter myself. That's what this represents to me more than anything else, and the fact that we get to just hang out, be companionable, say what needs to be said and all that... it's really good, you know?

 

Got lunch and beers after, then went home. I elected to go ahead and hit my handstand training anyway. Did it. Felt fried. Went out to the new place for Kali afterward. It's a nice facility, and the people there were actually really cool. Not as much ego as what we find with the people who come to train with us, which was just effing surprising to me. I felt quite welcome, and the pressure I feel now is the pressure to do right by these people who trust us. Good pressure.

 

Went out and did upper body work afterward, and Lawd Jesus I was tired. Short version is that push ups are still hard, but I was able to do my hollowed plank and grounded rows without any trouble. I really didn't want to do the planks, because I didn't get to the gym until late and it was getting toward 22:00 and I'd been awake since 08:15 the previous day. Did 'em anyway because I couldn't see getting here, to this place, and not doing it, you know? Gym closed before I could hit the heavy bag, though. K-sensei would not be pleased.

 

Got back home, ate junk food, showered, and then passed out for a good 10.5 hours.

 

Kali and kettlebells on the docket today, although still keeping it light just to make sure that my body doesn't break again. Will be watchful for symptoms; if none materialize, though, I'm not sure what I'll do. Debating the timing of going heavier again, basically. I know I mean to take my time doing so, but I don't know what time tables I want for that. Like, the protocol I'm looking at right now has some strict guidelines, but kettlebells and bodyweight don't really seem to play by their rules? So. Not sure.

 

In the long term, concretely I mean to go from the 8 kg Swings and Get Ups to the 16 kg Swings and Get Ups and to do so one set at a time, per Pavel's guidelines, until I get to the point where I'm doing everything at the heavier weight. Then I mean to stay at that heavier weight for a month, then progress again. The only thing I'm not certain about is when to start transitioning; like, I'll be doing everything at 8 kg again because that's the therapy weight, but if I have no symptoms again, then I don't know whether that's clearance to start going heavier again, or if I need to stay at this weight for a while and check myself to make sure.

 

OTOH, hey, my back and butt don't hurt, so that's pretty great. Just want to be responsible with this pain-free state.

[Kishi]

Saturday's kali and kettlebells went about as well as could be asked for. Worked on Redondo cutting; it was the first time we'd touched it in a long while, but to my surprise I was able to hit it really well and by the time class was over I was humming along like a machine.

 

Worked with the therapy bell again afterward. Had no trouble with any of it, but was a little stiff when I woke up the next morning. Stiffness didn't last, and it's not like stiffness is the same as a strain/injury, right? And while I was stiff, I wasn't hurt. Not sure if this is a sign that I need to stick to 8 kg or if I'm cleared to start adding weight again.

 

Went to the gym on Sunday and did my core work. Tuck Rocks backfired; failed in the second set at 30 reps, but that shouldn't have surprised me. I think, if one uses money as a metaphor for movement, that I've been paying my dues with bad checks, and the check finally bounced on me in practice. So, that was coming eventually. GB recommends going back one step, so that is what I will do.

 

Other moves went off without a hitch, and I got to practice on the heavy bag for a bit. Some stuff went well, and some stuff that I thought would go well went awfully. I'm not retracting very well on my roundhouse-to-side-kick combo and it's weak this way. It really got into my head, actually, and I found myself in a dour place about it ("K-sensei sees it coming, the younger student scuttles out of the way of my side-kicks anyway before I can land forcing me into sloppy back kick, and I can't use this on the female students, why TF am I even bothering with this"). Ultimately, I'm bothering with it because it's a unique pattern that you don't see anyone else do, and if you prime people to expect a roundhouse and they go to block, it sneaks you around and you can blast them with a straight before they even know what's happening.

 

I got really analytical with myself afterward about what's going on, and I think that for me I've just got too many people clamoring for my time. All the teachers tell me, "You just need to practice 15 minutes a day," but if I practice everyone else's stuff for 15 minutes a day, that means I have to find another 45 minutes for practice on a daily basis, and that's with me being on the mats most days of the week. And possibly on Sundays now too, as one of the Kali students has been approached about setting up a boxing class in the dojo. Hah. I know his recommendations for extra practice already.

 

It just seems like if everyone knew how much I was practicing, they'd get off me about extra. Or maybe they wouldn't. IDK.

 

Anyway, tonight's an off night. Gaming presumably will happen; I'll get back home and I suppose we'll see what I have time to do. Incidentally, the cleaning is getting to the point where I need to take time nobody wants to give me to get stuff either to the dump or to a used media place or something. Not sure how the hell to balance that. Maybe I should light it all on fire.

[Urgan]

45 minutes ago, Kishi said:

It just seems like if everyone knew how much I was practicing, they'd get off me about extra. Or maybe they wouldn't. IDK.

 

This. Prioritize what you like/what is useful and too bad, so sad you need to eat and rest and stuff. Just a little reminder that you are working hard enough. 

[Kishi]

40 minutes ago, Urgan said:

 

This. Prioritize what you like/what is useful and too bad, so sad you need to eat and rest and stuff. Just a little reminder that you are working hard enough. 

 

I need that from time to time, so thank you.

 

And anyway, thinking about it, a lot of these movements cross over and translate into each other, so I wonder if it might not be possible to combine them and just do 5 minutes for each art. Because I can use Kali's cues in Karate and vice versa with the students who do both. So.

[ladylydia]

4 hours ago, Kishi said:

I got really analytical with myself afterward about what's going on, and I think that for me I've just got too many people clamoring for my time. All the teachers tell me, "You just need to practice 15 minutes a day," but if I practice everyone else's stuff for 15 minutes a day, that means I have to find another 45 minutes for practice on a daily basis, and that's with me being on the mats most days of the week. And possibly on Sundays now too, as one of the Kali students has been approached about setting up a boxing class in the dojo. Hah. I know his recommendations for extra practice already.

 

There are only so many hours in the day. Not everything has to be done, everyday. 

[Kishi]

17 minutes ago, ladylydia said:

 

There are only so many hours in the day. Not everything has to be done, everyday. 

 

I know, and K-sensei's even told me that, but in turn he said that extra practice should be done on "Off Days," and I don't really have but the one on Monday you know? It kind of comes back to the question of "On" versus "Off" time, because pure "Off" time is really difficult for me to come by.

[Urgan]

31 minutes ago, Kishi said:

 

I know, and K-sensei's even told me that, but in turn he said that extra practice should be done on "Off Days," and I don't really have but the one on Monday you know? It kind of comes back to the question of "On" versus "Off" time, because pure "Off" time is really difficult for me to come by.

 

Nobody has any clue what you've got on your plate, really, unless you break it down. Sometimes you just gotta say "Negative Ghostrider, the pattern is full."

[Kishi]

17 hours ago, Urgan said:

 

Nobody has any clue what you've got on your plate, really, unless you break it down. Sometimes you just gotta say "Negative Ghostrider, the pattern is full."

 

I swear to God, I'd tell him that and he'd answer by asking what I'm doing. If I told him I had to go home and cook, he'd tell me to put something on and then practice for a few minutes while it heats, then do my stirs/whatever, then practice for another few minutes. If I told him I needed to write, he'd say to write a page, then get up and shadowbox for a bit. If it was WoW he'd beat me. And then tell me to shadowbox. I do not train under people who accept my excuses.

 

*

 

Monday gaming down. One DM-san was out, so we ended up playing Blades In The Dark. Good times. I didn't play my character as well as I could, but it's a lesson; sometimes, that's necessary.

 

Anyway, karate and kettlebells on the docket. I think I'm going to split the difference on going heavier and wait until I complete another cycle of GB, which should be another couple weeks. That should be enough time to get my body used to moving like this again.

[Urgan]

34 minutes ago, Kishi said:

I swear to God, I'd tell him that and he'd answer by asking what I'm doing. If I told him I had to go home and cook, he'd tell me to put something on and then practice for a few minutes while it heats, then do my stirs/whatever, then practice for another few minutes. If I told him I needed to write, he'd say to write a page, then get up and shadowbox for a bit. If it was WoW he'd beat me. And then tell me to shadowbox. I do not train under people who accept my excuses.

 

And there it is.

Living your life = "excuse." Despite the very fact that doing so perpetuates the ability to do martial arts in a world where one is not a monk living on a mountain. 

[Kishi]

14 minutes ago, Urgan said:

 

And there it is.

Living your life = "excuse." Despite the very fact that doing so perpetuates the ability to do martial arts in a world where one is not a monk living on a mountain. 

 

I don't deny it. He - and the others, for that matter - just don't see their extra demands as being unreasonable. And on paper, it's hard to disagree - it's practically of the Rebellion to say that big changes only require small amounts of time per day. And in my head, I go, "Hm. Do I really need to watch YouTube? Do I really need to engage in Fandom? Do I really need to get worked up about that argument on Facebook where no one's gonna listen to anything I have to say?"

 

So, like, I don't like the extra training, but I don't trust my excuses either. And even looking at how I've failed to clean, isn't that just a personal failing in terms of not using my time properly? It's not even like I'm actually going into the office for OT despite my clearance; I could use Saturday mornings for that instead of puddling about and vegging on content.

[Urgan]

12 minutes ago, Kishi said:

I don't deny it. He - and the others, for that matter - just don't see their extra demands as being unreasonable. And on paper, it's hard to disagree - it's practically of the Rebellion to say that big changes only require small amounts of time per day. And in my head, I go, "Hm. Do I really need to watch YouTube? Do I really need to engage in Fandom? Do I really need to get worked up about that argument on Facebook where no one's gonna listen to anything I have to say?"

 

So, like, I don't like the extra training, but I don't trust my excuses either. And even looking at how I've failed to clean, isn't that just a personal failing in terms of not using my time properly? It's not even like I'm actually going into the office for OT despite my clearance; I could use Saturday mornings for that instead of puddling about and vegging on content.

 

Right up until they have you stirring dinner with your toes while shadowboxing. 

 

I want CCTV in their house watching them drill kicks while brushing their teeth and jumping rope while waiting for the toast to pop up, if so I can merely call them a radical vs an awful human being for putting this much pressure on you. 

 

 

Fun Fact:

I am married to someone who calls himself lazy for lying down when he is too sick to go to work. God knows what he thinks of my choices because I prioritize all of Sunday do precisely what is required at that time and lie down because I just had two back-to-back high intensity lifting days which tend to give me glorious headaches due to DOMS and I just ain't be having it. Such times are not times when I'd like to have a fight so I continue to point out that we rest because we're sick or tired, truly sometimes even exhausted. So you can imagine why I have such small patience for this from someone in authority. It's not fair and makes me absolutely furious. As you do. 

[Kishi]

29 minutes ago, Urgan said:

Right up until they have you stirring dinner with your toes while shadowboxing.

 

Oh, don't be silly. You can't practice kicks if you're stirring dinner with your toes.

 

32 minutes ago, Urgan said:

I want CCTV in their house watching them drill kicks while brushing their teeth and jumping rope while waiting for the toast to pop up, if so I can merely call them a radical vs an awful human being for putting this much pressure on you. 

 

Well, a lot of the pressure is self-imposed. I've not been prescribed mindless practice; K-sensei's trying to help me progress by identifying weak places and shoring them up with targeted practice. It's not like we can do that in class; this isn't like the old days when it was just him and me. We got a lot more people now and he's gotta take care of them, and since I'm the senior of all of 'em, I gotta help with that too. He's not an awful person, or at least I don't think he is; if anything, I just want to be that much better. He knows that, and because he's my teacher, he's tried to offer the one thing that he knows I'm not doing as much as a way to get better.

 

He and I both know there's never going to be a time when I'm good enough, but we also know that he's never gonna be good enough either. The difference is, I'm the one who feels the weight of it, while he's at a point where he's doing everything he can to get better and doesn't have a sense of pressure anymore. It's something he lives now, you know?

 

It's the same with J-sensei. He's a broken-ass old Marine who's approaching 70, and most of our students are either too heavy or too broken to do much work. I'm stuck as a middleweight, and the structure of my body is such that I have to know a bunch of different techniques, not just because I can use them but because they can be used on me too. We can't do randori like most places do, and realistically a lot of what's holding me back is underlying body-mechanical issues that need to be ground out in practice.

 

As for Kali? Manong doesn't give two shits whether I practice or not. But I don't want to be stuck in a position where I'm teaching this stuff and I don't understand what people's issues with it are. So I tell myself that I have to practice, because I got people looking to me now to lead and I'm not comfy doing that from anywhere else than the front.

 

I just feel like I'm trusted to be better than I am. I want to be worthy of that. There's a limit to how much better I can get on the mats, so the only way I have to get better is on my own. The trade I have to make in terms of my time is whether or not I spend it on what I admit are ultimately petty things which, frankly, don't give me anything constructive and in fact waste a lot of my mental bandwidth.

 

1 hour ago, Urgan said:

Fun Fact:

I am married to someone who calls himself lazy for lying down when he is too sick to go to work. God knows what he thinks of my choices because I prioritize all of Sunday do precisely what is required at that time and lie down because I just had two back-to-back high intensity lifting days which tend to give me glorious headaches due to DOMS and I just ain't be having it. Such times are not times when I'd like to have a fight so I continue to point out that we rest because we're sick or tired, truly sometimes even exhausted. So you can imagine why I have such small patience for this from someone in authority. It's not fair and makes me absolutely furious. As you do. 

 

I'm going to assume that you're angry for me rather than at me and say that I appreciate that.

 

Pray for me if you are so inclined. The Lord is my only rest now.