Osu

[sarakingdom]

27 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Unfortunately, while I can rationally accept that, emotionally I'm kind of compromised right now, because it feels like I'm being held to a higher standard than *everyone else* in *everything,* whether it's on the mats or not. Just deep, abiding frustration with everyone else whether it's the apartment mates resetting the thermostat all the time or with traffic needing me to be this better person or my work being good enough except for what someone else thinks.

 

You may want to hold off on this till you're feeling a bit more steady, so I'll spoiler cut it. Those frustrated-with-the-world days suck a lot, and sometimes the only thing to do is wait it out.

 

Spoiler

There are a lot of things that could be going on here, and it's probably not even super evident to you, because they all look basically the same. And no one here trains with you, so it's basically impossible for us to say either, "They're holding you to an impossible standard," or, "Man, stop punching Waifu in the face, you go after her like you can't stand her." So all we can counsel is stepping back and using a little Zen objectivity.

 

It could be they are holding you to a higher standard, because they're being jerks.

 

It could be they're holding you to a higher standard because they consider you an elite student, and from whom much is given, much is expected. They may want you to mentor students, and expect better control from you than they expect from Joe Schmoe off the street.

 

It could be they're not holding you to a higher standard, and are trying to find a way to tell you that you have a pattern of being too indiscriminately aggressive during training, without having a much harder conversation with a valued student. If this is the case, it's probably useful to develop a second training style and divide people into "play rough" and "gentler learning curve".

 

It could be that this is just them having long-standing marital tension over training, and their frustration is spilling over onto you. It sounds like she might be really unhappy with this part of their life.

 

It could be several of those things at once, and they're not being handled separately.

 

RP and Urgan are totally right that this is a martial art and shit happens. It would be crazy for them to expect otherwise. There's some reason all this is blowing up in your face, though. It might be as simple as "they have crazy expectations because she's Waifu". But it might be more complicated. It might be that you're the heir apparent, and don't get consequence-free screwups. It could be they're worried that you're dangerous with students who don't train as aggressively as you. Could be they need couples counseling they're not getting. Could be all of those.

 

Whatever the reason, the thing in your power to adjust here is you. So in practical terms, I think your options are to adjust your understanding of the situation so it upsets you less when it happens, adjust your actions so it happens less, and *maybe* have a calm, neutral discussion with the guy about his expectations of you and whether there's a reason they seem to be different than his expectations of other students, so that you understand the problem better.

 

[Teirin]

1 hour ago, RisenPhoenix said:

 

It's a Martial Art, not a Performing Art.

 

Shit like that happens.  When you step on the mat you are supposed to acknowledge that, and accept that sometimes you're going to get hurt.  Yes, you might have been able to change something to avoid the strikes, but partners are supposed to be EQUALLY self aware to AVOID THAT.  Especially if you were getting shown new things - of COURSE you are going to fuck up somewhere.  It's NEW.  You get some blame, yea, but the blame isn't *ultimately* with you because sparring is a two person practice, and unless you were acting entirely reckless, she is equally culpable.

 

She sounds like a woman who trained at my dojo briefly, didn't tell people she had prior health issues, didn't get pay attention to her partner, and when she got clocked because she didn't move from a really slow atemi went off to tell everyone how terrible we were, because we were 'too rough.'  No matter what, even the best performer has an off day where things just go wrong.

 

Also This ^^^^  One does not go out to train in martial arts/sports/anything active and physical if one is not willing to risk some damage.   Training in Judo alone and not even striking can get you punched in the face.   

[Kishi]

3 hours ago, Urgan said:

Maybe you could conform better to their expectations if they just dispensed with the pretense, hung you from one of those punching bag hooks one can mount on the ceiling, and armed you with pads with which you may not strike in any way whatsoever. You can only do so much damage that way, you monster.

 

I've only semi-jokingly thought to myself that I should go to next class with a length of rope so they can tie me up. Then all I'll be able to do is move, and she will be able to strike. Since that's what our rounds are supposed to focus on anyway, maybe that would be for the best.

 

2 hours ago, RisenPhoenix said:

Shit like that happens.  When you step on the mat you are supposed to acknowledge that, and accept that sometimes you're going to get hurt.  Yes, you might have been able to change something to avoid the strikes, but partners are supposed to be EQUALLY self aware to AVOID THAT.  Especially if you were getting shown new things - of COURSE you are going to fuck up somewhere.  It's NEW.  You get some blame, yea, but the blame isn't *ultimately* with you because sparring is a two person practice, and unless you were acting entirely reckless, she is equally culpable.

 

I mean, I know that. I signed a waiver. I assumed she did and did the same.

 

Anyway, I wasn't trying to be reckless. I'm honestly convinced she just kind of walked into it, but how do you tell someone that and have them believe it?

 

2 hours ago, RisenPhoenix said:

She sounds like a woman who trained at my dojo briefly, didn't tell people she had prior health issues, didn't get pay attention to her partner, and when she got clocked because she didn't move from a really slow atemi went off to tell everyone how terrible we were, because we were 'too rough.'  No matter what, even the best performer has an off day where things just go wrong.

 

I remember that drama, yeah. And, you know, yeah, I mean. I should be allowed to make mistakes. Everyone in this dojo makes mistakes; even K-sensei makes mistakes. He's hit me hard enough for me to see stars before without meaning to, and I just shrug it off and keep going because I know it's not personal. It just feels like when things go wrong, I'm the only one who gets in trouble for it.

 

2 hours ago, sarakingdom said:

You may want to hold off on this till you're feeling a bit more steady, so I'll spoiler cut it. Those frustrated-with-the-world days suck a lot, and sometimes the only thing to do is wait it out.

 

I'm okay. Having this stuff written out feels good - like I'm laying it down somewhere.

 

I'll respond in kind, for consistency's sake.

 

Spoiler

2 hours ago, sarakingdom said:

It could be they are holding you to a higher standard, because they're being jerks.

 

It could be they're holding you to a higher standard because they consider you an elite student, and from whom much is given, much is expected. They may want you to mentor students, and expect better control from you than they expect from Joe Schmoe off the street.

 

It could be they're not holding you to a higher standard, and are trying to find a way to tell you that you have a pattern of being too indiscriminately aggressive during training, without having a much harder conversation with a valued student. If this is the case, it's probably useful to develop a second training style and divide people into "play rough" and "gentler learning curve".

 

It could be that this is just them having long-standing marital tension over training, and their frustration is spilling over onto you. It sounds like she might be really unhappy with this part of their life.

 

It could be several of those things at once, and they're not being handled separately.

 

I think it's the last of these possibilities, because I think it's a couple of those things at once. I am being held to a higher standard - every time I tried to argue my case, K-sensei just said "Who's the brown belt? Who's the brown belt?" I'm not an elite student - I'm one of two; I've just been there longer than she has. And I do feel the weight of that. I know much has been given to me, and I want to meet the expectations. I just don't think it's fair that when I fail to meet the expectations that I get reamed.

 

The other aspect is that, well, like you said, she doesn't really seem to be happy here. When I said that I had to show restraint, I don't mean that I was going to be nasty. She just seems really half-hearted in her practice and like she'd rather be anywhere else. I don't know why she keeps coming - I've never known her to be cowed to anyone, so if she didn't want to come I imagine she'd put her foot down. I imagine there's something else going on that I'm not getting. It could be that she needs the class environment for herself, it could be that she needs their one car and it's not available if K-sensei's driving to dojo... I dunno.

 

For what it's worth, I have developed a second training style for her already. I already know I have to be gentle with her, that I can only attack body with one kind of punch, and that lightly. I know that I'm supposed to focus on movement, and I can even look back at it and determine which movement would have been better.
 

4 hours ago, sarakingdom said:

RP and Urgan are totally right that this is a martial art and shit happens. It would be crazy for them to expect otherwise. There's some reason all this is blowing up in your face, though. It might be as simple as "they have crazy expectations because she's Waifu". But it might be more complicated. It might be that you're the heir apparent, and don't get consequence-free screwups. It could be they're worried that you're dangerous with students who don't train as aggressively as you. Could be they need couples counseling they're not getting. Could be all of those.

 

It's crazy to think of myself as an heir to a way of teaching, but I guess that's what I am. I still think that this is some issue of theirs that they're not resolving, but you've definitely got a point. Being a brown belt isn't just something to brag on - it's a responsibility too, and I need to be more careful. Like I said, I'd still be at fault for having broken the rules on a white belt, and I'm still culpable for that, even if I think that the response is way out of proportion.

 

4 hours ago, sarakingdom said:

Whatever the reason, the thing in your power to adjust here is you. So in practical terms, I think your options are to adjust your understanding of the situation so it upsets you less when it happens, adjust your actions so it happens less, and *maybe* have a calm, neutral discussion with the guy about his expectations of you and whether there's a reason they seem to be different than his expectations of other students, so that you understand the problem better.

 

I mean, I've already committed myself to better actions. I think I probably need to adjust my expectations, and maybe even need to adjust my actions even further so that I don't intentionally hit her at all. Which may sound hyperbolic, but. It's just too easy to get in trouble the way things are.

 

3 hours ago, Teirin said:

 

Also This ^^^^  One does not go out to train in martial arts/sports/anything active and physical if one is not willing to risk some damage.   Training in Judo alone and not even striking can get you punched in the face.   

 

Oh, don't I know it. I think that's part of the reason that she doesn't go anymore - she's dealt with her share of judoka who cared less about taking care of each other and more about getting the throw no matter what. Even if it meant the wall. And I get that and I respect it. But she gets to see red and pitch a fit and ream me over the coals because of a single incident of poor control after months of compliance? That's not fair to me. Or at least, it shouldn't be.

[Kishi]

So, did push ups and was late to Judo without caring about it. That was pretty great.

 

Push ups went well. Scap push ups are ready to add reps again, and I added more reps to the knee push ups at cadence as well. So those are going pretty great.

 

Showed up to judo, warmed up, worked on throws, and even got to play with some light randori. Had to relearn a lot of how one moves and holds oneself. Also, J-sensei's teaching is big on countering, and I need to really learn how to recognize something I can punish.

 

Also, I was told that the next I showed up, I'd probably be tested for yellow belt. I wish I could say I was surprised, but after the high and low of the past few days, I kind of wanted to just throw up my hands and say, "What is it with people and not telling me I'm testing 'til the last minute?" More tiredly amused than anything else.

 

But now that I'm on the other side of it, I'm kind of excited. It's apparently three throws, three pins, and being able to count to 10 in Japanese. I can do this, although I'll probably want to run some refreshers on myself between here and there.

 

Talked with J-sensei afterward, and the discussion wound up going to things with K-sensei and Waifu, and he really helped me with getting some perspective on it. One angle that I hadn't considered was just how big the gulf in our capabilities are. I've been going hard with just about anyone who will for about 9 years or so. She hasn't really done that, so when we go together, I can't really feel how hard I'm going. She can, and she'll go harder because of it, and when she goes harder, I go harder, because that's what I do. The difference is, I can go harder than she can no matter how hard she goes, and that's very dangerous for her. Even if she executes the techniques well, the fact is I can pretty much just blow through whatever she puts up. And that's assuming that she does the technique right or well, which frankly is a crapshoot at this point. That's how she got hurt in the past - J-sensei has dealt with our prior instructor in Judo, and while there's no bad blood there, there's a definite difference in approach.

 

He also shed some light on why Waifu is here - K-sensei's making her do it, basically. K-sensei's a very intelligent, very argumentative man, and he will wear you down if you're not used to him and even if you are. I could totally see her doing this as a way to serve the relationship, and it's a totally valid reason to train, but it shows in that she doesn't put a lot of heart into her work and even after having trained solidly with us for a year still doesn't show a lot in terms of coordination or skill.

 

J-sensei's suggestion was, "She can go with you, and she can go with [K-sensei]. But you can't go with her." In other words, kind of like what @Urgan said - no matter what happens, I have to sit and take it. I can practice my movement, and I might just place punches if I have to for the sake of movement, but I cannot strike, no matter how hard she goes. My job is to dance and move and take the beating, because that's what she can handle right now.

 

It sounds kind of dour and glum, but to tell you the truth, I've been thinking about how K-sensei goes with her, and it's basically the same thing. Lots of being a punching bag, no real striking except to fit something in to keep her honest. I might have to aim to do just a little less than that, and somehow I reckon I'll wind up doing that.

 

So. Feeling a lot better today.

 

Single Leg Squat, Rope Climb, and Front Lever progressions on the docket today. Kind of debating between running short sprints as a finisher or doing gymnastic metcons. Karate afterward.

[Kishi]

Thursday was good. I could have used a good day, and I got one.

 

The new training routine is awesome. Let's break it down:

 

Assisted Squats: 1x21

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Halfway Squats: 1x15

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Full Squats: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Elevated Deck Squats: 3x4

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• So I decided to see how low I could go and picked the lowest thing that would provide some solid assistance. I rolled it like it was nothing.
• I've noticed that the setxrep scheme for deck squatting doesn't change from one step to the next, so I'm thinking that once I get the setxreps in order, I'll just work on lowering the elevation while keeping the setxreps the same.

High Rows: 5x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• No pain when doing, but the left elbow's feeling a little twingy today. So, I guess I'll be doing tempo work next time.
• Also, I noticed that the next step has the same setxrep scheme and I'm thinking that it might just make sense to start lowering the elevation until I hit the desired height.

Hollow Body Tuck Holds: 4x48s

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• I think the core (har) element of this is to just get used to the discomfort. I could hold it fine, and was nice and solid in my structure. Just gotta make peace with the burn, you know?

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 1x20x22.5

• Done with a three-second pause at the bottom to stretch the chest out. Good stuff. Will probably keep it here for a while.

Sprints: 4x40m

1-2-3s: 2

• Decided that if I wasn't going to use weights, I should do something else to my legs to make 'em work. Fortunately, I found a gentle incline behind the gym, and while it's not a true hill, it does make things a little easier. I ran my sprints, and felt really good while doing them but decided to hold off and not go for 10.
• 1-2-3s went a lot better. Managed to land solidly. The key seems to be managing my posture so that I'm not tilted forward, but that I can stop and correct and bring my posture back so that my weight isn't all going forward. It did work, though.

So, yeah. Good training. I particularly like the idea of doing shorter sprints if I'm not going to lift weights; one because it'll be work, two because it'll apply to my martial arts, and three because I can program these multiple times throughout the week. Hamstring feels good today afterward.

 

At Karate, we worked really hard to keep the water under the bridge. There's also a lot of talk about an openhouse that we're holding on 05/20, and Manong is talking about trying to open up and diversify the space. K-sensei suggested salsa dancing, which frankly I would be pretty stoked about because most of the women I know like dancing more than fighting, and also because it would tie nicely into my martial arts.

 

But one thing at a time.

 

Anyway, before sparring, we had a long philosophical lecture on the nature of control and meeting partners where they are and providing good experiences. It was basically all stuff I'd thought about and concluded in the two days prior, between my ranting here and talking w/ J-sensei. We sparred after - Waifu went with me, but I didn't go with her. It went off w/o a hitch, although I'm still going to have to keep working on this to make sure I spaz less.

 

But on the whole, things I think are better. I certainly feel better about them for my part.

 

Handstand work and side lever work today, as well as general movement practice. I'll see if I can't work in some loaded carries while I'm at it.

[Kishi]

And in other news, it looks like work is letting me post gifs again.

 

[Teirin]

On 4/26/2018 at 12:27 PM, Kishi said:

J-sensei's suggestion was, "She can go with you, and she can go with [K-sensei]. But you can't go with her." In other words, kind of like what @Urgan said - no matter what happens, I have to sit and take it. I can practice my movement, and I might just place punches if I have to for the sake of movement, but I cannot strike, no matter how hard she goes. My job is to dance and move and take the beating, because that's what she can handle right now.

 

Not optimal, but it's a set of guidelines you can work with.  Hope you're ok with it.  Not a great situation overall.

 

POST ALL TEH GIFS!!!!!!

[Kishi]

On ‎4‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 10:13 PM, Teirin said:

Not optimal, but it's a set of guidelines you can work with.  Hope you're ok with it.  Not a great situation overall.

 

I am. Ultimately, the truth is that we stand to get a lot of different kinds of people who will have varying degrees of intent, in terms of what they mean to gain from practicing with us. Some will want to go hard and some will not. As someone with relatively high rank, it's going to be my job to respect people's wishes and facilitate their training as well as seeing to my own.

 

*

 

My, but it seems like the weekend was relatively eventful compared to normal.

 

I spent Friday night doing mostly movement-oriented stuff. I practiced my forearm stands and my side-lever progression, and they both went well. I'll probably do tempo work on the Side Lever next time, but otherwise everything seems to be in order there. I did some heavy carries afterward and then spent some time hitting the wavemaster and shadowboxing some stuff out. Good times.

 

Saturday, I got up and went to go see the new Avengers film. I can't really talk about it without spoiling it, but it is a good film. Some of the critiques levered against it are legit - the film doesn't hold your hand in terms of knowing who all these characters are, and the film does cover a wide variety of locations pretty rapidly. If you've seen the majority of the MCU, you should be fine, and while some people have cited the runtime as a source of exhaustion, I personally didn't find it to be a problem. If anything, I think it wasn't enough.

 

I will say that if you read the comics, you shouldn't necessarily expect to know what's going to happen.

 

I went to see it at Alamo Drafthouse, because they have a location in Raleigh now. I was curious to see what all the hubbub was about and that place does not disappoint. Good food, great atmosphere; you could just as easily get beers and have a dining experience in there as you could take in a film.

 

The only downside was that I tried to pay for my friend's meal as she'd bought the tickets, and my card was declined... not because of anything Alamo had done, but because my card had apparently been hacked and the bank put a freeze on it.

 

Fortunately, the bank agreed to credit me for the fraudulent charges and will be sending me a new card, but it was a Saturday and the banks were closed; try having to live off of cash when you can't get your hands on any. It's like a sick joke, having the money to do things and it be out of reach.

 

I went out to hang with some friends, get some dinner, and take in A Quiet Place on their dime, which was damn decent of them. As for the film, whew. That film is a study in tension. It starts from the beginning and it never really goes away. Incredibly well-done, and it's incredible how little speech was necessary to get across how these characters were feeling, what they were thinking, their relationships and what they did. Very, very good, but holy crap if you suffer from anxiety you should not watch it.

 

Sunday, got up and did GB stuff. I got up late and found myself puttering around the place, so I didn't really get the time to go the gym and do all my stuff. I didn't even want to take the time to do tempo work, so I did my Push Ups and Tuck Ups at speed, and was pleased to find that they were easier than they'd been. They will both be progressed.

 

I didn't want to deal with sprinting recovery times, so I elected to do a metcon, which involved lots of squatting and pulling, so my legs feel good and busted today. Elbow is feeling surprisingly good, given how much pulling work I did; my earlier insights about where the strenuous place is in my pulls proved to be accurate.

 

Went to D&D with the folks afterward. Went pretty good, but my monk who had made a pet out of a glowing pillbug/moth creature lost his pet, and that just made me sad.

 

Without the ability to go out and actually buy food for myself, I've been stuck eating junk food for the past few days. I weighed and measured myself and my weight is back to pre-NYC numbers. I think this is as good a time as any to attempt another cut, utilizing what I've remembered about tailoring intakes around activity.

 

Aaaand, yeah.

 

My writing's going well, incidentally. My characters got way more interesting, so I'm trying to get to know them a bit better while I restructure my outline to make room for the grandness of who they are now. I've started watching Sanderson's lectures on YouTube again and I'm feeling motivated to grind out some words. It's annoying to have to take time to go the bank on lunch break, but then again it's not like I'm dodging my responsibilities to myself because I want to.

[Urgan]

14 minutes ago, Kishi said:

It's annoying to have to take time to go the bank on lunch break, but then again it's not like I'm dodging my responsibilities to myself because I want to.

 

Adulting sucks. Having to leave the office to do chores is the pits.

[Mistr]

I'm glad that you worked out how to train with Waifu. I hear similar complaints from some of our middle-rank people.

 

The problem in aikido is not about getting hit, but about taking falls. When someone takes a swing at you, you use that energy to throw them. The more energy in the punch, the faster the fall. Quite a few people come in knowing how to punch but not how to fall. They want to see if aikido "really works". If they were trying to hit sensei, that would be fine. But if they try to hit one of our brown belts, they would end up getting hurt because the brown belts don't know how to defuse the energy and control the fall. We have a firm rule about not breaking the new people. So the brown belts have to bail and end up being frustrated that "their aikido doesn't work". My training partner complains all the time about people leaving themselves wide open to a kick or punch when trying to attack hard. Now that he is a shodan, he is allowed to gently tap them to show that they are open. Last year he had to just make a mental note of it and keep his mouth shut.

 

Sounds like you could use to add some aikido to your repertoire so that you could let Waifu go with you without being a punching bag.  

 

Having your account hacked sucks. Another argument for having a week worth of meals in your freezer.

[Urgan]

3 minutes ago, Mistr said:

The problem in aikido is not about getting hit, but about taking falls. When someone takes a swing at you, you use that energy to throw them. The more energy in the punch, the faster the fall. Quite a few people come in knowing how to punch but not how to fall. They want to see if aikido "really works". If they were trying to hit sensei, that would be fine. But if they try to hit one of our brown belts, they would end up getting hurt because the brown belts don't know how to defuse the energy and control the fall. We have a firm rule about not breaking the new people. So the brown belts have to bail and end up being frustrated that "their aikido doesn't work". My training partner complains all the time about people leaving themselves wide open to a kick or punch when trying to attack hard. Now that he is a shodan, he is allowed to gently tap them to show that they are open. Last year he had to just make a mental note of it and keep his mouth shut.

 

In a cosmic sense, this is really really funny. The martial arts equivalent of stepping on a rake. Also partly a consequence of people going in with.....interesting conceptions of what aikido is all about perhaps?? 

 

5 minutes ago, Mistr said:

Sounds like you could use to add some aikido to your repertoire so that you could let Waifu go with you without being a punching bag.  

 

[Kishi]

21 hours ago, Urgan said:

 

Adulting sucks. Having to leave the office to do chores is the pits.

 

Right? But honestly, it's like there's no time otherwise. It feels like I got a lot of hooks in me pulling me places right now.

 

19 hours ago, Mistr said:

The problem in aikido is not about getting hit, but about taking falls. When someone takes a swing at you, you use that energy to throw them. The more energy in the punch, the faster the fall. Quite a few people come in knowing how to punch but not how to fall. They want to see if aikido "really works". If they were trying to hit sensei, that would be fine. But if they try to hit one of our brown belts, they would end up getting hurt because the brown belts don't know how to defuse the energy and control the fall. We have a firm rule about not breaking the new people. So the brown belts have to bail and end up being frustrated that "their aikido doesn't work". My training partner complains all the time about people leaving themselves wide open to a kick or punch when trying to attack hard. Now that he is a shodan, he is allowed to gently tap them to show that they are open. Last year he had to just make a mental note of it and keep his mouth shut.

 

Sounds like you could use to add some aikido to your repertoire so that you could let Waifu go with you without being a punching bag.  

 

19 hours ago, Urgan said:

In a cosmic sense, this is really really funny. The martial arts equivalent of stepping on a rake. Also partly a consequence of people going in with.....interesting conceptions of what aikido is all about perhaps?? 

 

You know, in a way, that's kind of what I have to do now. K-sensei doesn't want me to just be straight-up passive with her, so a lot of what I'm doing now involves lots of moving around, opening holes in the guard and trying to get her to do things. The trick being, I can't punish her for exploiting the opening when I present it. Much of what I do to defuse that energy involves lots of movement - head movement in particular, and very dynamic footwork. In other words, I need to absorb what she gives me without getting hurt and without firing anything back.

 

So... maybe you're right. Although I suspect that I couldn't really out and out throw the woman; I'd probably have to find ways to shift her around without wrenching anything.

 

19 hours ago, Mistr said:

Having your account hacked sucks. Another argument for having a week worth of meals in your freezer.

 

Mmm, yeah, but the trick with that is that my freezer's actually pretty small. Maybe a week's worth of dinners? Maybe.

 

*

 

Monday down. A relatively quiet day. Got my phone bill paid, and even upgraded the service.

 

More Blades in the Dark on account of regular DM being down with the sickness again. This time we had to deal with one of our original backers trying to sell us out for political purposes. So, after dealing with the thugs they sent after us, we decided to snoop around for information. It almost led to one of us getting thrown in jail, and we could have handled that, but we decided to get way more complicated about that and spring the jailbreak right on the jailhouse steps. Elegant? No. Fun? Oh yes. And afterward, we moved our hideout to a barge that we've camouflaged, so we stay hidden and on the move. No more break ins for us. Hopefully.

 

I think I need to step up my roleplaying, freethinking game a bit. We didn't have to get complicated. OTOH, though, like I said, it is a lot of fun to describe all the crazy stuff that happens.

 

I'm thinking lately about splurging for a PS4 after having seen Persona 5's anime adaptation and realizing one, that it sucks, and two that I really want to play the game. The price for some of the models is actually pretty good for me right now, but it'd basically blow my discretionary spending for the rest of the month, and on top of that I'm still clearing stuff out of the apartment. Maybe set it up as a reward? Maybe. Manong's in my head on that one - he's of the opinion that if you want something new, you need to get rid of something old. So maybe get rid of at least one box?

 

Stretched out after everything. Kettlebells and karate on the docket tonight.

[Urgan]

17 minutes ago, Kishi said:

You know, in a way, that's kind of what I have to do now. K-sensei doesn't want me to just be straight-up passive with her, so a lot of what I'm doing now involves lots of moving around, opening holes in the guard and trying to get her to do things. The trick being, I can't punish her for exploiting the opening when I present it. Much of what I do to defuse that energy involves lots of movement - head movement in particular, and very dynamic footwork. In other words, I need to absorb what she gives me without getting hurt and without firing anything back.

 

I'm no martial arts expert, but dang that sounds like aikido.

 

18 minutes ago, Kishi said:

So... maybe you're right. Although I suspect that I couldn't really out and out throw the woman; I'd probably have to find ways to shift her around without wrenching anything.

 

I threw people on my first day in the dojo and I was scared to death of hurting someone. Although our ideas of throwing might have a chasm between them, but still. There should be a way to gently emphasize when she's wide open without causing a nuclear meltdown triangle between you, Waifu, and K-Sensei. Insert motivational poster about finding your own path here.

[Kishi]

3 hours ago, Urgan said:

I'm no martial arts expert, but dang that sounds like aikido.

 

Aikido with boxing gloves.

 

3 hours ago, Urgan said:

I threw people on my first day in the dojo and I was scared to death of hurting someone. Although our ideas of throwing might have a chasm between them, but still. There should be a way to gently emphasize when she's wide open without causing a nuclear meltdown triangle between you, Waifu, and K-Sensei. Insert motivational poster about finding your own path here.

 

Well, I mean, like, even using y'all's throws might be too much. Keep in mind, this woman has freaked out on me because I checked kicks from her with my shin before. She hit me harder than she meant to and it pissed her off, so to be frank about it I don't have a lot of faith in doing anything without something blowing up.

 

The best path here, I'm convinced, is to just see rounds with her as movement practice more than anything else.

[Kishi]

Tuesday down. Tuesday was good.

 

Tuesday was complicated by the fact that in addition to all the work I was doing, I also picked up a nail somewhere on my way to work. I didn't realize it, on account of it being a slow leak, but around 14:00 or so I was told that my tire was almost flat. So, I had to make a mad dash to get the car to a gas station and get air in the tire before I could get it to a service station. Although, that being said, I probably could have just taken it to the service station as it's right next to my work. Might have been the more efficient thing to do.

 

I was kind of expecting them to give me some grief over my oil and the check engine light being on, but nada from them, which was good.

 

Maybe it was for the best, though. A coworker of mine is selling a sharpened Bat'leth, and while I initially said I'd buy it, I realized I wouldn't be able to resell it at a profit, so I used the car as an excuse to back out. I didn't technically lie; this money is still going to be coming out this month, but it looks like it's going to be a slow drain rather than all at once, as I was afraid it might be.

 

OTOH, I think she's going to try to sell me again at the end of the month, assuming she can't get it out through any of the sites. But that's okay. Discretionary fundage is saved for the thing I really want. Assuming the car doesn't eat it up.

 

S&S went fine. Two-arm swings with the 32. I elected to do my TGUs w/ the 24 since I didn't get home until relatively late, and I wanted time to be able to stretch and get a little food in me before heading off to karate. Incidentally - vanilla whey protein, mixed w/ Orange Vitamin Water = orange creamsicle shake. You're welcome.

 

Karate afterward went well. It actually went really, really well. We worked on lots of fanciness and footwork. After that, Waifu and I were pitted in what I guess could be called "One Move Sparring," where you move around, but you can only do one technique. Her job was to hit me, my job was to get off to the side and counter. She got me a lot on that one, but that's to be expected. Getting out of the way as opposed to going back is actually a lot harder than it sounds.

 

Went w/ K-sensei afterward, and some of the better movement that I'd not been doing clicked into place. I managed to give him a lot to worry about, and I did a lot of things right. Among them, I managed to make a shape with my hands that guided his strike where I wanted it, then managed to get out of the way when he threw it and countered; I got him with some judo; I blended with a kick and managed to counter strike right at the end.

 

So, yeah. High freaking note.

 

Today, push up practice and judo. They say they will test me. I suppose we'll see. Personally, I feel like I could stand some more time working on my pins, but what can you do?

[Kishi]

AAAH, work got in the way again, and I had to take care of some real world issues given that I don't have a card. By the time everything was done, it was to the point where I'd be coming in with most of class done; I figured I wouldn't get much out of it and decided to skip.

 

Did all the push ups instead. I elected to switch from tempo work to regular cadence on the scap push ups and managed 5x15, which is progression standard. Reps were all smooth and controlled, as opposed to me bouncing in and out of them.

 

Regular push up practice went well, although my ability to grind out reps seems to be suffering. Dunno if that's a function of new variations or if it's the cut going into effect already. I suppose we'll see.

 

In the absence of judo, I decided to run an S&S test and do some uchikomi work after. That feels like a nice substitute - not ideal, but gets the heart moving and gets me practicing. Was able to hit 4 TGUs with the 32 under time. This is good news. I almost have my Simple back. At which point, I'll be able to send away for the 40. In a while. At this point, money is spoken for, and depending on how it plays out it might be that way for a month or two.

 

Tonight, GST, some sprinting, and karate on the docket.

[Kishi]

Thursday was another good day.

 

So, I went out and hit the gym. Went as follows:

 

Assisted Squats: 1x21

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Half Squats: 1x15

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Full Squats: 1x9

Integrated Mobility: DONE

 

Elevated Deck Squats: 5x10

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• So, remember, Sunday, instead of sprinting, I elected to run a metcon. I didn't specify, but the original program called for 100 squats, 50 muscle ups, and 50 pistols. Obviously, had to scale those last two, but I scaled down to deck squats and was able to complete the full volume. I thought that was weird, so I decided to see if I could hit the full setxrep scheme on a regular working day... and I did. Even with integrated mobility and everything.
• Legs are feeling heavy today, tho.
• The best part about this is that I was able to get a bunch of exercise mats and get a height measurement. So now I can start to remove mats and do the work that way.

High Rows: 5x9 at Tempo

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• Felt some elbow pain on this one. Pain did respond to rolling w/ a LAX ball, though.

Hollow Body Tuck Hold: 4x60s

Integrated Mobility: DONE

• Just gotta get comfy with the burn.

Chest Swings: 1x20x45

• PT for the pectus. Take a dumbbell, and adduct it across your body using the pectoral. You're not curling or doing anything exotic. I find this one really helps.

And that was it. I wanted to run a finisher, but I made my hamstring angry a little earlier in the week, and I thought it might be better to focus on one day of quality work rather than multiple days. Interestingly, the hams feel better after swings than they do sprinting. Not sure if that means there's an impact component to this or if I've got some badness in my movement there. Or maybe it's just overworked with other stuff. Dunno.

 

Karate afterward was good. Sparring didn't go quite as well, but didn't let K-sensei get quite as comfy in his game either. Good enough, but not as good as I'd like. He also wants me to practice faking the cross with Waifu, which can work but requires a lot of effort to keep her at distance (because remember, I can't hit the woman, so she has no problem just scuttling her way into range, and if I don't move I can fake and get blasted by the counter).

 

I'm looking at going to hang with a friend tonight, so I ran my measurements again. I'm using a new scale, one that is a bit more finicky because it requires calibration and also because it uses bioimpedance to measure body fat. But I hit it up and my measurements are way back down again, which I'm kind of spooked about - my numbers are back in NYC range again with lower body fat. And I know, the specific number isn't important insomuch as the general trend. Even so. Sleeping well, controlling stress, drinking lots of green tea with lemon... and also cutting my calories. Who knew?

 

Headstands, side lever work, and farmer's carries tonight. I've been studying some weightlifter's wisdom, and per Alan Thrall, certain weights can feel heavier depending on how big they are - so if you're doing 95 lbs with wider plates, they'll feel easier than 95 lbs with smaller plates, because the weight is spread out farther rather than being concentrated. That actually explains a great deal about my foibles with longer walks like I'll be doing today, so I'll probably wind up dropping the weight tonight to focus on practicing.

[Urgan]

8 minutes ago, Kishi said:

And that was it. I wanted to run a finisher, but I made my hamstring angry a little earlier in the week, and I thought it might be better to focus on one day of quality work rather than multiple days. Interestingly, the hams feel better after swings than they do sprinting. Not sure if that means there's an impact component to this or if I've got some badness in my movement there. Or maybe it's just overworked with other stuff. Dunno.

 

My vote.

 

9 minutes ago, Kishi said:

Karate afterward was good. Sparring didn't go quite as well, but didn't let K-sensei get quite as comfy in his game either. Good enough, but not as good as I'd like. He also wants me to practice faking the cross with Waifu, which can work but requires a lot of effort to keep her at distance (because remember, I can't hit the woman, so she has no problem just scuttling her way into range, and if I don't move I can fake and get blasted by the counter).

 

 

 

 

[Kishi]

5 hours ago, Urgan said:

 

 

 

 

 

[Treva]

Been catching up with all the drama with the waifu.  I'm really glad you had that chat with your j-sensei, it sounds like that gave a different perspective on a frustrating situation.  And the tasks you're getting from k-sensei seem quite challenging, and are set up to put you on the defensive.

I concur with the above martial artists who know way more than I do, but that damn well does sound like aikido as it has been described to me....

 

As someone who also recently had her bank account hacked, dude I feel you.  the sudden panic of not being able to access your resources is...so not fun.  I'm glad the bank is going to cover those charges, though, that's its own adventure in fear not knowing if the fradulent charges will be covered

 

Congratulations on the weight loss and everything starting to look better per the scale!! That sounds great, I'm so glad to hear that you're making positive progress.  I'm also excited to see your exercises are treating you well!  Congratulations on all that success you have going, how wonderful!

[Urgan]

13 hours ago, Treva said:

And the tasks you're getting from k-sensei seem quite challenging, and are set up to put you on the defensive.

 

I see what you did there.

[Treva]

1 hour ago, Urgan said:

 

I see what you did there.

Oh my gawd what did I do I am the dumb

[Urgan]

1 hour ago, Treva said:

Oh my gawd what did I do I am the dumb

 

I thought it was quite the apt little word-play.

 

[Kishi]

On ‎5‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 6:06 PM, Treva said:

Been catching up with all the drama with the waifu.  I'm really glad you had that chat with your j-sensei, it sounds like that gave a different perspective on a frustrating situation.  And the tasks you're getting from k-sensei seem quite challenging, and are set up to put you on the defensive.

 

 

But yeah. Still not a big fan of the stance he wants me to work from. It's good in that it gives me a lot more movement options without really restricting me from anything I was doing already, but it also feels really heavy right now, and like my top and bottom halves aren't really in sync.

 

I don't like it, but I have a feeling if I go back to the original that I'll be told the earlier suggestion wasn't a suggestion at all. So. Grin and bear.

 

On ‎5‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 6:06 PM, Treva said:

As someone who also recently had her bank account hacked, dude I feel you.  the sudden panic of not being able to access your resources is...so not fun.  I'm glad the bank is going to cover those charges, though, that's its own adventure in fear not knowing if the fradulent charges will be covered

 

Yeah, especially because I was under the impression that they'd cover, no questions asked. But they haven't yet, and I think they're waiting for the investigation to conclude before they do anything, which I wish they'd told me they'd do. Of course, there's no timeframe on when that'll be done, so I might just be out a few hundred bucks for nothing.

 

On ‎5‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 6:06 PM, Treva said:

Congratulations on the weight loss and everything starting to look better per the scale!! That sounds great, I'm so glad to hear that you're making positive progress.  I'm also excited to see your exercises are treating you well!  Congratulations on all that success you have going, how wonderful!

 

Thanks! I will definitely take it.

 

*

 

Goodness, where did the days go.

 

Welp, since I don't have a PS4, I've been watching a playthrough of God of War, the new one. It's... pretty epic. Even back in the days when GoW was a problematic franchise for all of its violence, there was a wondrous sense of the scale of things. When you fought with gods and titans, you felt like the world was shaking.

 

The newest is our Greek god of war dealing with the Norse pantheon, and they really leveraged the hardware to up the scale. You definitely feel like you're in a world of giants and gods, and the scale is insane. But the game itself is just a better one overall anyway. The original GoW was a violent but complex tale, an honest to goodness Greek tragedy written in the vein of the classics. The later games ramped up the violence and the sex at the expense of story, and it earned its negative reviews. But with this one, they've really returned to the sense of story, and Kratos himself is a far more complex character, trying to grapple with and atone for the person he was.

 

There are still some critiques to be made, of course. It's still quite violent, women don't play as strong a role as they could, and the cast isn't terribly racially diverse (although, it's set in a Nordic mythic fantasy, so that might be asking more than the setting can take). But the game is a huge step forward in a lot of ways, and I wish I could play it.

 

But yeah, since I can't, I've been watching and absorbing the story instead, and that's eaten most of my free time when I'm not training or doing other things.

 

Friday, I went to practice headstands and the side lever work. It went well, although I seem to have found a sticking point in the headstands, because it's tiring to hold the balance for that long. It's been surprising. The shoulders work a lot more in a free-standing forearm stand than you might think.

 

Friday night, I went to the Improv place to see a friend of mine whom I hadn't seen in a while. He killed it; he's come a long way from where he started, and I'm proud of him.

 

Saturday, I told myself I'd judo, and instead wound up writing. I did Kali afterward, though, and stayed to help clean up the dojo afterward.

 

Sunday, I did push ups, sprinted, and did abdominal work. Push ups went okay, but I'm stuck on the next step again, so, back to tempo work. Sprints went well, though - managed 6x40m and 4x1-2-3. Abdominal work afterward was also good.

 

Monday, I got news of an invitation to a thing on Friday that would interfere with training... and the news that gaming group was off for the night as both our DMs were down with the sickness. So, I did more headstand and side lever work. Side lever work is doing well, but headstand is still stuck where it is. I also managed to get a box of stuff that I'm taking down to the dump (on account of not really being eligible for donations), and got some more of my laundry caught up.

 

Today, I forgot to turn on my alarm and slept late. Got work late, but got the work done early enough to feel comfy taking off early and getting my errands done - trip to the dump, and off to a polling place to vote.

 

After that, S&S and Karate should be on the docket.

[Kishi]

Tuesday in the bag! I'm feeling some fatigue, and I'm not sure if it's the cut or if it's the fact that my sleep hygiene has fallen way off. I think I'm just the kind of person who's up at dawn no matter how much sleep he's gotten if it's a weekday. So, that's something I need to account for going forward.

 

Practiced swings and get ups with the 32, managed to finish in time to get some food in me, then off to Karate, where I managed a beautiful counter that sadly did not get recorded. Oh well.

 

Tonight, I get to advance on my straddle planche progression and work on push ups. Will be doing them from home tonight as my food is there and also my objection to judo - that I couldn't make it on time - has been overcome. Of course, if I can't get out there in time to get more than half a class, well, there won't be much point. But I'm optimistic about it. Somehow.