A challenge ahead

I write this in a time of great concern, just a few days away from travelling from Cornwall to Bedford for the EMTF National Championships, we will be travelling up om the Friday and returning on the Sunday for what promises to be a truely exhausting weekend.

After driving all the way up there and grabbing an all to brief shower and rest we will be making our way over to train with Master Anesh for 4 hours i think before grabbing what i expect to be a very restless nights sleep.

Competition day always starts with me waking up way too early, wanting plenty more sleep, promising i will force myself to have breakfast and then disappointing myself by looking at the plate/bowl wanting to throw up and not eating till around 5PM that evening. My only place of contentment is the shower in which i spend at least 20-25 minutes with the water as hot as possible, soothing my already tense muscles as i mentally try to prepare for the challenge ahead, in my mind i know i can do well, but i have to control myself, stay calm and collected and perform to my best, all too often i have let nerves shatter my chances of a good performance, i can never grumble at doing my best and losing, but to perform badly lets me, my students and my Art down. That simply wont do.

My role seems somehow different for this competition, for one i know that i will be judging and refereeing, not something i particularly enjoy but to ensure the day goes well and to help with the running of the rings its something all Master must do, and of course any other spare senior grades, but it is a nice feeling to be sat there and your opinion counted, in addition to that i have 3 Cornwall clubs represented, the Central Dojang ( my club ) and 2 Satellites. After spending the majority of my recent weeks teaching all of these people what to perform and how to perform it, it has become evident to me that i have neglected my own training, i dont feel particularly sharp in sparring ( in part due to the fact im always sparring lower grades, the 3rd Dans and Masters are very VERY good at sparring ) and my form is self taught mainly, i have a massaive disadvantage in that respect but i feel that i have been mainly a coach for this competition, and my own performance/training has had to take second place, personally i would have liked more time with the entire team, and will try hard to rectify this for the Europeans next year.

In addition to this i have one more area of concern pressuring me, it only dawned on me yesterday actually, its been 9 years since ive competed in a Tang Soo Do Comp with Hyungs, its a scary thought, ive competed in opens with forms, but not Tang Soo Do where the technical aspect is much harsher, i have consigned myself to the fact i will lose sparring and thats cool, as theres no weight category and im the smallest in the group then i have to accept that i will lose, i just hope i get a decent draw, but the forms is where im feeling the most pressure. I guess we will just see.

Ive also had the bad news that one of my Students wont be making the trip and also perhaps another one, this is gutting due mainly to the fact that their company will be missed and i know for a fact they will do well, im looking for Cornwall to dominate the Chil Sung Category, this has been my main aim over the past month or so, an i expect the same for the Europeans, so 2 down would be a disaster.

Im starting to drone a little now, so perhaps i will revisit and add more at a later date, plus im planning on getting as many early nights as possible between now and the trip.

I have had some very nice time lately and the fact that me and Hayley are on the best of terms again means that my bad mood and constant worries have ( at least for now ) vanished, the precious little time we have managed to spend together as good friends in the past weeks have been a welcome distraction from the upcoming event that has already started to steal my sleep. Its been massively comforting and relaxing. Thankyou.

I will leave you with a track ive always loved and recently rediscovered via the miracle of spotify

My Religion

I decided not to continue my Blog a month or so ago, after writing things while half asleep and not getting back to finish it, leaving it rough and TBH not worded very nicely. Now ive had time to reflect on this and im more awake ive now decided to continue, at least for a while.

I originally intended this to be a training record for me and my students, and so this post marks a return to this concept. I have a lot on my mind recently so if your about to read this, grab a cup of tea…You could be here for a while.

My club has an online forum, a place for members to discuss relevent information, events and research, an ideal platform for people to really share any good and bad information they come across, its also meant for organising events and such as we dont want to be doing all of this in the Dojang. However in recent weeks the posts have become sparse and its hard nowadays to even get a reply to any question I directly pose to the masses online. Why? I have no idea.

Some are plain lazy, they dont get online enough and wonder why they are behind everyone else, there are masses of new TSD related videos online and the internet plays host to a whole magnitude of training/historical information that i only could have dreamed of when i was an eager Gup grade, back then we relied on video cassettes which were rare to find and books which were, to be honest out of date or all gave roughly the same limited information. These days a simple ‘Google’ for Tang Soo Do, Soo Bahk Do or Moo Duk Kwan gives you endless amounts of information, add to that the vast amounts of forums around inc my favourite ‘Warrior-Scholar’ and the possibilities are endless, through this i have found information that i never thought possible, views and opinions from people on the other side of the world, Masters and Grandmasters all directly linked to the Late Founder. It truely is amazing. But still students do not take this opportunity to learn, to evolve and to educate, this is criminal especially if you are an Instructor with the ISK where we teach to be open and try new things, learn new systems and look at all aspects of our training.

In looking at the lack of online discussions and interaction i decided to explore further, im an avid fan of reading blogs, they give a facinating insight into what the students are thinking and going through at that particular point, i find that this is important as an Instructor, i want to know if they have any problems, and stresses and also when training is mentioned i can easily identify if they are finding anything hard, if they enjoyed something immensely or if they dont like a particular aspect of my teaching. However by reading the blogs of late, i see no mention of Tang Soo Do, or Kickboxing, or recent events like Seminars and again wonder why? Did they simply forget? Were these events not important or enjoyable? or simply has it been pushed to the back and in the rush of writing a blog was there simply not time?

There are loads of reasons why this is happening, i have students training in other styles now which is obviously exciting to them and that will naturally take over, at least for a while anyway, they will also have family affairs, work related stress issues and other outside hobbies to distract. But for how long?

Its weird to me how many people are way too complacent with their training and perhaps even becoming bored with it when i am finding ( at 4th Dan and after over 18 years of training in TSD ) that its possibly at its most exciting stage, im constantly learning things, evolving my training and working hard.

Our school is a ‘Do’ school, a way of life, we all know this, we all try to emulate this but to what extent. Its easy to say we do it ‘yeah i think about training all the time, its really my life’ Is it? Really?

I challenge any of my TSD readers to really evaluate that question. Do you? In Tang Soo Do ISK you dont have to be the highest kicker, you dont have to be the best fighter, you dont have to win trophies or spin the Bo faster than anyone else, the only requisites that we have is to train hard, contribute as much as you can, be honest, fair and above all dedicated.

That takes me to the title of this post, and relevant to one of my very first manuals in Tang Soo Do, an article in the back that was a facinating read to me in my younger years, and is now one that i can firmly relate to. I wont relay the article that i read but i will offer my own smaller version.

This week i decided to visit the Dojang on my own, i dont do this very often as i dont have the time, i teach 1-1 sessions, seminars, gradings, squad training and of course the regular classes, so a night off these days is a rare and welcome experience, however, weirdly after watching a film about training i decided i needed to whip myself back into shape.

Straight after work i raced to the Dojang, got changed into a T-shirt and loose trousers and began a quick stretch, i then dragged the Wavemaster into the middle of the Dojang floor, put my striking gloves on and started scribbling on the board, Kicks, Punches, Situps and Pressups with a tally score beside each one to measure my progress, i also sat a bottle of water on the window as i knew i would need it.

The workout began, fast and furious, full of enthusiasm at first, starting with punches and kicks knocking up a small score to begin with before moving onto Situps and Pressups starting with sets of 25, by this time i started to get quite warm and the top had to come off, by round 2 and doubling the sets that i was performing i was sweating furiously, the sounds from the stereo now starting to get drowned out by my heavy breathing and grunts of effort, round 3 and a quick few sips of water saw my stomach want to give up, the effort of just one situp was agony now and i still had lots more to go. At this point i wanted to give up, i had no training partner to shout at me and keep me motivated, and i nearly packed up and left, i strode around the Dojang furious with myself for even thinking about it, squaring off to the Wavemaster and started another round of punches.

The session lasted 1 1/2 hours, it was agony, i ached for days, but this isnt the story im trying to tell, there are people better than me at pressups and situps, people who could have done that and then gone onto a 5 mile run. The thing that got me thinking about this whole post happened about an hour into the session, i was so sore, my stomach ached as i have never liked situps and i wanted at one point to throw up, at a certain point i hurt so bad i swore, i wasnt in Dobok and i wasnt strictly training in TSD at the time but i swore and immediately, without thinking turned to face the portrait of the Founder on the wall of the Dojang, bowed and apologised, for me there is no other training than TSD, everything i do goes towards either advancing and improving, and therefore positively influencing my TSD or of course negatively influencing it.

It was then i realised that there in the Dojang, i was in my church, the place i come to get away from any problems i face, any ups or downs, where i feel safest, in the Dojang it doesnt matter, there is only training and learning. After apologising and then turning to face myself in the mirror the words from that Article from years ago came flooding back, this is my Church, and this is my Religion.

What do you take from training, Fitness? Confidence? Self Defence? These are commonplace on Martial Arts posters, but if that is all perhaps you are missing something, perhaps you are missing the most important part. Analyse this, i beg you, and find the truth.

I mean this post to be insightful and helpful to those that read it, I hope it has the desired effect.

Stay safe, train hard.

Good times for all…

After my rather miserable and wrong rants recently i thought it time to write a new happier Blog, apart from the Breakup things are actually going very well in all other areas apart from my lovely VW Passat which has just cost me £700 to get through the MOT just to sell. Great!

Although me and Hayley never fell out ( i have mentioned this in my previous blog ) i feel we have made a huge step forwards together, and a serious talk really left me a little low for a while and then the mood lifted and i felt so positive, dont get me wrong the serious talk wasnt a fall out, it was a good thing, we talked things over and got a few things cleared up. It was good, i needed it and i feel very close to her again. This is helping me to move forwards with everything and im very thankful for it.

I am currently typing this with a broken 5th Metacarple also known as Boxers Break i believe, this was due to hitting a wall ( not in the joggin sense i actually….Hit a wall! ) at training on sunday, now TBH i hit the wall for a number of reasons but i didnt hit it hard, i have hit the wall that hard hundreds of times with pads on but the theory is that the hand was actually fractured already, probably for a round 3 weeks ( god knows how i did it in the first place, i really have no idea ) the impact on sunday just finished it off, it was waiting to happen so im glad it done now with at least a slight chance of healing for the EMTF mixed styles seminar in a few weeks. I will be there anyway, but hopefully i will still be able to take part. I hit the wall as i felt very frustrated with myself at the moment in life ( on sunday anyway ), I tried to pump myself up as well as i had just got caught by being lazy during fighting and also very frustrated at the fact the guy i was fighting wasnt doing anything ( other than the technique just mentioned ) i hate it when people just sit back in training and expect you to do all the work, you gotta try new things and attack, ah well i still won the fight,even with the broken hand! booyah! And i will be fighting again on sunday, i havent missed a VS session yet, i dont plan to yet, I try to always set an example in the Dojang, and as a student i never EVER missed a lesson , it simply didnt happen, if i have an injury or illness the physically prevented me from training i would be there to watch and learn, to support and help when needed, its this lesson people need to learn from. No matter what the injury you are still needed in the Dojang, this isnt a McDojo, everyone is valued, everyone is needed and everyone needs to show their support as often as possible. Some people are being slack, i will happily say this in public, and im sure no one reading this is, but if by any chance i get new readers and they think it applies, look at yourself, check the attitude and apply the changes that need to be made. Your either a Martial Artists or a part time, pyjama clad aerobics enthusiast, if its the latter, you wont get anywhere in TSD or even KB i suppose, you need dedication, effort, sweat and in most cases a bucket full of pain. Martial Arts isnt supposed to be easy, its why i tend to build the best friendships through training, we sweat together, hurt together, bleed together, it bonds you. Gay sounding? Maybe! But true. I remember first mentioning to people that TSD ( esecially ISK ) is like a family, and people laughed at me, thinking it to be ridiculous. But years on training with me the opinion changed, they now refer to it as a family. It has that much impact on peoples lives, but only those that take it seriously. I have gone way off topic, im sorry, i just started typing an got carried away, but the points are still valid.

The hand is in a 3 point splint, which basically looks like a handwrap with a huge bit of plastic in the middele, which took about 40 minutes to custom fit to my hand ( which i oddly enjoyed ) but evertime i look at it im tempted to dip it in Glue and Glass!

I am hugely looking forward to the EMTF seminar, a chance to kick back with friends, have a few beers at the hotel ( which i always love, that feeling of getting out of the car, stretching, checking in,, grabbing that sweet shower and downing that first pint ) Im also looking forward to seeing whats reputedly one of the best live bands in existance, Pearl Jam in Manchester, That is going to be great, have just booked the triple room for Me, AJ and Lee, Have had the tickets bought for me, and AJ will be driving ( he doesnt know this yet )

Havent posted tunes for aaaaages! so heres some to make up for it.

Out with the Old and In with the New.

A very apt title i think as you find me writing this blog at a very interesting time in my life.

The start of the year found me happy as larry, moving into my very own ( rented ) house with my Girlfriend, however the financial strain of supporting the both of us and the bills and rent meant that i was forever wasting away my overdraft and finally last week it hit rock bottom….10 pounds please Mr Cashpoint…..I dont think so buddy. This happened just after ( the same week ) my Girlfriend decided it was all too much, I train too much, Work too hard and we dont get to see each other as much as perhapswe should, maybe this is true, but its my feelings that if we were right for each other then we would have been content with the time we did get to send together, this was clearly not the case and it was clearly misunderstood that i needed to workas hard as i did to even attempt to pay the bills! This put me on a massive low and strangely took me back to a very dark place in my past involving another big ( and nasty ) break up, one i never wanted to repeat, but strangely i did, i found myself in exactly the same situation,normally from being too nice to someone and then getting stung…maybe i will learn one day.

I have to say that friends and students alike have been hugely supportive, i think its been obvious that i have not been myself lately and every time i think im getting over the whole thing something else comes along to upset me, im now sure that its all over with, i am moving on with bigger and brighter things on the horizon, i truely feel that this is all for the better and i will emerge stronger and happier! I am now concentrating on my training and fitness and also contemplating a new Martial Art to keep me occupied and put me back in the role of student, but what to choose! Keet Kune Do is a possibility, i know 2 friends with direct lineage back to Bruce Lee and Dan Inosanto ( not the cheap imitations ) so thats a possibility, Somehow i have never taken much interest due to the whole Bruce Lee tag applied, but im sure its a good concept ( not style…CONCEPT ) and i will learn loads to apply to my TSD, or i could do a Kickboxing style to improve my fighting but tbh theres not much good clubs like that around, the last possibility for me is a grappling system, a friend has recently adopted BJJ, im not sure of thats the system for me, i could look at Judo ( gasp ) or MMA – I will do my research, but it all boils down to cost and which days i have free. Will keep everyone updated on this.

Yesterday saw our second KGB private rental game, this is where we rent the Indoor Airsoft sight and use it for whatever we want, for me this was extra special, i was testing out my new JG G36C Assault Rifle, as opposed to my usual JG MP5J, Jesus! What a difference, with the 9V battery lodged inside the thing was firing like a monster and highly accurate, my MP5 would spray so was never fully accurate, and i have always rated myself as a good shooter, having Dad take me shooting from when i was a youngster ( i have always ben addicted to anything shooting related ) so i always found the MP5 frustrating. With the G36, everytime i spotted a target i could hit it pretty much bang on withthe first few shots, this was awesomely fun. The whole day was great and we all had a blast, im already left waiting for the next one. I would post a full review on here but im already doing that on the forums at www.fieldcraftandfirearms.couk and dont want to repeat myself! The G36 currently has a Green laser attached to the bottom and a scope on top, further enhancements will be a silencer and maybe a longer barrel ( fed through the silencer ), i may also upgrade the gears, raise the scope or change it altogether with a Holo sight, the possibilities are endless and i will have to see how funds fair.

I think that it for the moment. I hope you are all feeling as chipper as i am. Enjoy the sun.:)

Whoops!

Ok i admit it, im totally crap at this whole keeping a blog thing! I cant even keep my twitter account up to date.

I will try to keep this thing updated but i find it hard at the moment to find the time ( OMG that sounded like the lame excuse i keep hearing from some…others )

OK quick update ( im also noting that i havent posted my full Rotterdam review yet, i will )

1 – Training – The Kids Kickboxing is going well,we have around 10 definate stickers i think, we may lose more, but if i get around 7-8 i will be happy and can then move onto another school to gain more.

Tang Soo Do while beinglow on numbers continues to gain more and more depth in its syllabus, our recent addition of the Original MDK SBD Ho Sin Sool has been well received and the new Hyungs are simply awesome, we have just introduced Chil Sung 4 and 5 and the students seemto love them, i share the sentiment, they are long and complicated but feel great to perform.

I have made it my personal aim to be the best in the EMTF, without being big headed i believe that many will think of me as one of the best fighters in the British contingent,especially after my performance in Rotterdam and im sure to be on the GB team at both the Europeans ( next year ) and the World Championships in 2011 ( Orlando ) soi HAVE to train harder and i have to be faster, i dont hold much hope for he British Championships later in the year as i tend to have more nerves as all the British guys are against each other, but in the Euros and Worlds we are a team and you have great support. I have never felt a feeling in my life like stepping onto the mat in Rotterdam and knowing all the GB guys are cheering you on and want you to win for them – Simply awesome.

2 – Airsoft – Something i dont usually talk about in here, im not a massive airsofter so thats why, but i do enjoy the few games i can affordto participate in and prefer the games where its just me and a few mates renting out the premises as opposed to being just some Grunt ( AKA Cannon Fodder ) for the more experienced playersto boss around. But here i am talking about it now because ive finally decided to ditch the MP5 as the magazines are getting on my nerves, constant reloading and in my last outing quite a lot of dry firing – not good when your face to face with the enemy and thinking you are hosing them down and your not! So opting for a JG G36K ( http://www.actionhobbys.co.uk/JG-G36K-AEG_ALINF.aspx ) there are a few upgrades etc.. thati already have planned but am hoping to limit myself to around £150 – £170 for the initial Gun and Upgrades ( Better battery, RIS foregrip, newbarrel and maybe silencer if Funds permit ) it means i willbe selling my MP5 either in bits or as a whole along with all the mags and relevent Molle. Roll on the new Assault rifle! I personally think it willlook rather mean with loads of RIS, my Green laser and new optics ( although i will stick with the Site i have for good spotting for the time being )

Cant wait.

Im broke….so i will have too

Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones…

Lyrics from ( in my opinion ) one of the best songs written in recent years. Its become somewhat of a religion of mine when i have to walk to my car after work or if im in town on a cold morning/evening waiting for the other half to finish work to hide in my hoodie as i skulk around shiftily with my I-Phone blasting out this great track from Coldplay ( Fix you ). I dont know too many other songs that can sound as moving and as uplifting. If you dont believe me then just try it. Get the song on your mp3 player and at the end of a truely awful day at the office walk out into the frosty evening air with it belting out of your headphones and i guarantee at the end of it you will feel much better, you just have to love the moment the electric guitar comes in and starts building to the crescendo of the song…..love it.

Things are hectic to say the least, i have moved out since my last post with Hayley ( on christmas day! ) and so things have changed drastically in my life, all for the better. Now i feel more independant, i have more time to concentrate on program developments for my Academy, i live just 2 minutes from my dojang and i feel im really settling down which weirdly is very comforting. I am massively looking forward to what 2009 will hold and indeed what the future in general will hold for me. Its a very exciting time.

Training wise, we attended the beach training session on the 27th Dec, i also had the privilige of teaching ( the first time anyone else has done so i think ) and also enjoyed the training with one Robbie Hughes not long before Xmas. This has really geared me up, 2009 is definately the year of the Viper i am very determined with my sparring ability and really want to push forward. I am already getting new Viper Squad uniforms sorted and i want to fight as much as possible this year to really improve all areas, i know im going to lose….lots, but thats part of learning in fighting, kinda goes with the territory.

Lastly on my quick recap ( i will start updating more regularly ) was new years eve. It started out as a rush decision to pop over to James and Amandas, after a cock up before it even began ( our lift deciding he was going to change plans and not attend…thanks ) we managed to get over there and chill with a few drinks, and then a few neat shots of bacardi… oh dear. Right, off to Clipper then! We saw in the new year at the Clipper bar which was full of cheese…I think when YMCA came on we decided it was an omen and we headed into the mighty Corn. Ah much better, i have to say i had a terrific night, especially as the only two to actually last the night were me and Hayley, we stayed there till 3AM and i really enjoyed the time we spent together, finally getting to bed at around 4.30 – 5AM. One of the ( if not THE ) best new years ive ever had.

2 songs to finish with. One is obvious due to the content of my post, the other is for Hayley ( awwww…… )

Yurty Fun

 

Update time methinks! Its been soooo long since I posted ( I seem to be saying something similar at the start of every post ) but life has been nothing short of hectic.

 

For once im going to talk about something other than Martial Arts. Yes yes its what im really passionate about, I love to teach and love to compete also. But everyone needs a break every now and then and this week was one of those times I really needed to rest and relax.

 

The week started with my lovely Girlfriend coming down from Plymouth to stay for the weekend and we spent the time deciding where to go for the next few days that I had off work ( again, much needed ) we decided to go Yurting, which for those that don’t know are Mongolian….Tents for want of a better word. On Monday ( after a few episodes of Spaced J ) we hit the road for the short journey to Bodmin. After thinking we got lost we discovered we were actually very close, in fact we only had to dart down a lane to get to the place we were looking for.

 

After a quick tour of the place we were initially very impressed, any preconceived ideas of tents and roughing it were quickly thrown out of the window, these things are absolute comfort. Each Yurt contains stove, chairs, tables, bed, cooking utensils, basically anything you could ever need. The Yurt is also heavily padded meaning the heat is kept in and the outside weather is kept at bay at all times.

 

We had a fantastic stay over a couple of nights and I think we both appreciated the opportunity to get away from each of our own little stresses and problems and just be together for a few days. Highlights for me were the Bath in the yurt by Candlelight ( after heating the water up with a log fire ) and having some ‘homemade mead’ by candlelight on the patio during the second night. Absolutely awesome.

 

Upon our return we decided to get a hotel for a few days in order to spend some more time together, even though I had to return to work. It gave a invaluable insight as to how life would be with just the 2 of us. Finishing work and then being able to spend it with Hayley. I have to say it was great. To be able to relax after a crap day at work and spend it with my favourite person is something I now crave everyday, and hopefully it will come to be very soon.

 

I have to say that this week has been the best ive had and im left with sadness at seeing Hayley go home, but im also left with amazing memories of a week that will never be forgotten, it has meant so much to me and was really very much needed.

 

I could have expanded this into 2 or 3 times the length it is, but I thought better of it, im running on battery at the moment and it would really look intimidating to read so most would skip it. But I think I have covered most things.

 

I will update training and everything else at a later date as lots has happened. But that can all wait.

 

kam-sa-ham-ni-da

Hello……Again.

OK time for a quick update, ive had a major kick in the arse by being called a slack moomoo so id better start writing fast! lol!

Things have been very hectic, ive just returned from a weeks holiday where i camped locally with my lovely other half and i also ended the week with a trip to Dartmoor in whats known as ‘Trees and Guns’. The week soent with Hayley was a mixed affair, it was great to spend so much time together but unfortunately i still had training committments to attend and also an unplanned visit to the hopsital as Hayley hurt her back which upset her and obviously worried me! Was still great to see her so much!

The Trees and Guns trip usually consists of making a quick shelter but this time we decided to use proper tents, im very glad we did as the rain absolutely belted it down! We had 2 tents, me, AJ and JamesG sharing one tent and JamesR,Dom, Jonny and Pete sharing the other. After cooking my traditional noodles and beans ( hmmm…. ) we decided to join the others in Doms  man tent ( bit of a squeeze with 7 of us! ) after a mixture of cans of beer, a very strong tequila/orange combo, mead, vodka/coke and mouthfuls from a keg ( nice one JamesG! ) we were all a little….err….merry i guess and the word games we used to pass the time bgan to fall apart ( jonny was useless! ) so we decided to brave the weather and try to get a fire started, which to most peoples suprise we did! In the end we had a bit of an inferno going which was great to see.

The games the next morning after the usually quick bite of food and hot chocolate were great fun, although i got a bit fed up with the constant reloading so am seriously thinking about getting a rifle as well with a bigger mag capacity ( now switching to Steyr Aug as my first choice as ive seen a nice one with RIS rails that looks pretty mean but may be a little too large for li’ole me! )

Apart from that, TSD has been going ok, a few injuries in the class including hyperextension and a couple of broken ribs. Not my fault i hasten to add but concerning all the same as it means the class isnt up to full strength at the moment. Hopefully that will improve soon.

Am now gonna cut this short as i have loads to update on now following my visit to Bedford so that will be included in my next update once i have time to complete it. This post has taken me ages to write as every time i have tried to update i have been interupted! Its been very annoying but now its finally done!….Thank christ!

Oops!

Yes,yes i know! I lied in that last update ( the bit where i said i would update more often! ) ive just been absolutely stacked out but here i am at last!

First thing to mention is my glorious new Dojang, we have converted a crappy little unit into a dream dojang, ok its not huge, but 1) its a start, 2) its cheap and 3) it makes it more of a studio which is the look i was after. We stripped the place totally, installed new lighting so we could swing bo staffs in there, created an office/reception space, made a small changing cubicle ( which no one seems to use! ), painted the walls white, put up a trophy shelf, put down £1500 worth of nice new blue mats and also our latest addition is that we have added a nice black border line on the walls where it joins the mats – NICE!

Im proud as punch with the team that has helped me out, we did brilliantly and of course the battle isnt over, we have to convince the council ( and certain neighbours ) that its worthwhile and to give us the change of use. I also at this point have to apologise to family, friends and my girlfriend as i was mildly obsessed with this project ( still am ) as it has been a dream of mine since i was a kid, and theres still loads i want to do with the place. So what do i want to do next? Get the Wavemasters in asap! At least 2 to start with, maybe more at al later date. then start clearing up the back area and create a nice zen/chill garden. We are also adding in a projector which will be hooked up to the PC and a DVD player so we can do all safety training etc in the dojang and also host parties for the kids ( OK and the adults! )

Work still sucks, its been a bad week so i dont want to talk about it much at the mo.

Running: Well this is going ok i guess, we hadnt been running for at least 4 weeks so what does stupid Rob do on his first time back, yep try to run a stupid distance, I set a target of 10 miles to reach before the actual race, but on the spurr of the moment decided i would do it on my first time back, whats the worst that could happen….. I felt fine doing it, and was very proud to have run the distance ( in 1hr 22 ) but after a shower and something to eat i felt very dizzy and sick. Then bad headaches and an awful night of no sleep due to shakes and periods of either sweats or of shivers. Not nice. The next day i apparantly looked slightly yellow in colour and had pains in my side and terrible fatigue, the symptoms from the previous day had not subsided either. It took 2 full days to recover to about 80 – 85% id guess as im still not 100% as im writing this. So now in regards to my running, i know i can run the distance, i now need to explore and research my nutrition and hydration.

And i still went in to work…..What a soldier

Heard this track at training and remembered how much i liked it!

Long overdue

This update is so long overdue its unreal! Its very slack of me to have waited so long, but hopefully with my update i will explain the delay.

Initially i had expected to lose my £2000 that was used for a deposit for an industrial unit as we had lost it due to a delayed planing application ( thanks very much council! ) but the landlord took pity and i finally have my money back which is much needed! Also in addition to that we have great news regarding the Academy! We have finally found an ideal location. We move in tomorrow to start refitting.

Th plan tomorrow is to rip out the carpets ( stuck to the floor ) and the wooden little office thingy that is currently sitting in the middle of the unit, my heart sank when i saw it there first and was relieved to hear ‘oh that – yeah we can rip that straight out!’ RESULT! Once that is done its on with the painting. We are also buying a laminate floor for the reception area and a corner unit for the PC and hifi etc.. Hopefully next week we will recieve the mats which will be the finishing touch, as soon as they go down it will instantly look like a Martial Arts Academy! I cant wait! The hardwork doesnt stop there though, im already planning the full launch with flyers, posters, stickers, new chairs, T-shirts, Pro-shop plans, Wavemasters, new equipment etc.. its gonna be hard work but well worth it!

Other news… Work sucks! Its official but nothing new there really! My own training has taken a back seat to the Academy, which is another reason i cant wait to get in there, i feel my own fitness, flexibility and general ability is being hampered, perhaps taking a backwards step so once its open i plan to be in there as often as i can to get back what ive lost! And god i need it! Feeling very rusty at times, my sparring is actually improving i think, but i want to be as rounded as i can, not just a sparring specialist ( if i was id just take up kickboxing! )

In my personal life – something i dont usually like to divulge here as its mainly a training/TSD record, things are going very well! For the first time in a long time i feel complete now, i have realistic goals and ambitions in my private life and my Martial Arts and im workign very hard to achieve them. Im getting there! Needless to say Hayley has been a rock as ive been very stressed lately and im sure i haevnt been myself at all over the past few weeks, with the news of the new Academy though i have perked right up again and im now my old self ( just a very very busy old self! ) So thanks, its so appreciated!

Last week also saw us trekking to dartmoor for another Airsoft weekend. Was great to be outdoors again, the weather was awesome. By the time we got there we were shattered, so off came the boots, out came the beer and the cookers and we just relaxed in the sun. Noodles and Beans have never tasted so good!

The airsoft games were some of the best we have played so far, really enjoyed everyone one of them, my favourite had to be the last, where we all had to wear T-shirts only above the waist! So not much protection. To make things worse it was a capture the flag mission! Where you are constantly battling to get out into the open and grab the flag. I got shot loads! Mainly on my back and backside ( thanks JamesG! ) but it was great fun and lots of laughter throughout the entire game! The new improved MP5 ( Satan ) was firing like an absolute beast and the new green laser turned out to be hugely entertaining in the evening, it shone for miles and gave a great effect over the massive fire we had built!

Great weekend.

Hopefully will update a little more often now.