This summer will prove to be one of the busiest yet, and thats saying something as the past 2-3 years have been hectic. Heres whats going on in the life of the Viper.

1) KJN Giacobbe seminar, this is next weekend. A suprise visit really and with only a week or so to prepare things are going ok. This is a great opportunity for the guys who dont usually travel much to train with someone i would readily call a legend. Hes simply superb as an instructor and generally one of the nicest guys ive ever met, I can wait for the training session. Will post after

2) Summer Camp, we ( well I did after a few drinks celebrating my 5th Dan in Rotterdam ) agreed to host a summer camp this year, based on the success of our own last year, easily the highlight of the TSD calendar 2010 I would say. We have lots of ideas, we just need to nail them down and get booked up. So far we are including Surfing, BBQ’s, Airsoft, and Cornish Wrestling. Along with plenty of Pasties and TSD training im sure it will be an event to remember.

3) TMAS, this is our replacement for Seni which isnt running this year and to be frank was a bit of a disappointment last year, so we are off to The Martial Arts Show which looked far better last year. It will be in the first weekend of May, i cant get the friday off as someone else already has it so it will be a late drive up, but im sure we can all cope with that, its not unusual for us to arrive past 11pm. I love those trips as theres no stress of competing or demonstrating. Just sit back and enjoy ( and spend some money of course ) Im really looking forward to it

4) New Academy, this is the big one. We are in the process of securing a new Academy. The lease is being drawn up and we are ready to set dates etc.. the preparation has already begun and we have a lot of the equipment already, it will mainly be cosmetic i think once we get in there, ie a big clean up and lots of painting. I cant wait to get in there again and see the place and i will document the entire thing with lots of progress pics. This place is ideal and could prove to be our ideal dojang. Lots to do but i cant wait to get in there and turn it into a proper TSD Dojang

In personal life ( not that its any of your business ) things are still as rosy as ever, I recently visited london with Lara to see Russell Howard at the O2, stopping at her parents on the way up and briefly on the way back. The whole weekend was awesome, after meeting her parents and some food we enjoyed a very relaxed evening and headed off bright and early on the train to the big city. Im totally lost when it comes to public transport so was lucky to be in such knowledgeable company. We headed straight past the Londo Eye and into the Aquarium, i love those places. We stayed for ages and eventually left starving, stopping only to grab a quick Hotdog and drink ( £11.40!! ) we wondered around Westminster before trying to decide where to eat later on, eventually stumbling across a Planet Hollywood ( hmmm Tandoori Chicken with a nice Terminator Cocktail )

Off to the O2 then, the place is HUGE! I loved it, all very surreal at first and once we got there i immediately spotted a 3D gallery from Sky, it looked free and we had time to kill so off we trotted, once we reached the top we were asked by staff if we were watching Russell Howard later on? ‘yes’ are you a sky customer? ‘yes’…this way please. whilst wondering what the hell was going on we dutifully followed the given directions. Eventually ending up ( after a security check ) on a red carpet and getting a free professional photogragh. Then it was onto the complimentary Massage and Makeup, video games screen, 3D recording studio ( free to use ) marble topped bar, sofa chairs and a wicked pool table that had lights tracing the movements of the balls as you hit them. We grabbed a drink, chilled in the Backstage area for about 45 mins before heading off to find our seats.

As expected the show was amazing, and we managed to fight our way back to the underground and found the house we were to be staying at in good time. Great weekend, great company. Loved every second.

Now as its certainly summer ( or at least getting there )

Unfortunately the last couple of weeks has been a mixture of Happiness and Sadness, which has left me at times elated, and others deeply upset. Its been a very confusing and awkward time, and im not sure if ive coped with it as well as i should. I hurt bad. however i dont want to start writing my blog again and start with negativities and such. Any readers that there may be on this site will know me well enough to know what happened and so i dont want to write it all down again. Needless to say though, thanks to everyone for their help and friendship.

So whats been happening in the world of the Viper?

Well, ive been a very busy boy, i decided to organise a summer camp this year ( after many years of threatening to do it ) and now the venue is booked ( a nice hostel in Devon ) and the schedule is pretty much set, im currently designing the T-Shirts for the event and then all i have to do is get the places sold and my teaching manual for the weekend completed, with two 4.30 starts its going to be a tough weekend for all involved but im sure they will battle through it and take something great away with them.

Rumours are that i may be grading in November, this fills me with absolute dread, its been a while since ive had to face the test of a Traditional Grading and im not sure what to expect, needless to say im starting to take training very seriously devoting selfishly much more time to my own development as well as revisiting the gym to rebuild cardio ( which isnt that bad ) and strength ( is that bad ) – Im dreading the whole thing ( if of course i do take it in November ) but am so looking forward to the rewards if i manage to pass.

I recently had a great couple of days away with Hayley as well which hasnt been mentioned here, i cant believe how long it is since ive update this, but we visited the Aquarium in Plymouth and i have to say it was a great couple of days ( inc finding THE best burger bar ever ) the Aquarium was great and we managed to take some awesome photos, most notably the Jellyfish, of which i now want some! Very pretty creatures and awesome to photograph, it took us a while to work out what setting to use and unfortunately my camera ( Olympus E520 ) has a weird strobe flash which it uses to work out what level of flash to use so we had to disable that pretty fast! The day was spent wandering around there and lazing in the sun, which was blazing hot i have to add and generally just having a great couple of days together, something we rarely get to do these days and so when the opportunity arrived it was nice to take full advantage.

Im looking forward to us being able to spend a lot more time together at Seni, something i always look forwards to and this year is going to be just as good as always, we are staying at the West Ham football ground Hotel and as already mentioned, the opportunity to spend that amount of time with Hayley will be great, at the moment it couldnt come fast enough.

Note to oneself: Update more regularly…

One of the best times this year so far wasn’t even mentioned in my blog before, so i will backtrack to a 3 day visit to Glastonbury, i had promised to take Hayley away and knew of her love for Glastonbury and thought it would make a nice change for me too not to sound rude but when i stayed in a Yurt with her as well it was bliss, no laptops, no work and no stress, so quite Glasto sounded ideal to me too, i never had massive aspirations to visit the place but the more i thought about it the more i wanted to check it out.

I booked us a Travelodge for the nights we were staying and we headed out to see the town and gain our bearings, its not hard really its a pretty small place, but involved a little walk, it was also bitterly cold, but the town seemed pleasant enough, i had brought my camera with me ( still trying to get as much photography done as i can ) and had spotted the ruins of a Abbey right in the middle of town so immediately pointed that out as something i wanted to visit, we also looked around a few shops before grabbing some food and heading back to the hotel.

Throughout the few days away i felt a massive bonding with Hayley, we were very close before this obviously, but the Glastonbury trip somehow made us closer than ever, im not sure if it was just me that felt this or we both did but it was a very nice feeling, we spent some great time ( again VERY cold ) at the Abbey, shopping, drinking new and very nice hot drinks, and trying some healing water that very nicely tastes of blood due to its high iron content. If anyone needs a place to go and chill i definitely recommend Glastonbury. And i must take the time to thank Hayley for my Necklace its very cool, i love it.

After feeling so close it really hurt to leave Hayley back in Plymouth and i personally cant wait until we are closer again.

I also ( due to some miracle ) made it through preliminary selections for Tae Kwon Do tryouts for the 2010 Olympics, so i was on of only 220 out of over 1000 that applied, and as such was invited to take part in an assessment day which involved fighting and a series of tests like flexibility and leg strength, I managed to win pretty much everything apart from the fight ( which apparently doesn’t matter ) but i did puke at the end of my 3 round fight and although i won the first round i got trounced in the second, resulting in a broken nose, cut lip, bruised ribs and a few other injuries. TBH i don’t want to get through, i hear the results on Monday but if i get through i will want to go further and that may screw up a few things for me inc my 5th Dan which is obviously hugely important to me. So it will be a blessing if they say no, and i didn’t like the style of fighting at all, WTF is the Olympic TKD and its all kicking, which meant my usual tactics didn’t work, its a shame as i think normal Points fighting would make it much more interesting but WTF really didn’t suite me, ah well you have to have a go at these things.

Anyway, the point of all that was again to thank Hayley, i wasn’t going to go, i didn’t think i had what it takes and didn’t see the point, she showed ( as always ) total trust and belief in me and travelled down to Cornwall just to jump in a car with me and drive all the way to Wolverhampton before getting up at stupid o’clock to get over to the venue early and basically look after me all day and must have been bored stiff, then drive all the way back to Plymouth, i cant thank you enough, im glad i did it and very proud and wouldn’t have been able to without your support, its hugely appreciated and I cant wait to take you to the EMTF Europeans, to show you what i really do and to show my team off. It will be a pleasure to share it with you this time round and i hope you enjoy it too.

We have had the new TSD competition uniforms arrive ( they actually arrived before Xmas ) and they are stunning, they are so good that we are now allowing them as a standard TSD uniform at class as well, they are more lightweight than normal uniforms and the fit is perfect, sleeves are nice and loose and we can get them all ready trimmed, the team will look great and we are fast heading for our first squad session of the year at the end of the month in preparation for the Europeans, by looking at my categories ive decided to concentrate on coaching everyone as i dont think i have much chance of success especially with an open weight Master Sparring division, so im thinking i will only compete in Sparring ( like in Rotterdam ) and hope that im good enough to make the UK team and see how well we get on there, i like the idea of prepping the team and taking full responsibility for them, training them up before sending them into battle im sure they will do Cornwall proud.

2010 will also see more Dan grades rising through the ranks, Adam passed his just before Christmas and the next one up is James in the summer ( probably June ) with Dom hopefully following suite next December, with this amount of instructors ISK will surely spread fast throughout Cornwall as i push to get more people teaching, i think its vital once to reach senior ranks to teach so you know how hard a job it is, so that you explore your art more and really self evaluate to see what your strengths and weaknesses are as a teacher, its a whole new concept to whatever Art you study and gives it a whole new level of depth.

One thing i dont usually speak of on here is games, im a massive gamer really ( when funds allow ) and at present own a Wii, Xbox360 and PS3 ( my newest addition ) the Wii was bought as a family console by me as its a fun system to play with but of course the games have no depth when compared to the more powerful systems. The PS3 was always my preferred choice after being a massive fan of the PS2 but as Sony took so long to release it i gave in to temptation and bought the readily available 360 – a great machine ( apart from the red light syndrome – i have had 2 of these )

I have played games since before i can remember, being one of the first kids i knew to have a home computer a Dragon 32 – for those that know of such things, i had 2 of these as my darling little sister blew the first one up by spilling drink all over it, it was an early birthday present back then given to me a few weeks early as i broke my arm ( was hard playing with one arm, but was still a nice present ) back then home computers were rare and expensive, my parents chipping in alot together in order to raise the funds, since then i had the Spectrum 128k ( i can still remember eagerly setting that up on christmas day and playing Rambo First Blood and Yi Ar Kung Fu, an Atari 7800, a Commodore Amiga, an Atari Lynx ( no matter what people say, THIS was the best hand held system ), a Sega Megadrive, a phillips CD-i and a SNES ( along with assorted PC’s including custom builds by myself ) – im sure theres more but i cant remember them all at the moment. However i gave up on PC gaming a long time ago, the constant need to get the next graphics card or sound board or install the latest program to play it etc.. left me and my funds exhausted, also i found that as i do a lot of graphics work, photography and video editing my computer was already full of stuff ready to slow my ageing PC down so consoles were the natural move forwards.

Having now got my greedy mitts on a PS3 what are my thoughts in comparison to its rival the 360? The first thing obviously is the price, the PS3 is expensive, especially compared with its rival but you do get a lot for your money, more save space ( mine has 120gb as opposed to my Xbox which has 20gb ) it has built in wireless connection whereas you will pay an extra £50 for that with the Xbox ( which then also steals one of your USB slots and also makes it the only system to not have wireless built in ) and as far as looks go the PS3 steals the show, it sits in the corner quietly looking sexy and when called upon with a tap on the controller wakes from its hibernation with a short growl and a quick bootup.

The bootup screen and homepage are pleasing to the eye and is all accessed from the one page making it simple to navigate, the 360 can leave you scrolleing through screens trying to find the one you want, and the fact that the PS3 has free internet access as opposed to the Microsoft version charging you a hefty rate per gamer profile ( this is what gets me, if me and my GF for example wanted to both use the xbox online it would cost around £100 per year! as opposed to paying per console which i wouldnt mind as much ) although with the 360 i feel the better service is provided, the PS3 store being a real pain to find what you want, once you have used it a few times though it gets a bit easier.

Anyway, i could go on all day about the systems themselves, but how about the games? I have 2 games im absolutely nuts about at the moment, the first is CODMW2 obviously, after the hype you have to own this game, its awesome online and the ranking system is much improved over the previous MW title, and i had an unexpected gift at Xmas in the form of the prestige edition, which gives you the Steel book edition, art book, free downloadable game, head stand and ( most important ) a set of MW2 nightvision goggles, these are simply great fun and the package is very well done, i cant praise it enough, i havent met anyone who has played this game and hasnt enjoyed the experience, its hard as well, much improved AI and all round fun.

The other game im currently salivating over is due for release at the end of this month, i already have it pre-ordered after playing the BETA version and is a game exclusively available for the PS3 ( got mine just in time then ) the imaginatively titled ‘Massive Action Game’ or MAG as its now called, this game lets you take part in online battles of 256 players at one time, i only had the BETA for a few days and so didnt make it to these epic war style game modes but ive been assured by people who have that its pure carnage and mayhem, with a full ranking system, huge customisation features, weapons upgrades, and a chain of command it looks to be THE FPS shooter of 2010, the game actually cant be played on your own, theres no solo play its a fully dedicated online title and each game/battle that takes place has an overall effect on your chosen teams progress in ‘the game’ in the form of contracts won and of course the overall number of victories.
Everytime i see a video for this i get excited and i cant wait to get the full copy and play properly, theres a few of us that have already pre-ordered it so we have the makings of a pretty decent squad all under the banner of the hitech and pretty cool looking Raven Industries. Once i have it up and running i will post a full review.

A lot has happened since i last wrote on here so id better start trying to remember it all.

We travelled ( as mentioned last time ) to the EMTF British Championships a while back and it was great! The whole team did very well but as always the best part was meeting old friends, making new ones and the great social aspect of the trip. The trip was very important for the bonding of clubs as well, i was starting to see a divide between each of the Cornwall clubs, in that we rarely meet up apart from gradings where theres a certain air of dread and also of course competition between students. On this trip however, many boundaries were broken down with the idle chat over CB radios on the way up ( as well as the car quizzes which the Camborne Car won ), the sense of team spirit throughout the days competition, everyone piling into one room to celebrate with a few beers after the competition and the night out in Bedford, it was a great experience and i very much look forward to getting the clubs together in that kind of environment again. Well done guys, everyone did ISK proud and it was great to get to know you much better than before.

We also managed to travel up to Plymouth for Halloween, we now know that it hosts the best Halloween Rock night around, so we ditched the Camborne Rock scene ( well…we ARE the Camborne Rock/Metal Scene! ) and headed for Plym, i had to skimp on the costume a bit as my finances are very poor these days and initially had a costume ready which cost me £5! Consisting of a Jason mask and and big knife from a local costume shop, then my friend at work kindly lent me his Jason mask which was much better and Adam gave me his Machete, i borrowed a boiler suit from Dad and presto! A very very cheap costume!

The night was great, it was Doms first opportunity to sample C103 and i think he loved it, next time he will be drinking ( i guarantee it! ) and he will like it even more, it was also nice to see Tim making the effort to come out with us, a nice guy all round.

My only concern would be with how some people treated friends of mine, only one or two, but i wont dwell on this, ive decided to keep this blog relatively moan free and postitive these days, i would just like to reiterate though that i would like no outside interference with my private life, who i decide to socialise and spend my time with is up to me, i wouldnt judge you so please dont do the same, i noticed a few funny looks as i was talking to someone, it was noted and i wasnt pleased. I will leave it there and see what happens in the future. For those that did make an effort, said hello and can be nice, thankyou. so thanks for those that made it an awesome night.

Training:

I havent updated my training records much, but im having massive problems with my health and fitness at the moment. Somehow after the competition i returned home to find both hips very sore, they still havent healed, in fact just touching them in the right spot can mean incredible pain, im very worried about it and am monitoring them to see if they improve at all over the next week or so, im also constantly tired meaning that i have no energy at all and cant afford to go to the gym anymore, so overall i can see my fitness deteriorate which is worrying me somewhat, i may start evening runs building up to around 3-5 miles in total just to get something going again. My own TSD training is ok at the moment, we have just adopted some new material ( Knife defence and One step sparring ) which we are currently teaching to the above dan grades, everyone is enjoying them and with the recent addition of Chil Sung again the syllabus is looking very strong and keeping everyone on their toes.

I have also started an ISK youtube channel as everyone was asking for tutorials on certain aspects of training, its hoped that this will help out alot. I think it will and its a great little side project for me to work on, when it was complete and the first few videos were uploaded i was actually very proud of my efforts. It looks good and more content will be added shortly.

OK im sure theres more, but im tired, im at work and my fingers hurt

Tang Soo!

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

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.

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.

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.:)

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