Saber Circuit

Even though we don't have *real* sabers yet, we've embarked on doing a circuit-training routine with our proxies, and it is kicking my butt. It only has seven exercises on it: most of the basic drills we covered last fall in Vermont, and the idea is to get through the whole routine three times and reduce the overall time spent while maintaining/increasing quality. Today was the second time we did it, and it wrecked us again (last time it ripped a bunch of skin off my hand, so I had to put it up for a while).

Basically, the first time through the routine, it took us about 12-13 minutes to complete all of the exercises, resting as little as possible between them. We essentially failed on the third time through, with 43 minutes on the clock, but we weren't done with all of the exercises yet (last time we only made it through twice, and only kind of on the second go). The lack of rest is a killer. Even now (about an hour later), typing this is brutal on my exhausted hands.

The goal, which seems reasonable enough, is to get through the routine three times in under forty(-five?) minutes without compromising quality. At that point, we'll be qualified to up our training to "Level 2," which is the same routine with more repetitions of each exercises. There's a "Level 3" also, which will be worse (more repetitions again and a reorganization of the drills to be in a more demanding order). It's going to take a while to get to that point, particularly at the two-days-a-week training pace on the circuit.

According to my sheet, I'm not done because I didn't turn yet today. I'd better get on that.

Bronchitis

Bronchitis sucks. Freakin' kids.

Thanks Berry

Last night was awesome. Scott Berry was making his way through from Michigan to Florida for some work-related fun-times, and he stopped by in Knoxville to treat Bradley and I to how much improvement our basics need. It was way good. Everything hurts vastly more than it did before (particularly the next morning). I also have a SUH-WEET new YSB hoodie (cf. Matt Bild modeling a sweet YSB hoodie on top of a mountain in Vermont holding a shiny DaDao).

Scott, or anyone else that does YSB, feel free to stop by and share your wisdom or borrow from ours (if you're newer to this than we are) any time you pass through Knoxville. Good times will be had by all, and I might bring more beer-infused peanut brittle.

Snow Circle, Mark 2

It snowed again today. I took advantage to make a better snow circle, since it snowed (read: still is) harder today than last time, making a nicer picture for my winter-themed bagua hijinks.


An observant person will notice a few things: first that this picture is taken from the opposite side as the previous snow circle since the gash made by the truck is on the right now. It's hard to see that gash, but I stepped on it and slipped about four times in the twelve minutes I turned (the slipping got old, and painful). The truck left a rut through part of my circle that makes a sudden, sharp drop of a few inches, which when wet (seeing as our "soil" is clay) is very slippery/dangerous. Cuidado! Circulo mojado! Further, the twelve minutes will likely be called into question because of the smatterings of snow all over the circle (particularly on the left). Lo, it was snowing (hard) when I turned, and in the two minutes it took to grab my camera, the snow did some damage to my muddy rut. Here, in fact, is exactly (I timed it) five minutes later:


Even the quite unobservant can see here the mark of the tire, most damaging in the upper right (northeast corner) of my circle. Some of the contour is also visible along the entire eastern edge. Awesome. As of now, it looks like I never stood on it, save for a red-orange-brown spot in the northeast corner where the wet earth keeps bleeding that staining mud up into the still-falling snow.

The crazy part is... it was almost 70 F here yesterday. The sad part is that it might stop us from being able to get together to train tonight....