New Year's Turning Resolution, 2012

I know, it's been a long (read: looooooooong) time since I've posted. Frankly, I haven't been training much. I actually really hurt myself this time, and so I haven't been doing a whole lot since the start of November when I took my right shoulder from aggravated to "doesn't work without LOTS of pain." I'm finally getting a handle on that, mostly. In any case, I decided it's well enough, and it's high time that I start doing something right. Since He Jinbao didn't seem particularly pleased with my turning this year at our workshop, I figure I need a lot more attention on that aspect of training. Thus, my New Year's resolution for 2012 is to turn... a lot... and consistently (details below!).

The goal is pretty simple: aim to turn at least 40 minutes (on average) per day measured across 6 days a week, 50 weeks of this coming year, i.e. 12000 minutes (or 200 hours) total. Since this year is a leap year, I have 366 days in which to dedicate myself to achieving this goal, by effort or by recovery, requiring me to average just short of 33 minutes a day on the circle every day of this extra-long year (32 minutes and 47.2131 seconds per day, actually, though I'm only going to be measuring accurately to the minute). Time with my hands in one of the recognized postures (or while holding the saber or sword) is the only time that counts, so this works out to a fairly tall order (though only 54.6% of the encouraged goal of "an hour a day"). Of course, thinking like this is deceptive... if I want to be comfortable about being able to take days off, 40 minutes is kind of a safe minimum.

Today, I turned Phoenix for 40 minutes, reaching the quantity required of me by the structuring of my plan. It wasn't the most fun activity in the world with one shoulder still only at about 60-70% of full operating capacity, but it wasn't terrible.

I can already hear some of you saying it, though: "But you gave up turning by the clock some time ago as being rather a beginner way to turn." Yep. I did. I also faced the reality of the fact that the clock and a spreadsheet to document my progress with goals to be accountable to is a method that works for me to do more and to do it more consistently. So... back to the clock.

It works too! I turned my 40 minutes in Phoenix today and have essentially wanted to go back to turning again ever since inputing the data into my tracking spreadsheet. I'm more motivated to turn than I've been in years, and the motivation is more intrinsic than extrinsic (like when I get that desperate fear before a workshop that I've neglected turning seriously enough... shame, shame on me for that). I want to get better at turning, and I want to achieve my goal.

I will not be canceling other workout and training agendas to achieve this goal either. My goals for the year include keeping up with my regular training (strikes and forms drilling are still mostly out due to the injured shoulder, but they won't be forever), to get in far better physical condition (weight up, strength up, body fat down), and to increase my flexibility.

Oh, and I'm using my tracking spreadsheet, which I equipped with a ton of cool formulae, to gather and study all kinds of data about my turning practice, which I'll be able to report on here periodically for everyone to see, so we all might learn some interesting things about the turning practice that we didn't know before.

Here's to 2012! Happy New Year, everyone!