Growing the Group

One of our major goals here in Knoxville, TN, is to grow our group, and we're finding it very difficult. Of course, we want to do it ethically, which makes things a bit harder. Here's a little bit of our group history along with the trials and tribulations we find in growing.

A Good Beginning
When I started training a few years ago, we had a facility and some folks. I think my brother and I made the fifth and sixth members of the study group, actually, when we started. The facility was pretty good: spacious, matted, and well-lit, if a little exposed to the elements for an indoor place (it was a warehouse at a martial arts supply company, so if it was hot outside, it was hot inside, and if it was cold outside, it was cold inside). It was also free, which was pretty good, due to connections that our founding member had (and no longer has for a variety of reasons, half of which are good). The group grew pretty steadily, if slowly, there to a maximum of about eight or nine, even though some people (like my brother) left the group over the course of that time. Things were actually pretty promising back then, and it looked like we would have some real growth over time, reaching our goal of roughly 15-20 serious members in relatively short order. Then we lost the facility, and things basically went to crap.

The Dark Year
This year wasn't really dark, and it actually lasted almost eighteen months. In fact, I think some of us made some huge progress in the year that followed losing the facility, although 90% of it was on a completely individual basis since we couldn't find another facility for the same very reasonable price (free). A few of the most serious among us still got together from time to time, but the "students" at that point mostly started to vanish. By the time we found the place we're training now, which isn't really that good, the group had dwindled essentially to the three of us that now form the "core" in Knoxville, one of whom has a lot of family and work-related issues that have hindered his training of late. It was up to us to start growing again.

A New Place to Train
While out on a walk with my wife one night last year, I found a pavilion behind a school that satisfied a few of our most important criteria: lighted (we meet in the evenings), covered (it rains a lot here), and free (it's in an area that is a public park outside of "extended school hours"). Awesome... except that it's in Maryville, TN (a town about thirty miles south of Knoxville), and it doesn't have walls (something people tend to look for in a martial arts school, it seems). It's also exactly the same temperature as outside, which is rough in the hottest and coldest months of the year, and there's absolutely no protection from bugs (mosquitoes, most notably). It hasn't been a huge boon for us in terms of attracting new members, but it's been better than not having a place at all. That's where we've been since sometime last summer, and it works more or less. We do, on the plus side, have some exposure... but no one really stops to ask us what we're up to (except the one guy that did, who trains with us now). That's kind of the history of the group, many details omitted. We technically have four official members now, which isn't really very many, and we really want to grow. Using our apparently unpersuasive talking skills, we've managed to acquire around a dozen people that claim that they want to come and train, but none of them have actually done that yet. We've also had our share of "tourists" as the London group calls them: people who come and train one to three times and then never come back.

Advertising
I decided a while ago to try advertising on CraigsList, though I'm not sure why I continue it at this point except that I know it drives an awful lot of traffic to our group's website (which could use an update...). We've had quite a few e-mails from it and a few guys have actually come and tried it out (all tourists, I think). The general responses contain questions that underscore my essential reason for publishing this post (wondering what to do about these problems):

• "Why don't we get belts?"
• "Why is it free?"
• "Where do you get your training?"
• "Are you sure it isn't in Knoxville? Will it be soon/ever?"
• "Really, why is it free?"
• "I'm not going to pay for one class per week.; why don't you have classes more often?" (...it's free... ???)
• "No, really, why is it free? Is it really free?"

The main issue, apparently, is that people seem not to want one of my favorite parts of all of this: it's free. That's dubious. My latest experiment has been to post a new ad (today) to CraigsList that says "the first few lessons are free" to see if there's a greater response with an expectation to pay. I intend to misdirect people that ask about the money with "why don't you come try it before we worry about that...," a classic used-car salesman technique. Why the hell don't people want free stuff? I don't get it.

Potential Solutions
We've discussed the following plans: get business cards/flyers, market ourselves slightly more aggressively, and dupe people on the money issue. The first two of those are fairly straightforward and consistent with what's going on with HQ. The duping is funny and probably won't ever really happen. It would go down like this: "Classes are $X per month for the first three months, and then we'll discuss the more serious payment options if you want to stick with it at that point." Then, what we do is put all of the money those people pay into a box or an account until we have said discussion, at which point we tell them it's really free and hand back $3X to them because we're not interested in that (we don't have a facility, we don't have bills, and we don't have insurance... it's free). Everyone would laugh except the person that wants to know why (s)he didn't get told that it was free from the get-go.

Ethical Recruitment Concerns
There are a lot of martial arts schools in the area. I have a strong connection with one, and the other main members among us have connections with others. We kind of have a hard and fast rule that we don't advertise to those people at all. Stealing students is not something we're interested in. Something else, though, that I'd be interested in hearing some suggestions about are the following three situations, neither of which we've had to deal with yet but may have to eventually:

• A person that used to go to a school that we're connected with quits that school and then, via whatever means, ends up coming to us to train (mildly sticky); or
  
• A person that currently does train in one of those schools comes to us (under their own power and craft... we don't advertise to them!) and wants to come train with us (moderately sticky), and then
  
• Gives up on the school because of the awesomeness of baguazhang (very sticky).

I figure the first of those options is likely to happen at essentially any given time. People know us, and particularly in those schools have seen our growth in the martial arts realm since starting Yin Style. I figure it's the least sticky and not really an issue, though I bet "you're stealing my students" will still be an uttered issue despite our obvious attempts not to do that. The second of those scenarios might or might not ever happen. I don't know. I don't really want to find out. I figure that the people that migrate in that way, if any ever do, will either be tourists or fall into the third category pretty quickly (based on effectiveness + free = better deal than not free, as long as effectiveness is comparable). Some might be dual trainers, which keeps things probably pretty sticky, but it's really the third group that make me nervous.

Our goal is definitely not to steal students, but Yin Style Baguazhang has a reputation for having people start on its path and then forsake all other arts that they've trained to dedicate more to YSB. Our founding member is that way... he has literally renounced his entire karate background because of his commitment to Yin Style (wanting to have a belt-burning party before we talked him out of setting anything on fire because of the pointlessness of that).

Any suggestions on ways that might effectively help a small group grow are strongly welcomed, particularly if they include great advice on how to get past the "why is it free?" question (our usual answer is "because we love doing this and have no expenses in it, so we don't feel the need to charge for it"). Advice about the "ethical dilemmas" present in having a public study group that exists near commercial martial arts facilities are welcomed also. Locals that are interested in training or that know people that are interested in training are strongly encouraged to leave a comment indicating that to me or to contact one of us directly by finding our e-mails on either the local group's website or the YSB International website (see the sidebar for links).

Letting it Get This Way

I got the humbling again today. Usually, the humblings of this magnitude are reserved for when I work out in the presence of Matt or Jinbao, but this time, it was from my (thesis) advisor. He dressed down my dissertation again, which didn't bother me so much -- he wants it better and will get it that way, and he wants me capable of producing it on my own. I'm thankful for that.

The part that does bother me is that apparently, as has been indicated to said advisor by several of my previous teachers, nearly all of my coursework over the past six years as a graduate student has suffered from a consistent feature that is quite undesirable and is the primary shortcoming of my thesis now. Instead, though, of correcting that in me and garnishing in me the ability to present the material in a way that is acceptable, the practiced approach is to never tell me about the problem and to wait for my advisor to address it, rather harshly, some years later after the habit and design are well built into me, as if I should have realized by now that it was an issue by some incredible feat of self-examination. It is definitely something that could have been corrected, and proper habits could have been nurtured and developed instead of the ones I now have and am fighting to change.

What bothers me most is that it was let go for six years, never addressed before now, though clearly complained about. How did it happen that this much time went by simply allowing me to do things in a way deemed problematic? Hell, I think it was even, at times, encouraged as identifying my "style" or "voice." If this was a job, then certainly I would have been reviewed before this. If this was my education... oh wait, it is my education. Hmm....

What does that have to do with training Yin Style, i.e. what justifies its presence here? It makes me grateful for the corrections and efforts that are plainly extended by Matt and Jinbao (primarily) as well as others to correct me (and others) as well as possible as soon as a problem is evident. With my education, I'm left feeling a bit cheated, but with YSB, that's not a problem because, though tough, Matt and Jinbao don't let us slide (I hope... I'm a little mistrustful of such things for the moment). Thus, this is a call to everyone who has ever had their little egos smashed in seeing how far they have to go in Yin Style and how hard it can be to get there (and even how ugly they might be making it): at least someone is telling you, so be thankful and take the suggestions (not as criticism) to heart!

So, to anyone that wants to teach me: you can be tough on me any time. I know you're doing it because you want to see me reach my potential. Just don't do me the discourtesy of letting me continue to suck for years without mentioning it to me, or if you do, do me the courtesy of not being pissed at me when I'm not what I should be.

Changes

So since admitting to myself a recipe for healing and following it rather determinedly, though not flawlessly, and since implementing even more information about dealing with the lumbar spine and hips, things have been coming along. I'm better than usual, although things are still different, still feeling "stuck," but they aren't holding my training back in any case -- not nearly as much as my dissertation and family-in-for-the-holidays are.

Training is changing too, mostly with the weather. In the past few weeks, we've trained together out in temperatures well below freezing, in sleet, in snow, in the frustration of people not able to meet up with us, and in the excitement of new folks joining our ranks. I'm convinced that training outside is an amazing thing for the body, as I used to loathe being outside this time of year, claiming that I was more of a warm-weather kind of person, but now I find it entirely bearable to endure being outdoors for long periods, if at least mostly properly dressed, and over short periods, I hardly notice that it's cold except in my fingers. A similar turnaround happened for me two summers ago when training outside every day all summer long -- despite loving warm weather, eventually it would be hot enough and humid enough for me to write off on being outside. That situation is no more. I think it's important to live this way too because it just feels all unnatural to remember how sensitive to heat and cold I used to be and how strongly I rejected those natural phenomena.

More specifically, within my training, I've decided I need to learn to root better. I'm moving fairly well, my agility and strength are increasing, my understanding and application of the techniques is seeming to get slowly better, and if I had to isolate a single aspect that is holding me back most in applying the techniques, I would have to guess that it is in my rather limited ability to root myself. When experimenting with strikes the other night with a partner, I noticed that he was able to apply a sudden pushing force to me that would cause me to step back several steps. When I'd repeat the experiment on him, he'd step back one or two, but so would I. I established clearly through that experiment that my root is still too high, or it's not set, or some other terminology that means that I can't root myself well. Since in VT this year I heard the admonition "get heavy" about 1100 times and since throughout my entire martial arts life (extending back well before baguazhang) I've had a problem with achieving proper and heavy base (as my BJJ friends have happily exploited for years), I think I've been in denial of the fact that I never properly developed this particular skill.

When I stand calmly, say before turning or standing practice or just during qigong or while trying to relax, I can palpably feel "sinking qi" flowing like a wave down my body, almost from head to feet and sometimes below. I think that's what I'm looking for, but I believe I need it in a more dynamic sense. When I turn, I can get and stay low, but I'm now thinking there is more to sinking the qi properly, particularly while turning, than just getting and staying low in my stance. When I strike, I sometimes feel fairly rooted, particularly during static striking, but when adding stepping, I only feel somewhat rooted. I think I should be rooting into my legs at the conclusion of every step, every strike, every shift of the weight, and indeed, every movement -- not staying permanently rooted but rather being able to deeply root in an instant, by choice or automatically through disciplined training.

The thing is... how do I get where I need to go? I may apply a technique I use when teaching that is perfectly obviously the way to solve essentially any problem. If I'm given instructions to
get somewhere specific, even if all I have is the name of that place and some details about its location, then my first step is to procure a map. In training, the map is laid out by the requirements and the methodologies of the art, so I have a map, even if it's rather incomplete. Secondly, I have to figure out both where I'm going (which I laid out above) as well as where I am (which I also discussed above). In my case, I believe I might need more details on both of those facets before continuing. Once that is all in hand, so to speak, it's merely a matter of using the map to chart a course (training regimen) that is designed to get me from where I am to where I want to go. To summarize the method: Consider a reasonable representation of the situation (Map); identify where you are/what you have (You Are Here); identify what/where you need to get/be (Goal); draw course (Plan); follow it (Follow-through). As it's always a good idea to seek difficulties and pitfalls ahead of time whenever possible, I'll take a moment to note the largest of them in this particular case. Here, a main difficulty is that many of the roads that exist are not on the map, and since they're not physical roads, I may or may not be able to see them, much less where they go, as I come near them. It is always a good idea to reflect at the end to decide if you're really done getting where you wanted to get and to consider whether or not the path you took was the best one, but I have to walk the road before I can do that.

How's It Done?

So I've been working out pretty hard this past week, though probably not the hardest I ever have due to the myriad things life throws my way, particularly in August. This is partially because I consider myself pretty dedicated to these things, and it is partially in response to the fact that on our sahweet forum, some folks have been talking about their workouts and making yours truly feel a bit deficient. Here's what I got for the week, roughly.

1. Static Postures (YSB only): About 90-100 minutes, total.
   
2. Turning: About 3 hours 20 minutes, total.
   
3. Striking: Between 5000 and 5500 strikes, total including Lion basics and those in the forms done in single-action, performed in static, box stepping, and three-stepping methods; just over 3 hours total time, approximately.
4. Forms: Perhaps 80-100 repetitions of forms, primarily of three main ones but visiting some others to review them and keep the training fresh, probably 30-40 minutes total time.
5. Applications: Around 3 hours actively studying applications with other human beings and just short of an hour visualizing doing it while resting, falling asleep, refusing to get out of bed in the morning, etc.
6. Video reviewing: Approximately 30 minutes.
   

In addition, I've kept up with my zhan zhuang standing practice (non-YSB), doing around 4 hours and 30 minutes, total, this week. There was some seated meditation (around an hour if you put it all together) and a healthier than normal amount of stretching as well tossed in (a couple hours, maybe).

Here's the thing, indicating my title for the post: I honestly don't know how people are doing what they're claiming. Physically, I don't think I was strapped to my limits here. Certainly, in any one striking session, some of which approached 1500 strikes in one go (I don't rest between strikes when I train, typically), fatigue set in and required me to take a break to get back up to full-steam. One of my turning sessions was a proud 12 minutes following just over 1200 strikes done continuously with no break except for a 20-to-30-second walk to my circle followed by a 20-to-30-second "normalize my breathing" period before I began to turn. That was hard. Half an hour later, I turned for another twenty without too much difficulty, so resting made a big difference.

Still, I'm wondering how people are managing what they're posting about on the forum because I don't even have a job that I have to go to until tomorrow and still had a hard time pulling off half of it. Sure, there's work to be done, but just the act of fulfilling the role I lead in the household I live in (with family including teenagers!), noting my essentially non-existent social life, prevented me really from being able to do much more, what with the work I did have to do even without having to go to a special workplace for it. Admittedly, I've turned more in a week while keeping up other training and probably could have fit it in if I was willing to accept multiple sessions in a day, but it really took a lot to accomplish what I did for the week. It seems to compare favorably with what many of my compatriots are pulling in two or three days, though.

I just don't want to be falling behind. Maybe I should structure my life a bit more and fit it in that way. I am a bit free-form with my schedule, taking each moment and opportunity as it arises. What with work starting back in full measure tomorrow, a greater amount of disciplined structure could facilitate the training regimen, though it really hampers my enjoyment of my life.