The first thing I should say is that the Yin Style Bagua workshops put on this year by Matt Bild were absolutely incredible. In over sixteen years of doing martial arts now, the last six doing Yin Style Bagua, this year's workshops were by far the best I have ever attended. Matt was incredibly efficient and professional in getting across his agenda, which in this case was to help us all develop clarity and confidence in using the art of Yin Style for the purpose it was made: fighting. Particularly, the workshop was designed around developing clarity in use of force and positioning to achieve a good and sure result against a realistic backdrop of another skilled fighter.
That brings me to the theme of today's post-workshop post, now that I've had a couple of weeks to sort through how my thinking about training has been affected. Training has to be goal-oriented, focused, and clear, and it is an utter obligation to be diligent and serious about this including being reflective about meeting the training goals. Goals also have to be realistic and functional. This should change everything about how we train this art.
Showing posts with label tour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tour. Show all posts
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Yin Style Bagua Knoxville seminar with He Jinbao, Day 1
This is lifted from the Yin Style Bagua Facebook page. Check it out if you haven't already. Anyway, our first day was awesome, as the post indicates! Local fighters and martial artists, come see what all the fuss is about and train hard like a superman!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
He Jinbao and Yin Style Baguazhang International in Knoxville next week!!!
By this time next week, some of the toughest men and (hopefully) women in Knoxville will be finishing up with dinner and getting ready for an early bedtime after one of the hardest days of martial arts training in their lives. Yin Style Baguazhang International is coming to Knoxville again, for the third year in a row, and the workshop taught by incredible martial artist He Jinbao kicks off bright and early at 8:00 am next Thursday, October 20. Local martial artists that haven't yet decided to take advantage of this awesome opportunity to improve their fighting skills are highly encouraged to do so! If you live near enough to Knoxville to be able to make it, then don't miss it!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Yin Style Baguazhang Fall Tour 2011: St. Petersburg, FL, Oct. 27-30
Although no one needs an extra excuse to visit beautiful St. Petersburg, FL, this year's Yin Style Baguazhang Fall Tour, 2011 edition, tour stop, taught by He Jinbao, gives us all one more reason to head to the sub-tropics. This U.S. Fall Tour stop this year by YSB, International features the Lion System
at an intermediate level, like the seminar in Knoxville the week before, featuring different material so that those with the opportunity to hit both stops definitely should!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Yin Style Baguazhang Fall Tour 2011: Knoxville, TN, Oct. 20-23
I hold a special place in my heart and on my blog for the Knoxville, TN, visit of the Yin Style Baguazhang Fall Tour, 2011 edition, taught by He Jinbao! It's home! Our U.S. Fall Tour stop this year by YSB, International features the Lion System
at an intermediate level. In Knoxville, though our training will actually take place in Maryville, just south of Knoxville, we look forward to a great seminar this year. Any and all are welcome! Definitely come see us and train with us! I'd like to extend a special invitation to any and all martial artists in the Knoxville area that want to experience real baguazhang, want to deepen the fighting arts they already practice, and that want to learn practical fighting techniques of awesome effectiveness... plus all the ones that really like hard, old-school drilling for skill.
The curriculum will be on the chopping, hooking, seizing, and grasping palms of the Lion System, and as mentioned before, it will be at an intermediate level, so while it isn't required, some familiarization with the Lion System will be very helpful. Consider getting the foundational videos to prep yourself, which can be found on a link on this post of mine about getting started in Yin Style.
The curriculum will be on the chopping, hooking, seizing, and grasping palms of the Lion System, and as mentioned before, it will be at an intermediate level, so while it isn't required, some familiarization with the Lion System will be very helpful. Consider getting the foundational videos to prep yourself, which can be found on a link on this post of mine about getting started in Yin Style.
Yin Style Baguazhang Fall Tour 2011: Berlin, CT, Oct. 13-16
The Yin Style Baguazhang Fall Tour, 2011 edition, is coming to Berlin, CT, near Hartford! Like the other seminars on the 2011 tour circuit, it will be taught by He Jinbao. It makes the fourth U.S. Fall Tour stop this year by YSB, International and features the Phoenix System at an intermediate level, getting into some of the deeper material including the subtle and effective transforming palm striking methods.
Like all of the Fall Tour stops, the Connecticut stop is open to anyone and everyone that is interested in attending. The curriculum will cover the dodging, extending, shocking, and transforming palms of the Phoenix System, and as mentioned before, it will be at an intermediate level, so while it isn't required, some familiarization with the Phoenix System or Yin Style in general will be very helpful. Consider getting the foundational videos to prep yourself, which can be found on a link on this post of mine about getting started in Yin Style.
Like all of the Fall Tour stops, the Connecticut stop is open to anyone and everyone that is interested in attending. The curriculum will cover the dodging, extending, shocking, and transforming palms of the Phoenix System, and as mentioned before, it will be at an intermediate level, so while it isn't required, some familiarization with the Phoenix System or Yin Style in general will be very helpful. Consider getting the foundational videos to prep yourself, which can be found on a link on this post of mine about getting started in Yin Style.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Yin Style Baguazhang Fall Tour 2011: Haverhill, MA, Oct. 6-9
The second visit of the Yin Style Baguazhang Fall Tour, 2011 edition, to Haverhill, MA, just north of Boston, taught by He Jinbao, is less than a month away! This third U.S. Fall Tour stop this year by YSB, International features the Lion System at an intermediate level. Here practitioners will have a great opportunity to deepen their understanding of the foundational system of Yin Style Baguazhang.
Like all of the Fall Tour stops, the Massachusetts stop is open to anyone and everyone that is interested in attending. The curriculum will be on the shocking, blocking, seizing, and grasping palms of the Lion System, and as mentioned before, it will be at an intermediate level, so while it isn't required, some familiarization with the Lion System will be very helpful. Consider getting the foundational videos to prep yourself, which can be found on a link on this post of mine about getting started in Yin Style.
Like all of the Fall Tour stops, the Massachusetts stop is open to anyone and everyone that is interested in attending. The curriculum will be on the shocking, blocking, seizing, and grasping palms of the Lion System, and as mentioned before, it will be at an intermediate level, so while it isn't required, some familiarization with the Lion System will be very helpful. Consider getting the foundational videos to prep yourself, which can be found on a link on this post of mine about getting started in Yin Style.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Yin Style Baguazhang Fall Tour 2011: Boulder, CO, Sept. 29-Oct.2
The Boulder, CO, Yin Style Baguazhang Fall Tour, 2011 edition, workshop with He Jinbao is right around the corner now, starting in just three weeks! The Tour stop in Colorado is the second U.S. Fall Tour this year by YSB, International, and it features the Phoenix System at a foundational level. That means that people that are new to the art or that want to expand their training outside of the Lion System need to be looking toward the Rockies to get a taste of this fast, whirling animal that emits whip-like power from the shoulder.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Yin Style Baguazhang Fall Tour 2011: San Fancisco, CA, Sept. 22-25, 2011
The San Francisco, CA, Yin Style Baguazhang Fall Tour, 2011 edition, workshop with He Jinbao is less than a month away, and it will officially kick of the U.S. Fall Tour this year by YSB, International. Those people interested in experiencing real baguazhang first-hand and doing so with the lineage holder of a very respectable system in the art should pay close attention to this one. Not to make it sound too much like an advertisement, if you've had interest in baguazhang, Chinese martial arts in general, or Yin Style in specific but don't know the first thing about it, this is the seminar for you!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Yin Style Baguazhang International U.S. Fall Tour 2011, Knoxville and beyond
He Jinbao of Beijing, China, with assistant and translator Matt Bild of Yin Style Baguazhang International are coming to the United States again in 2011 for the annual YSB U.S. Fall Tour of long-weekend workshops (including Knoxville, TN, for my local folks). If you don't know what Yin Style Bagua is all about yet, then you're missing out. These workshops offer a very rare opportunity train in real baguazhang directly with an absolute and recognized expert in the art, the lineage holder of Yin Style Baguazhang, in fact. Start here by checking out the official brief introduction to Yin Style Baguazhang video that showcases a bit from all eight animal systems, including He Jinbao demonstrating awesome fighting applications on some brave British volunteers.
Now that you've seen what you could be training at the seminar, continue reading below to get the key details about what's new in this year's series of workshops and for what is going on in each of the stops. This year's workshops will be presenting material out of the Lion, Phoenix, and Monkey Systems, as well as a continued introduction to the baguazhang jian (straight sword).
Friday, August 13, 2010
Fall tour prep training
My training, usually pretty good, is up. I'm almost always sore, sleeping like a (very uncomfortably hot) log, and evidently rather dehydrated (proved by unquenchable thirst and my first calf cramp in my sleep in over a year). I'm training like a fiend, or at least like how I figure a fiend would train, because of the upcoming fall tour, the Knoxville, TN, stop in particular.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Yin Style Baguazhang International returns to Knoxville, TN, in Fall 2010
Undeniably, it has been a long time since I've posted anything on here, and what better reason to take up the charge of writing on this blog again than to announce this year's Yin Style Baguazhang International Fall Tour, including its Knoxville, TN, stop. This year's tour promises to be even better than ever, repeating much of the same in the way of organization as last year, this time with all-new material. If you want to read the announcement from last year's Yin Style Bagua Knoxville tour stop, click here.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Fall Tour Seminar, Knoxville, Success!
He Jinbao and Matt Bild just left Knoxville yesterday morning after our first-ever, mostly successful seminar! The intensity of training was maintained at a pretty high level for most of the workshop, even if our attendance was a bit on the low side. All-in-all, though, I'm quite happy with our first stab at hosting those fine folks.
As for what was covered, it was a beautiful blend of solid foundational practices, with fantastic attention to small details, and some really new stuff: kicking practices courtesy of the Monkey System, which are completely different from essentially everything else that we've done in our trainings in the past.
I had a lot of time to think about things before and after the training sessions, and I think that the seminar itself provided me with a number of interesting topics to talk about in the near future on here, hopefully some stuff that will really help some folks out there with the training.
Probably, if anything, the only down-side to the entire ordeal was that our attendance was rather low. Recruiting for one of these things is apparently fairly difficult despite Jinbao's level of expertise. Thus, for the next year, because they will be back next year and we'd like to see a better turnout, we'll be trying to get around and introduce this art to folks via very affordable seminars.
This particular workshop seemed to strengthen our group, though, not just in terms of our training and knowledge but also in terms of numbers. Hopefully I didn't misread things when some of the folks that attended the seminar asked many very curious questions about our study group.
As for what was covered, it was a beautiful blend of solid foundational practices, with fantastic attention to small details, and some really new stuff: kicking practices courtesy of the Monkey System, which are completely different from essentially everything else that we've done in our trainings in the past.
I had a lot of time to think about things before and after the training sessions, and I think that the seminar itself provided me with a number of interesting topics to talk about in the near future on here, hopefully some stuff that will really help some folks out there with the training.
Probably, if anything, the only down-side to the entire ordeal was that our attendance was rather low. Recruiting for one of these things is apparently fairly difficult despite Jinbao's level of expertise. Thus, for the next year, because they will be back next year and we'd like to see a better turnout, we'll be trying to get around and introduce this art to folks via very affordable seminars.
This particular workshop seemed to strengthen our group, though, not just in terms of our training and knowledge but also in terms of numbers. Hopefully I didn't misread things when some of the folks that attended the seminar asked many very curious questions about our study group.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Two Weeks Until the Seminar
The 2009 Fall Tour kicks off here in Knoxville in just a day over two weeks. Yikes! The preparations still to do for the seminar and for my training... what a list! In any case, here's a slightly more detailed version of what's going on, just in case anyone stumbles upon this and is interested. For practical "I'm interested in coming" information, see my previous post on the matter by clicking here.
Very General Overview:
The first two days (Thursday, Friday) focus on foundational training and the last two days (Saturday, Sunday) focus on turning, forms, and applications. Both dadao (big saber) and shuai jiao (fast wrestling) practice are scheduled during the last two days. The seminar is open, requiring no previous experience in Yin Style Baguazhang, although having some background at least in the martial arts or fitness would be helpful. Interested parties can schedule to attend full days or half days (save the last half-day) individually or attend the entire seminar (recommended in all cases where it is possible). Contact us for details (see below for a link to contact information).
Thursday, September 24, 8:00a-12:00p
The morning session of this foundational day focuses on the Sweeping Palm of the Lion System. First is standing strengthening practice in the Lion representational posture and the sweeping palm posture. Then the remainder of the morning is devoted to practicing sweeping strikes and basic striking combinations. If you've never done any Yin Style Baguazhang and are interested and able to come to a Thursday morning session, this is the ideal place to start.
Thursday, September 24, 1:30p-6:00p
The afternoon session of this foundational day focuses on the Cutting Palm of the Lion System. The afternoon will proceed like the morning with "cutting" replacing "sweeping" for the first three and a half hours of this 270-minute session. Cutting is another excellent place for beginners to find something, so if you can't make a Thursday morning session but can make it in the afternoon, this is good for you. The afternoon session finishes with a new-to-essentially-everyone session in some of the basic kicks of Yin Style Baguazhang, lasting for one hour. The time in between the sessions, obviously, is a break for rest and lunch.
Friday, September 25
This foundational day follows the same framework as the previous day, focusing on the Chopping Palm of the Lion System and the Hooking Palm of the Lion System in the morning and afternoon respectively. The times are the same as Thursday's times for both sessions. These practices, while different from the material on Thursday, are also excellent foundational material, and in some ways they echo the themes of the material from Thursday. Thus, if you cannot make a Thursday session but can make a Friday session, this day would still be great for beginners to come to. The day will wrap up with another hour-long session of studying the kicks of Yin Style Bagua, sampling a few others from the system.
This is a photo from one of the foundational days in the recent London Intensive in which He Jinbao directs myself and another noteworthy practitioner in some fundamental practices. Applications such as these will be largely or entirely reserved for the final day of our seminar. Click on the image to see it slightly larger.
Saturday, September 26, Morning
The times are the same as for the previous days, but the focus on Saturday is different. The morning session starts off with circle-turning practice in the representational posture of the Lion System and then studies one of the forms from that system: Enfolding Cutting. Drilling the form and strikes from the form, likely with combinations included, is on the menu. If you're a beginner and interested in coming to this session, it may be in your best interest to contact one of us as soon as possible for a quick primer in this seven-movement form.
Saturday, September 26, Afternoon
This day's afternoon session focuses on another of the forms of the Lion System: Windmill Cutting. Again, you might want a primer on the seven-movement form if you can come to this session. The last hour of this day's session will be on basic drills with the bagua big saber (dadao)
Sunday, September 27, Morning
The morning session on Sunday, with the same times as previously, is similar to that on Saturday morning: circle turning training and a Lion System form -- Moving with the Force Seizing. Again, you might want a primer on the seven-movement form if you can come to this session. The last hour of this session will be the beginning of a structured, long applications session. We will hold this session at a different location from the others to have access to mats.
Sunday, September 27, Afteroon
The afternoon session on Sunday is for applications practice, reviewing and learning to apply many of the techniques studied in the previous days' sessions. This is the sole session that carries a full prerequisite that you've attended something previous to it in order to attend. The session will be structured around the material we covered throughout the seminar and last for three and a half hours, the last hour of the last day being reserved for some fun tussling in shuai jiao, which is a bit like judo but faster and with a different philosophy. The goal here is less to develop skill in shuai jiao and more to get some practice with that kind of exercise and feeling the weight of a resisting opponent. We will still be in the matted environment for this session.
This photo is of myself and yet another noteworthy practitioner practicing applications. In this scene, I am taking him down with a basic cutting palm strike. Click on the image to see it slightly larger.
If you think you can or want to come and you haven't made that explicit to our tour organizer, please follow this link to his contact information and contact him as soon as possible.
Very General Overview:
The first two days (Thursday, Friday) focus on foundational training and the last two days (Saturday, Sunday) focus on turning, forms, and applications. Both dadao (big saber) and shuai jiao (fast wrestling) practice are scheduled during the last two days. The seminar is open, requiring no previous experience in Yin Style Baguazhang, although having some background at least in the martial arts or fitness would be helpful. Interested parties can schedule to attend full days or half days (save the last half-day) individually or attend the entire seminar (recommended in all cases where it is possible). Contact us for details (see below for a link to contact information).
Thursday, September 24, 8:00a-12:00p
The morning session of this foundational day focuses on the Sweeping Palm of the Lion System. First is standing strengthening practice in the Lion representational posture and the sweeping palm posture. Then the remainder of the morning is devoted to practicing sweeping strikes and basic striking combinations. If you've never done any Yin Style Baguazhang and are interested and able to come to a Thursday morning session, this is the ideal place to start.
Thursday, September 24, 1:30p-6:00p
The afternoon session of this foundational day focuses on the Cutting Palm of the Lion System. The afternoon will proceed like the morning with "cutting" replacing "sweeping" for the first three and a half hours of this 270-minute session. Cutting is another excellent place for beginners to find something, so if you can't make a Thursday morning session but can make it in the afternoon, this is good for you. The afternoon session finishes with a new-to-essentially-everyone session in some of the basic kicks of Yin Style Baguazhang, lasting for one hour. The time in between the sessions, obviously, is a break for rest and lunch.
Friday, September 25
This foundational day follows the same framework as the previous day, focusing on the Chopping Palm of the Lion System and the Hooking Palm of the Lion System in the morning and afternoon respectively. The times are the same as Thursday's times for both sessions. These practices, while different from the material on Thursday, are also excellent foundational material, and in some ways they echo the themes of the material from Thursday. Thus, if you cannot make a Thursday session but can make a Friday session, this day would still be great for beginners to come to. The day will wrap up with another hour-long session of studying the kicks of Yin Style Bagua, sampling a few others from the system.
This is a photo from one of the foundational days in the recent London Intensive in which He Jinbao directs myself and another noteworthy practitioner in some fundamental practices. Applications such as these will be largely or entirely reserved for the final day of our seminar. Click on the image to see it slightly larger.Saturday, September 26, Morning
The times are the same as for the previous days, but the focus on Saturday is different. The morning session starts off with circle-turning practice in the representational posture of the Lion System and then studies one of the forms from that system: Enfolding Cutting. Drilling the form and strikes from the form, likely with combinations included, is on the menu. If you're a beginner and interested in coming to this session, it may be in your best interest to contact one of us as soon as possible for a quick primer in this seven-movement form.
Saturday, September 26, Afternoon
This day's afternoon session focuses on another of the forms of the Lion System: Windmill Cutting. Again, you might want a primer on the seven-movement form if you can come to this session. The last hour of this day's session will be on basic drills with the bagua big saber (dadao)
Sunday, September 27, Morning
The morning session on Sunday, with the same times as previously, is similar to that on Saturday morning: circle turning training and a Lion System form -- Moving with the Force Seizing. Again, you might want a primer on the seven-movement form if you can come to this session. The last hour of this session will be the beginning of a structured, long applications session. We will hold this session at a different location from the others to have access to mats.
Sunday, September 27, Afteroon
The afternoon session on Sunday is for applications practice, reviewing and learning to apply many of the techniques studied in the previous days' sessions. This is the sole session that carries a full prerequisite that you've attended something previous to it in order to attend. The session will be structured around the material we covered throughout the seminar and last for three and a half hours, the last hour of the last day being reserved for some fun tussling in shuai jiao, which is a bit like judo but faster and with a different philosophy. The goal here is less to develop skill in shuai jiao and more to get some practice with that kind of exercise and feeling the weight of a resisting opponent. We will still be in the matted environment for this session.
This photo is of myself and yet another noteworthy practitioner practicing applications. In this scene, I am taking him down with a basic cutting palm strike. Click on the image to see it slightly larger.If you think you can or want to come and you haven't made that explicit to our tour organizer, please follow this link to his contact information and contact him as soon as possible.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Yin Style Baguazhang Is Coming to Knoxville!
I know I already mentioned this, but it bears repeating since it's a major goings-on in my training-related life (which is what this blog is about). Yin Style Baguazhang International is coming to Knoxville, TN, in just under a month! (Don't know much about Yin Style Baguazhang? Start here for the YSB International page!)
When: The seminar is going to be awesome for four consecutive days: Thursday, September 24, through Sunday, September 27, starting early in the morning (8-ish), continuing until lunch at 12, picking back up at 1:30-ish, and finishing in the evening between 5:30 and 6. That's more than eight hours a day of instruction from He Jinbao and Matt Bild.
Where: In West Knoxville, near the I-40/I-140 intersection. Contact us directly for more details. At the moment, some of the seminar will likely be held in Maryville (25-30 minutes south of Knoxville via I-140) as well since we will have much-appreciated access to a mat-covered floor there.
How Much: The cost will be $100 per person per day, which is a good deal since He Jinbao is the lineage holder of this branch of Baguazhang. This compares pretty favorably with what you'd find in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) seminar hosted by someone in a comparable position in the hierarchy (e.g. seminars with some of the Gracie family's students -- not a Gracie -- run in the $50-100 for two hours range).
Who: Anyone interested in experiencing the training practices of Yin Style Baguazhang firsthand with direct access to the best guys the art has. Folks with martial arts backgrounds that would like to develop or deepen their training are particularly likely to benefit. In fact, even if practicing Yin Style Bagua isn't one of your goals, your self-defense ability and overall martial arts training is very likely to be enhanced by this kind of experience.
What: The focus will be on the Lion System of Yin Style Baguazhang, which is also what this blog is about (don't know what Yin Style Baguazhang is? Click here to find out more!). The basic practices of the art as they pertain to that particular branch of it will be taught and explored in details. While the specific material on each day will be different, over the course of the seminar the following will certainly be addressed: striking drilling practice, combinations practice, forms practice, standing strengthening practice, turning the circle practice, dadao (Chinese big saber) practice, and applications of the techniques. Usually these seminars also leave open the opportunity for Q&A with the teachers, which is especially good when folks come and ask martial-arts-related questions. The opportunity to get direct, personal feedback from them is also available at those times as well.
What Else:
When: The seminar is going to be awesome for four consecutive days: Thursday, September 24, through Sunday, September 27, starting early in the morning (8-ish), continuing until lunch at 12, picking back up at 1:30-ish, and finishing in the evening between 5:30 and 6. That's more than eight hours a day of instruction from He Jinbao and Matt Bild.
Where: In West Knoxville, near the I-40/I-140 intersection. Contact us directly for more details. At the moment, some of the seminar will likely be held in Maryville (25-30 minutes south of Knoxville via I-140) as well since we will have much-appreciated access to a mat-covered floor there.
How Much: The cost will be $100 per person per day, which is a good deal since He Jinbao is the lineage holder of this branch of Baguazhang. This compares pretty favorably with what you'd find in a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) seminar hosted by someone in a comparable position in the hierarchy (e.g. seminars with some of the Gracie family's students -- not a Gracie -- run in the $50-100 for two hours range).
Who: Anyone interested in experiencing the training practices of Yin Style Baguazhang firsthand with direct access to the best guys the art has. Folks with martial arts backgrounds that would like to develop or deepen their training are particularly likely to benefit. In fact, even if practicing Yin Style Bagua isn't one of your goals, your self-defense ability and overall martial arts training is very likely to be enhanced by this kind of experience.
What: The focus will be on the Lion System of Yin Style Baguazhang, which is also what this blog is about (don't know what Yin Style Baguazhang is? Click here to find out more!). The basic practices of the art as they pertain to that particular branch of it will be taught and explored in details. While the specific material on each day will be different, over the course of the seminar the following will certainly be addressed: striking drilling practice, combinations practice, forms practice, standing strengthening practice, turning the circle practice, dadao (Chinese big saber) practice, and applications of the techniques. Usually these seminars also leave open the opportunity for Q&A with the teachers, which is especially good when folks come and ask martial-arts-related questions. The opportunity to get direct, personal feedback from them is also available at those times as well.
What Else:
- In addition to He Jinbao and Matt Bild, several of the senior students in Yin Style Bagua from across the U.S. will almost certainly be in attendance, providing examples to follow and training advice for folks less experienced in the art.
- We're hoping for a pretty good turnout, so if you read this and are interested or know someone that might be, please follow this link and contact Bradley Moore for further specifics.
- Any and all are welcome to come if they are interested and can make it. Experience in the martial arts is helpful but not required, and it is worth noting that the workout will be rather physically demanding.
- Folks within a short drive of the Knoxville area that already train in an art and that are interested in tasting something new and good are especially encouraged to contact us and try to make it up for as much of the seminar as possible.
- Local schools or groups that think they might be interested and would like for Bradley and I to come by and give you a primer before the seminar are also encouraged to contact us (it would be helpful for you if you did that). You can do so here or by contacting one of us using the e-mail addresses here.
- Local individuals that thing they might be interested and would like the same kind of attention, contact us about coming and visiting our study group and its regular meetings in a park in Maryville on Monday nights. For the time being, our study group is meeting for free, so you'd only be out on some time.
- This is an internal martial art, but "qi warriors" probably won't find what they're expecting. Being realistic and pragmatic, Yin Style Baguazhang isn't advertising magical powers or anything of the sort; just intelligent, mature, well-designed martial arts techniques play center stage here. He Jinbao's skill is high enough to be worthy of some legends, though... at least in my humble estimation (which I'm sure I can find quite a bit of backup on from the folks who know him!).
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Yin Style Baguazhang International in Knoxville, TN
I can hardly believe it's almost here! Yin Style Baguazhang International is going to be doing a first-time seminar in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the end of September, and getting it organized is really starting to eat up some of my attention, even though I'm not the main organizer. This has caused me to pause and think... and that has caused me to pause and remember... this is an amazing situation, an amazing opportunity, and an amazing responsibility.
First of all, in Knoxville and the surrounding areas (I live in Maryville, TN, just south of Knoxville), there are a lot of martial artists, but there are very few Chinese martial arts being practiced. I suspect those things go hand-in-hand. First of all, a few of the big karate men from the Okinawan occupation period following WWII brought Okinawan karate here in the 1950's, and it's grown steadily in popularity. There is a fairly large concentration high-ranking karate folks here, and in fact, one of the biggest get-togethers in the Isshin-Ryu Karate System, the Isshin-Ryu Hall of Fame tournament and shiai, is held in the greater Knoxville area (this year in Knoxville itself). There are also a few prominent karate associations here, notably the USIKA (United States Isshin-Ryu Karate Association), and that's no particular surprise since two of the four American progenitors of Isshin-Ryu karate moved to the Southeast, one to Knoxville, after their duty with the Marines. That's made a pretty good reputation for Isshin-Ryu in this area, which was great for me because practicing Isshin-Ryu is what led to me running into a guy that also practiced Isshin-Ryu that ended up introducing me to Yin Style. Perhaps unfortunately, what has passed for Chinese Martial Arts in the Southeast has largely been a bit of a joke, particularly among the rather pragmatic karate fighters, and so the CMA scene in the Southeast is rather bad, to speak generally.
There's been a huge upsurgence recently in the Southeast, particularly in Knoxville, among people interested in practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts (popularly, MMA) since the UFC gained in popularity through the 1990's and first decade of the new millennium. People here are usually "no-bullshido" kinds of folks: what works is okay, what doesn't work sucks, and that's how it is. The UFC has convinced people of the effectiveness of combining striking and BJJ, largely thanks to the Gracie family, at least in comparison to what martial arts training most people do. This growth hasn't helped the Chinese martial arts scene in this neck of the woods since much of what passes for Chinese martial arts is flowery "kung-fu" stuff that tends to get people beat in tournaments really quickly. Baguazhang is almost a complete unknown in and around Knoxville, and that's probably mostly to do with the strong karate history, growth of BJJ/MMA, and general pragmatism of the people, to say nothing of bagua's relative obscurity and "bizarre" practices (like walking in circles for maybe hours on end holding "weird" postures).
So here we are about to host YSB International: Yin Style Baguazhang is about to happen big-time in Knoxville, and there's some duty on our part to showcase this art to the Southeast and hopefully start changing perceptions: Chinese martial arts can be effective, even standing up to popular giants like BJJ and MMA in the public eye. Who better to convince them of the prowess inherent in baguazhang than He Jinbao? No one, of course, and so we've got to figure out how to get these folks interested in checking out what we're doing.
Though people in the Southeast, particularly in and around Knoxville, carry a stereotype for being backwards and country (we are kind of country, for the most part, and rather proud of it), that probably sheds an unfair light on us as far as martial arts is concerned. The trend I've noticed in the area is a strongly growing attitude of curiosity and exploration, realizing that karate isn't the whole world and that branching out into other knowledge can help, not hinder, development of both people and the arts they love and train. That attitude marries very nicely with the Southern love of the practical: if it works in the martial arts world, people in the Southeast are probably about the most likely to become very interested in it once they become aware of it, not so much as a marketing tool but out of genuine interest in developing the most effective, high-quality martial arts training that they can find.
We're hoping that this spirit makes its way to our little seminar on the last weekend of September, showing this area about a truly effective, beautiful, deep, and difficult Chinese martial art that is indeed martial while ending up with a terrific seminar for both the students and the teachers. Now... just to organize it all....
First of all, in Knoxville and the surrounding areas (I live in Maryville, TN, just south of Knoxville), there are a lot of martial artists, but there are very few Chinese martial arts being practiced. I suspect those things go hand-in-hand. First of all, a few of the big karate men from the Okinawan occupation period following WWII brought Okinawan karate here in the 1950's, and it's grown steadily in popularity. There is a fairly large concentration high-ranking karate folks here, and in fact, one of the biggest get-togethers in the Isshin-Ryu Karate System, the Isshin-Ryu Hall of Fame tournament and shiai, is held in the greater Knoxville area (this year in Knoxville itself). There are also a few prominent karate associations here, notably the USIKA (United States Isshin-Ryu Karate Association), and that's no particular surprise since two of the four American progenitors of Isshin-Ryu karate moved to the Southeast, one to Knoxville, after their duty with the Marines. That's made a pretty good reputation for Isshin-Ryu in this area, which was great for me because practicing Isshin-Ryu is what led to me running into a guy that also practiced Isshin-Ryu that ended up introducing me to Yin Style. Perhaps unfortunately, what has passed for Chinese Martial Arts in the Southeast has largely been a bit of a joke, particularly among the rather pragmatic karate fighters, and so the CMA scene in the Southeast is rather bad, to speak generally.
There's been a huge upsurgence recently in the Southeast, particularly in Knoxville, among people interested in practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts (popularly, MMA) since the UFC gained in popularity through the 1990's and first decade of the new millennium. People here are usually "no-bullshido" kinds of folks: what works is okay, what doesn't work sucks, and that's how it is. The UFC has convinced people of the effectiveness of combining striking and BJJ, largely thanks to the Gracie family, at least in comparison to what martial arts training most people do. This growth hasn't helped the Chinese martial arts scene in this neck of the woods since much of what passes for Chinese martial arts is flowery "kung-fu" stuff that tends to get people beat in tournaments really quickly. Baguazhang is almost a complete unknown in and around Knoxville, and that's probably mostly to do with the strong karate history, growth of BJJ/MMA, and general pragmatism of the people, to say nothing of bagua's relative obscurity and "bizarre" practices (like walking in circles for maybe hours on end holding "weird" postures).
So here we are about to host YSB International: Yin Style Baguazhang is about to happen big-time in Knoxville, and there's some duty on our part to showcase this art to the Southeast and hopefully start changing perceptions: Chinese martial arts can be effective, even standing up to popular giants like BJJ and MMA in the public eye. Who better to convince them of the prowess inherent in baguazhang than He Jinbao? No one, of course, and so we've got to figure out how to get these folks interested in checking out what we're doing.
Though people in the Southeast, particularly in and around Knoxville, carry a stereotype for being backwards and country (we are kind of country, for the most part, and rather proud of it), that probably sheds an unfair light on us as far as martial arts is concerned. The trend I've noticed in the area is a strongly growing attitude of curiosity and exploration, realizing that karate isn't the whole world and that branching out into other knowledge can help, not hinder, development of both people and the arts they love and train. That attitude marries very nicely with the Southern love of the practical: if it works in the martial arts world, people in the Southeast are probably about the most likely to become very interested in it once they become aware of it, not so much as a marketing tool but out of genuine interest in developing the most effective, high-quality martial arts training that they can find.
We're hoping that this spirit makes its way to our little seminar on the last weekend of September, showing this area about a truly effective, beautiful, deep, and difficult Chinese martial art that is indeed martial while ending up with a terrific seminar for both the students and the teachers. Now... just to organize it all....
Monday, September 22, 2008
A Study in Itself
A few words that Matt Bild passed on to us in Vermont, almost as an aside, have really stuck with me and will probably shape my training for the next few months or years in a significant way. He said, simply enough, "the sweeping strikes are a study in themselves." When I heard it, I was pounding out sweeping strikes, trying to pay attention to four or six (or more) requirements I hadn't previously been aware of, trying to integrate them into my training, trying to understand their importance as well as develop the coordination required to modify that which I had done tens of thousands of times without those nuances (actually, they were bigger than nuances in a few cases). It wasn't until later that the significance of those words started to sink in and mesh with other ideas I've had, some that I've held pretty close to my chest up until now. I'm thankful my memory retained them despite the ferocity with which I was putting my body through the paces.
By extension, each of the striking methods in the Lion System as well as the other animal systems, which share a lot of techniques with each other since Yin Style Bagua is so well-knit, is also a study in itself, meaning that makes for at least sixty-four intense studies just on basic striking methods. I yearn to develop understanding of at least those in the Lion System in the coming year(s). There's more than that, though. Sixty-four interrelated studies would be easy compared with the complexity of baguazhang. There are also the themes of the individual animals and how they play a role, making for eight larger studies. There are also the forms, which appear again and again: interlocking, moving with the force, turning the back, lifting and holding (ping tua), windmill, lying step, reversing the body, and enfolding. In each system, seven of those attacking methods is addressed, and each of those methods must also be a study in itself. That's a lot of studying! Each form plays a different role slightly depending on which attacking method is being employed, but underneath the attacking methods is part of the theme of the form. Each form plays a different role within each animal system (I've deduced from what Matt said about moving with the force in the Lion System having a particular character that I didn't expect or realize), and yet within each is another part of the theme of that particular form. That's a LOT of studies unto themselves, many or all of which deserve and need attention in their due course if these methods are to be understood.
Honestly, as a quick aside, it reminds me of learning karate a long time ago. I realized at some point that you have to learn to use your upper body independently of your lower body so you could strike while moving and so that you could avoid telegraphing your techniques with your stepping. I also noted that your lower body had to be able to move independently of your upper body so that you could kick or move without giving away what was about to happen or so that you could keep your balance in awkward situations that might involve twisting, turning, kicking, fading away, jumping, or being pushed. Later, I realized that developing those independent skills was the very beginning, as long as it might take, because eventually the upper and lower body would have to work in harmony, using those individual skills as needed but more by applying their lessons to total-body movement and usage. It's like that in bagua but a thousand times more intricate.
One thing I had intended to start, probably shortly, is an in-depth study of the forms, using one attacking method at a time and studying each of the striking methods within that form. That would give, within the Lion System and its theme at least, eight perspectives on the idea of, for example, the moving with the force attacking method. I was excited and hoped to be able to investigate these things deeply enough to get through at most four of the methods in this manner over the next year. Then, I hoped, I'd have a better understanding of what those four attacking methods were about, and my bagua would benefit greatly from it. Now, I'm a bit confused as to what to approach because I never had thought clearly that the striking methods themselves are also each their own study! My head is filled with ideas, and I haven't invented a way to combine them yet.
For instance, I'd like very much to spend a few weeks or a month just working hard on the sweeping strikes to see what kind of lessons I can glean from training them in a dedicated manner. To do that, I've already realized, it is very helpful to learn all of the sweeping forms in the system because it gives eight perspectives on how to use them (the basics, characteristic of Lion, and the seven other animals-derived forms, characteristic of the Lion borrowing ideas from the other systems). That's contrary to my plan to study "moving with the force," e.g., purely for a month or two. I could blend the two endeavors, of course, studying all seven forms of a palm at the appropriate time along with focusing on those strikes and then the other seven forms of a particular attacking method, but that seems to be a lot more than life will afford me time to work on! I'm betting that concentrating on one or two things at a time is better than trying to do everything at the same time, so I'll probably hybridize but pick one road or the other to really drill. The basic striking methods seem more fundamental, so they probably should come first. Still, I was really excited about my study of the forms, so I'm torn.
For now, I'm caught in a quandary on which road to follow because I feel like they're a bit exclusive for someone with a non-bagua life to live as well. Thus, for the moment, I've only been reviewing that which we did in Vermont on a daily basis, though not nearly as hard as we did there (I'm quite thankful to be able to use things like my legs normally again too). I've also put the turning back on, but I've noticed that my (redneck-style improvised) saber drills are cutting deeply into my ability to rock out the Lion posture on the circle like I could two weeks ago.
This is one of the best parts of baguazhang. The study is too complicated and deep to ever get stagnant or boring. There is always and will always be so much to study and train.
By extension, each of the striking methods in the Lion System as well as the other animal systems, which share a lot of techniques with each other since Yin Style Bagua is so well-knit, is also a study in itself, meaning that makes for at least sixty-four intense studies just on basic striking methods. I yearn to develop understanding of at least those in the Lion System in the coming year(s). There's more than that, though. Sixty-four interrelated studies would be easy compared with the complexity of baguazhang. There are also the themes of the individual animals and how they play a role, making for eight larger studies. There are also the forms, which appear again and again: interlocking, moving with the force, turning the back, lifting and holding (ping tua), windmill, lying step, reversing the body, and enfolding. In each system, seven of those attacking methods is addressed, and each of those methods must also be a study in itself. That's a lot of studying! Each form plays a different role slightly depending on which attacking method is being employed, but underneath the attacking methods is part of the theme of the form. Each form plays a different role within each animal system (I've deduced from what Matt said about moving with the force in the Lion System having a particular character that I didn't expect or realize), and yet within each is another part of the theme of that particular form. That's a LOT of studies unto themselves, many or all of which deserve and need attention in their due course if these methods are to be understood.
Honestly, as a quick aside, it reminds me of learning karate a long time ago. I realized at some point that you have to learn to use your upper body independently of your lower body so you could strike while moving and so that you could avoid telegraphing your techniques with your stepping. I also noted that your lower body had to be able to move independently of your upper body so that you could kick or move without giving away what was about to happen or so that you could keep your balance in awkward situations that might involve twisting, turning, kicking, fading away, jumping, or being pushed. Later, I realized that developing those independent skills was the very beginning, as long as it might take, because eventually the upper and lower body would have to work in harmony, using those individual skills as needed but more by applying their lessons to total-body movement and usage. It's like that in bagua but a thousand times more intricate.
One thing I had intended to start, probably shortly, is an in-depth study of the forms, using one attacking method at a time and studying each of the striking methods within that form. That would give, within the Lion System and its theme at least, eight perspectives on the idea of, for example, the moving with the force attacking method. I was excited and hoped to be able to investigate these things deeply enough to get through at most four of the methods in this manner over the next year. Then, I hoped, I'd have a better understanding of what those four attacking methods were about, and my bagua would benefit greatly from it. Now, I'm a bit confused as to what to approach because I never had thought clearly that the striking methods themselves are also each their own study! My head is filled with ideas, and I haven't invented a way to combine them yet.
For instance, I'd like very much to spend a few weeks or a month just working hard on the sweeping strikes to see what kind of lessons I can glean from training them in a dedicated manner. To do that, I've already realized, it is very helpful to learn all of the sweeping forms in the system because it gives eight perspectives on how to use them (the basics, characteristic of Lion, and the seven other animals-derived forms, characteristic of the Lion borrowing ideas from the other systems). That's contrary to my plan to study "moving with the force," e.g., purely for a month or two. I could blend the two endeavors, of course, studying all seven forms of a palm at the appropriate time along with focusing on those strikes and then the other seven forms of a particular attacking method, but that seems to be a lot more than life will afford me time to work on! I'm betting that concentrating on one or two things at a time is better than trying to do everything at the same time, so I'll probably hybridize but pick one road or the other to really drill. The basic striking methods seem more fundamental, so they probably should come first. Still, I was really excited about my study of the forms, so I'm torn.
For now, I'm caught in a quandary on which road to follow because I feel like they're a bit exclusive for someone with a non-bagua life to live as well. Thus, for the moment, I've only been reviewing that which we did in Vermont on a daily basis, though not nearly as hard as we did there (I'm quite thankful to be able to use things like my legs normally again too). I've also put the turning back on, but I've noticed that my (redneck-style improvised) saber drills are cutting deeply into my ability to rock out the Lion posture on the circle like I could two weeks ago.
This is one of the best parts of baguazhang. The study is too complicated and deep to ever get stagnant or boring. There is always and will always be so much to study and train.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Redefining Can't
After an outstanding workshop in VT led by Matt, I've come home with yet another moment in my life where Yin Style Baguazhang has absolutely obliterated my previous notions of the word "can't." It did so in many ways, but none so powerfully as my rather pitiful first experience with the dadao, the bagua big saber. I wanted it to be better, willed it even, but it pretty much only got worse. My spirit was willing, as they say, but my flesh failed (and some of it hurt probably more than it ever has before -- swelling up, bilaterally, as it did). It was sad really, and I feel a bit let down with myself -- though encouraged to change!
The saber, to be clear, is totally awesome, and I was totally unprepared for it. It absolutely laid me to waste and opened my eyes fully to the fact that I really need to work on developing fuller full-body strength and coordination -- two things my bagua practice is really dependent on and currently lacking sorely. It also opened my eyes to possibilities since everyone else there handled it vastly better than I did, a point which Matt made shockingly clear when I was already painfully aware of it. He was even nicer, I'd guess, than I probably deserved on it (meaning he didn't get vituperative with me), which I'm pretty glad for because I was feeling like a major sissy. It's most accurate to say he turned up the contrast for me just enough to drive the point fully home (for which I'm thankful). I know... strength comes over time, but my showing was pretty poor nonetheless. This experience, pitiful as it might sound, was in no way negative (except the bugs, maybe, which kind of sucked).
There are many technicalities (many on vectors) I've brought home and already started to integrate into my training (yes, I trained today, the day after a workshop ended, despite getting only about 5 hours sleep, getting up at 4:30 am, traveling about 1100 miles, and having worked all day to catch up on what I missed and cover my daily usual), but I think the most profound changes that occurred for me and my training are a change of horizons, a clearer understanding of the possibilities that lie in store if I (properly and intelligently) follow the age-old advice put out so many times so plainly by JB and everyone that has earned skill in this art: "if you want to get good, practice a lot." Well, that and a firmer grasp on how to put my mind into my training and a sincere excitement to do so.
I have only a huge thanks to offer to all you guys that were in VT this weekend, thanks and a promise to use what you all gave me (salubriously).
The saber, to be clear, is totally awesome, and I was totally unprepared for it. It absolutely laid me to waste and opened my eyes fully to the fact that I really need to work on developing fuller full-body strength and coordination -- two things my bagua practice is really dependent on and currently lacking sorely. It also opened my eyes to possibilities since everyone else there handled it vastly better than I did, a point which Matt made shockingly clear when I was already painfully aware of it. He was even nicer, I'd guess, than I probably deserved on it (meaning he didn't get vituperative with me), which I'm pretty glad for because I was feeling like a major sissy. It's most accurate to say he turned up the contrast for me just enough to drive the point fully home (for which I'm thankful). I know... strength comes over time, but my showing was pretty poor nonetheless. This experience, pitiful as it might sound, was in no way negative (except the bugs, maybe, which kind of sucked).
There are many technicalities (many on vectors) I've brought home and already started to integrate into my training (yes, I trained today, the day after a workshop ended, despite getting only about 5 hours sleep, getting up at 4:30 am, traveling about 1100 miles, and having worked all day to catch up on what I missed and cover my daily usual), but I think the most profound changes that occurred for me and my training are a change of horizons, a clearer understanding of the possibilities that lie in store if I (properly and intelligently) follow the age-old advice put out so many times so plainly by JB and everyone that has earned skill in this art: "if you want to get good, practice a lot." Well, that and a firmer grasp on how to put my mind into my training and a sincere excitement to do so.
I have only a huge thanks to offer to all you guys that were in VT this weekend, thanks and a promise to use what you all gave me (salubriously).
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Big Goals
I've been wanting to post for a few days now, but I haven't felt like I had anything worth posting about. I even wrote a couple of posts that didn't make it up. There was the day I turned for an hour just to remind myself that I could (it had been a while since I even cleared the 40-minute mark), there were thousands of strikes here or there, there were days of getting up early, or failing to get up early, of standing triumph, and of diminished training ability due to work and family obligations. There was even a fairly long post that I killed after typing it, retyping it, fixing it, and giving up on it discussing the nature of my bagua relationship with my brother and how sometimes I wish life put us in a place where we could train more seriously together again (and how I think it would do him good). After I finished turning today, though, I got an idea worth posting about.
The YSB workshop I'm attending this fall is literally days away. Due to my brother coming into town, my work requirements ramping up heavily, and an assortment of other minor duties to have to attend to, my training did the opposite except in the applications department. There was some turning, some standing, some of everything there is supposed to be, but not a lot of any of it. I felt guilty for slacking off, and it took a solid forty-five-plus on the circle today to give me my idea. It starts with the close of the seminar and subsequent return to "normalcy."
I realized that I respond well to big goals and poorly to small ones and even more poorly to a general absence of them at all -- meaning vaguely defined "wishes" instead of clearly delineated goals. When I say "big goals," I don't mean ones that are unreasonable or unattainable but rather ones with a rather long time requirement. One year, for instance, I committed myself to doing 50,000 pushups and twice as many crunches. I hated pushups by the end of the year, but I did them all as well as 30,000 the next year, which is pretty good considering the hatred I developed for them (sadly, this isn't the most extreme pushup goal that I've done... that was 10,000+ in 10 days, which went well enough (sucked but was met) but caused some problems -- this was not in either year mentioned above!). Anyway, I've decided to set forth some fairly large goals of that nature, though, for my Yin Style training unless information that comes out at the seminar this year directly contradicts my plan.
The time frame to accomplish these goals is "from the end of this seminar to the beginning of the (first) one I attend in Fall 2009 or roughly the same date if for some unforeseen reason that becomes an impossible stopping time."
I'm avoiding discussing other aspects of training because if I start attaching numbers to strikes or forms, I end up focusing more on the numbers than on the training. If that starts to happen with standing and turning (which are of a different nature, so I don't think that will occur), these goals will be bailed upon forthwith!
There is a small host of other things I'd like to see happen as well, for instance
I suppose I'll see how it goes. I don't want these not-directly-bagua goals to mess up my bagua training, though, so they will definitely take the backseat. I'll keep you posted. HA! Posted! I kill me.
The YSB workshop I'm attending this fall is literally days away. Due to my brother coming into town, my work requirements ramping up heavily, and an assortment of other minor duties to have to attend to, my training did the opposite except in the applications department. There was some turning, some standing, some of everything there is supposed to be, but not a lot of any of it. I felt guilty for slacking off, and it took a solid forty-five-plus on the circle today to give me my idea. It starts with the close of the seminar and subsequent return to "normalcy."
I realized that I respond well to big goals and poorly to small ones and even more poorly to a general absence of them at all -- meaning vaguely defined "wishes" instead of clearly delineated goals. When I say "big goals," I don't mean ones that are unreasonable or unattainable but rather ones with a rather long time requirement. One year, for instance, I committed myself to doing 50,000 pushups and twice as many crunches. I hated pushups by the end of the year, but I did them all as well as 30,000 the next year, which is pretty good considering the hatred I developed for them (sadly, this isn't the most extreme pushup goal that I've done... that was 10,000+ in 10 days, which went well enough (sucked but was met) but caused some problems -- this was not in either year mentioned above!). Anyway, I've decided to set forth some fairly large goals of that nature, though, for my Yin Style training unless information that comes out at the seminar this year directly contradicts my plan.
The time frame to accomplish these goals is "from the end of this seminar to the beginning of the (first) one I attend in Fall 2009 or roughly the same date if for some unforeseen reason that becomes an impossible stopping time."
- Turning for ~7200 minutes (120 hours, just under 20 minutes per day, on average).
- Standing for ~7200 minutes in strengthening postures.
I'm avoiding discussing other aspects of training because if I start attaching numbers to strikes or forms, I end up focusing more on the numbers than on the training. If that starts to happen with standing and turning (which are of a different nature, so I don't think that will occur), these goals will be bailed upon forthwith!
There is a small host of other things I'd like to see happen as well, for instance
- Turn for more than an hour (continuously) per day for at least 10 days or two weeks or some such.
- Turn for at least 3 hours continuously at least once, maintaining the requirements.
- Get and close the 300 lb. gripper (several times?).
- Fix my recurrent back issue (see next point).
- Get way more flexible and nimble (i.e. do some freaking yoga like I tell other people they should do because it's really beneficial and balancing against the two main facets of my life -- sitting in chairs and training hard physically).
- Seriously train the "plank" position (maybe aim for something like 500-1000 minutes in the position over the course of the year).
- Do way more seated meditation (20-30 minutes a day seems like a good baseline).
- Finish my G.D. Ph.D. and then never do math again (just kidding about the never part... I'll just need a vacation, I think, perhaps to China).
I suppose I'll see how it goes. I don't want these not-directly-bagua goals to mess up my bagua training, though, so they will definitely take the backseat. I'll keep you posted. HA! Posted! I kill me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
