Journal of Aaradia's MA Journey

Friday, February 12, 2016 -

Health and personal issues had me get a late start again today. Just not feeling good at all.

7:00- Advanced TCC Class. Started working on one of the Fan forms. Then moved onto push hands drills. I love this class!

8:00 - CLF Purple Sash Techniques (7 min.). 30 minutes of kicking practice- all yellow and most Green sash kicks. Butterfly knives.

9:00 - TCC Tournament version of fan form and full Fajing Form.

9:15 - School closes (2 hours & 15 minutes)

 

Saturday, February 13,. 2016 -

And with this entry, I have logged absolutely EVERY workout I have done for an entire year now! In pretty good detail too. And I am glad I have done it! I have found it very useful for my workouts in a number of ways. And the input from others has been helpful too. If anyone is reading this and contemplating starting a log, I say give it a try!

9:35 - Two person Staff Practice with Mr. R. Mr. R has graciously agreed to do this with me at the tournament. He is a higher level than me, so it isn't in his tournament curriculum, so I am very grateful. I am a little worried about not having it down enough, but both he and my CLF instructor think we have enough time to get it tournament ready.

After not doing this much lately, the memorization was pretty good. I was worried I would be iffy on memorization, but it was far better along than I thought it would be. And while I have details I still need to work on, I was actually happy with how this practice session went.

Mr. R is pretty much the perfect practice partner. And as I start to step into that role of being the more advanced student with others in the future, I look to him as an example of how to be. Don't get me wrong, my past main practice partner was great too. I have been very blessed in this.

10:45 - get back to school. (We had to go to the Church lot across the street for enough room for part of our practice.) Gear up, etc. to get ready for sparring class. Mix in a bit of stretching too.

11:00 - Sparring class. Some drills, lots of matches. Some with specific rules, some regular matches. (Specific rules being for example- one person punches only while the other person tries to swim in for a clinch and then knee.) Then some bag workout rounds. Particularly hard push this class. Tai Sifu is focusing on us building endurance for tournament.

12:00 - Well this was different. Ms. R was sick today (so no moving step later on.) We have had a shortage of instructors lately, so Tai Sifu had been having her assisting the instructors in the kids sparring match. Tai Sifu asked me if I would do it! What an honor! And it feels so good to be able to help Tai Sifu after all he has done for me over the years.

Basically, I just would help the kids keep their focus during drills. They are the little kids. So, for example. they would just stare at each other, so I would show them the drill again. They would do it once and stare again. So I would be "that's was great, now how about doing it again?"

Then they had some matches going. Three at once, the two instructors and I each watched one. You just made sure they didn't run into other matches going on. And watched for any unsafe practices. One kid just fell over on his own and stayed down. So I called over the main instructor and he assessed the situation. The kid ended up being fine.

I have no experience in doing this, but what I described above is just what Tai Sifu and the main instructor said to do. It was kind of fun and it was an interesting learning experience.

12:30ish - TCC Weapon forms practice. All weapons - all sides of the ones where I do both sides. And a bit of stretching mixed in. My plantar fasciitis is affecting the quality of my workouts, especially in TCC. I just have trouble gripping the ground. Especially crane stances where that foot is on the ground.

Ran through CLF Gim set lightly - very lightly. It isn't looking good right now. I don't have enough time to work on it. It isn't in my curriculum, but I want to at least keep the memorization there so that when I have time - I don't have to re-memorize it.

Rested for a bit. I hit a wall. I find I do this sometimes on these long workout days. I need to think about some sort of snack to fuel myself. It isn't that I am so tired. I mean I am tired, but that isn't the issue. It is like I just run out of fuel. I kept thinking about food. Rested a bit.

Then, 15-20 minutes of kicking practice. All yellow and a few green.

2:45 - I left 15 minutes before the school closed. I was just done. No energy left. REALLY needed food.

Went to get some food and then came back for our Chinese New Year's Celebration at 4:00. Great performances! I always walk away from these feeling excited and inspired to work out. And very proud that I have the privilege to go to this school and learn from these instructors.

One other thing, talking to a fellow student, Ms. M, whom I will be starting to practice Golden Leopard vs Tiger with for the tournament, gave me quite the complement today. She said when I go up to do tournament stuff, I look like I am totally fierce and going to kill someone. This is great! This is exactly what my instructor wants us to look like- total martial intention in tournament - be it forms, techniques or combatives. Hearing her say this made me very happy. I am doing something right!

5 hours & 15 Minutes

Week 10 Total = 16 hours and 20 minutes
-Total = 120 Hours and 121 Minutes

 

Sunday, February 14, 2016 - I start off the second year of this log with a rest day. My intentions were good, I was just still very fatigued and not feeling all that great.


Monday, February 15, 2016 - Well, didn't work out nearly as long as I intended today. Not starting off with the best this week, but the week is still young.

5:00 - Stretching and warm up.

5:30 - CLF Techniques. Brown sash 3rd degree (12 min), Brown sash 1st degree (8 min) cane and double dagger techniques (7 min). Butterfly knives and stick form.

Also talked to one of the instructors there for a few minutes about my fueling workouts with better nutrition issue. He is well known for having good knowledge of this sort of thing. So I picked his brain. He gave tips that made sense that I am going to try out.

6:30 - stick fighting class. Cool stuff! Focus on techniques for switching the weapon to the other hand during a strike. I knew one technique that I had learned for this awhile ago. I was the only one that had shown up awhile ago and the instructor showed me this as we talked about me trying to take advantage of training often with my right hand, but naturally being left handed.

I have had great success with that technique, so was quite happy to add a few more like it to my arsenal of techniques tonight! I think this is where being left handed, but often training weapons right handed will work to my advantage. Others will switch to a weaker weapon hand, but I will switch to my natural strong hand.

7:00 - CLF private lesson. Focus on Butterfly knives as one of my tournament forms. Lesson ran a bit long, because part of it was spent discussing make up lessons in the near future as my instructor will be out of town for about a month.

7:40 - TCC tournament fan form practice.

8:00 - Technique practice with Ms. B. Just under a half hour I think. I didn't time it though, so this is an estimate. Green and Blue sash techniques.

8:30 - well, I intended to work out for another hour or more, but it just didn't happen. I started talking to a student that had been out for a month and just came back. Also, this student had just had her first lesson with my instructor. Her instructor had just left the school. And now we have the same instructor. So I was curious how it went. We ended up chatting about all sorts of cool stuff and time got away from me.

Disappointed that I didn't get in my full workout. Sometimes I chat too much, I don't want to be one of those students who chats and doesn't work out. But then again, I do go to have fun and occasionally I do socialize. It was a great conversation that I thoroughly enjoyed. I internally struggle with this. I feel bad for not working out for an hour, but then again- I DID still work out for 3 1/2 hours tonight, so really, I think that is still pretty good! I mean, how much should I beat myself up for "only" putting in 3 1/2 hours instead of 4 1/2 or so hours? Yeah, I struggle with this and go back and forth about it.

Left school at 10:15ish. (3 hours and 30 minutes.)

 

Thanks for the nice words! The totaling up my hours is an idea I took from another log here on MAP. Can't claim originality with that one.

 

Tuesday, February 16, 2016 - Still not on top of things this week. I think I need to accept this is the way this week is rolling. Plantar Fasciitis REALLY bad today. I need to stop procrastinating and set up a Dr. Appt. It is really starting to mess with my workouts.

6:45- Really, I don't even now how I got such a late start. Arrived with normal traffic. Partly, I think I spent a lot of time checking my car with my OCD issues.

Stretching and warm up.

7:00 - Sparring Class. Starting to warm up to the class. It helps that one or two of the Saturday students are coming- and apparently my talking about this class and going influenced them to come to it. But now I am getting to know some others from the school that I didn't know before. That is kind of cool. Still, not sure how many will be around. I have learned over the years that newer students, well you get to know them and they are gone.

Good basic class. Liked my drills partner a lot. Then we did 10 rounds of half or so power matches. Good workout! Then volunteers for full power matches. I volunteered of course.

Tai Sifu had brought in a potential new student to view the class for a minute. They do these tours of the school with people interested in checking the school out.. Later this night, Tai Sifu complemented my sparring and said he liked how I was making things look for the walk in he was with. Very nice complement!

I told him I always feared being the opposite - the student they look at and judge the school negatively due to my shortcomings. Then, I realized that this is the sort of negative attitude Tai Sifu had mentioned to me before. I told him I caught myself with that and was working on not being so hard on myself. And thanked him again for what he said. It really did make me feel like my hard work is paying off.

LOL! No injuries to the groin or knee by new sparrers. A good day!

8:00 - had to rest a bit- darn plantar fasciitis is really affecting my workout quality and quantity. It isn't going away. I have to deal with it more seriously. I think part of me just thought it would go away by now.

8:30 - CLF practice. Formal exercise. Started to do Blue sash kicks, but foot was really bugging me. Talked to sparring instructor. Asked him what he thought my focus should be on while getting ready for the tournament. He said what he said some in class, but elaborated on. It is moving from defending to an offensive move more quickly. I tend to just be in defense or offense mode. I need to defend, then move and look for an opening to get a strike of my own in more quickly.

Also talked to two instructors about make up lessons with them while my instructor will be out of town.

9:00 - school closes (Just about 1 hour and 45 minutes.)


Wednesday, February, 17, 2016 - Evening Shift/ rest day.

 

Thursday. February 18, 2016 -

6:30 - Last half of TCC class

7:00 - Tai Sifu Class. Again focusing on tournament material. Did well on cane techniques, but not as good as last week. Tai Sifu had more details for me to work on, which is good. Then we did tournament hand forms. I don't know what was wrong with me today! I kept spacing out on parts of the form! It isn't that I don't know those parts. The part I am usually needing help with memory on is the end, which isn't in the tournament version. I just kept drawing a blank on parts of the form I usually know. Just having a brain lapse day. :dunno:

Tai Sifu said to get my instructor to set up an observation. That he sees just what to work on. Having to do with the timing of my footwork in stepping into my strikes and kicks.

An observation is when he comes into a private lesson to observe and go over things. Usually done when the instructor thinks the student is close to testing. But sometimes done at other times too.

8:00 - First Golden Leopard vs tiger two person practice with Ms. M.

8:10 - About 10 minutes in, my TCC instructor- who is also her CLF instructor saw us practicing - asked if I wanted to use part of my TCC lesson to have him look at our two person practice. So we did that. He gave great details. Then we moved onto my TCC lesson. Worked on Fajing form for tournament. Developing a tournament version of it.

Main correction is I am sliding my foot up when turning directions. Not good! Gotta stop that!

(I actually had been confused as to whether we were doing a make up lesson for my CLF and a TCC lesson or just using part of my TCC lesson to do two person stuff at first.)

8:45ish - Solo practice of fajing form. Working on corrections and developing a tournament version.

No kicking practice. Foot hurting too much and I just got busy with other stuff.

9:00 - school closes (2 hours & 30 minutes)

 

Friday, February 19, 2016 -

6:30 - Warm up and stretching

7:00 - Advanced TCC class- sort of. Well, the instructor was in and out due to other school commitments. When he was out, we ran through hand forms. When he was in, he was giving us details.

8:00 - CLF solo practice. Yellow and Blue sash kicks for about 22 minutes. Small 5 Animal and Sup Ji Jit Fu. Leopard side of golden leopard vs tiger. Got stuck on last half of this one, so didn't finish it. Came home and watched video's to get sequence down again. I stopped practicing it after the exhibition and now I am paying the prince for that!

9;00 - working on tournament version of Fajing form.


Saturday, February 20, 2016 - Work/ rest day

Left at 9:20 (2 hours and 50 minutes)

Week 11 Total = 10 hours and 35 minutes
-Total = 130 Hours and 56 Minutes

 

Sunday, February 21, 2016 - Took the day off. Not good. I keep skipping Sundays lately. Got to get on that.


Monday, February 22, 2016 -

6:30 - Stick Fighting Class. We did this drill where we had to evade a person in the center of the ring striking us while we were circling the outside. I needed this drill precisely because it made me uncomfortable. People tend to circle ME, not the other way around. I tend to "stalk" and faster opponents circle me while I often take control of the center of the ring. It was a good drill for me.

7:00 - First Mega Group class for our school's 2016 tournament! First part was like years past. We broke into sash levels and an instructor went through details with us. Brown sashes of different degrees tend to get put together because there are so few of us. The instructor running our level was my CLF instructor. And she did a really good job - no GREAT job - of running that difficult situation. Better (no offense to past instructors) than has been done the last couple of years.. It is kind of hard to write down what she did - hard to explain though. But in the past, my level sort of got absorbed in the other levels, but she gave equal time to all levels and put it together so we were working on our own stuff, but together. We worked on our hand forms.

The second half was different than in years past. Before, we had three rings, all mixed up of all different students performing in front of each other. This year, we were much more separate. The few purple sashes and one blue sash joined us. And the other sash levels were in another room with each other. I think the idea is that the focus can be on the specifics of what we are all working on.

I think it went well, but it means the TCC people have a separate class entirely. This means I have to choose CLF or TCC before each class. Tonight I chose CLF. Next class I will do TCC.

So, my techniques went really well. Instructors said gold level performance. I have had that said about them several times. I need to not let that get in my head and get cocky. Actually, I am not a cocky person, so I am not worried. But I need to not get lazy and think I have it all great.

Then, I was starting to do my hand form- small 5 animal - and ALL the other levels came into the room and walked past me as I was doing it. And then sat down and watched me! I was like YIKES- then realized I needed to just pretend that wasn't happening and not let it throw me. I succeeded. Instructors and students afterwards said they didn't see me pause, make any expressions, or miss a beat. So, I was REALLY happy with how I handled that! They were coming in for an instructor performance and to close up the class and it just happened to be during my performance.

I mean, I have had lots of people watch in years past. But just to have them all unexpectedly pile in the room and watch as they walked past and around where you are performing..........that was a new experience.

8:00 - Supposed to be my CLF private lesson, but it got delayed. End of mega group class, and then scheduling make up lessons for my instructors upcoming trips out of town. Also Tai Sifu needed to talk to my instructor for a couple of minutes. It just took awhile.

8:30ish - CLF private lesson. Got feedback one on one from mega group class. Then butterfly knives. Main things I need to work on. Extension, more waist, tucking my elbow down a bit during certain stabbing style strikes. Pauses and moving faster in certain straight line combinations. It was a very good lesson. Wasn't looking at the clock, but I think it ran long as there was a bit of personal conversation involved.

9:15 ish (estimate) - Yellow Sash (7 1/2 min), Green (8 min), and Brown sash 1st degree (8 min) techniques.

9:45 - School closes (2 hours & 45 minutes)

 

Tuesday, February 23, 2016 -

6:30 - Golden Leopard vs Tiger two person practice with Ms. M. It went very well. We made a LOT of progress in a very short time. And I like working with her. I also like how she was proactive in seeking out additional practice time with me besides our agreed to weekly session.

7:30ish? - Brown sash 3rd degree techniques (10 minutes). 26 minutes of kicking practice. All yellow sash, some green and some blue level kicks. Broadsword form.

Took about 15 minutes in this practice time to chat with a couple of fellow students about sparring stuff.

8:55 ish - TCC Fajing form. full form and tournament version. Still developing the tournament version. tournament version of 5 elements flute form.

9:20ish - school closes. (2 hours & 35 minutes)

 

Wednesday, February 24, 2016 - Evening shift/ Rest day


Thursday, February 25, 2016 -

6:30 - Last half of TCC Class. I came in on he very end of some sort of really cool lesson. I couldn't catch up on it. I missed too much. Bummer! Because it sounded really interesting! Usually I can step into class and jump right into the lesson. Not today. Bummer, but what can one do? Gotta work and my schedule is not negotiable. So, I get there when I can. After the tail end of this lesson, stationary push hands.

7:00 - Tai Sifu CLF class. Worked on tournament weapons forms. I am doing Butterfly knives.

8:00 - Golden Leopard vs Tiger two person tournament practice with Ms. M.

8:30 - TCC private lesson. We started with a couple of minutes with my TCC instructor, who is Ms. M's CLF instructor, looking at our golden leopard vs tiger again. Asked him to help with a particular sticking point.

Then tournament version of Fajing and Fan form.

There will be no time for any solo practice on Thursdays for the time being. All classes, lessons, and two person practice.

9:02 - School closes (2 hours and 32 minutes)

 

Friday, February 26, 2016 -

6:35ish - Stretching

7:00 - No advanced TCC class tonight. Solo CLF practice. I decided I needed to focus a bit more on the advanced forms over formal exercise and Siu Mui Fa. Still need to do all of them, but I need to emphasize the more advanced ones and prioritize them first for awhile. I get stuck on a few parts and I need to get past that.

So, Sup Ji Jit Fu. Got stuck and no instructor was around to ask that wasn't doing a private lesson. So I asked fellow student Ms. M, who is doing Sup Ji Jit Fu for tournament. She helped me remember where I was stuck in a couple of places. She offered to run through it together a couple of times. It was very helpful.

Then she asked if I wanted to do Golden Leopard vs Tiger for a bit, so we did that too. Stopped to chat when a fellow student came up. The three of us talked Kung Fu and other things for a few minutes.

Then 31 minutes of kicking practice. All yellow and green sash kicks. I am improving, very slowly, but it is something.

Then stick form and spear form.

9:00 - TCC practice. Both tournament and full Fajing form.

Left at 9:11. Could have stayed later, but I have a long workout planned tomorrow, so I stopped here. Minus an estimated time for chatting, let's call that.........(2 hours and 25 minutes).

 

Saturday, February 27, 2016 - - Started off great and ended badly.

9:40 - Two person practice with Mr. R. Almost an hour on the two person staff, then Golden Leopard vs tiger. Staff is coming along. Golden Leopard vs tiger, I did the attacking side. With Ms. M I am doing the defending side. So, it is good I am getting both sides in in practice.

Not doing both sides for staff as I don't know it as well and I am worried about mixing up sides for tournament, since this form is newer to me.

11:00 - Sparring. Started off with some drills, them moved to lots of rounds. This usually happens this time of year as we are building cardio for the tournament.

Around round 5 my plantar Fascitis did something it hasn't done on that level before. It just seized up or something REALLY BAD! Like it felt like I tore something on the bottom of my foot! I knew I hadn't, but it felt like it. I knew it hadn't because it was just a really bad sudden feeling like that feeling when I first get out of bed in the morning and it is bad.

I tried to continue, but I couldn't barely walk or put pressure on that foot. Hurt (still does) from the heel to the mid foot. I went out of the round and rested and stretched the next four. Got a bit better. Hobbled through the last round.

12:10ish- after resting it a bit, tried to do moving step with Ms. R. But just couldn't. Rested and chatted and stretched for an hour. Then tried some TCC. No go. :cry: The slow pressure on my heel during a slow TCC walk just didn't work. Tried CLF, which was better than the TCC, but only a little bit.

Ms. D and Ms. R told me that I was risking actually injuring myself if I pushed while it was that bad. Funny how I keep telling Ms. D (who has had a lot of injuries the last year) to not be martial stupid, but was being so myself.

I just kept thinking "I need to do this and this today. Today is my long day! I can't stop!" My ego was saying "don't wimp out." But I was being dumb. It was - and is - bad enough that I can barely walk. It is too bad to push through. So, after them prodding me for several minutes, I listened to them and went home.

Thankful I have fellow students looking out for me. Really worried. Didn't think this pain could get THAT bad. So bad it can actually stop a workout. I am getting ready for a tournament!

Gonna set up to see a Dr. - no more procrastinating. I am a little worried I did tear or pull something, but I really don't think so. I think it is just the plantar fascitis being really bad/ acute. But this just went from hampering my workouts to REALLY stopping my workout. AND I have to move a lot at work. I don't sit down a lot there. So I need to get this fixed.

It doesn't look swollen or bruised, and the pain did get a bit better soon after. Better as in I could walk with a limp instead of barely being able to put any pressure on it. This is why I don't think it is actually torn or pulled.

So - estimate of time is 2 hours & 5 minutes.

Week 12 Total = 12 hours and 22 minutes
-Total = 143 Hours and 18 Minutes


Sunday, February 28, 2016 - Taking day off due to extreme flare up of Plantar Fasciitis I mentioned in log yesterday. :cry:

 

Monday, February 29, 2016 (leap year day!) - Normally would be a long workout day, but a variety of factors are making this not so today.

First, I spent all day waiting for my car -which was in the shop again. This time a oil leak- the Crank something or other valve. Any more problems and I am going to be getting a new car and stop putting money into this one.

And at the end, I decided after how bad my foot has been, to make this a light week. I was afraid I would be out all week, but it just had the normal level of pain today, not that extreme pain where I could barely stand on Saturday. I think I am going to be smart and just go light this week. Hard as that is for me.

So...............

6:30 - Stick Fighting class. As part of the drills we did today, I was working on reading where my opponents strikes would be targeting. I have a lot of trouble with a couple of strikes, particularly reading a side strike to the legs vs midsection.

7:00 - Some stretching and resting and testing out how my foot was doing.

7:15 - Yellow sash kicks for 15 minutes.

7:30 - Techniques practice with Ms. B. We did really good today. We got in three levels of techniques in a half hour! We did Yellow, Green, and Blue techniques. We also had hardly any questions that came up from practice- just two. It is getting less and less each time.

8:00 - Decided to be smart and went home. (1 hour & 15 minutes)

I am seeing a Dr. about my foot on Wednesday.

 

Tuesday, March 1 , 2016 -

Today, I didn't take it as lightly as I swore I would all this week.

6:45- Stetching

7:00 - I said I was not going to spar- part of the taking it easy. But I went to sparring class. I told myself I would back out if the pain got too bad. It was bad, but still not a flare up like last Saturday. I just didn't volunteer for a full power match like I usually do, as it was starting to get worse. Otherwise, the class went pretty well.

8:00- Make up lesson in CLF with my TCC instructor. My CLF instructor is out of town a lot this month, so this was my first make up lesson. Focus was on butterfly knives. It is a tournament form for me this year. Got a lot of great corrections!

8:30- practicing what I learned in my CLF lesson with the butterfly knives. Also writing down the corrections given

9:00 - school closes (2 hours & 15 minutes)

 

Wednesday, March 2, 2016 - Evening Shift/ Rest day

Thursday, March 3, 2016 -

6:30 - Last half of TCC class. Was a little annoyed with one push hands partner. I thought he was taking extra steps in fixed step play, but continuing as if he hadn't. Later confirmed this by talking to another student who was watching. What I was doing was working, but he acted as if it wasn't and kept playing. I wasn't sure I was right (until after class.) Also, didn't want to be complaining or sound like I cared about score as it was practice. But the thing is- one counts on honesty from your partner/ opponent to tell if what you are doing is working or not. I will always concede a point if I know I did something wrong- like shuffling incorrectly. That way my opponent knows what they did worked. Most students do this. But well, I chalk it up to him entering his teen years and having a bit of teen attitude lately.

Later, during my TCC lesson, I asked my instructor how to handle this. He said to just ask to reset without saying more. So, that is what I will try next time.

7:00 - Tai Sifu CLF class canceled due to having to do things running the school. So, solo practice. Talked to fellow student who was watching a push hands match in class and asked for her feedback- partly about above mentioned situation. Then, we talked awhile about other TCC stuff.

7:20ish- TCC tournament practice. Tournament versions of Fajing, Fan, and flute forms.

8:00 - Two person Golden Leopard VS Tiger practice with Ms. M. Her CLF (and my TCC) instructor came in and gave us a short lesson going over it. It was supposed to be a few minutes of my TCC lesson and then we would get into my lesson early, but I told him I couldn't move up my lesson as I had made a commitment to practice at that time with Ms. M. And since Tai Sifu class had been canceled, she had come into the school just to practice with me. He seemed ok and understood. He instructed us for awhile- great instruction as always. And then we practiced.

8:30 - TCC Private lesson. Expected it to run short due to using some time for the CLF two person practice, but it ended up being just about a half hour. So it ended up he gave Ms. M and I some free lesson time, which was nice. I told him to shorten the TCC lesson due to the CLF instruction, but he didn't.

He timed my three TCC tournament forms- Fan, Flute and Fajing. Gave corrections. He asked another instructor, who was next to us to watch and give feedback on the Fajing form. He said same thing as Tai Sifu, to use more core body movement in the fajing. I do do this more, but not completely consistently. That is the thing, I work on one aspect and forget another. I am just trying to put it all together all the time right now.

I also wasn't at my best tonight. With the foot bugging me. My instructor said my fajing wasn't as strong tonight. It wasn't only the foot though. I have been experimenting with speed- slowing it down - and I think I was slowing it down too much and losing some of that explosive energy. So, I will go back to how I was doing it before with regards to my speed doing it.

Then we did a bit of push hands. Yay! Working on getting inside and getting more comfortable with that aspect of it. Asked for more ideas on moves once I get inside. He went over how to push with one hand and feel for the right angle to push- kind of hard to explain. I could show what I learned much easier.

School closed at 9:00- But I practiced a few minutes in front of my car. Working on Fajing corrections from my lesson. Stopped at 9:07. (2 hours and 37 minutes.)

 

Friday, March 4, 2016 -

6:30- Weapons Class. We started the Broadsword tonight. I decided I wasn't utilizing the time away from weapons class very well. And since I wasn't using it the way I originally intended, I should go back. I do enjoy the class as well.

7:00- Advanced TCC class. Most of the class was spent breaking down the lotus kick in great detail. It was a phenomenal class. The instructor taught this class in a way that -well- he reminded me of Tai Sifu's class. And really it doesn't get much better than that. It was hard to change TCC instructor's but really I am so very lucky to have had my first instructor and now this one as my instructors. It really is a blessing. Then we did some push hands drills working on dead angles.

Just a fantastic class!

8:00 - CLF solo practice. About a half hour of kicking practice=all yellow sash and some green sash kicks. Butterfly knives practice- focusing on the first part and the corrections I got in my most recent lesson. Broadsword form.

No, I didn't do a good job of taking it easy the last few days like I said I would. My foot hurts badly, but nothing like that one day where it got REALLY horribly bad! X-rays came back and the issue isn't a bone spur. I have a mild one, but it hasn't gotten worse at all since 2009, so that isn't the issue. Good to know as apparently surgery is what you have to do for that. Waiting for my insurance to approve seeing a podiatrist.

Left School at 9:07. (2 hours & 37 minutes)


Saturday, March 5, 2016 - Working all day, so rest day from MA practice.


Week 13 Total = 8 hours and 44 minutes
-Total = 152 Hours and 2 Minutes

 

Yeah, basically before the X-ray the issue was if I had bad bone spurs. Since it is one minor one that hasn't changed in years, they are saying don't worry about it too.

I expect the podiatrist to give me exercises. I will tell him the ones I am already doing. The main thing I expect and hope for is new orthotics- like ones made by this specialist and molded for my feet. I have orthotics that helped with another foot problem and I think they need adjusting is all.

It may be a coincidence, but the top part- not the medically molded part, but a part on top fell apart. i finally took it off a couple of months ago and have been using those sneaker inserts on top of my orthotics. The pain started soon after, so just getting a new top made properly may very well be the issue.

I too have run across poor attitudes by Dr's towards my activity. I make a point of having Dr's who understand my life activities and want to support them or I find a new Dr.

Years ago, I saw a Dr. for a knee problem and his assistant said something about just giving up MA's. I looked him squarely in the eye and said (paraphrasing- but pretty darn close) "I am seeing a Dr. to get me back to health to live the life that I want to live, not to tell me to give up what I love. I thought that it is your job to support this. If you won't, I will find a Dr. office that can." He dropped it. Probably scared I would tell the actual Dr about what he said.

I absolutely would not tolerate having a Dr. that wants me to stop exercising and doing what I love.

Thanks for the well wishes! I will indeed let you know what treatment I get.

 

Sunday, March 6, 2016 - Rested foot- no workout.

Monday, March 7, 2016 -

6:30 - Stick fighting class

7:00- Two person practice of Golden Leopard vs Tiger with Ms. M

7:30 - Technique practice with Ms. B. I was spacey today. Not on top of remembering stuff. Still things went ok. We did Purple and Brown sash 1st degree techniques.

8:00 - Solo practice. About 20 minutes of kicking practice. All Yellow sash kicks. Forms 1 & 2.

8:30 - rested foot for 15 minutes.

8:45ish - more techniques. Brown sash 3rd degree (15 min) and cane and double daggers (20 min). Wasn't fast going through techniques today. Then did some TCC. 24 on both sides. Hadn't done 24 on other side in awhile, but I remembered it pretty well.

Left at 9:42. (2 hours & 57 minutes.)