Final Post

It seems that this two year project is at its end. I will be shutting down the blog - as no one seems to read it anymore. Thanks for your interest, hope to see you all at training soon.

Book discussion

I don't know how many people are still reading the blog, but I thought it might be a way to discuss some of the books on the reading list. Anyone interested?

Workout of the Month

Here's an easy one, and just before it gets too cold or snowy outside.

Run 5k. Post time & age.


Mine - 39 year old male, time: 29:30. Hey - it was cold.

Work Out of the Month - Oct

Try this work out - let me know your times:
3 Rounds - 21 / 15 /9 :

Deadlift (185 lbs) - scale down if necessary.
Burpees
Suicide Run of 5/10/15/20/15

Round One -
21 Deadlifts (whatever weight you use) -- heavy lifts, probably can't do all 21 at a time. I did three sets of 7 myself. Then switch to Burpees - these sucked, all 21. Then the Suicide Run -- reminds me of football practice - it sucked even more.

Round Two-
15 Deadlifts - pretty tired at this point, did three quick sets of 5. Then onto 15 Burpees - which sucked again. Suicide Run - this second one nearly killed me.

Round Three -
9 Deadlifts - three rounds of three, not much left in the gas tank. 9 Burpees in a row - that put me on empty. Last Suicide Run was basically a jog.

Time: 13:35 --- and I was pretty darn happy at that.

Fall Fit Test

It's that time of year again... so be ready -- the Fall Fit Test is incoming.

Work Out of the Month - Sept 2010

1 mile run
100 pull-ups
200 push-ups
300 air squats
1 mile run


I hope to finish in under an hour.
I'll post my results when done.

On a side note - four of us from my office are doing this workout together (a little team building race) - and we are all "old" - with me being the second youngest at 39.

Why Crossfit???

"CrossFit is a core strength and conditioning program. We have designed our program to elicit as broad an adaptational response as possible. CrossFit is not a specialized fitness program but a deliberate attempt to optimize physical competence in each of ten recognized fitness domains. They are Cardiovascular and Respiratory endurance, Stamina, Strength, Flexibility, Power, Speed, Coordination, Agility, Balance, and Accuracy.

The CrossFit Program was developed to enhance an individual’s competency at all physical tasks. Our athletes are trained to perform successfully at multiple, diverse, and randomized physical challenges. This fitness is demanded of military and police personnel, firefighters, and many sports requiring total or complete physical prowess. CrossFit has proven effective in these arenas.

Aside from the breadth or totality of fitness the CrossFit Program seeks, our program is distinctive, if not unique, in its focus on maximizing neuroendocrine response, developing power, cross-training with multiple training modalities, constant training and practice with functional movements, and the development of successful diet strategies.

Our athletes are trained to bike, run, swim, and row at short, middle, and long distances guaranteeing exposure and competency in each of the three main metabolic pathways.

We train our athletes in gymnastics from rudimentary to advanced movements garnering great capacity at controlling the body both dynamically and statically while maximizing strength to weight ratio and flexibility. We also place a heavy emphasis on Olympic Weightlifting having seen this sport’s unique ability to develop an athletes’ explosive power, control of external objects, and mastery of critical motor recruitment patterns. And finally we encourage and assist our athletes to explore a variety of sports as a vehicle to express and apply their fitness."

It will make you a better martial artist.

Karl Koch Seminar

There will be a Karl Koch seminar on October 16th, 2010. I am planning on it starting at 9 AM - 4 PM with dinner to follow at 5:30 PM, and a fire side talk about Japan after dinner.

Concerning the seminar - if you have weapons, bring them all. You all should have a uniform and belt, make sure you have them. If you are 5th kyu or better you really should have tabi. The cost of the seminar will be collected that day.

Work Out of the Month - August, 2010

I am going to start posting a work out of the month. I challenge you to do the work out, and post your times. They will be pretty tough, and the point is not to be better than anyone else. It gives you a time to beat next year when we get back around to the work out.

"Angie" will be our first work out for August:
100 Pull-ups
100 Push-ups
100 Sit-ups
100 Air Squats

For time - complete all reps of each exercise before moving to the next.
Feel free to post your times (or just write them down for yourself), but post that you completed the work out.

For fun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsTbas5NgF0
and part II:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruSy5wwnImk

The Learning Curve

Sometimes it's easy to give up on new things before giving them proper chance. People don't like feeling uncomfortable, out of their element, unsure, vulnerable or weak. No one likes the feeling you get when you are standing there and everyone is watching you, waiting, because you can't seem to grasp what they can so easily do. No one likes the feeling you get when what you're doing goes against everything you've ever known, how you've been programmed, so much so that you cannot figure out how to adapt to it, how to change, how to just let it wash over you as you go with it.

I'll let you in on what it's taken me a lifetime to learn, and what I still struggle with daily; it's not alway about trying or forcing. Sometimes it's about allowing. You have to allow yourself that time to learn. You have to allow yourself the opportunity to make mistakes and the opportunity to work through them. You have to allow yourself to be patient. You have to allow yourself the chance to adapt. You have to allow yourself to be open. You have to allow yourself to be free.

On that first day, when you watch someone else demonstrating, it looks easy enough. But then when you try yourself? Not easy. It's our fear that makes us hesitate. Nothing else. It's not that hard, per se. It's just new. It's not about being an expert at one thing. It's not about being able to run the fatest, lift the most, kick the hardest, punch the fastest, or stretch the deepest. It's about being a jack of all trades, and attempting to master a few of them. It's about being able to perform well at all tasks, not expertly at one. It's about learning to respond and react to everything that can be present to us. It's not just about working out, it's about being fit. It's not about martial arts classes, it's about being a martial artist.

Seminars

What is the importance of going to a seminar? Why pay the cost of a month's tuition to someone for a single afternoon of training? What can this person teach me that my instructor can not? Is my instructor deficient in some skill? Why go to a seminar? Is it even fair to ask me to attend?

These types of questions are often asked by new students in a martial arts program. Sometime a martial arts instructor will not even suggest going to any seminars, or seeing other instructors. I find that teachers who refuse to even suggest to their students to go see other instructors might have something to hide, not the least of which might be their ego.

Unless you know everything there is to know about a particular martial art; then there is always something new you could learn. Unless your instructor knows everything there is to know about their martial art, then there is a gap in your learning sphere of total knowledge concerning your chosen martial art.

There is always someone who knows more than you do, and a seminar allows you a chance to pick up the skills that they can teach. Seminars cost more money for a number of reasons: the cost to get an instructor to a location, per diem costs, the time the instructor spends away from his family is worth something, and finally the skills they have to teach. There needs to be an exchange, and so the cost of a seminar often equals what you pay for a month's worth of instruction.

It does not mean that your chosen instructor doesn't have things to teach you, or that there is some huge skill gap. It means that everyone can learn, even your instructor. In some dojos there is an actual number of seminars per year that the instructors want their students to attend. Now lets take the abstract and make it personal for the teisatsu dojo.

By the time you are a fifth kyu you should strive to attend at least one seminar a year, by the time you are a first kyu perhaps two or three seminars a year, and by the time you reach your black belt and beyond the number should grow to as many as you possibly can, depending on your life circumstances. Once you stop attending and learning from others your skill set will slowly start to cave in on itself, becoming only those things that you like to practice. It is also the sign of an ego that's starting to get out of control when you think that you no longer need to study with other instructors because they have nothing left to teach you.

The martial arts are not for everyone, but everyone could learn them if they so choose. There is a cost for the transformation from the masses into a martial artist. If the cost of seminars are too much remember that the monthly costs here are as low as they are anywhere in this city, so perhaps putting extra money aside would the be the proper thing to do. Is it too much to expect students to attend a seminar? I really don't think so, and if I didn't think it would be worthwhile I would not suggest them. I try to bring in people that have something useful to teach.

When a visiting instructor comes to your dojo and less than half the 'normal attending students' don't show up, it's kind of rude to that instructor. I understand that life happens, trust me - I understand. It's just food for thought.

Soke's Rules

If you have not read Soke's rules in a while, please do so. They are pretty clear. There are only a few things he asks of us to be part of the Bujinkan. If you can not follow those rules, then I suggest you find another martial art to spend your time with. You can find them on his web page, which I have link to off our dojo web page.

Ninja Endurance

Ninja can be translated in many different ways, but one common translation is 'man of endurance.' Nothing breaks a person out of the rut of mediocrity like pushing themselves beyond their preconcieved limitations. Adversity means suffering, enduring, discomfort, and insecurity. How can a Ninja truly be a person of endurance, if they have never truly endured?

Keep Going

Holidays

If class were to fall on a Major Holiday, it is unlike that we would have class that evening. If I would fail to mention something about an upcoming class, and you saw that it was to land on a holiday; then please mention it in class before the date in question. That way we can try and be clear. It doesn't happen often, but just in case.

t-shirts are in

The dojo t-shirts are in. Hope you all like them. They are pre-shrunk t-shirts.

Bujinkan
Teisatsu
Dojo

Black t-shirts with White Lettering on the back. Enjoy.

Monday Night News

5/17/10 - Monday Night News at 10:00 PM on NBC (Madison) - there will be a presentation on my work, if anyone's interested in seeing what we do on a daily basis.

Summer's Here

Summer 2010 is upon us. We should all refocus on physical fitness this summer. Lets each make individual goals for this summer. There - that's my p.t. push. It's up to you now.

Another cheese Ninja movie

I saw a new Ninja movie this weekend - it's just out on DVD. We rented "NINJA" - and it's the first real karate Ninja movie I've seen. The dojo is a karate dojo that happens to teach ninja on the side. Sensei is getting old and its down to the last two contenders for the job, but then one goes bad. He goes out and becomes the world's greastest assassin. The magic box is in danger, so it gets moved and the other guy has to protect it. Comes down to the last true ninja against the ninja assassin. Interesting gear, ok to watch (especially if you like a karate kicking and punching ninja).

Dinosaurs

It's official - an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100304/sc_nm/us_dinosaurs_asteroid

Cross Fit

Everyone in the dojo should go to www.crossfit.com and look at the message board and forumns.

Everyone should down load the free articles:
What is Fitness?
Foundations.

If you learn anything from those two articles, I would recommend continuing with:
A Beginners Guide to Crossfit
A Crossfit Startup Guide: Part 1
The Garage Gym

There are other free articles, so continue on if you like.
I would not recommend paying for the articles - look at the forumn boards for many answes.
The video sections is AWESOME.

If you want to take your fitness to the next level - start Crossfit. I dare you.
I double dog dare you to stick with it for six months.

If you do crossfit your martial arts skills will improve. Like anything in life, you get out of it what you put in.

Ground Fighting

As we near the end of the "ground fighting" video we have been going through, does anyone have any comments? I plan to go through another ground fighting video with all of you before going back into more traditional taijutsu.

Again I would never want to voluntarily go to the ground in a fight, but stuff happens. If you find yourself on the ground and in a fight, it is best if you have some ground fighting skills which is why we have spent the last few weeks (and the next few weeks) looking at ground fighting. To just say "I would never go there," or "I'll fight dirty," or "My awareness is so great that I could never possibly land in that situation" - well I hope that all works out for you. For those of us that are mere mortals, it is possible that Murphy's Law lands us on the ground as we begin the fight for our lives.

We look at different r anges of combat because we may end up fighting someone who has been trained in a specific range of combat. To not examine those skills which an opponent may try to use against is (forgive me for the blasphemy) not ninja like. The ninja studied the samurai in order to defeat them, and so we study other common martial arts commonly found in our society in order to defeat them.

Core

How does everyone like doing "core/abs" work for 15 minutes every class? It will only last for a month or so, but I figure we could all use the extra work.

State of the Union

Thoughts on the "State of the Union" Address this evening?

Sleep

You take it for granted until you stop getting what you need. Sleep up :)

To Stand On A Stone

Thoughts, comments, etc... on the topic?