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| The Blues Of Feeling Better |
So the latest, of course, starts with lots of practice. I try to get at least five one-hour sessions in per week.
The fun side: I'm getting a lot better at moving around. It feels like I've shaved five years off my gait in two months. I've also lost 30-32 lbs since late April of this year. The pants are looser, which is better for kicking.
The bluesey journey is that I think I'll be fine-tuning these moves for the rest of my life. One thing to be sure of; Martial Arts instructors will ALWAYS find something you can fine-tune a bit more in your technique. Grasshoppers may grow and change, but to the masters of the art, they will always be their grasshoppers.
I love the energy work, and I love the physical activity. To be honest, I love the challenge of building muscle memory, strength, balance, and timing.
I'm starting to learn my third form, but am also still working on perfecting the first two. I'm also building foundational muscle strength with specific exercises.
We have a space at the front of the house where we had a full-size air hockey table. I sold it off to make room for a small "dojo," so that I can practice at home when school is closed. That air hockey had been played maybe ten times in ten years. We'd though our granddaughters would play it when visiting, but not so much. Then they moved out of State.
I still need to change out the lamp overhead for something lower-profile, and fill the Wavemaster so I can bring it in and start practicing strikes, punches, kicks, and blocks. However, here's the space as it sits today.
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| The padded, interlocking floor tiles I added today. |
Life is, of course, all about the journey. I also grew up reading superhero comics. I enjoy the aesthetic.
With respect,
Dan
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| Bamboo Grasshopper |
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| Public Domain Antique Chinese Koi Illustration |
First, what happened with Isshin Shorinjii Okinawa Te in Plainfield, Illinois; I broke my left ankle shoveling snow. Then we moved 45 minutes one-way from Plainfield. (The move was fallout from the 2008-2009 financial crisis.)
My recovery was long, class was far, and I just couldn't.
In 2015, we moved even further - to Temecula, California.
Temecula is a beautiful smaller town in inland Southern California, and is the epicenter of Southern California wine country. I absolutely love the place, and we're permanently settled here.
Around 2017, I tried taking karate through the park district. It was affordable, but all the other students were children. The instructor was in his 30's.
The instructor had the students constantly sitting on the floor, and then getting up. This did not work for a body in its late 50's and well over 300 lbs. I pulled a ligament in my right knee trying to keep up with the up-down. It took two years to heal.
I had been looking for a Tai Chi class in Temecula for several years. I had a brief two-month exposure to it after my ankle recovered and while we were still in Illinois. (The instructor had to move away, and my work schedule changed) I absolutely loved it. I also knew it would help me strengthen myself without injury. Harvard actually recommends Tai Chi over other forms of exercise for aging well.
Oom Yung Doe kept coming up in my searches.
I finally went in to check it out after getting re-hired by the company I used to work for in Chicago.
Oom Yung Doe is fairly expensive here. It costs $250.00 per month to attend.
However, many of the students are my age or older. Many are working post-injury with physical limitations. The instructors are very "safety-first." They understand the older student.
I started with Tai Gup Chung, (Spelling?) which is a short form of Tai Chi. I've gotten fairly decent at it in five weeks.
I've also started learning Oom Yung Bop, which is a short form of Kung Fu, and am just getting into Tai Chi Chung, which is a much longer form of Tai Chi. I expect to be at this for several months.
However, I am doing well. I really like the instructors, and the other students. I am very, very grateful to be allowed to attend this school.
My weight loss has been slow but steady as well.
Sometimes doing the laundry is a pleasant exercise, as is the incremental learning of other ancient arts. It's the journey. It changes you, little bits at a time.
I look forward to a lifetime of practicing whatever I'm able to learn here.
With respect, thank you for reading, and thank you to those who have gone before me for carrying this into our time and presence.
Dan
The first four weeks, I was sweating buckets every day I trained. My knees were stiff like boards.
However, my weight has been slowly going down. My clothes are fitting looser. (I've dramatically changed my diet, too.)
In the past three training sessions, I have only broken a light sweat. My knees are tight and stiff in the morning, but loosen up after I walk around for awhile at work.
We've been out in California for ten years now.
Sometimes you have to deal with drudgery before you can find grace. You have to do the laundry if you want to have nice, clean clothes.
One promise I have made to myself is that, no matter what happens with me or the dojo, I will continue to practice everything I learn for the rest of my life.
Dan
I'm nowhere near a karate school these days. I tried going back to it once, but hurt my knee from all the "sit down, get up" in the training.
I have come to the conclusion that I am too heavy and out of shape to take that part of the training right now.
As I am in school and teaching IT full-time on both counts, I am looking for an exercise routine that can be done in minimal time and anywhere to get back into shape.
I am thinking isometric exercise might be a good place to start.
Dan
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| Wavemaster kick/punch upright bag |
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| Iron Fist |
