Rumor Has It...

 ...that the Master will be in town soon, and we'll get to meet him.

In this case, "master" is used as a title, and an indication of mastery of the art of Oom Yung Do, and meant with great respect.

I'm looking forward, actually, to see what this will be like. I don't know if the master will be evaluating students, teaching, or demonstrating, or just here on a social call. Somehow, I suspect it will be a bit of all the above.

I never in my wildest dreams thought I might meet of even speak to a master of a martial art. I thought such things in my life were relegated to the movies.

On another note, both practice and weight loss have had a tricky side this week. I really worked out hard on Tuesday, and my right knee was a little stiff and sore on Wednesday morning. I went and trained on Wednesday as well, and I was pretty sore afterwards. I've really been using the herbal recovery formula, and took the day off on Thursday for my wife's birthday. That helped with the sore knee. To be more accurate, my right knee has been stiff and achy, no sharp pains.

I worked out fairly solidly this morning (Friday), and that seemed to loosen the knee up a bit. I'm moving better now, and feel like I'm on the mend. 

However, Thursday off didn't help for weight loss at all. I was down to 303.8 Lbs on Wednesday & Thursday mornings. While I was off, I took my wife to her favorite dentist in Orange county. That resulted in me eating restaurant food twice in one day. I tried very hard to eat light, but the restaurant menus had no good options for that. Even skipping dinner, one day of eating in restaurants and not practicing put me at 308.6 Lbs this morning. That's about two weeks of weight loss gone in one day, for perspective. I feel like the Universe is warning me ahead of the holidays.

At the end of practice today, we did a walking meditation called "baghwa" walking. It involves controlling the breath and doing mental energy work, or pulling in Chi from the Universe. It's wonderful stuff, and leaves me feeling calm and energized.

I also took in the Jade dragon poster (I ordered a 24" x 36" print) in to a locally-owned custom frame shop here in town. The frame I chose is a green and bronze faux bamboo, with a natural hued linen matting, and low-glare, slightly matte finish glass. I'm so looking forward to hanging it in the Jade Dragon Lounge, AKA my home dojo. I'll post a picture of it hung after it is on the wall, but here's the image:

Jade Dragon Poster

Thank you for reading.

I bow to my instructors, and all who have preserved, improved, and passed down this art before me.

Thank you for reading.

With Respectful Regards,

Dan

My First Virtual Tournament...

Saturday I attended my first virtual tournament at Oom Yung Doe.

Tournaments in Oom Yung Doe are conducted in the manner of traditional martial arts tournaments prior to Westernization.

These tournaments are not sparring competitions. They are a series of demonstrations of various martial arts forms taught by the school.

Participants are judged on how well they have improved in their technique and form.

Everyone is cheering on the other participants. Good will is in the air, and the energy is very positive.

The demonstrations are amazing to watch. Participants are of all ages, races, and gender, and respect is not even a question. I am in my early 60's, and have watched demonstrations by students easily ten years senior to me and that left me envious of their ability to move in ways that I can't yet.

I know everyone there has worked diligently to achive these forms, and I feel privileged to be in their company.

The atmosphere is a microcosm of what I would wish and hope for greater society to become.

I demonstrated a short form of Tai Chi called Tai Guk Chung. (Update 11-14-2025: I looked it up in the study guide.)

We should get our results and access to videos of the demonstrations around November 22nd. I'm looking forward to it.

With respect,

Dan Stafford,

Bamboo Grasshopper.

The Jade Dragon Lounge Dojo...

The Dragon Lounge Dojo...

Space is all what you make of it,

Dusty wasteland,

Or useful living.

In this space something living is being created,

Learning,

Spiritual,

A suitable form,

A desired outcome,

Small treasures added each day.

The Dragon Lounge is being born,

A place to dance with Chi,

Find the center of my time and space,

Moving in meditation,

Soft as mist,

Hard as jade,

Hoping to fly.

AquarianM

By: Daniel A. Stafford

© 11/08/2025

The Tired Horse...

The Tired Horse... 

Always working,

Always learning something new,

How can a thing grow old,

When it lives in a space of endless nuance? 

Tonight we started learning the barest inches of dagger form,

Tweaked our Tai Chi Chung,

Then practiced horse position,

As low as you can,

Halfway up,

Repeat until theee reps past burning quads.

Flex it out,

No,

Snap it out,

Front snap kicks.

Repeat,

Tired horse.

After meditation,

I practiced the rubber legs form,

But I don't think I will ever let myself,

I can't imagine,

Plopping down on a seat,

Not ever again.

My horse has earned a rest.

The Sun will rise again tomorrow,

But for now,

The stars can twinkle.

AquarianM

By: Daniel A. Stafford

© 11/04/2025

The Latest Moves...

 

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.

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

Bamboo Grasshopper

How I Wound Up Studying Oom Yung Doe

 

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

Oom Yung Doe

I've been studying Oom Yung Doe for about 5 weeks now. I feel like I may have landed at the right place finally. 

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 

Isometrics?

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

Shorin Ryu Shorinkan Okinawa Te

Third Week Of Shorinkan

I'm loving being back in karate. I had forgotten just how much I loved doing karate before I broke my ankle in 2008.

Today in class, we were practicing katas, of course, but also the basic hand pattern of punches, blocks, and - not sure of the spelling - shuto. I plan on practicing the basic hand pattern at home until I have it cold.

I also bought a new wavemaster. I had one in 2008, but donated it to the class there when I broke my ankle and we were moving away from the class. Here's a pic of the new one:

Wavemaster kick/punch upright bag

The new one is black as you can see. The one I had back in 2008 was almost identical, except that the padding was red. I like the red a little better, but I'm happy to have this particular piece of equipment, because it is essential for practicing proper kicking forms, and it is great for practicing punches as well.

I also purchased a new gi, but it is huuuuge! And 100% cotton. I am going to was it and shrink it first thing. The new gi is also quite heavy. I will most likely need to get the pant legs hemmed up about three inches, which is crazy because I am 6'6" tall with a 36" inseam. Just wow!

The cotton is thick and heavy as well, so I will be moving an extra ten pounds of cloth around, I think. I'm going to have to look up a Youtube video on how to properly tie the pants, because they're very different than the lightweight pants of my current gi.

The people in class are starting to get over their initial surprise at my size. It was as it often is when someone my size - 6'6" and 340lbs - walks into an athletic setting. That first day people were just staring. Now they're kind of used to it, and I'm able to settle in and just focus on the karate.

It feels soooo good to get up and exercise, plus I have wanted to learn karate since I was fifteen. My favorite super hero - and I have been a comic book fan since I was four years old - is Iron Fist. I wrote a post all about my love of comics on my personal site. You can find that post here:

Getting Back Into Some Of My Old Favorites…

I used to be really good at drawing superheroes, cars, planes, submarines, spacecraft, and of course girls. I was way out of practice at drawing comics, but this is a rough drawing I did of Iron Fist about three or four weeks ago:

 

Iron Fist

I've also gotten back into reading Iron Fist. It took me a long time to get over the fact that someone close to me stole Iron Fist 1-14 from my collection back when I was in high school. There were only 15 issues of Iron Fist by himself printed by Marvel in the late 1970's. I had collect all fifteen and had them in plastic, at a time when they cost 25 cents. I still have number 15, and in 1989 I had price checked it at $25.00. I just bough a high-quality copy of #1 on Ebay the other day, it cost me $75.00.

After Iron Fist 1-15, Marvel put Iron Fist and Power Man together, and they ran the pair for a few years. A new Power Man and Iron fist series has started up in the past few months, with new stories written just this year. I have issues 2-7 so far. I will keep collecting those, but I will also buy the rest of the original Iron Fist comics one at a time.

So it goes. In some small ways, life gets to imitate art. I get to learn karate, and I am thrilled with that. At my age, it's probably not too common for people to re-start learning martial arts here in the USA, but what do I know?

Sayonara,

Dan

Shorin-ryu Shorinkan Karate

http://www.karateshorinkan.com/history.php

My new style I am learning.

Sayonara,

Dan

Your Body Is Your Barbell

Men's Health Your Body Is Your Barbell: No Gym. Just Gravity. Build a Leaner, Stronger, More Muscular You in 28 Days! https://g.co/kgs/dAPjEl

First Class Back

So I am a white belt karate ka again.

I didn't realize how much I had forgotten, or how much I would remember.

What I do know is that it was wonderful to be in karate again. One of the things I had forgotten was how much I loved doing karate.

I am badly out of shape, and sweated like crazy. My old gi still fits, but is more snug than I remember. I had to use the Tae Kwon Do pants, because the elastic in the waistband of my karate pants was rotted out and brittle.

Still, the sweat and exercise feel great.

Somehow, I think the gi may fit better in a few weeks.

I realized tonight that it has been eight long years since I was in Sensei Beghtol's class.

My heart is happy to be back in class, period.

Sayonara,

Dan

Videos of Soke Murphy (Founder of Isshin Shorinji Ryu Okinawa Te) Doing Kata

Huge THANK YOU to Wiggy / Carl over at the http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=15981830&site_id=1#import discussion forum for bringing these to my attention!

Video of our founding father doing kata can be seen here (thanks to Russ Tippett):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwGQhY7GN_Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I25pzKHHhIw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X3WusnCSRo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ktweyig3fjg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CY-fJDlcreY

Sayonara,

Dan

Re-Starting Karate!

I am super excited! I will be starting Karate again on August 30th of this year!

A lot has happened since I last took Karate in 2008.

• We moved to Oak Brook, IL in July 2008.
• A schedule change at work stopped my Tai Chi Chuan class dead in its tracks after only three months.
• I left my telecommunications career in December 2014.
• We moved to Temecula, CA in January of 2015 to be near our young granddaughters who live an hour away in California now. They're 5 & 7.
• I started a Windows computer repair business in April of 2015.
• I started a Web Design business in April of 2016. (I now operate both)

I just got tired of  waiting "for the right time" to get back into the martial arts and started looking online for a Tai Chi Chuan class to at least work on fitness and flexibility. I couldn't really find one along that line which suited me, but then I made a wonderful discovery!

The City of Temecula Parks and Recreation department has a Shorin-Ryu Shorinkan Karate class at a price I can afford! The class is taught by Sensei Julio Miranda. I have yet to meet my new Sensei, but I look forward to it.

I don't know for certain, but this style looks to be fairly closely related to the Isshin Shorinji Ryu Okinawa Te that I was taking in Plainfield, IL until I broke my left ankle in 2008.

I still have my uniform and gear. I am totally looking forward to August 30th!

Sayonara,

Dan

Those Who Are Flexible...

I'm Taking Up T'ai Chi...

...due to distance, schedule fluctuations, time and space restrictions, T'ai Chi is accessible to me, where Isshin Ryu Okinawa Te is just not feasible at this time.

I greatly miss my Karate class, but it's too much and too far.

I was able to take a few classes locally of Cheng Man Ching-derived short-form T'ai Chi Chuan, and it is accessible to me through books, videos, and meet-ups. It also requires a minimum of time and space to practice, and is sustainable as I age.

So, for now, the way forward is through a different way.

Still, I will always remember the nearly three years I spent on both Tae Kwon Do and Isshin Ryu Okinawa Te, and hold them in the highest regard. Perhaps someday, I will be able to pick up my Karate again, and add it to my T'ai Chi. In the mean time, I must continue learning, and this seems to be the way forward that the Universe has left open for me.

Sayonara,

Dan

Empty Hand: Taking Tai Chi Chuan...

Temporarily at least, I am taking Tai Chi Chuan at the Theosophical Society ( http://www.theosophical.org ) in Wheaton, IL. It's only the energy work and exercise portion of the form, but it's GREAT exercise. It looks slow and graceful, and it is, but it also breaks you into a sweat after 15 minutes.

I'm really loving the class, but I also greatly miss my Isshin Shorinji Ryu Okinawa Te.

The issue is, there's 45 minutes travel to the karate class, and no space for practice in the small condo I now call home.

I still need to think of a way to make it happen, though. Hopefully, I'll come up with a solution soon.

Meanwhile, I think the Tai Chi will help me be in better shape when I find my way back to karate.

Sayonara,

Dan

I Put A Call In To Sensei Yesterday...

...to see if he's still teaching the class at the YMCA, and find out when would be a good time to start back, etc. I'm leaning toward early January so that my Y membership renewals come up at that time. We'll see. I haven't heard back yet, but Sensei is a good guy, and I'm sure he'll call when he can.

I'll probably go visit the Y soon to see, too.

Sayonara,

Dan

Path Of Jubilation...

Path Of Jubilation...



It was a year-and-a-half ago I was broken,
Wounded bird unable to fly,
Passing the seasons in injury's chains,
Wondering what the sight of recovery would mean.

The Tinker Man fixed me with bolts and braces,
As if I were a thing of tin and oil,
Yet it worked in its fashion,
In its sweet time.

I wondered then if I would walk again,
Then I wondered if I would dance,
Would I ever know the grace of the Katas,
Let alone run forward in life?

I walked and walked and walked,
Doing everything the healers bade me,
Bent and pulled and pushed,
Eventually gently danced - muted with caution.

Today the Tinker Man declared me free,
To kick and jump and run,
Race to the Moon if I dare it,
Stand in for Bruce Lee if I feel silly.

Kato I'm not,
But I'll be back in class soon,
And I'll keep walking,
Even run a little.

I am healed, and I feel fine.

AquarianM

By: Daniel A. Stafford
(C)

Back story:
Many of you know I suffered a severely broken ankle in February of 2009. It was put back together surgically, the bolts and braces are still in it. I slowly went through healing, physical therapy, walked further and further a little at a time. I even got to dancing again a little. Still, there's always a little twinge now and then, a slight reminder that it happened. I've used care and caution and stayed out of karate, never ran one single stride since, not jumped an inch. I went to the surgeon's office yesterday afternoon to see if they were going to have to take the hardware out. The surgeon was amazed at how well I've healed, and the strength and flexibility I've gotten back. I'm within a degree or two of my original range of motion in two directions, and the other two directions are as good as before the fall. Not only did he tell me that I don't have to get any hardware removed, but I'm fully cleared for any physical activity I wish to pursue within normal human limits. I plan on being back in karate by January at the latest, and to try running a bit very soon. Needless to say, this is a huge relief, and I celebrate it.

Dan