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

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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

Practicing...

I started practicing again finally, it went pretty well.

I was able to recall the 8-point soft blocks, Empi Kata, Take ko ichei, nee, & son, and most of the 14-point hard blocks.

I think I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and get re-upped for the YMCA, then pay for the next class session. I need to get back to class.

The problem is, at some point, my surgeon is going to want to remove the two larger screws from my ankle, so I'll be back out for several weeks - including two weeks in a boot and off work. I'll get definitive answers on time-frame from the surgeon when I schedule the surgery to remove the screws.

I'm holding off on the ankle surgery, because I have to get some dental surgery dealt with first. Yikes!

On top of that, I'm having a lot of trouble with my right sghoulder, and it's been going on for three months. I haven't even had that looked at yet.

Having just turned 48 this past Monday, I uppose I have to expect some of this stuff, but it is still frustrating.

On the positive side again, I have been adjusting my diet, walking briskly for an hour twice a week, and swimming an hour on Saturdays - so my weight has dropped about 10 lbs in the past two weeks.

Now, I need to get a little aerobic exercise (disco dancing & kata practice) added back in to take it to the next level.

I'm going to gradually ramp it up, and when the legs are out, I'm going to find ways to work the upper body and legs above the knee.

Hopefully, I'll be in MUCH better shape by the end of 2010.

Sayonara,

Dan

Last Day of Physical Therapy...

I had my last day of PT today. A week from tomorrow, I'll go to the Y and sign up for the current Karate session.

I'm not 100% yet, maybe 80. I'll still have to be careful of the ankle. No sparring just yet.

The wierd thing is, my foot FEELS like it's pointed straight forward when it's really pointed 5-10 degrees left now. I don't know if or to what degree that will go back.

Also, in th January/February time frame, I'll have to get two of the screws removed. That will have me out a few weeks while the bone fills back in.

We have a great workout room in our condo complex. Checked it out and got keys today. I'm starting up tomorrow.

Sayonara,

Dan

With a little luck...

I'll be back at class next month.

Sayonara,

Dan

Out of the Boot and beginning PT

I've been out of the boot for two weeks now, and walking without a cane since yesterday. I'm still combating severe swelling of the lower leg, ankle, and foot. My 1st day of Physical Therapy was Monday, 06/08/09 - I'll be going twice a week for six weeks.

Required regimen: flexibility exercises, elevation of the leg as much as possible, and ice packs 15 minutes at a time twice per day.

Starting this Friday, 06/12/09, I'll be doing a stationary bicycle at PT sessions to improve flexibility in the ankle.

My surgeon is also considering the possibility of removing the two largest screws in my ankle at this point, which are on the inside of the leg.

I have a long, narrow metal plate and seven short screws on the outside of the leg, and a six-inch partially healed incision to go with it. On the inside of the leg, there are two large screws and a two-inch incision.

All the hardware is stainless steel per my surgeon, and NOT the titanium I had originally believed was installed. (It feels weird speaking of something as being "installed" when discussing your own body.)

At any rate, I'm making steady progress. There is still pain most of the time, but I am starting to experience some pain-free moments. Pain levels range from a two to a six on a scale of ten. I'm not taking anything for it, I prefer to know what's going on so that I don't do any additional damage.

Additionally, I do NOT at this point have full range of motion in the ankle. I've lost about a third of range in the up/down direction, and about half in the movement to either side. Much of it is the swelling I'm fighting.

(Tip: ace bandages help keep the swelling down a bit, start with them as soon as possible if your doctor allows)

Sayonara,

Dan

Getting The Cast Off & The Boot...

Monday's a big day. The doctor will be removing my cast, & I go into an immobilization boot for 2-4 weeks. I'll still be non-weight-bearing for that time, and using a walker.

However, the good news is that the boot is removable for showers. I'll also be required to remove it several times a day & do range-of-motion exercises to get the ankle ready for when I can start trying to walk on it again. At that point, it'll take me about a month to six weeks to get back to walking normally. Whew!

It's amazing how much you learn about the hassles that go with a condition like this. Some people are pretty considerate, a few are totally rude and obnoxious. It's also a major workout using either crutches or a walker. I think I've lost 30lbs doing this.

Sayonara,

Dan