Hello all,
We are approaching the final month of this year's UBBT challenge, and for some of us the final stretch for our black belt grading, and I equate this to playoff time! It is time to step up our game to the highest level and finish strong to meet our goals. The year so far has been rewarding and challenging. There are many old injuries flaring up, new injuries, and bumps and bruises which are all typicall of playoff time. This is just how it is and very similar to how the wonderful sport of hockey works, which is my comfort zone to draw from. It is time to have a winning attitude, suck it up, and put forth our best effort.
Have a great training weekand have fun!
Allan Gamble
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Sharing Information and Learning
As I am in the process of a black belt grading year I would like to share some information for those who may be grading for their black belt next year and considering their individual I Ho Chuan goals for 2012. I am content with the goals and training preparation I comitted to, but there is always learning that can be passed on to others.
Specifically, these goals listed below focus your training directly towards kung fu to make you a better martial artist, and not directly geared towards making you a better athlete. Someone, Sifu Brinker, told us this a number of months ago and it is very wise advice.
40 events - practice timed kicks. (one minute kick and one minute rest) front thrust, side heel thrust, round house, and spinning back kicks. (practice with a partner and provide technique "eye for detail" feedback) Record your results each week.
1,500 forms - practice all forms mindfully.
40 events - full cirriculum review. (ask two questions each class for clarification and document)
40 events - practice cirriculum techniques from all belt levels at open training with a partner or group. Choose a section of the cirriculum each week.
40 events - develop and practice your five individual techniques with a partner.
1 event - family vacation.
All of these will make you a better martial artist and they will provide you with an abundance of physical training. I would suggest focusing on these types of activities versus an abundance of running, biking, circuit training such as p90x, and others. Mindully practicing forms is physically as intense as any type of physical training in my experience, and all of the goals above have mental training along with kung fu training.
This is just my two cents but I wanted to share.
Have a great training week and big push towards the end of our 2011 UBBT year!
Allan Gamble
Specifically, these goals listed below focus your training directly towards kung fu to make you a better martial artist, and not directly geared towards making you a better athlete. Someone, Sifu Brinker, told us this a number of months ago and it is very wise advice.
40 events - practice timed kicks. (one minute kick and one minute rest) front thrust, side heel thrust, round house, and spinning back kicks. (practice with a partner and provide technique "eye for detail" feedback) Record your results each week.
1,500 forms - practice all forms mindfully.
40 events - full cirriculum review. (ask two questions each class for clarification and document)
40 events - practice cirriculum techniques from all belt levels at open training with a partner or group. Choose a section of the cirriculum each week.
40 events - develop and practice your five individual techniques with a partner.
1 event - family vacation.
All of these will make you a better martial artist and they will provide you with an abundance of physical training. I would suggest focusing on these types of activities versus an abundance of running, biking, circuit training such as p90x, and others. Mindully practicing forms is physically as intense as any type of physical training in my experience, and all of the goals above have mental training along with kung fu training.
This is just my two cents but I wanted to share.
Have a great training week and big push towards the end of our 2011 UBBT year!
Allan Gamble
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Every Day is a Good Day
I have chosen to write this blog because I have heard many times in my career, family, and kung fu that I am a very hard person to read. So here goes; I will provide some information about myself which is going to take me out of my comfort zone, just a little bit, but not too much.
I am a very happy and positive person because this is how I consiously choose to be. I like to put everything in overall perspective and this helps me maintain a positive attitude, even when I struggle, which we all do from time to time. I believe that every day is a gift and we are all very fortunate to be located where we are. Most people in the world do not have the same opportunities that we as Canadians do. We live in the best country in the world and in my opinion, the province offering the most opportunity.
I am very fortunate as I had a tremendous "farm life" upbringing and also have a great family life, surrounded by a wonderful group of friends and teammates. I am grateful to have a supportive kung fu family of sifus and teammates who are willing to help us down the final stretch of this grading year, offering a wealth of infomation, honest and clear feedback, and expertise. I tend to gravitate towards other positive people and I am someone who will help anyone who needs it. I respect and admire people who are "doers" versus "talkers". Negativity bothers me a lot. This is because most people who have negative opinions and outlooks typically are in a position to do something to change their destiny or outcome, but refuse to do so. I believe that we can all change out outcomes if we really want to. We all start with a blank page and can draw whatever picture we want.
I have had the opportunity to work in another country where basic needs are met only sometimes and freedom is non-existent. This provides me with constant perspective, compassion, and clarity. My family is consistently and quietly active in helping those in need within our community and internationally.
I am a very private and quiet person with my emotions. When I have a problem I will seek information and advice and gather all information that I need to correct a problem. I rarely will ask for help directly. I carry my struggles internally and will rarely involve others. I am a critical thinker and will analyze all information over and over following every available path to an eventual solution. I will do this in private until a solution is attained and then will approach the solution with passion and excitement. This process works for me.
I am a hard worker when it comes to anything I pursue. I will be successful because I am confident that I will work as hard as anyone I know. This is why I gravitated to kung fu, as the system is sound. I will take advice and critique and work on specific elements, usually privately at home, until I am ready to move to another area. I will always tend to hide and mask my injuries, this is a 40 years of hockey thing, and will privately work very hard on my weaknesses, which I do not like to discuss publicly.
I am just starting to delve into the philosophical aspect of kung fu and look foward to this.
I am excited for the future and the final stretch of 2011 and look forward to 2012.
Wow, that is a lot for Gamble to share! I am very happy!
Have a great training week!
Allan Gamble
I am a very happy and positive person because this is how I consiously choose to be. I like to put everything in overall perspective and this helps me maintain a positive attitude, even when I struggle, which we all do from time to time. I believe that every day is a gift and we are all very fortunate to be located where we are. Most people in the world do not have the same opportunities that we as Canadians do. We live in the best country in the world and in my opinion, the province offering the most opportunity.
I am very fortunate as I had a tremendous "farm life" upbringing and also have a great family life, surrounded by a wonderful group of friends and teammates. I am grateful to have a supportive kung fu family of sifus and teammates who are willing to help us down the final stretch of this grading year, offering a wealth of infomation, honest and clear feedback, and expertise. I tend to gravitate towards other positive people and I am someone who will help anyone who needs it. I respect and admire people who are "doers" versus "talkers". Negativity bothers me a lot. This is because most people who have negative opinions and outlooks typically are in a position to do something to change their destiny or outcome, but refuse to do so. I believe that we can all change out outcomes if we really want to. We all start with a blank page and can draw whatever picture we want.
I have had the opportunity to work in another country where basic needs are met only sometimes and freedom is non-existent. This provides me with constant perspective, compassion, and clarity. My family is consistently and quietly active in helping those in need within our community and internationally.
I am a very private and quiet person with my emotions. When I have a problem I will seek information and advice and gather all information that I need to correct a problem. I rarely will ask for help directly. I carry my struggles internally and will rarely involve others. I am a critical thinker and will analyze all information over and over following every available path to an eventual solution. I will do this in private until a solution is attained and then will approach the solution with passion and excitement. This process works for me.
I am a hard worker when it comes to anything I pursue. I will be successful because I am confident that I will work as hard as anyone I know. This is why I gravitated to kung fu, as the system is sound. I will take advice and critique and work on specific elements, usually privately at home, until I am ready to move to another area. I will always tend to hide and mask my injuries, this is a 40 years of hockey thing, and will privately work very hard on my weaknesses, which I do not like to discuss publicly.
I am just starting to delve into the philosophical aspect of kung fu and look foward to this.
I am excited for the future and the final stretch of 2011 and look forward to 2012.
Wow, that is a lot for Gamble to share! I am very happy!
Have a great training week!
Allan Gamble
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)