so i've been thinking these past few months about endurance. and not just in the physical sense. in the mental sense. i want my bb. not because i can get it, but because it will mean that i earned it, i worked hard, and sacrificed to achieve it. it's not going to just be a belt. it's going to be a symbol of endurance, of victory, of achievement.
and it's caused me to think about my future. for a few years now, i've been out of school. i've had no desire to go back for a long time. but i know that in order to get where i want, i need to go. and so now, it's looking more appealing. in fact, i want to do it now.
will it be a long road? yes. will it be challenging? yes. will it be worth it? most definitely.
testing, training for my bb has shown me that if i really want something, i can get it. doesn't matter how long, hard, or how many obstacles i need to over come. i. can. do. it.
this test has proven to be invaluable. and if it was for this reason alone-to prove to myself that i can do it (it's not, but it's a big reason)-i would do it all over again in a new york minute. and let's not forget the amazing friendships formed from this, the confidence that has been improved in everyone, the endurance that's been refined. we've all grown and changed, together as a team and also individually.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Bad Day - Good Attitude
Today was one of those "nothing went right" days for me. I was driving home from work and almost turned around and went back because I'm so behind. I decided I needed food so I went home and got a text from Dan about rolling tonight. I don't usually take Jits when Brandy is gone but CGN Sam was planning on it so I decided I was going to go. I am so glad I did. Isn't it true that some of your best classes are when you least feel like training?
Sam was a great partner - we worked VERY hard and then Coach Jonn had us switching partners every 5 minutes. I was WAY out of my comfort zone because I had to roll against people I don't know and who are much bigger and better then me. I remembered a blog that Brandy had posted a while back about taking a class where she got great feedback from the guys because they need practice rolling with people of different body types and sizes. So I just bucked up and did it. Brandy you were my inspiration! I missed you!
I'm super tired but my attitude about the day has totally turned around. Jits is part of my requirement this year for 2nd degree. I am trying for my second stripe and that is a LOT of hours. Between work and kid obligations I can't go as often as I would like to so I have to go when I can and I'm glad I made myself do it tonight.
Rolling in Jonn's class is very zen in a way. You have to think differently, slowly and above all be patient. It isn't at all like the grappling we do in BB class or MMA and I have to turn off parts of my brain and concentrate. I find that the rest of what is worrying me just fades away. You rep the same things over and over to build muscle memory. Then you free roll and you end up in a position and snap - you know what to do. That is the best feeling!
I'm taking Friday to rest and get ready for the run and and Kick A Thon. Saturday will be a high energy output day but I'm ready! See you guys then!
Sam was a great partner - we worked VERY hard and then Coach Jonn had us switching partners every 5 minutes. I was WAY out of my comfort zone because I had to roll against people I don't know and who are much bigger and better then me. I remembered a blog that Brandy had posted a while back about taking a class where she got great feedback from the guys because they need practice rolling with people of different body types and sizes. So I just bucked up and did it. Brandy you were my inspiration! I missed you!
I'm super tired but my attitude about the day has totally turned around. Jits is part of my requirement this year for 2nd degree. I am trying for my second stripe and that is a LOT of hours. Between work and kid obligations I can't go as often as I would like to so I have to go when I can and I'm glad I made myself do it tonight.
Rolling in Jonn's class is very zen in a way. You have to think differently, slowly and above all be patient. It isn't at all like the grappling we do in BB class or MMA and I have to turn off parts of my brain and concentrate. I find that the rest of what is worrying me just fades away. You rep the same things over and over to build muscle memory. Then you free roll and you end up in a position and snap - you know what to do. That is the best feeling!
I'm taking Friday to rest and get ready for the run and and Kick A Thon. Saturday will be a high energy output day but I'm ready! See you guys then!
Foot, Hand and the Art Of
Hey Dare to Dream! I'm sorry I haven't been in class lately and I feel like I've missed a LOT. I'm going to be counting kicks at the kick a thon.... I wish I could be kicking alongside you guys, but my ankle still needs to heal... Anyway I got to mow SBN's lawn before the whole ankle thing happened. My lawn mower shut down numerous times because it kept jamming with grass that was about as high as my knees... I think I should mow their lawn once a week just to keep it in shape. :) (it'll give me good exercise too) And maybe by Sunday my ankle will be all better! :D Hopefully... The Lawn looks like a piece of art. A piece of ART. :) I never got the chance to blog about the camping trip either. So the scariest part for me was climbing that cliff side, holding on to patches of grass for dear life... but I can say that I climbed a cliff without a harness. :P The river was so COLD but I LOVED it! Sarah and I stood in it for about a good ten minutes and it's not that bad once your feet go numb. I shared a tent with Taylor, Sarah and Holly. We fell asleep once we hit the hay! (or sleeping bag... whatever you want to call it) Chris's glow stick had a leak so he technically had a free glow shirt. :D I'm sorry I couldn't go to the starlight run too. :( But I heard on Saturday we're running it again so YAY! I get to run! (if my ankle feels like moving) I uploaded all my video journals to the computer all I have to do is edit!! Push ups I've been doing on my knees and sit ups are easy to knock out.
GO DARE TO DREAM! ( did you know that I had a dream about all of us breaking a car in half...) (No joke)
Well see you guys this saturday for the kick a thon and I will support you through that run! See ya!
- Z0E
GO DARE TO DREAM! ( did you know that I had a dream about all of us breaking a car in half...) (No joke)
Well see you guys this saturday for the kick a thon and I will support you through that run! See ya!
- Z0E
Starlight Run WIN/fail
Win- The starlight run was awesome. Extremely fun!
fail- Well i will start off by saying that of my knowlegde you guys talked about on wednesday for 10 minutes about sticking together as a group. I was not there on wednesday but thats what everyone said. Now there was people during the starlight run that went ahead of the pack. When the race was over Sbn had a talk with us about how disapointed he was that there was people who went ahead even after that talk. Now my mom only told me that once and i got it through my head the first time. and for others i guess 10 minutes was not a long enough talk for you. now there was only about 4 people or 5 or more that did that. Now its the WHOLE TEAM's job for running another 3 miles on wednesday. That sucks for the people who follwed the rules now doesnt it!
fail- Well i will start off by saying that of my knowlegde you guys talked about on wednesday for 10 minutes about sticking together as a group. I was not there on wednesday but thats what everyone said. Now there was people during the starlight run that went ahead of the pack. When the race was over Sbn had a talk with us about how disapointed he was that there was people who went ahead even after that talk. Now my mom only told me that once and i got it through my head the first time. and for others i guess 10 minutes was not a long enough talk for you. now there was only about 4 people or 5 or more that did that. Now its the WHOLE TEAM's job for running another 3 miles on wednesday. That sucks for the people who follwed the rules now doesnt it!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Tonight
Today was very stressful day for me. School is almost over, and preparing for finals and finishing all of the last minutes to do had me in a not so good mood. However, as I have learned over the years: once I am on the mat; I need to let it go. This was very difficult, especially with SBN Dan in drill seargant mode. But that's why he does that, he wants me to be able to control my self and push harder, and thats what I did.
In terms of the technical part of class, I had a huge breakthrough today. I have never been good at grappling. My problem is that I "try" to hard and try to force everything. But, over time, I have learned to relax and wait for my opponent to make a mistake and tire themselves out. Today, I was given the oppurtunity to practice this very skill. I was grappling someone who was fairly knew to grappling. I had the choice to either squirm and get into a battle of strength with them, or do the opposite. I started to seize up, but then I remembered to relax. I did! I waited for about a minute until they got tired, exerting force when I needed to. Finally, I was able to close up guard and finish the fight. It was also good because I was able to connect with the person and tell them that I knew excactly what they just went through. It was a good experience for the both of us. I was able to use my knowledge and teach someone else something because I knew what they were going through.
Today was great! Good Job everyone! Thank you for being the best testing group ever!
In terms of the technical part of class, I had a huge breakthrough today. I have never been good at grappling. My problem is that I "try" to hard and try to force everything. But, over time, I have learned to relax and wait for my opponent to make a mistake and tire themselves out. Today, I was given the oppurtunity to practice this very skill. I was grappling someone who was fairly knew to grappling. I had the choice to either squirm and get into a battle of strength with them, or do the opposite. I started to seize up, but then I remembered to relax. I did! I waited for about a minute until they got tired, exerting force when I needed to. Finally, I was able to close up guard and finish the fight. It was also good because I was able to connect with the person and tell them that I knew excactly what they just went through. It was a good experience for the both of us. I was able to use my knowledge and teach someone else something because I knew what they were going through.
Today was great! Good Job everyone! Thank you for being the best testing group ever!
Impass
So I'm sitting here thinking about the black belt team. There's a lot of discussion lately about how we have to be supportive of each member of our team and I'm finding myself questioning whether or not how much we HAVE learned to support each other and have learned about each other. For example...
Jackie... She's fun, overly perky (that's not a bad thing in this case, Jackie) and is the first to push everyone in our group to practice harder. She has areas in her training that she struggles with, just like the rest of us, but she never lets it stop her.
Hunter... He always acts like he's afraid of hurting me when we spar, or he keeps his distance because I told him not to give Holly a bloody nose again (heh heh!). He's not only getting very strong in all areas of his training, but he seems to be more comfortable within the BB group and it's easier to get into a conversation with him than at the start of the BB process. I've watched him instruct the Little Warrior classes and he's really good with those kids and they respect him as their instructor.
Noah... He's the quietest member of our BB team, but whatever he DOES say, it's always kind and when he gives somebody a smile, they've earned it because he always seems to be deep in thought, so a smile means they've gotten his attention. His MA skills are so strong, he's going to be someone to contend with in the future... Like tomorrow!
Darius... He's reminded to practice strong and to focus on his intensity a lot in class. But he never cops an attitude about it. He sucks it up and does a better job the next time. Like any 10 year old boy, he's easily distracted, but it's also evident that getting his black belt is very important to him, otherwise he would still be walking around the track when we have 'numbers day', instead of running the whole thing. If he continues focusing on his intensity, he will be a real roll model for kids going for their black belts in the future.
Melissa... She's probably the most stressed about BB training (second only to myself), but she's grown so much as a martial artist since she started training, that she's really amazing. She shares her concerns which makes it easier for others of us to relax in the fact that we aren't the only one who feels the same way.
That's what I've learned about the Dare to Dream Black Belt team. Not one of us would ever leave one of the others behind because we are a team and that will never change.
The starlight run
The starlight run was a blast. I love the energy and spirit people had, even when they were tired. it really makes me happy to be part of a team of dreamers and doers. It was also fun being able to have fun outside of the training experience with some of my teammates. Im also excited that school is almost out. That means I`ll have more time for training and making myself better.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)