Trials....
On top of sword, I try to do different workouts to keep myself healthy. Basketball, or weights, even pilates (you'll be surprised at how it hits spots you wouldn't imagine!). But it's been awhile where I've taken something I'm completely unfamiliar with.
I have a close friend who teaches Capoeira. He and I used to train and exchange hand to hand techniques back in my days in Florida in my garage and front lawn. Even my parents know him very well. I remember just practicing with him for a day and I would be sore all over the place. Wanting to try a different work out again, I called him up and joined one of his classes.
I knew it was going to be a hard class, I wasn't going to lie to myself. However I didn't imagine it to be THAT hard. My whole body was aching in a lot of places but also helped me point out the weak areas of my body. The big thing is that my friend did not let me just give up or take a break. In class he was a teacher, not my friend. It reminded me of how I treated my students during certain exercises we do in class. Even when my arms or legs were about to give out, he would push me and talk down to me saying he expected more. This fired me up but I could only push as much as my muscles would let me. As I was struggling, I see him do it in front of me and he made it look so easy. This made me feel so....weak....or...insufficient.
Before class ended, I asked my friend, "What exercises can I work on at home?". I disliked how weak I seemed during class so I wanted to get better at those exercises for next time. He gave me a list of some exercises for me to focus on while I'm not in class. I even videoed it since some of the movements/exercises wasn't what you would normally see or practice. This is just like when I tell my students to do their "homework".
He and I were chatting while we were leaving. I just stated how tough it was to do some of those exercises he was making me do. He replied that when he first started, they were for him too but he pushed hard and didn't realize that after a certain point, how easy it became for him. That sounded very familiar for me. When he said that it was tough for him too, that brought me back to when I first started training, and then methods I used to not look incapable. That's why when I teach, I advise or teach the same thought process and the exercises I practiced to get to where I am. It was a nice and refreshing reminder of what got me to where I am as a practitioner. I tell my students when I see them struggle with exercises that I make them do, that I did these too and I wouldn't make them do it if I didn't or couldn't.
Then we spoke about those times that I made him do sword exercises back then and how tough it was for him? Well he's just returning the favor....
I'm going to be sore tomorrow....
I have a close friend who teaches Capoeira. He and I used to train and exchange hand to hand techniques back in my days in Florida in my garage and front lawn. Even my parents know him very well. I remember just practicing with him for a day and I would be sore all over the place. Wanting to try a different work out again, I called him up and joined one of his classes.
I knew it was going to be a hard class, I wasn't going to lie to myself. However I didn't imagine it to be THAT hard. My whole body was aching in a lot of places but also helped me point out the weak areas of my body. The big thing is that my friend did not let me just give up or take a break. In class he was a teacher, not my friend. It reminded me of how I treated my students during certain exercises we do in class. Even when my arms or legs were about to give out, he would push me and talk down to me saying he expected more. This fired me up but I could only push as much as my muscles would let me. As I was struggling, I see him do it in front of me and he made it look so easy. This made me feel so....weak....or...insufficient.
Before class ended, I asked my friend, "What exercises can I work on at home?". I disliked how weak I seemed during class so I wanted to get better at those exercises for next time. He gave me a list of some exercises for me to focus on while I'm not in class. I even videoed it since some of the movements/exercises wasn't what you would normally see or practice. This is just like when I tell my students to do their "homework".
He and I were chatting while we were leaving. I just stated how tough it was to do some of those exercises he was making me do. He replied that when he first started, they were for him too but he pushed hard and didn't realize that after a certain point, how easy it became for him. That sounded very familiar for me. When he said that it was tough for him too, that brought me back to when I first started training, and then methods I used to not look incapable. That's why when I teach, I advise or teach the same thought process and the exercises I practiced to get to where I am. It was a nice and refreshing reminder of what got me to where I am as a practitioner. I tell my students when I see them struggle with exercises that I make them do, that I did these too and I wouldn't make them do it if I didn't or couldn't.
Then we spoke about those times that I made him do sword exercises back then and how tough it was for him? Well he's just returning the favor....
I'm going to be sore tomorrow....
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