A General Update

So we're finally back from all that traveling! The trip, which I talked about in a previous post, was fabulous. I still need to discuss my thoughts on Carlsbad Caverns, but that's going to take a while, so be patient...I'll get to it eventually. As much as we loved the trip, I was totally thrilled to get home.

And two days later, I was on a plane, headed to Florida.

I had long since scheduled a weekend intensive with my Sifu (teacher), who lives out there. Arthur D'Agostino, a world-class taiji and mantis kung fu instructor, lives on a horse farm outside of Tampa, Florida, and he also runs a nutritional store. My good friend and colleague, Israel Flores from Pharr, TX, met me at the airport for the flight, and we were off for a weekend of training.

We didn't waste any time once we got there. Our teacher took us straight from the airport to his store, where he had recently rearranged the shelves to allow for a large training space. We got to it right away, going over the Chen taiji form, Yilu, and its applications. Over the course of the weekend, we did a lot more taiji, and some mantis kung fu as well.

And I have to say that, this time, I think I finally got it. I've been training in Chen taijiquan for some years now, and certain movements were still beyond me...but this time, I think I finally understood everything on a much deeper level. It may not be a big deal to you, but to me, it's a real thrill! It's as though I had been riding a bicycle for years using only one foot, and then suddenly discovered that I could use them both. This knowledge makes the application of the techniques a lot easier and more intuitive. Again, a big deal for me.

So I returned home on Sunday, enthused about being a kung fu/taiji guy and having new stuff to practice.

Also over the weekend, two of my assistant instructors and two other students went to Waxahachie to train with Brandon Quick, one of Eddie Bravo's 10thPJJ brown belts. They came back with lots of video, new moves, new enthusiasm for grappling, and a whole slew of sore spots and minor injuries. Eh, goes with the territory. We're already integrating the seminar information into our classes, and taking it all one step at a time. We're not ready to take the grappling world by storm, to say the least, but I really enjoy grappling. And in today's world, it's a foolish martial artist who doesn't learn something about groundfighting and grappling. I want our students to be educated in traditional martial arts, as well as be able to apply their skills in a real situation.

Anyway, that's what's rolling around in my head lately. Workouts are going well (I did a mile today in 7:18), our 6.5 year old son is swimming like a fish thanks to the Houston Swim Club and Mr. Rudy, and my darling wife is trying to beat the xbox game Psychonaut. Life is good!