Barefoot Running

Cross training isn't necessary to your martial arts training, but the benefits of doing two or more balanced types of training at once is often greater than doing them separately. I've long wanted to get into jogging and, thanks to the spontaneous suggestion of a friend, I started a few weeks ago.

What might confuse some people is that I'm doing it barefoot. Well, not literally barefoot, since I wear my Vibram FiveFingers to protect against sharps and the like. But my toe shoes don't provide shock absorption at all - which is the point, really.

Also good for training your martial arts.

No shock absorption? Isn't that dangerous? Aren't I going to ruin my feet?

Instead of getting into a long winded description, let me send you to a great article over at Art of Manliness where they talk about the logic behind it, the method, and the pros and cons.

Barefoot running might not be the best for everyone, but for those serious about jogging, or who mix running and martial arts training in the same session, I recommend doing your research and giving it a try.

OUS

TEST (MAY 15)

This is just a test.

Remembering Why

Things have been rough these past few weeks. I was struck with a mystery illness that the doctors haven't identified, and they tell me it will probably go away and I'll never know what it was. I'm not satisfied with this explanation, and so the hunt for a clear diagnosis continues.

It really hit my training hard. There were days when it was all I could do to drift around the house. Chi kung was my limit for a while. I did a lot of five elemental chi kung (wu xing qigong) and meditation around breathing. When I made it back to tai chi classes with my Sensei I was always exhausted half-way through.

There was a question looming over me. "Will I ever be the way I was two months ago? Are my have hard earned martial arts abilities gone?" There was another, more sinister question hiding behind the more obvious ones. "Should I give up?"

The answer is, of course, no. To put it in the positive, I can be as good as I was a while ago, and my abilities will come back. I will not give up. People can either be negative or they can be awesome. I'm trying for awesome.

And yet the questions lurked behind me, nagging me. So I did what any sensible martial artist would do. I drew my sword.

In the martial arts of China and Japan, the sword is wedded with concepts metaphysical concepts. There is the notion of the sword of truth which cuts through ignorance and illusion. In my case, the illusion of hopelessness and weakness. On a more mundane level, the desire to be skillful with the sword is one of the reasons I started the martial arts journey in the first place. Remembering why I started down that road has helped me to keep going.

If you're getting stuck in something, about to quit, remember the inspiration that put you there in the first place. It may be that it's time to give up and announce the situation a lost cause. Or you may find that you want to achieve your goal more than ever, and are willing to do what it takes to get there.

Or you could just draw your sword and wave it around like a madman. I find that helps.

(I chose that picture, by the way, because I want the sword at the top, the heaven and earth sword, but the folks at WudangDao.com don't seem to have them in stock anymore. Now that would be inspirational.)

Still Here

Just a quick word to remind you all that I'm still here, and to bring up a few things.

1) I have disabled commenting on this blog, mostly because the only comments I received (aside from about 5 comments from real people) were spam, and I don't want to waste precious time deleting spam.

2) Class is still off an no plans are in place to start them up again yet. If, however, you are interested in private lessons I am open! Email me (laughingcrane@gmail.com) for info on that.

3) Book 7 is out! This is the latest book in the CMAC Goju Budo system started by Sensei Chet Dixon and concludes the required material for shodan. For those who don't already know, I contributed to Book 5 and 6 and have been named as co-author of Book 7.

The book is available through http://www.cmacbeaches.com/jbp_catalogue.htm  Alternatively you can contact me at laughingcrane@gmail.com and I can make the proper arrangements.

Ous!

Class Cancellation

After a meeting with the director at Healing on the Danforth, we've made a tough decision. Tonight (Wed, Jan 30, 2013) is the last class I'll be teaching out of that space.

We came to the conclusion that class in that space wasn't feasible. That isn't to say that we weren't a good fit for each other. On the contrary, I'm very grateful for the opportunity I've had to teach at Healing on the Danforth. Our philosophies and ideologies were very much in line with one another. Everyone involved expressed regrets at having to cancel the classes. However, the reality is that certain practical concerns make classes in the space untenable.

Tonight's class is still on, but as I said it will be the last class offered at Healing on the Danforth.

If you're interested in shiatsu, massage therapy, personal training, or any of the other services offered at the clinic, please go to www.healingonthedanforth.com . Say hi to Tim, the director, and tell him Geoff says hello.

Project On Hold

I'm very sorry to say that I need to put Into Gorin no Sho on hold for an extended period of time. This has been a labour of love that has taken an incredible amount of time and energy, and at the moment I don't have any of those resources to spare.

What I am not doing is scraping the project. By studying the pages of the Book of Five Rings in such detail I've learned a few things of great importance. The first is how incredibly valuable the insights in the book are. The second is just how much more there is to discover and study. Finally, I see that it will take much more research, study, and focus to truly do the project justice.

I want the material I share with you guys to be top quality, not sloppy because of last minute pressures. Following my own advice I'm going to stop spreading myself so thin and focus instead on only a few projects at a time. So no, the in depth study isn't being tossed out, just put on the back burner. I fully intend to revisit it when my situation is more amenable.

Many thanks to everyone who's been reading, commenting, and supporting my efforts. I know you will put the knowledge from this work to good use, whether it's the images I've created, the exposition on Musashi's martial strategy, or just insight into the budo mindset. Feel free to surf back through previous posts, comment and share. If it helps you in any way then my efforts have been worth it.

Lastly, I'll still be blogging about classes, tai chi, and chi kung, as well as any events that happen in and around the dojo. Check back frequently for updates, and above all, keep up the training!

OUS

Class Tonight

A quick reminder that class is on tonight, 8-9 PM at Healing on the Danforth. It's the second class of 2013, and we have work to do!

Just doing tai chi does improve your health, even if you don't know what you're doing and feel completely lost. The forces at work in class are like gravity - they work whether you're paying attention to them or not, even if you don't know they exist.

But understanding the basis for tai chi and chi kung will help you better work with these forces. Thinking of gravity again, we know that we can consciously and unconsciously work against this natural force, or we can work with it. If we learn to move our bodies in accord with the natural forces around us we can do amazing things. More importantly, we won't be constantly fighting the world around us just, which will conserve our strength for more important things!

Come in to class between now and early spring and you can expect to have a decent understanding of how it all works, not to mention a mastery of the Beijing Short Form, our basic chi kung, and perhaps a few other gems.

Inch by inch, a cinch. Mile by mile, a trial.

OUS