Highlights

I feel like I have many things to write about and I am not sure how to put them all down succinctly. So I am going to go with a highlights list.
1. I figured out how to make my long hours of practice pay off. I usually get very nervous when I have to display my form to anyone. I discovered this week that when I get nervous, I display the exact same form every time. This means unfinished techniques, rushing to finish and not flowing or relaxing. When I practice by myself (even in a public place), I slow down and focus on techniques and it feels really good. So I was talking to my friends this week while we were practicing and I started expressing all the things that I usually just keep to myself. We talked about being nervous in front of fellow students, sifus and in public. We talked about how that was manifesting itself in my forms and we figured out how to combat it somewhat. Somewhere in my head, I had decided that when showing anyone my form, I had to be intense and fast. My friends and I decided that I should slow down when showing someone the form, just like in practice. It was like a light bulb went off in my head and I think that I get in now. By trying to do it just like in practice, I am calmer and therefore have slowed down and my technique is improving each time that I do the form. I participated in a demonstration yesterday and I was definitely calmer than I can ever remember being after a performance. The moral of this little story is that practice does make a difference because you can draw on the experience when you need it.
2. The annual tournament is coming up and I have to work. It totally sucks but that is just the way it is. Aside from not being able to be there, it has opened up a tremendous opportunity for me. I don't have to worry about what to do about performance anxiety so I am open to what is happening around me. I am getting to help so many people with their forms and sparring strategies and it feels great. I would not have had this experience otherwise. It was so exciting to be at the kwoon during open practice yesterday and see so many people excited about their kung fu journeys. I actually feel like I am more a part of the tournament than I have ever been and I hope that someone takes lots of pictures to see how it turns out.
3. I am still experimenting with my food energy. I am really enjoying some homemade energy bars which are great for days when I am at the kwoon all day. I have also been experimenting with smoothies, the book I am using (actually borrowing), has different smoothies for different needs. For example, there is one to reduce swelling and works really good for my aching knees at the end of the day. There is others that give you energy, help you recover from an intense training session and also to keep you full for longer. One of favorite things is the cereal bar, it takes a bit of time to prepare and one hour to bake but in makes 8 bars to keep in the fridge which is great to have if you are on the run. I am still eating one meal a day that is not raw as I didn't want to shock my body with a drastic change. I have done that before and didn't like the results.
So those are the highlights of my week, I have to stop now or I won't have time for my training before work.

Robyn Kichko
Silent River Kung Fu