My Achilles Heel

My Kung Fu Achilles heel is actually, ironically, the Side Heel.  I'm sure this will change as I advance.  But for now...I despise the Side Heel.  Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate it....it makes me frustrated...the main reason being that I'm simply not good at it.

I still practice it.  Probably not as much as I should.  And if I'm honest, probably not as hard as I should either.  Okay fine!!.....I confess.....I've really let it take a back seat to pretty much everything else.  But I'm learning that the things we hate the most, and likely the things we are weakest at, are the ones we should probably make ourselves do more often.  Otherwise you end up still hating it, avoiding it, and terrible at it months later.  

And the Side Heel kick is really important!!  It seems to be the basis for so many other techniques!  So it's something I can no longer avoid.  I need to face this head on....or is it "heel on"?  It will not be pretty at first...likely awkward and uncomfortable to watch so be forewarned....but I know, eventually, I'll have a Side Heel so incredible that anyone opposing me will be so fascinated with it's beauty and paralyzed with awe that they'll be easily defeated!!  But I'm probably getting ahead of myself....

In any event...I've written it on my white board....which makes it official.  And I'm posting this publicly so I'm accountable.  I commit to incorporating it daily into my training.  I will master the Side Heel.

I better get started on those 50,000 reps....each leg...

My First Blog

I've never really had an issue expressing myself.  I can hold my own in a conversation with pretty much anyone.  I've done plenty of public speaking.  I've done my fair share of writing.  Truth be told I used to write essays for fun (yes fun!) starting in about Grade 4...and then for cash and beer in high school (please do not tell my kids about the beer...I've got a fictional past I need to maintain until these kids turn 18😉).

Yet I sat down to write this blog, my first, and found myself starting, restarting, revising and deleting over and over again.  So I stepped away...went on to something else and pondered over why I was having such a hard time.  I realized the problem was my thoughts and ideas were all over the place.  Just random words and sentences all linked together very awkwardly because they really had no connection.  I was trying to say too much all at once....trying to solve all my problems (and the worlds') in one little blog.  I literally laughed out loud (does anyone even write the long version anymore?...lol) when I realized the following. 

My writing simply had no intent.  No purpose.  I was unfocused about what I wanted to say, and so I was rambling.  As you can imagine, I heard a voice in my head, saying the same things we've all heard many times over.  

Be clear about your intent.

Have a purpose with your training.

Make a specific goal for what you want to work on.

These blogs are supposed to support and supplement my training, so it would make sense to have intent when writing as well.  That doesn't mean that my initial "drafts" won't always begin with a mish-mash of thoughts and emotions.  Perhaps a separate journal for the random day-to-day thoughts, that don't yet make sense, would be beneficial.  But I think the point of the blog itself is to sift through these thoughts, arrange them so they can be understood and then choose something, whether it be an illuminating insight, a seemingly unsolvable problem or maybe something in between, to reflect on, and hopefully learn from.

I have plenty of work to do regarding intent, both with blogging and on the mats.  But what I do intend to do is keep at it.