Tiny bits

It was the first class of the new season in Karate. I've been advertising a little bit trying to get some new beginners. Some people had expressed interest but you never know until the day of the first class.

There were two new people. It was a father and his son. I spent the entire one hour class with them.

My style of teaching has changed. I've taken a leaf out of the Jiu-Jitsu club's book. I broke every movement down into tiny little parts.

No detailed explanations of why just detailed explanations of how. Then I drilled them over and over. At that point I gave a minimal explanation of why.

They practiced the basic punch, front kick, front stance, and lower block. Nothing else. That's only four things.

At the end they both seemed very enthusiastic, and I been having fun, too.

I wonder if they'll come back.

Too far away

I've found a serious flaw in the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu system.

Nothing to do with the techniques, or the dandy progressive instruction system. It is all in motivation.

In most martial arts, progress is easy to see. Earn a belt, and the next belt is waiting for you a few months training away.

The Gracie belts don't quite work that way. Earn your Blue Belt, and the next coloured belt is waiting for you after five more years of training.

To mitigate this, they have a number of stripes on the belts that you earn in between. Each belt has four stripes to earn, but even then each stripe is over a year apart.

I have no argument with the visible, outward displays of skill such as belts and stripes taking years to earn. It is the actual progress through the levels.

Take the level I'm working on now. It has sixty parts, divided into seven chapters. Each of the sixty parts takes about a week to work on. The problem is, you don't get tested on any of it until after you've completed it all. You haven't really made any progress until you've made all the progress. The goal is so far off and so daunting, that people just aren't motivated to push towards it.
Take our own group. On Tuesday's Blue Belt class, there were three students present. All worked hard that night. The next night, there were four students present, working hard. The trouble is that other than myself, nobody was present at both classes. There were also quite a few who didn't attend either.

My solution is pretty easy. Instead of the test being in the distant future, there should be tests after each of the seven chapters. Work hard on the first 9 parts of chapter 1, and then be tested on that chapter. Done. Move on to chapter 2. That would put the completion time for that small part of the level at about 9 weeks. Much more doable.

That's my two cents, not that anybody asked me.

Future

You know that feeling when everything is still open the possibility. The future is exciting because there could be great success. There could also be failure. You just can't know.

The Karate Club is in exactly that state.

Our next class is on Saturday. Hopefully, it will be different than usual. This Saturday is the day when new students are supposed to start.

I put up a few posters around town, put up a notice on the school district internet notice board, and contacted everybody who has shown an interest.

Will anybody come? If not we have a bit of a problem. Currently there are five of us, which makes it difficult to pay for the gym space. Even if it were not too expensive it's hard to maintain an energy level with so few people.

Therefore we want some new beginners. If we get as many as four everything will be fine. I suppose there is a maximum as well. Let us call that 20; but it won't happen.

I'll have to be ready for whoever comes. It's just the regulars I must be ready. If several beginners come we must be ready for that too.

It's exciting.

S'easy

I like eating, and dislike it when I can't. This could conflict with my desire to lose the 13 pounds I gained over the summer.

I use an app to acurately keep track of all my food and exercise.

Due to my level of activity, I can consume an average of 3420 calories per day. With that consumption my weight would be stable. Let me tell you, that is one heaping pile of food.

My days range from 2858 up to 3944 calories. If I stopped running, biking, and fighting the cuttoff would be 2220.

I get to eat about 50% more than a normal person. Therefore, it's easy to shave off enough to lose weight.

I've been at if for about three weeks, and have dropped 10 pounds. That's about half a pound a day. No way I could do this at a normal activity level. No way I could cut the 1750 calories necessay each day to achieve this level off loss.

I have three pounds left to go. It should take a week or so.

After that I'll still keep track. The difference will be that I won't be shooting to come in low. I'll be watching for overages, and then balance them over the  following few days.

I'll also be counting chips.

Many Years

Trying to predict future progress can be interesting. It can also be discouraging.

I can reasonably expect to earn the first added stripe on my Blue Belt by the end of 2013. This assumes training here at home. This isn't too bad, but how long will it take to complete all four stripes and to earn a coveted Purple Belt?

I should be done by Christmas of 2018. My goodness! 2018? This is also assuming six years of perfect attendance. I'll be 62 years old.

Luckily, I don't plan on only training at home. Next fall it's retirement, and off to a few months in Southern California. While there, I'll be training like a maniac at the main Gracie Jiu-Jitsu school.

This will move my Purple Belt up to January of 2018. Heck, I'll only be 61.

A lot of Canadians do the Snow Bird thing. If we do that every year, I can shave a bit off my total training time.

Best to not think about any belts above Purple.

Fire or No-fire

I started in Jiu-Jitsu almost exactly one year ago.

Out of all the White Belts, I was the only one to have not completed any part of the course.

No newer beginner started for about five months. Also at the five month mark, a single one of the White Belts progressed to Blue.

At the seven-month mark, I started my own Blue Belt exam. Only two of the White Belts senior to me were ready to test alongside.

What happened to the rest? Why weren't they ready? To be fair, one young guy would have been ready, but he was just below the minimum age limit of 16. The rest were still training, but without much drive to progress.

Of the three of us testing together; Cody and I earned our Blue Belts at my 9 month mark. The third got about halfway through, and stopped coming to class. What's with that? He was only a couple of weeks away from promotion.

I've now hit 12 months of training. Nobody else has reached Blue, and not many are getting particularly close. In the entire group, I'd say there are only two people eager to progress.

One is the under-16-year old guy I've already mentioned. Although he cannot receive the rank quite yet he has been invited to the Blue Belt sessions. By the time his birthday rolls around he's going to blow the exam away.

Another keener started about six months ago, and is doing his best to attend every class. I'd say he's the physically strongest guy in the club, and has struggled to unlearn being strong. He's made huge advances. Jiu-Jitsu is an art of precision, not strength. Using strength is just a habit that one has to break to gain proper technique. After that, the power can be added back in.

I enjoy sharing the journey with my fellow students, and this week I got to see two more people start to catch the fire. The instructor was reviewing people's records, and called over Amelia and Michael. He pointed out that both are getting close to completing the requirements for testing. They hadn't really noticed. He said they could possibly make it by Christmas.

As that sunk in, their eyes lit up. It was obvious it had never occurred to them, but suddenly they could taste it. I hope it was the start of the fire. If they go for it, they will be our next two Blue Belts.

Just as with the White Belts, there is a corresponding phenomenon amongst the Blue Belts. The ranks beyond Blue are denoted by up to four stripes added onto the belt. Our instructor has alone attained his first stripe within our group. A few others are pretty close, and have completed part of the exam.

The rest of us are plugging along through the curriculum. At the pace we can do it here, it will take an absolute minimum of 15 months, or 180 classes.

I took the summer to travel with my wonderful wife, and only managed to complete 4 classes. Since then I haven't missed any, and have racked up 9 in a row. On average, I'd say the Blue Belts have each attended about half that many times out of the last 9 classes. I also attend all the White Belt classes and get to review all of that material, and attend all the open mat sessions where I get to work on whatever I like.

Put it all together and so far this September there have been 6 White Belt classes, 3 reflex development classes, open mat 6 times, and 9 Blue Belt classes. That's 24 in total. I've been at all 24. The only other person to do that is the instructor. Next highest might be about half or two thirds attendance.

Of course, I'll miss classes sometimes but never without a real reason. Even so, in a year I should be 80% done. If I were to train like some of the others, I'll only be half that far along. It would feel as if I hadn't even started.

Dirty Work

I hate organizing things. I mean, I REALLY hate organizing things.

No problem teaching Karate. The problem is recruiting people, booking gym time, and organizing instructors. It's even worse to set fees and then collect the stupid things.

This means, of course, that I am recruiting people, booking gym time, organizing instructors, setting fees, and collecting the money. Oh, yeah, and teaching, too.

As I discovered it would be impossible to start a kids class this fall, the idea was dropped. This made things a lot easier. Now it was just a case of making the adult class run successfully.

The official start date is in about a week and a half. We'll see how things are working after that.

There are currently five of us in the club. An even dozen would be great. That would both cover the bills and provide a wonderful learning environment.

Maybe this is one of the reasons that I really like going to Jiu-Jitsu. There none of this stuff is my concern. The instructor, Shawn Phillips is very good at doing all the nasty organizational stuff.

Maybe someday somebody will join the Karate Club who can do all this stuff well, and who wants also to do it. That would be great.

It hasn't happened yet.

Open mat

There is a new feature twice a week at Jiu-Jitsu. It is called, "open mat," and is a time when any of the members can use the facility for whatever they want.

In it, I've worked on my Blue Belt stuff, as well as free-rolling with people. I've also shown a White Belt some of the techniques she missed when she was unable to attend her regular class.

I've worked with a guy who does mma and who has a fight coming up. He wanted me to try certain things on him so he could figure out how to respond. I also got to use my striking skills to help him work on his defense.

The only rule we have is that it only for club members, and that safety is to be the highest priority. I like both of those rules.

The instructor is trying to start another new program at the school. Today there will be a free, women's self-defense class. He's hoping there will be enough interest to justify a regular program.

Having the school in its own, dedicated facility means there is freedom to try new things. Plenty of time for everything.

The biggest problem for the school is no longer lack of time in the training schedule. Rather, it is a lack of instructors. The chief instructor is trying to groom a new crop to help him out, but right now he's teaching every single adult and kids class. That's about 18 hours a week, on top of his real, full-time job.

I think he's a little nuts, but I'm glad he is.

Cheap Eats

The new training schedule at Jiu-Jitsu is taking some getting used to.

Just making through five consecutive days of training each week is hard enough. Some nights I end up tired to the bone.

I also have to hurry from work to get to class on time. That works most days, but not all. To get there on Friday it isn't possible to do my normal bike ride. That means that one day a week I will be taking the car to work. It's a minor sacrifice.

A cool part about the schedule is how little each class now costs. I am trying to attend all I can, so should be getting over 8.5 hours a week. This works out to about $2.75 an hour. Some people haven't figured out what it means to pay a monthly fee and to show up irregularly. They end up paying a lot more per class. I smile, pay the same as them, and get much more.

Mine is a great schedule for people that really like to eat. Each hour of Jiu-Jitsu burns 700 calories. I can eat three extra days worth of food each week. Great for somebody that likes chips and pop.

People ask me why I train. Maybe I should start asking them why they don't.

Open house

Open house day at the new Jiu-Jitsu training location. It's ready to go, exept the plumbing doesn't quite work.

Would any new people show up?

A couple of us got suited and out onto the mat. We were sort of set decorations. Wouldn't do to have it look like a ghost town.

In no time at all strangers started showing up. Strangers bringing their kids for a look see. After a bit the instructor took all the kids through a sample class. He made it fun and active. A few people then signed their children up on the spot. Some didn't, but all seemed very positive.

At lunchtime I headed out as I had to teach my own Karate club.

It's hard enough to run something like this when the expenses are minimal. I can't even imagine doing it when paying real rent on a big space.

Jaws

One of the best scenes in the movie "Jaws" comes when everything is quiet. Roberts Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss are relaxing in the boat, comparing scars. Most were gained from sharks, and at least one from a moray eel. Very cool.

All my recent injuries have been lame. You'd think earning them in the brutal world of martial arts would be cool, too. Nope.

In the last year there have been plenty of bruises, bumps and bangs. Those don't count.

Nothing has been serious, but some were annoying.

They've all involved toes, and they were all caused by nothing more interesting than having moved a bit funny on the mat.

I assume they have been a mix of breaks, sprains, and nasty stubbings. I've never bothered to get an x-ray over them, as the toe bones have all remained properly lined up. I baby the injuries when possible, and when I can't they get splinted to the toe next door. Luckily, it's never kept me from training.

So sometimes I show up at class, with some toe or other duct taped to its neighbour. Sometimes I'm asked what happened. My answer always has to be, "nothing".

No story about shark attacks, or moray eels, or how I was pinned by some big guy but wouldn't tap. Nothing.

Somehow that makes it worse.

Burn it

Today is Friday, and it's the end of my first week back at training.

I taught a Karate class on Saturday.

There were two hours of Jiu-Jitsu on Tuesday, Wednesday and on Thursday.

Tonight it was "open mat" at Jiu-Jitsu. This means that anybody that comes can use the facility to do whatever they want. I spent it mostly rolling with people.

Tomorrow is Satuday again and it starts again.

It is all fun, great exercise, and burns tons of calories.

This week I started my effort to get my weight down from holiday level and back to normal. My goal was to lose 2 pounds due to exercise and diet, but would have been happy with 1.

In actuality, I've lost five. My only problem is that I've been training so much that I've been having a hard time getting enough calories.

I record it all with an ap on my iPad. Several times it's warned me to eat more to prevent my body from going into starvation mode.

If it weren't for the workouts this wouldn't be an issue. I would be finding myself with the opposite problem of needing to eat less than I want.

Once I've reached my long-term weight goal it will be back to free-eating. I'll get plenty of food. I shall continue monitoring the scales and maintaining my chosen weight.

My advice to anyone wanting to shed pounds would be to find a highly physical activity you enjoy and to go nuts with it. You'll probably be able to eat lots of yummy food, within reason.

Today was the first real day back at school. It was the first day when the classes were an hour and a quarter long.

I like my job, and I've been at it a long time.

However, work does get in the way.

Classes end a little after three in the afternoon. Jiu-Jitsu starts at 5:30pm.

"No problem," thinks you.

"Problem!" says I.

 

If I plan carefully, and there are no meetings, and no kid needs to talk to me I can just get myself home by 3:45. To be on time for training, and allowing  a few minutes to suit up, I have to leave the house again by 4:45.

In that hour I have to find my supper.

Keep in mind, one hour is the most I'll ever get. Often it will be significantly less.

In the big scheme of things this is incredibly minor.

Maybe I'll get all organized and have meals all set up in the fridge ready to microwave. Maybe I'll start taking the car to work all packed with my Jiu-Jitsu gear and go straight from there. Maybe I'll grab fast food.

Probably I'll just muddle along doing the best I can.

I'm retiring soon, and then the time crunch will magically vanish.

Apes

It was the first night back at Jiu-jitsu. It was also the first time training in the new location.

The place is great, and there is 50% more mat space.

The White Belt class was well-attended. A few of the old faces were missing, but there were a few new ones.

The Blue Belt class was the biggest I've ever seen. There were nine of us rolling around.

When I was young I was part of a large pack of kids. One of our common activities was to roll around like a bunch of wrestling bonobos. That has never really left my system. I enjoyed the training tonight.

Didn't even get hurt. I don't think anybody did.

I did get bone tired.

I get to go again for the next four days in a row.

Whine

What with all the schedule changes, I'm going to be a busy fellow.

Work five days a week, just like a normal person.

On all of them I head off to train or teach at between 4 and 5 o'clock.

The most common return time is after 8:30.

Saturday has me out the door for a couple of hours at 9:30am, and then again in the early afternoon.

A lot of it is travel time. Still, it's 10.5 hours of training.

I like doing it. It's fun.

There are downsides. The only day left for me to run in is Sunday. That's OK, as I run because it's good for me. I don't enjoy it.

I like going to restaurants, and my work/play severely interferes with opportunities. In my small town most of the eateries are closed on Sunday. This eliminates my only unbooked lunch opening, and leaves only Saturday evening for a restaurant supper.

I'll have to grab as many of those as possible, as Helen gets her weekends heavily booked up with her music groups. I prefer going out to eat with her.

Other downsides? I only use a uniform for one session before laundering. They get considerably soaked with sweat. That means two Karate and six Jiu-Jitsu suits to wash each week. Two totally fill the washer, so that's four loads of laundry. Also, they don't just go into the dryer; oh, no. They have to hang to dry or they get wrecked. They dry slow.

More downsides? Well, there's the occasional injury. More are due to being an old, active dude rather than from the violence inherent in martial arts, but there are both kinds. Usually something hurts.

That's it. My big, whiny list of complaints.

I can't wait to get started.

09 01

Today was the first of September, and also the first day of the Martial Arts season.

The first class was Karate. The next of that style will be next Saturday. After that it will go twice a week and soon include a kids class.

Jiu-Jitsu begins Tuesday and jumps right into its five-day-a-week timetable.

I am looking forward to it all.

Today's Karate class was small; just three of us. It's nice that my returning students have some experience and don't need constand correction. For half the class I lined up with them, called techniques, and the three of us performed them. I got to sweat, too.

The other half of the time was spent on Kata, refreshing those they know, and then adding one more.

This week I'll firm up the schedule for the classes, and then make up a bunch  of posters.

This is the side of Karate I hate. 

It's one of the reasons I like going to Jiu-Jitsu. The organizing there is aomebody else's concern.