I have been reading, The Fighter's Mind by Sam Sheridan and it has been reasonating on all sorts of levels. The author basically interviews a bunch of the elite fighters and coaches for the MMA, boxing, and wrestling and discusses what makes a fighter great or elite. It mostly comes down to (1) loving what you are doing; (2) working harder than anyone else; and (3) an absolute belief in your ability tempered by the knowledge that you are always learning and that you can learn from everyone -- that losses do not make you a loser; losses are an opportunity to learn, adjust, improve and make yourself better.
Pell work, cardio and strength training have been going well and we had a good drill practice last night and also watch a video of Sir Kjartan teaching out in Caid. The more I watch people talk about what they do, the more I realize I am doing a bunch of the same stuff, a little different but based on the same premises. Anyway, the content of the video was good, even if the sound quality was a litle poor.
I am finding myself frustrated on the weight loss front. I work hard and I eat right and the pounds are creeping down, but it is so slow. I need to find the balance of keeping vigilant about my eating and exercising and where it is putting me weight wise, and not obsessing about what I weigh. Right now, I think this might be my biggest barrier to letting myself become a dominate fighter -- I am too self-conscious about my body -- i think my essence is that of a warrior and this modern world that has me riding a desk for most of the day is so not conducive to what my body was made for and it makes it so hard to find the time to give my body the activity it needs to be the warrior it was born to be -- sometimes, I feel trapped by my plump body fueled by a mostly sedentary lifestyle. What I think I need to make happen is bring a timer to work and every 50 minutes have it go off, and take a 5 to 10 minute break to do core exercises, or planks, or pushups, or lunges or squats and then also make sure I take at least a 20 min break for lunch, bring my good walking shoes and a change of clothes and go for a power walk around the city. Maybe that will be the goal for next week.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
Wednesday fight
went back to regular fight practice finally. i was a little worried that i would not enjoy myself. or that the pell work would not translate wll into full speed. but i did enjoy myself and lots of what i have been working on in drills and on the pell translated well, i have lots more work to do, but i felt like what i brought was better than where i had assessed myself as being. My snap is still too tentative -- i need to relax and just let it go -- Vilius had a good idea and at the next practice, the only shots that will count for me will be onsides -- wraps and snaps; i can fake the poke, i can fake the backhand, or the slot, but i need to kill with the onside. if i throw a killing or disabling blow that is not an onside, I will likely be calling it back probably as "flat" or something or just telling my opponent that i am working on something and i am unable to allow the fight to end with what i threw. i think most of the people i fight and practice with will be fine with that.
Vilius and i did a bunch of drill work first at practice cause no one else was in armor when we were ready to go, we did some shield hook drills and blocking by stepping in and shutting down my opponent's offense and turning to face the blow to block until you decide to step in and throw and do a blocking while striking maneuver. All very helpful. Vilius and i also fought each other left handed for a short set -- need to do this more because it is so not natural and it takes forever for one of us to actually land something decent on the other. Fought single sword with Jennifer, which was fun, I worked on blocking her attack and then making a different attack everytime. it was super fun -- 1) because she did not arm hunt and neither did i and 2) because neither one of us went for the double kill -- it is the kind of single sword i enjoy. then timm and villius and i fought some and then everyone else joined in to sort of a bear pit -- fought sir payne, quaz and another guy whose name i am spacing on. Worked on staying low, had some beautiful stuff and also some stuff that felt too forced. next time in armor will be about the onside, staying low and staying relaxed.
Vilius and i did a bunch of drill work first at practice cause no one else was in armor when we were ready to go, we did some shield hook drills and blocking by stepping in and shutting down my opponent's offense and turning to face the blow to block until you decide to step in and throw and do a blocking while striking maneuver. All very helpful. Vilius and i also fought each other left handed for a short set -- need to do this more because it is so not natural and it takes forever for one of us to actually land something decent on the other. Fought single sword with Jennifer, which was fun, I worked on blocking her attack and then making a different attack everytime. it was super fun -- 1) because she did not arm hunt and neither did i and 2) because neither one of us went for the double kill -- it is the kind of single sword i enjoy. then timm and villius and i fought some and then everyone else joined in to sort of a bear pit -- fought sir payne, quaz and another guy whose name i am spacing on. Worked on staying low, had some beautiful stuff and also some stuff that felt too forced. next time in armor will be about the onside, staying low and staying relaxed.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Setting Goals -- Owning My Content
I am happier when I blog and set goals and stay on task. The last couple of months I have not wanted to share, or put my thoughts or goals or musings out there. A lot has to do with the blowup over the summer last year -- and I have meditated on that and mentally dissected it way more than it warranted. I have come to the conclusion that I need to be me. An honest, open, me. If people get upset by what I write, I will have to deal with that. But I am not going to censor myself because I am afraid other people are too delicate to handle what I have to say.
I am not a mean or vindictive person. And I would never write something about someone that I would not say in person; moreover, this blog is not a gossip blog and it is not about other people, nor is it, nor will it ever be, a place for me to vent about other people. It is about me. It is from my perspective and it is an analysis of the way I handle my training, my tourney bouts, my mental preparation, and the hurdles that inevitably come up related to those issues. This blog and everything I write in it, is about me -- not you and not your friends. Not any of you. Really. Seriously. That is not who I am. If you think I am attacking you, I'm not. That is not who I am.
If you feel the need to spread rumor and innuendo related to my self-reflections in this blog, you do not get what this is about and I will probably excise you from my life. That IS who I am. That being said, I am going to blog again -- about me, self-reflection, self-analysis, and probably some deep shit sometimes. And I refuse to censor myself.
2013 Goals
1. I am going to win a tourney this year, maybe two or three. For too long I have had the attitude that I don't care. Or the tourney is small and it is not fair to enter unless I really want to be champion or whatever, or because I helped organize the tourney I should not win. No more. When I enter a tourney, I am in it to win it. Unless I change my attitude in this regard, I am never going to be able to mentally practice, in a tourney setting, for winning Crown -- the one tourney I am always in to win. I need to practice, in real tournies (not just Crown), always bringing my best fight, and wanting to do my best and focusing on doing my best. That is the only way I am going to have that focus in Crown on a consistent basis. And lets be honest -- my focus is not going to be on winning the tourney -- any of the tournies -- it is going to be on bringing -- mentally, physically, emotionally, and skill-wise -- my best fight every round no matter what. If I lose, but I brought my best, most focused, most dynamic fight, I still have reached my victory condition. Winning, for the sake of winning, is not me.
2. Kit. I have a kickass helmet. Its gorgeous. I need to finish my fighting pants, make a new fighting tunic, and put together my new fighting boots, so that the rest of my kit does not make my helmet look like an anomaly. The deadline for doing this is the end of April. I also want to reshape my heater, so it looks more like a mini-kite, or a larger version of Mari's shield or put a fake center boss on a rectangle, so it looks more period appropriate. This will be a project that I work on with Dave. The new shield might need to wait until after September Crown becaue I do not want to change my kit mid-summer. We'll see. I need to finish my banner, it is almost half-way done, I just need to fancify it -- needs to be done before May Crown.
3. Health/ Fitness. I'm turning 40 this year. Realistically, I probably, if I'm lucky, have ten years to win the two crowns I want to win. That sounds like a lot of time, but it isn't. I need to get my body in peak condition. To that end, I need to really buckle down on the no simple carb way of eating -- that means eliminating sugar and grains completely. No more snacking off plan. I will lose 50 lbs. this year. Exercise -- I will engage in cardio 6 x week; mental workout 6x week; yoga 4-5 x week; pell work daily; drills 2x week; and armored full speed fighting 2x week. I will enter a 5K walk race once a month. I will enter at least 3 long distance open water swims -- probably .5 to 1 mile distances. I will go to the chiropractor for an adjustment and massage twice a month. I will stretch daily.
4. Skill development. 6 times this year, I will either travel to, or bring in, a fighting instructor and attend a workshop. I will do video analysis of myself and others 2-3 times a week. I will e-mail with my mentors more for feedback -- at least once a month. I will read through the fighting books on my reading list, at least one every two months. When I am sewing, at least once a week, I will watch a training video instead of brain candy.
This looks like a long list, but it is all doable. I need to stay focused, motivated, and inspired. And when I'm working hard that is easier to do.
I am not a mean or vindictive person. And I would never write something about someone that I would not say in person; moreover, this blog is not a gossip blog and it is not about other people, nor is it, nor will it ever be, a place for me to vent about other people. It is about me. It is from my perspective and it is an analysis of the way I handle my training, my tourney bouts, my mental preparation, and the hurdles that inevitably come up related to those issues. This blog and everything I write in it, is about me -- not you and not your friends. Not any of you. Really. Seriously. That is not who I am. If you think I am attacking you, I'm not. That is not who I am.
If you feel the need to spread rumor and innuendo related to my self-reflections in this blog, you do not get what this is about and I will probably excise you from my life. That IS who I am. That being said, I am going to blog again -- about me, self-reflection, self-analysis, and probably some deep shit sometimes. And I refuse to censor myself.
2013 Goals
1. I am going to win a tourney this year, maybe two or three. For too long I have had the attitude that I don't care. Or the tourney is small and it is not fair to enter unless I really want to be champion or whatever, or because I helped organize the tourney I should not win. No more. When I enter a tourney, I am in it to win it. Unless I change my attitude in this regard, I am never going to be able to mentally practice, in a tourney setting, for winning Crown -- the one tourney I am always in to win. I need to practice, in real tournies (not just Crown), always bringing my best fight, and wanting to do my best and focusing on doing my best. That is the only way I am going to have that focus in Crown on a consistent basis. And lets be honest -- my focus is not going to be on winning the tourney -- any of the tournies -- it is going to be on bringing -- mentally, physically, emotionally, and skill-wise -- my best fight every round no matter what. If I lose, but I brought my best, most focused, most dynamic fight, I still have reached my victory condition. Winning, for the sake of winning, is not me.
2. Kit. I have a kickass helmet. Its gorgeous. I need to finish my fighting pants, make a new fighting tunic, and put together my new fighting boots, so that the rest of my kit does not make my helmet look like an anomaly. The deadline for doing this is the end of April. I also want to reshape my heater, so it looks more like a mini-kite, or a larger version of Mari's shield or put a fake center boss on a rectangle, so it looks more period appropriate. This will be a project that I work on with Dave. The new shield might need to wait until after September Crown becaue I do not want to change my kit mid-summer. We'll see. I need to finish my banner, it is almost half-way done, I just need to fancify it -- needs to be done before May Crown.
3. Health/ Fitness. I'm turning 40 this year. Realistically, I probably, if I'm lucky, have ten years to win the two crowns I want to win. That sounds like a lot of time, but it isn't. I need to get my body in peak condition. To that end, I need to really buckle down on the no simple carb way of eating -- that means eliminating sugar and grains completely. No more snacking off plan. I will lose 50 lbs. this year. Exercise -- I will engage in cardio 6 x week; mental workout 6x week; yoga 4-5 x week; pell work daily; drills 2x week; and armored full speed fighting 2x week. I will enter a 5K walk race once a month. I will enter at least 3 long distance open water swims -- probably .5 to 1 mile distances. I will go to the chiropractor for an adjustment and massage twice a month. I will stretch daily.
4. Skill development. 6 times this year, I will either travel to, or bring in, a fighting instructor and attend a workshop. I will do video analysis of myself and others 2-3 times a week. I will e-mail with my mentors more for feedback -- at least once a month. I will read through the fighting books on my reading list, at least one every two months. When I am sewing, at least once a week, I will watch a training video instead of brain candy.
This looks like a long list, but it is all doable. I need to stay focused, motivated, and inspired. And when I'm working hard that is easier to do.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Saturday fight
Fought on saturday with Duke Davin, sir timm, Sir villius, Richenza and Constantine. Honestly, did not want to fight, I am on new antibiotics, I'm tired and itchy with hives from whatever infection my body is fighting.
Glad I armored up though, because fighting Davin is always super fun. He and Sven are probably my very favorite people to fight. The day was all about focusing on my hand position in guard, lower center of gravity in stance and widening the stance and throwing thrusts as second or third blows. I actually had a very pretty flat snap on vilius, so yay.
The practice for the most part had a no ego vibe and I love that. Duke Thorin was there watching and giving feedback and he told Villius a drill that he Thorin thinks will help me fix my timing problems on the snap and thrust. I look forward to trying it out. Villius and I have also been talking about going up to thorin's house once a month or so and working with him individually -- Thorin said he's open to that, so now it is just a matter of getting it on the calendar.
On another note, I'm still pretty pissed about the new sentence the BoD has proposed for the IE language. I wrote them an email and sent it today, so at least I made sure my voice was heard.
Also, went to the ENT last Thursday, so I can cross that off my November to-do list.
Glad I armored up though, because fighting Davin is always super fun. He and Sven are probably my very favorite people to fight. The day was all about focusing on my hand position in guard, lower center of gravity in stance and widening the stance and throwing thrusts as second or third blows. I actually had a very pretty flat snap on vilius, so yay.
The practice for the most part had a no ego vibe and I love that. Duke Thorin was there watching and giving feedback and he told Villius a drill that he Thorin thinks will help me fix my timing problems on the snap and thrust. I look forward to trying it out. Villius and I have also been talking about going up to thorin's house once a month or so and working with him individually -- Thorin said he's open to that, so now it is just a matter of getting it on the calendar.
On another note, I'm still pretty pissed about the new sentence the BoD has proposed for the IE language. I wrote them an email and sent it today, so at least I made sure my voice was heard.
Also, went to the ENT last Thursday, so I can cross that off my November to-do list.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Feeling a Bit Sabotaged by Health Issues
First it was bronchitis, then strep, then strep again and now my throat hurts again, I'm fatigued and I am full of goo. This makes 3 months of my life in a row that I have basically felt awful. Tried to make another appointment with my primary care doctor and she told me there was nothing more she could do for me and that I need to go see a specialist ENT. Making that appointment today. Thinking there must be something wrong with my immune system.
Despite being sick, I have been training and fighting a bit. Villius and I have been doing helm/shield/sword drills about three times a week and I have been hitting the pell about 5 times a week. With a practice here and there. Full armored practice takes more out of me and has been sparser for that reason since I really have no endurance with the sick. Went down to Sacramento for Cynagua coronet over the weekend. Good fights in with Helga, Hansa, Gemini, Malyn and a few others. Gemini helped me work on my double thrust return and my grip on the snap. When I make those two things natural, it is going to be wicked.
Spent a bit of time on the phone with Sean on Sunday diagnosing what's wrong with my snap -- he gave me three main themese: (1) my stance is too anrrow, I need to widen it out at least to my shoulders; (2) I'm standing toot all, so when I'm going for power generation on the snap I'm dipping, I need to start out where my dip takes me, fight from the chi; and (3) my hand placement in stance needs to be palm forward instead of pointing at my head and my blade needs to be facing right -- right now my blade is facing forward and that is making me have to do an extra move with my wrist in the release and tear drop. Just changing the palm position was huge because it puts me back in the serving soup position for the whole movement, making the motion pretty much effortless. The lower and wider stance helps facilitate this as well. November will be focused on incorporating the feedback from Gemini and sean so that it is second nature.
Goals for November:
1. go to ENT and get this sick shit sorted
2. kettlebells twice a week
3. cardio four times a week
4. pell work at lease 5 times a week
5. slow work with Vilius 3 times a week
6. Fight 2 to 3 times a week depending on health
7. Set goals for 2013 tourney season
8. Mental workout 5 times a week
9. Lose 10 lbs.
10. Fix fighting pants
Despite being sick, I have been training and fighting a bit. Villius and I have been doing helm/shield/sword drills about three times a week and I have been hitting the pell about 5 times a week. With a practice here and there. Full armored practice takes more out of me and has been sparser for that reason since I really have no endurance with the sick. Went down to Sacramento for Cynagua coronet over the weekend. Good fights in with Helga, Hansa, Gemini, Malyn and a few others. Gemini helped me work on my double thrust return and my grip on the snap. When I make those two things natural, it is going to be wicked.
Spent a bit of time on the phone with Sean on Sunday diagnosing what's wrong with my snap -- he gave me three main themese: (1) my stance is too anrrow, I need to widen it out at least to my shoulders; (2) I'm standing toot all, so when I'm going for power generation on the snap I'm dipping, I need to start out where my dip takes me, fight from the chi; and (3) my hand placement in stance needs to be palm forward instead of pointing at my head and my blade needs to be facing right -- right now my blade is facing forward and that is making me have to do an extra move with my wrist in the release and tear drop. Just changing the palm position was huge because it puts me back in the serving soup position for the whole movement, making the motion pretty much effortless. The lower and wider stance helps facilitate this as well. November will be focused on incorporating the feedback from Gemini and sean so that it is second nature.
Goals for November:
1. go to ENT and get this sick shit sorted
2. kettlebells twice a week
3. cardio four times a week
4. pell work at lease 5 times a week
5. slow work with Vilius 3 times a week
6. Fight 2 to 3 times a week depending on health
7. Set goals for 2013 tourney season
8. Mental workout 5 times a week
9. Lose 10 lbs.
10. Fix fighting pants
Monday, October 22, 2012
And so it goes
Last week was a pretty good week training wise considering I am still getting over the strep -- drill work with Vilius monday, Drill work with Villius and constantine tuesday, Wednesday went to practice and watched and lent out my armor, also did some stick work, thursday pell work. friday pell work, saturday pell work, sunday fight practice. Villius has been super motivated and really good about coming up with a syllabus for drill work and identifying different areas he wants me to work on, which has been really nice. For the enxt month or so, it will likely be alla bout getting my wrap in shape, getting the snap to feel effortless and working on throwing the thrust as a second or third blow instead of always the initiating blow. We have also been working defense a ton with turn and face the blow drills. Fighting full speed yesterday, I could really tell I had been drilling this stuff because my shield caught stuff i was not sure I had and I had some real success with the blows i have been focusing on. I am super excited to be working on all this stuff with Vilius.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Crown
Went 6 rounds -- got taken out by the two finalists -- losses in the 3rd round and the 6th round -- HRH Ulfr took me out of the tourney. My fighting was nowhere near as crisp as I would have liked. Way too many blows and not efficient enough. I think I was top 16, but that really does not matter, because looking back I know I can fight more decisive. the good news was that I had presence and I brought a fierce fight. Now its time to work on tempering that ferocity with decisive blows, timing changes, and a better negotiation of measure.
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