Yes, yes...

My perspective on training right now is that TKD is my favorite physical activity. The need for more physical activity means I need to do more of my favorite things. TKD. The trainer even said I could bring in some focus pads. I doubt he'll mind escrima sticks either. I have to do what I like doing, right? I agree.

C'est La Vie!

Life! That wonderful thing that kind of gets in the way of what really matters. Right now I don't know for 100% sure that I'll get a black belt in TKD, well ever, but I know that I am in control of my training. To that end, I met with a personal trainer (FREE!) today and made a commitment to invest in myself, my health and my martial art. He showed me crunches, I showed him stances and kicks. I expect it to go swimmingly.

Unfortunately the Gods of Army are not looking favorably on my black belt journey. We may move away from my school before I can attain black belt. It will be unfortunate, but the belt is merely a symbol of the mindset. I can achieve martial arts success and fitness on my own with or without a test to prove it. Wish me luck!

A Poll!

My Reading List

I believe that true training is both physical and mental and I could always use some new advice so I ordered some books from Amazon a few days ago. Since I haven't started them, we'll call it the reading list. I'll review the books when I finish them.

One, recommended by Black Belt Mama (one awesome butt-kicking woman, I can assure you) is Living The Martial Way: A Manual for the Way a Modern Warrior Should Think by Forrest E. Morgan. She mentioned it as a result of a discussion we had on Kata/Poomse/Forms on her blog - it was so timely I de-lurked to tell her so! Well, this book is first on my list just as soon as I can pry it from the Sarge. I think he likes it.

Ultimate Fitness Through Martial Arts is another of my purchases. After a quick glance through, this one will wait until I've progressed a bit further in my physical conditioning. Over the long-term, however, I expect this to be useful.

Tae Kwon Do: The State of the Art is a nice reference guide for TKD fundamentals. It will be handy as I begin the boys' training. I never learned the Korean words for things so it will be fun to learn them together. It will also be nice to study the history of the art as well.

Official Tae Kwon Do Training Manual disappoints me. It goes into USTF forms in great detail but my forms are of the ITF variety. I will re-read and see if there is anything of use here.

Of course, no brush up on Martial Arts knowledge would be complete without
A Book of Five Rings
The Art of War
The Unfettered Mind: Writings of the Zen Master to the Sword Master

Am I missing anything?

I also recommend visiting Century's website occasionally looking for videos on sale. Our class is weak on weapons so I have to teach myself. I've gotten Eskrima, Arnis, Sword, Sword and Dagger, and Tonfa videos for as little as five bucks. Well worth it. I love when the student (me) can become somewhat of a master and share what the videos have taught me with my teachers. I tend to focus on single- and double-stick stuff, but I do like the sword as well. That is one weapon I would try to pay money to learn (remembering of course that I have no money).

Now its your turn, my as-yet-unknown readers. What books and videos do you recommend? What motivates you when your resolve is low? Show me the way and I will follow!

National Blog Post Month

Also known as kick start your training month. I have to blog every day, I may as well do some TKD training too!

All Hail...

We did do Kata (poomse, forms, patterns...) last night and we did argue about forms last night. Which is a more critical dispute to resolve? Forms or Warm-ups?

Yup! Another blog!

Join me as I prepare for my Black Belt test in Tae Kwon Do next year. I'll be writing about training, fitness and preparing mentally for the journey ahead to my black belt test and beyond.

What is Kuan-Ti? Here's a definition from Answers.com.

Kuan Ti

(East Asian mythology)

The god of war in Confucian tradition. A popular figure in Chinese folklore, Kuan Ti was a leading general during the period of disunity known as San Kuo, the Three Kingdoms (221–65). He is not, however, a Mars figure, warlike and implacable, but rather the god who prevents war. As Kuan Yu, a massive man, nine feet in height, with a beard two feet long, a ruddy complexion, and eyebrows like sleeping silkworms shading his phoenix eyes, which were a scarlet-red, he took up arms in the complicated civil war because he wished ‘to pay the state his debt of loyalty and give peace to his black-haired compatriots’. Ts'ao Ts'ao, the deposer for the last Han Emperor and the architect of discord, had once said: ‘I would rather betray the whole world than let the world betray me.’

Kuan Yu was killed by the Sun, a powerful clan established at Ch'eng-tu. Yet his valour and courtesy were a standing rebuke to his contemporaries, then engaged in treachery and violence. The apotheosis of his cult occurred in 1594 when the throne conferred on him the title of Ti, great supporter of heaven and protector of the empire. Kuan Ti had become the divine champion, always ready to intervene against all those who disturb the peace—rebels, sorcerers, demons, and foreigners.

In a nutshell, Kuan-ti is perceived by the noble classes in China as a God of War but the common people consider him a god of protection. I like this because it demonstrates the classic dichotomy of martial arts. While I like to beat some ass now and then, the reason I study martial arts and encourage the study of martial arts by everyone is because of the self-confidence that it brings and the firm belief that I am capable of protecting myself if the need arises. I enjoy the tradition, the ritual and the discipline every bit as much as I enjoy sparring. I am looking forward to deepening my knowledge of the history of Tae Kwon Do specifically and martial arts in general in the coming year.