VKR 02: Weighing Water

 As I was having a hard time thinking of a blog topic this week, I figured it was a good opportunity for the next entry into my VKR series.

One of my biggest struggle areas is forms and techniques that require my water visualization, which is why I am starting with it. In essence, I believe water is the visualization that embodies soft flow and a balance between high velocity intensity and perfect stillness (if that makes sense?). Although I believe in this concept, I struggle reaching it.

My visualization of water has always naturally been akin to a waterfall or a whirlpool rather than a calm stream. As such, my soft forms and techniques have always felt, well, not soft. I feel heavy and crushing and I would rather feel smooth and clear, y'know? This understanding is part of why I have begun to develop my VKR; instead of fixing the issue by adjusting how I operate, I believe benefit may be found in adjusting my visualization (considering I wrote a small novel on this in the first VKR blog, I won't press this matter much further here). How I am doing so can be roughly displayed in the following "equation";

Water visualization attributes I have: heavy weight, medium velocity, hard flow, pressure

Water visualization attributes I want: light-medium weight, medium-high velocity, soft flow, smoothness

Adjustments required: Reducing the weight of the visualization while maintaining the existing velocity and intensity as much as possible

Intended outcome of these adjustments: The reduction of weight while maintaining intensity will force my flow to become softer, without losing strength.

The visualization I have been using for the time being has been snow. It maintains the speed, velocity, and intensity I desire while drastically reducing it's weight, allowing it to flow smoothly, softly, and freely. I have begun to apply this technique to my weapons form, moving in such a way that allows my vectors to rapidly change directions while moving forwards, similar to a snowflake caught in the wind. As snow is also a form of water, I figured it was an appropriate approach, at least for the time being. Once I have this visualization properly formed in my weapon, I plan on adapting and adjusting it to see if I can use it for Tai Chi, or if it is at least a step in the right direction. 

I apologize for how discombobulated this blog is, it has been a hectic couple of weeks with the school year wrapping up and all. My brain is a little mushy right now; I sat in the black belt class meeting room for several minutes yesterday before my mother informed me spring break was a thing. Whoops.

Next Step Up The Stairs

As of yesterday, I got a job! For those who are not fully aware, my designated field of study is Conservation Enforcement, which is law enforcement based around natural resources, such as Fish and Wildlife. Getting a job in this field can be a little tricky; nearly every province has seasonal and permanent employment, however, the competition is not diverse. At least, the stuff I am interested in is not entirely diverse. Essentially, employment opportunities are limited to; seasonal BC, permanent BC, seasonal Alberta, permanent Alberta, seasonal Saskatchewan, permanent Saskatchewan, etc. Furthermore, there is a lot of interprovincial communication and even scouting in some cases, so you could liken it to a draft pick for sports. As a matter of fact, one of my classmates had every single province west of Ontario emailing him and trying to get him into their respective agencies with a permanent position. A real Connor McDavid of the conservation enforcement field, some could say.

The only permanent position I was after this year was with Alberta Fish and Wildlife, and although I made it farther than I anticipated, I did not make the cut (which is okay!). I personally do not feel as though I am entirely ready for that type of responsibility, and so a season of seasonal work will treat me well. It also gives me a chance to finish my degree for December, which is awesome. Anyways, with that, I received a seasonal offer from Saskatchewan's park enforcement officer service yesterday and as I was one of the first ones called, I even got a pretty wide variety of locations to choose from. I was fortunate enough that there was an opening in Makwa/Loon Lake, which is roughly an hour northeast-ish of Lloydminster. It also happens to be the closest park to home, which is something I can look forward to. So if anyone finds themselves out that way for a summer trip, let me know! 

I am interested in how this will affect my training as I will be getting substantially more busy during the summer months. Regardless, my excitement is peaked, so I cannot wait to get started!

Progression

Something I have been seeing a lot of lately is my progression from who I was as both a person and a martial artist in 2020, and comparing that to the me in 2023. To this end, I am going to share about two specific instances; my aha moment that relates to my education, as well as my aha moment as a martial artist.

For my martial arts, it happened when I was clearing my camera role and found a bunch of videos I had taken of myself doing forms from March, 2020. Due to my spatial restrictions, it is a little difficult to compare the videos frame-by-frame to my forms now, and sense the difference in the general flow. I have, however, noticed little things, such as the placement of my harmonies, the structure of my stances, the little movements at the end of my rotations, etc. I find myself thinking of what advice I could offer to the me in the videos, as though I am instructing. This has been a really good method for me in figuring out where I am today compared to three years ago, as well as being able to see things I can further develop and remain mindful about. 

Within my education around resource enforcement, one of the most important assets we develop is tactical communication and the ability to diffuse situations with words, not force. Today, I was helping an instructor with the first year class doing role-play exercises on communicating with individuals who are committing offenses. As I got to chew out and yell at first years (acting is so much fun), I saw a lot of me from three years ago in their actions. These situations stressed me out and I struggled, despite the nature of these interactions being genuinely mild in comparison to what it could be. Immediately after my session as a role player, I went to my next class in which I was also doing situations, but on the officer side of things. As in, I was the one getting yelled at. Further more, my situations were done with paid actors and full props, and they were a lot more tense and aggressive (as one would expect comparing third year activities to first year ones). 

The situation went really well. Even though I was being yelled, screamed, and swore at, I never felt like I lost my cool or general control of the conversation, and by the time my partner and I had everything settled down, the actors were all commending us and our instructor was quite happy with how we conducted ourselves. This is not something I could have done in 2020. 

It can be quite the warm, fuzzy feeling to see good progress looking at the past, yknow? Speaking of the past, I thought I would share a picture my mother recently found from what I believe to be the 2017 banquet. Fifteen year-old Simon would be proud of my progress, I dare say.

VKR 01: "Essence of Personalization "

Here is a blog I have been working on for over a month, and I think this is as finely tuned and cohesive of a product as it can get. 

Something I have been working on for a while now is how I can make my Kung Fu truly mine. However, this has been a very bumpy road for me so far. Within all forms of professions, hobbies, and lifestyles, there are people who irrefutably shine a cut above the rest. In my opinion, this comes from the ability to take the same building blocks that everyone is given and building upon them to make something unique and original, while still following the same general formula everyone else is using. I had previously thought that I need to know everything before I can begin to truly personalize it, and that was my excuse for putting it off. Over the last year or so, I have realized how naïve of an approach this is. I mean, you CAN'T know everything. It is obviously not humanly possible to know everything that is and once was. In fact, it seems obvious to me now that being able to take teachings and convert them to my own will actually let me learn more.

Humans are as unique as the fingerprints we have. No two people will picture the exact same scenery when reading the same book, nor will they have the exact same approach or understanding to the same techniques. Even so, as we learn and slowly work on our path to mastery in forms, we are each presented with the same set formula and order of building blocks not unlike the structure of sentences in a novel. In that sense, one can compare a form to a book. No matter who performs or reads it, the core structure will always be the same for every person. It has to be. The words on the page and the moves in the form need to remain consistent between individuals, as it is the way of the universe. When I first made this analogy (because I really do love analogies), a realization donned upon me. We have all heard an excerpt or reading done by someone who was awfully monotone, and by someone who had emotion and energy. They can read the same thing, but why is Person Two so much easier to listen to? It is the personalization of their presentation and the intensity they work into the same words anyone can read that truly make the difference. Depth, tone, pace, emotion, all little factors in play. And alas, this can be done on a much more grandiose scale in forms and techniques. 

With that said, there is no right way to working your personality into your Kung Fu. I have always strongly relied on visualization. Or specifically, I like to think of it as "Visualization to Kinetic Representation". This is a process in which I first visualize how I want my technique to turn out, and then performing it as accurately as possible in accordance to said visualization. I did not realize it at the time, but even as a child I would picture material constructs as my visualizations and tried to emulate them. Now, what were these material constructs, you may ask? The five animals of Kung Fu! When I was younger, incorporating the five animals into my techniques, even if it occurred subconsciously most of the time, was my baby steps into a deeper understanding of whatever I was working on. 

It wasn't until I watched The Last Airbender series as teenager and saw the different elements being represented as different styles of Kung Fu that I realized there was more to Kinetic Representation than just animals. Different forms and techniques have different flows and match different elements, or so I thought. Visualizing to Kinetically Representing the five animals as well as the four elements in my Kung Fu was a tool I used in my later teens, as a blue-brown belt, and one that worked quite well for me (or so I like to think). 

Something I have realized lately is that, while incorporating different Kinetic Representations may be necessary for matching the flow of certain forms, I have yet to truly embody a singular Kinetic Representation. I believe there are two factors for this. The first is that, by constantly changing flows for different forms, my visualizations blend together. Transitioning from my water-based Tai Chi mindset to my earth-based Lao Gar mindset on a dime results in a muddy blend of the two. The second factor is that the visualizations I have been using are not 100% compatible with my body and mind. For example, I may only be 65% compatible with my concept of earth, 55% compatible with my concept of tiger, 20% compatible with my concept of water, etc. 

Now that I have laid out the groundwork of my thought process, on to the point of this blog; what do I need to visualize to completely embody and personalize my Kung Fu? The conclusion I have reached is that I need to take the nine visualizations I have been using and treat them as primary colours. They shine excellently on their own, but what never before seen shade can I create by mixing them in such a way to be as close as possible to being 100% compatible with me? What visualization do I need to create that can be applied to every single one of my techniques in a way that allows me to properly perform them while fully bringing out my potential? CAN I apply a single universal visualization to every single one of my techniques? What chemical reaction must I create to cover as many bases as I possibly can?

This is what I have been working on and will continue to work on throughout my weapons form and techniques this year. It is my intent to figure out what Visualization truly embodies me, and how I can develop it. This will be the essence of my personalization. I think it is also worth noting that my intention is not to create a style and try to conform to it. I may be a little late in mentioning this, but I already have a style. I realized this because there have been grey spots in my visualizations in which nothing works. I just draw a blank. My goal is to realize what this "grey" visualization is and that by applying it to my Kung Fu, I can further evolve my six harmonies, my flow, my energy, my intensity, and my Kung Fu in general. 

To record these thoughts and discoveries, I plan on writing several more follow up blogs which I will use to expand my thoughts and understandings of each of my nine current visualizations, as well as some of the blends I am working with. Additionally, I feel that it is worth stating again that this is how I work. The only right way to doing these sorts of things is whatever comes to you naturally.

With that, the first installment of the Visualization to Kinetic Representation (VKR) Series comes to a conclusion. 

Conflicting Kindness

 I had the pleasure of being a part of an ice fishing derby today. And by pleasure, I mean that, as the treasurer of the club organizing the derby, my attendance was somewhat mandatory. Jokes aside, I did indeed have a good time, even if the only thing that came through my hole was a handful of muskrats looking for some air.

As I spent eight hours in -20℃ weather staring at a ten-inch hole in the ice while fiddling with some rope on a stick waiting for something to happen, I had a lot of time to ponder, thinking of my next blog to write. While I had many ideas that I can now rely on in the future, the big one happened on our drive back.

Shortly after we left the lake, which was approximately 90 minutes from Lethbridge and on the other side of Pincher Creek, a local town, we came across an SUV in the ditch. Even though two trucks were already helping out, the five of us quickly decided to pitch in, as it had been snowing all day and the SUV was pretty stuck. After all, the more able-bodied young adults, the better. Eventually, as other members of our club stopped to also give us a hand and, with the power of some mighty fine towing trucks and some elbow grease, we got the vehicle back on the road. One of my biggest thoughts near the start of this encounter was "hey, this is a pretty solid AOK. I can't wait to write this down." However, another realization donned on both me and my peers as we were getting close to having the SUV back on the road. After interacting with her for that short period of time, the driver appeared to be rather intoxicated.

The first thing we did when we got back onto the road was call the Pincher Creek RCMP detachment and inform them of the driver. As she left before we did, we happened to see her pulled over as we passed through the town, so thankfully the situation was resolved before it had a chance to further escalate. Regardless, the whole ordeal left me with a rather sour taste, and thinking about the broad topic of considering the benefit of the AOK to the other person, something we touched on in IHC.

As this whole event happened only hours ago, it is still fresh on my mind and I have been constantly going back and forth. After talking with my parents, I have decided to accept that yes, helping the  individual out of the ditch is an act of kindness and that calling RCMP was our way of making sure the situation ended as optimally as possible. After all, it was quite the cold day, and a lot of people were driving very recklessly past us during the time. Who knows what may have happened to the driver if we had left her? It is possible that we may have saved her life.

However, I cannot help but be pessimistic about the situation. It is also possible that we could have endangered someone else's life by allowing her back on the road, even if it was for a short period of time. There is a possibility that my act of kindness could have taken someone's life. I mean, sure, it didn't. The situation ended as optimally as possible, as we strived for. But it still could have happened. I do not know how long this pang of guilt I am feeling will continue, but as of right now, it is giving me a lot to think about regarding acts of kindnesses that seem contradictory to the point. I believe the guilt comes from the fact that there may have been a better solution, but I cannot seem to think of one. Leave her in the ditch and let someone else take responsibility for getting her out? Absolutely not. Get her an alternate method back to Lethbridge? She seemed very much against the fact. Needless to say, I find myself in a conundrum with the potential to keep me awake tonight.

Not so much a revelation blog with a lesson learned, but more of a vent I guess? As a selfish request, I would like to hear peoples opinions on the matter, as they may help me figure out what I need to figure out.

 

Monthly Mini Challenge - MARCH

 Hello everyone! 

As tomorrow is the first Saturday of the month, it is finally time to get this ball rolling! So without further ado, tomorrows challenge is...

500 Kicks!

It does not matter which kicks you do, or how many different kinds. In fact, I encourage people to mix it up throughout the day. Remember, the idea of this challenge is to push you in a way that is less strenuous than the day of 1000, but to push you all the same. With that said, push yourself responsibly. Do not strive for 500 if your body will not allow it. On the flipside, if 500 is something you can knock off without breaking a sweat, I encourage you to do more. 

For those who may not be able to participate tomorrow, I encourage you to try and accomplish it on the soonest day you can. Better late than never, as they say. And lastly, for those struggling with knee issues (or any other injury for that matter) and are unable to kick continuously without further injury, I encourage you to still try and partake in a way that works your legs, but in a way that is good for you. Whether that be seated kicks, stretches, or another exercise you believe will benefit you most, please work at your own pace. 

As always, feel free to use this post to record your progress, and happy kicking! Clock starts at midnight!