keep it up

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yesterday I worked mostly on footwork and kicks

I jumped rope for about 10 minutes, then some exercises,  steps,  jumps and finished with regular footwork

I still feel like an elefant  but doing that everyday I will loose that feeling I hope.

Then I put the punching ball in place,  a bit higher than usual to work on my high kicks , on both sides.

The position of my hands is having a life of its own, so I took that rubber tube thing and put it around my back holding the handles in the right on guard position, this is so tight my arms can´t go anywhere and this is actually a good thing to focus on yet another detail: keep the line straight during kicking!

I did this for a while and went back to it without the ruber thing, well no,  the arms are still living their own life so I put the thing back ( will have to check the name of that “thing” in the dictionnary ! )

and  I did the Bruce rope stretching again.. I wanted to tough it up a little bit by adjusting the rope higher up and I had to get on a chair first to be able to put my foot in the handle.. tricky ! but I have to do with what I have and the result is the only thing that matters actually.

I finished with the same stretching as last time against a wall and pushing myself forward putting one and then two mitts between my back and the wall.. It hurts like hell and I do that one minut or two until I start feeling sick or like I am gonna cry !

Well if this is not working at the end I really don´t know what will.. not getting any younger here, it is about time to get flexible  🙂

I was done but I added situps pushups and a bit of weight lifting to “really” finished the session ..

what´s wrong?

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A part of training JKD is to be aware of what your problem is . Of course I don´t have only one… but apart from a real improvement on my footwork I have quite a big one, my movements are always restricted, I thought I needed more stretching for my legs  it appears the problem is also situated somewhere else !

Yesterday I started the session with the heavy bag,  concentrating on the technique on only a few punches and kicks.

I always decompose the movement for at the end put it all together but I was not very happy with that yesterday.

 Anyway,  I remembered I saw a video posted by Amy and wanted to try some of her exercises, I built what I thought would work with a rubber band put my feet in the handles and tried to position myself but the equipment is wrong so I could not manage but it gave me another idea.

I remember Bruce using a rope to hold his leg on the side kick position using the other hand to lift it. Well here comes one answer to the problem, while trying to position myself correctly with a good body alignement and lift the leg, I thought this would kill my legs but no I did not feel a thing, it killed my back and my hip.

I repeated on the other side and found the same answer.

Ok then, this will be another goal for this year, try to get some flexibility in there !

The more I evolve in the style the more I find problems, is that good ? the good thing is to be able to identify and feel when something is not done right, the other thing is to be able to know what is needed to get it better, so in a way yes this is good, and only confirming one thing, after 6 years I see I have so much more to do, I understand why some people cannot handle the style, it is such an amount of personal work and dedication. I work most of the time alone, Micke has given me the tools during the years and is still is teaching me as  we have our sessions but I would not be at that level if I did not work by myself as well, there is no way, a great deal of discipline is required,  it is good I have time on my hands 🙂

I stretched even more on the floor trying to get to the legs as much as to the back and hips.

I finished with some JKD pole and wristroller, talking about killing something, I definetely killed my arms with those two favourites.

I feel sour today but I like the feeling, it means I worked where it is needed, now I just have to prepare for my session of today.

January 1st, 2011

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First training of the year outside in the snow:-)

that was fun , and so cold…

we decided to start the year with some tough stuff and showing off our nice Colorado Tshirts, gifts from Mike Gittelson.

We actually did not train that long considering the temperature outside but we did some mitts training with combinations and some hardening on the wooden structure of the cabin.

Then we runned the stairs, this was not planned at first because we simply could not find them ! but Micke started and as I never want to be left aside so I did it too. We both fell a couple of times but  this was actually a good exercise for endurance and resistance to the cold as well as adaptation to the slippery ground.

We tried some kicks as well some of us succeeded,  some of us ( me ! ) did not .

I was saying to Micke just now how annoyed I am with him being able to kick that high and never ever stretches at all !!!!

Again, I feel I have a huge work in front of me and the goals for this year are not different than last year, the way on the other side will be different and the plan is already set , I have a clear picture on what I need to work on .

We will travel to Colorado this year and we hope Mike and Dan will come here to Sweden after that. This means a lot of preparation for both events on top of the usual training towards my goals.

Last Training 2010

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Today as this will be a unique opportunity to gather all members at the same time and because it will also be the last training of the year 2010,

We will dedicate this training session to our Sifu Ted Wong.

Working hard

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yesterday I worked on my technique

I isolated all punches and kicks and worked them separately.

Starting with straight lead. I am pleased to see that I can feel what I do wrong and while I am correcting one problem I notice another one , ah… but  this is good in a way because when I identify them all I will be able to work on it in a better way then put it all together and deliver a good straight lead or any other punch.

The learning never ends and reaching the level where you can self correct and rectify is a great step , I am happy I reached this now.

I worked a while on the hook kick but I always feel good about this one so I moved on to the side kick, thinking about the video from Ted and working after what he says and shows there.

There are a lot of ways to learn, practise listen read and watch and  Ted made some videos that are to be used.

I also study Micke when he practises and sparrs, I actually know what I have to look at and I use that in my own training.

Ted said about Micke, ” if you want to learn how to kick , look at that guy ! ”

Yeah,  look at that guy! no matter what some people may think, that guy knows what he is doing and my loyalty to him will never end.

Honesty and Loyalty

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When I say something to someone I will say the same to someone else if the subject is brought up.

This brings me friends and enemies, those you don´t agree and those who appreciate honesty. Well you can´t please everyone, the most important for me is to stand for what I believe in and know that some people can trust me because they know I always say what I think.

I am loyal to my instructor and to my other JKD friends, I will back them up anytime they need and I stand for this.

Loyalty is precious, it makes people be close and strong together and I can´t imagine anyone thinking this is wrong.

LIFE

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From the day we were  informed about Ted´s passing , some of us were quiet for a while and then started sharing loving memories.

Today is one week after this day, I have hardly trained anything at all during this week, I feel bad about it but I just could not, I have felt extremely tired , but the energy will have to come back now because there is a time for everything.

I told it before , my life is evolving around JKD,  I feel I have a purpose or a destiny, something that makes me be where I am today and I feel it inside. Time for me to put on my gloves and show myself what I got. It is funny how things in life just change, how people change. Before JKD I always needed some kind of acknowledgement, not anymore and it is not only about the martial art,  it is about me as a person. I feel now I have to do things for myself  because it feels right and if anything feels wrong I won´t do it, I don´t feel I have to please anyone against my own beliefs, which I did before.

Anyway life goes on and my goal now is to impress myself, I have quite high expectations which is good and make me see I have a huge amount of work in front of me, but this is all good because I have a plan…

The San Francisco Story

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This trip was full of surprises,  good and bad.

This is the beginning:

On Monday 22nd Micke and I flew from Sweden to Switzerland to catch another flight to San Francisco. At the arrival in Switzerland I was stopped by the customs who told me I would not fly with this passport. I already had the boarding card but they said Sweden had made a mistake. That woman laughed at me saying “you are NOT flying” and to Micke “you are flying”. Micke told her he would not leave without me, we were both sent back to Sweden.

Now it is my responsability to have the right passport to travel but it was the Swedish airport’s responsability to let people fly with the right documents, had they stopped me I would have had the possibility to rearrange the trip instead of loosing it all.

Anyway I was so sad to miss it all,  I booked new tickets for the day after , thank God I found a reasonable price and used my Swedish passport ( which I had received after I booked the first trip) .

Wednesday 24th, we are now flying from Sweden to France and then to San Francisco,  we even managed to get on the same plane as Jari.

Arrival in San Francisco at 16.30, sun shinning, beautiful day but we are extremely tired and fell asleep at 17.00 in the afternoon to wake up 06.00 the morning after!

 Thursday 25th was the discovery day, the walking day, 6 hours in total, we went from Sutter Street to Union Square, China Town, Fisherman’s Warf, Lombard Street and back to Sutter St.

I have to say the best feeling I had was in China town I don’t know why, I felt good there and wanted to stay, I really like the Chinese culture and I was fascinated by the buildings and the atmosphere. We found Empress of China where Bruce´s birthday would take place,  as well as the Chinese hospital and for the first time in my life I ate dumplings, I loved it!

We came back in time to get a Thanksgiving dinner at the Hotel; this was really really nice…

Friday 26th was the Golden Gate day,  the feeling there was great, fantastic weather and great view, we walked on the bridge and stopped at the middle , we could see it all, Alcatraz was in sight… ah the feeling on the bridge was great,  I only had seen it in the movies, this was so incredible to actually be there.

Then we moved on to the Golden Gate Park and to the Japanese Garden, small place but really beautiful.

Back to Union Square where we thought we would do some shopping… yes sure !!! this was black Friday, thousands of people everywhere, there was no way, so we stopped at burger king and went home…

In the evening we met with the JKD brothers at our hotel, Mike Gittelson, Dan Harris, Coske, Jari and some more people from Los Angeles and Spain. Nice to meet some new friends!

Saturday 27th

At 13.00 we met with Jeff Chinn our tour guide at the Chinese hospital for the tour.  Jeff is a Bruce Lee Specialist, he seems to know almost everything about Bruce and behind this knowledge is a huge work of  researches. Jeff also has an impressive collection in his Bruce Lee Room… something I´d like to see someday 🙂 … This was great to hear lots of stories about Bruce’s life there, where he was born and the places where he used to be. The story about the theatres and the impact they had, we were shown unique pictures and told stories never heard before,  that was very interesting, Jeff and his wife are very nice people.

We had very little time to get back to the hotel to get ready for the dinner. At the dinner we sat with our friends at the left side of the scene, I could come forward and approach Linda who congratulated me for training Ted Wong JKD, I also told her I was from Sweden and she said she had some Swedish origins herself. I found Linda to be a very nice and sweet lady,  I was very happy to be able to meet her.

And Allen Joe, let me tell you, this man is adorable, he called me his favourite French girl :-). Allen even came to us later  and asked if we wanted to have a fortune teller read our hands.

I started  and he told me a lot of things that are actually true,  I was a bit surprised by some of them, for example when I asked how long it would take me to reach the level I want in JKD,  he answered 3 years, this is  exactly what Micke had wrote on facebook a couple of weeks ago  ..

When Micke sat he took his hand and said “OH here we have a JKD Master, you are a strong man”!  He turned to his father and said “this is a strong man,  you have a dragon in you” …….. Oh man, didn’t I hear that for the rest of the trip and still…….

The party was nice, meeting  Bruce’s family and friends was a great opportunity, but we really missed our Sifu Ted… After the party we went to the Hilton nearby to have a drink with our friends, we also met Allen again, he told Micke: “so she is one of your top students as I´ve  seen, you take care of her ! ” 🙂

Sunday 28th

This is the Alcatraz day!!! as we missed our first tickets,  we could book them again and  this was the only day and time available. At 9.20 am the boat left from Pier 33.

Alcatraz was sensational, some mixed feelings though when I stepped in a block D cell , it felt strange and uncomfortable,  I was thinking about being locked in there , no light , nothing , just four walls… The audio tour with inmates and guards telling the stories and the final incredible escape,  was brilliant.

On the way back we stopped at Pier 39, at the Crab House restaurant, ah! the best Crabs and Service ever!

And of course, I had to go to China town one more time… I wanted to buy a frog and I ended up with two Lions (for protection) instead. 

Later we met Mike and Dan again at the Hotel just before they would fly back to Colorado.We exchanged some T shirts and I got a big white JKD Colorado T -shirt 🙂 Micke got a black one. We really get along with those guys, we planned to meet them again.

Monday 29th, last day

We had planned to go to the airport around 12, up early I thought we had time for another round to China Town, yes I was obsessed By it, I loved the feeling I had there,  I just needed to be there one last time ( and I got my frog this time 🙂 )

I can say this trip was the best trip of my life,  I will never forget it.

We almost did not make it but we did and today I can say it was worth paying two times for it, I am happy I took that decision.

strength

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It is hard to find strength to do anything at all right now,

but today we will train because it is for sure what Ted would want us to do.

This training is for you Sifu.

SIFU TED WONG

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I was preparing myself to write about San Francisco but this morning I received a phone call from Micke which I would have liked not to have. He announced me the passing of Ted, this happenned while we were in SF and no one knew about it. I was very sad to hear this and did not believe it at first, I did not want to.

I will need some time to come up with something to write on my blog about this tragedy, right now I am only writing what I feel in the moment and this is sadness.

I met Ted two times in the past, the first time in 2005. This was the day my life changed, this was the day my JKD journey started, I felt I was given a unique opportunity when I met him, that same day I met Micke and the rest is well known. That day Ted  told me about a few stories as we sat in the lounge of the hotel in Nynäshamn Sweden, I remember looking at him and thinking: ” my God I am talking to Ted Wong , I can´t believe it “. After the training he told me a few words and comments which I will not share here, because this is something I will keep as my own special moment with Ted. Again in 2009, Ted told me something as I was leaving, these words are the last words he told me and I will never forget them. I was hoping for more words but they will never be heard , instead I will keep the last ones  in my heart as my special memory and unforgettable experience.

Ted was and will ever be the inspiration for us all in the Ted Wong JKD Authorized Training Group in Sweden, we have a deep and endless respect for him.

I always say and wrote it a couple of times, I am training first of all for myself but it is thanks to Ted who made it possible for us to go on with the real JKD of Bruce Lee.

I really hope the JKD family will stay and grow strong and be ONE as he wished. It is up to us now.

Dear Ted,

I will always remember the words you told me and will go on my journey in respect of your teachings. You gave me and all of us the opportunity to train and we will go on and honor your legacy.

You  always had and will forever have our deepest respect ,  as Bruce did, you left us too soon but you have done so much for the JKD world and you will always be remembered for this and for the great Man  you are.

I feel very sad today and I wish I would not have to write this but now we will have to be strong, we owe that to you.  I always have in mind what you told us last year : ” I don´t do that for me , I do that for you because you are the next generation. ” Training JKD according to your teachings has not only changed my life, it made me a better person and brought me peace. I always thought there was something special with that day in 2005 when we first met,  something that showed me the way.

I am sure you have now met Bruce again and both of you are watching us, we will not disappoint you.

May you rest in peace, Sifu Ted.