How hard are you ready to work ?

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The question of the day: How far are you prepared to go to meet your goals ?

Well I already answered that question, I need a kick in the A.. to get up to next level, and I am giving it to myself .

I already train every day but I have changed program to focus on the basics which are not good enough for me to evolve properly.

Yesterdays training:

Footwork

Shadow boxing

Skiping rope-  6minutes

Squats-  1set of 30 on each side x4

Situps- 2 sets 50 each

Wristroller 3 times down and 3 times upp , this burns ! I could actually see the forearms growing,  great !!!

Stretching ..

It feels good, I push myself harder because otherwise I will stay where I am.

Having no limitation as limitation.. I always keep that in mind Bruce.

Quality not quantity – Footwork !

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After my footwork and shadowboxing session yesterday, I went on the net and read some articles from Bruce, Ted and Teri. Bruce said in one of them, it is better to throw 5 good punches than 20 LOUSY ones. 

To Focus on the technique but not think too much is no easy task, at least not for me, even if after 6 years I found it easier not to think too much and practise until I feel it right. Practise is the key there is no other way , it does not come naturally !

The good thing is that I know where my problems are , and  the flow must be the biggest. Everything is related to footwork that is why I am working on it more .

I feel, like Micke says  that  I  reached another level but still, there is something holding me back , I feel I lack something really important which is the key to all my problems.

I already know what it is but I even got a better light on it reading Ted´s article on footwork. And I can tell now that even if I have trained seriously during 5 years, this is far from being enough. More time on footwork is what I am doing now.

Because there is nothing more important to me than being good at JKD.

Sweden 05- Ted talks about footwork

Private Lessons

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Our friend Remy is gone travelling in the USA, our friend Michel  is … well  I don´t know … the Sunday group training is reduced to me.

We really miss our guys but at least Remy will be back in a month or so, during this time, I will get only private and intense sessions,  which is good.

Yesterday we worked hard on the punches and Kicks

. Punches on focus mitts

– Straight lead, I cant remember any comment on this one, must have been good 🙂

if anything I lack power ,that I am sure of…

– Hook, the movement is not deep enough I am retracting the arm too soon..

. Kicks

– hook kick,

– side kick,

 – front kick,

. Moving on to the kicking pad

– side kick

– hook kick

– spinning back kick

We are testing the time of reaction when Micke says which kick or punch I should do.

Working with the brain… and adapt to the distance and situation when hearing the words..

Same drill with the heavy bag, Micke moves it back and forth and says “Kick”  whenever he wants, this means the bag kan be anywhere at that time, the speed in the reaction and the distance adaptation are crutial.

. Kick combinations on heavy bag:

– Hook kick : low , regular and high  1-2-3 fast

changing the position immediately to the left side, same drill- 10 times

I need more speed !!!!

. Punch combinations :

Uppercut , hook, and high straight lead- 10 times fast both sides

. last exercise :

Combination Hook – Cross on focus mitts

Punch until you drop !

Speed Power and Stability , let´s start with that, then add calculation of the distance, FOOTWORK!!!!! isn´t that the essence of JKD ? 

Micke´s Art

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While we are waiting for the man to write something I thought I would share a little part of his art, Micke is very creative, he used to write, draw and paint. Here are the Bruce Lee paintings that he made.

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this last one is hanging in my training room, I am so jealous about the ones that are actually in Stefan´s possession..  and he told me he has some more at home. But I can say I have a big  one that no one has ever seen just because it is not finished, the outline is done and some shadow and coulour need to be added,  it is the full size Bruce Lee  figure and it is GREAT … I  will actually finish it someday.

Summer training schedule

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I just got a new training schedule from Micke.

He says I need to increase the level now and the main focus it to get stronger. I need to get some strenght in my legs and arms, apparently the technique is better now and  I need to stand longer and stronger in the fights.

– Footwork and shadow boxing everyday as usual,

– More intense exercises with the JKD pole and  the Heavy bag.

– Heavier Weight lifting, more stomach exercises and special attention to leg press and squats.

– Runing and  biking a couple of times a week as usual but with more intensity.

– Stretching everyday is also a must, this is my biggest weakness I just cannot understand why my body does not get more flexible, but I don´t say that too loud because the answer I get is   ” It is because you don´t stretch hard enough !!! ”  that must be true, even if it hurts like hell it is not enough , but I try anyway  and this will have to pay off someday  ..

– Plus the sunday training as usual where the main focus right now is on the technique.

Words From Micke

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Micke and Stefan are training partners and also close friends. Please check earlier post under “the team members” for more info about Micke.

I asked him to write something here , his comments are coming soon..

Words from Stefan

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As I explained in an earlier post I started training JKD in 2004 at Stefan´s School in Stockholm. Stefan Nikander is the Head instructor for Ted wong JKD in Scandinavia, one of only four people certified by Ted Wong  JKd in Europe. After he read my blog I asked him if he would like to write something and here is what he sent to me:

Stefan Nikander on the Internet and on a blog, that is a controversy. I am a person who is so far away from the Intenet & the Mobile world as you can imagine. I haven’t even sent an SMS yet. I don’t know if this has to do with me growing up before the Computer age. Being 42 years old I spend my childhood playing football, Icehockey and any sport I could find. when I was not doing sport I was busy climbing tress. rocks and anything you could find.
Today I would probably have one of those “letter combination” like ADHD or something. But actually I did very well in school, I have never bullied anyone, never ventured into criminality, drugs etc. I am actually really proud of the fact that I have never done drugs, not even coffee, obviously I have never smoked, never took any steroids even though I have lifted weights since I was 13 years old and consider myself a dedicated weight trainer.
My passion for martial arts started at early age with the Karate Kid movies and here I am today, father of three wonderful children, happily married with my girlfriend from 20 years back, Head instructor for Ted Wong JKD in Scandinavia, One of only four people certified by Ted Wong in JKd in europe.
JKD is all about self knowledge and when I ask myself who really is Stefan Nikander I can only come to the conclusion that he is a very fortunate person  since he has a wonderful family, good friends and if immortality truly lies in first living a life worth remembering I would have no regrets if  my Braintumour would decide another destiny for me than I have and My journey towards perfection would continue somewhere else than on this beautiful planet we call Earth.
Thank you Stefan for your participation in my Blog.
😦

Sadly I have to add that Stefan Nikander passed away on Oct. 5th 2011. He will be  greatly missed , Rest in Peace Stefan.

Summer Run in Sweden…

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I just HATE mosquitos , in Sweden in the summer there is a ” Mosquito invasion ” . You can´t ride your bike or run or even go nearby the lakes without crossing mosquito clouds, most of the swedish don´t mind and aren´t bothered but my french blood must be more tasty or warmer I don´t know,  but I am in hell. 

if you run in the streets it is Ok but if like me,  you like to run in the forest or tracks nearby the lakes , well you have to be prepared to get started with a real fight , this is a new way to practise the shadow boxing , trying to kill as many  flying blood suckers as possible while running, it is very challenging, believe me !

Outdoor !

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What is better than training outside in the warm and sunny summer time..

It was only me this sunday,  training with Micke

We started with punches on focus mitts:

– jabs

– jab cross

– jab cross hook

– jab cross hook and hook kick

Micke says the technique looks good , good balance in the kicks as well

And more combinations:

– jab cross hook , duck – duck, uppercut left and right, elbow left and right

– same combination adding knees left and right, with jump.

Those knee kicks are not good at all, I need power !

Working more on the knees

– up towards thai pads and focus mitts

Elbow

– left and right on focus mitts. Good power on the right side.. not good on the left side….

light sparring

–  focus on the blocking of  punches to the head

Working on the fluidity of the movement to avoid the punches and blocking, I  need more speed !!!… another thing is to ALWAYS be prepared, one of Micke´s specialties is to surprise you with new things and either than his famous kick to the head that no one has the time to see, today ´s unexpected was  : The Hammer punch,  right on top of the head..  Yeah ALWAYS be prepared for that kind of stuff, after 5 years I should be better at that ..

Hook kicks

– on focus mitts , those look good today ..

More combinations:

– low kick on the  leg + jab cross

working and  the calculation of the distance for the punches and timing:

– jab cross,  straight after kick,  with movement back, with movement forth and with movement to the side. With the partner not moving and with the partner moving as a reaction to the low kick. Somehow I feel most comfortable with the last one, seems more natural to me to punch with the side movement right after the low kick. 

And the big finish….

Running up the stairs … I will do that in one go! I am very surprised and happy, I  had to catch my breath when I was done but  it feels great , now that I can do it in one go I can focus on the speed..

Gym and things..

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Yesterday at the gym was good, I feel I can increase the weights a little bit now.

I am not happy with my muscles though, I feel I lost some shape and definition and I have to get it back.

Well I am not too worried,  I use to look much better in the summer, maybe because of the variety of  exercises , I always do more things in the summer and it shows. It is quite interesting because I am french and even after 8 years I am still not used to it, it seems that in Sweden we have two lifes.

One in the winter and one in the summer. I still have lots of difficulties to adapt to the winter, really it feels like we live half our life in the dark and snow. Everything is in two, even the training but most of all the spirit and the soul.

It takes a lot for us from the south Europe to adapt to that life, not sure I will ever be able to though. The swedish summer on the other hand is quite magnificent but short  and I just wonder if it is worth living in the dark for over 6 month…

Well I am thinking about moving actually, the thing is I have to go to a JKD country and France is not one of them ( I mean Ted Wong JKD ), furthermore I come from France, I don´t think I will go back just because I want to move forward and not go back to old things. On the other hand Sweden is a bit special to me because it is where my JKD journey started, I honestly can say I could not hope for better instructors and training partners. But these days I wonder If the time has not come for me to move on, because there are things I simply cannot find here. Well as I am well aware of what this implies and I won´t do that over night but  I will have to check the possibilities that I have. One sure thing,  I will end up close to one of Ted Wong´s schools, wherever that is ..