Adam’s Cerebral Spillage

Where to start? It’s been a while since I updated here so I’ll try to cover as much as I can for now. It’s been a busy couple of weekends as far as Tang Soo Do is concerned, with more to come. A couple of weeks ago I headed up with three others to Rushden for a Masters/Dan seminar with the rest of the EMTF, in a very hot hall, where we went over some higher-level forms.

The afternoon started with a big group warmup led by Master (Jan) De Vry which as well as being very hot, was hilarious. Master Kumar Jr took us through some basics which were far harder than they had to be. I don’t mean what he was asking us to do was difficult, because it wasn’t particularly, but the combination of the heat and my outrageously long dobok bottoms (I really must take them up!) made me give a much worse account of myself – and more annoyingly my club – than I’d have liked. But glancing around it was clear I wasn’t the only one struggling, so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Later we split into smaller groups each with a couple of masters teaching, and I was with the very likable Master Mantle who took us through Jinto (one of the forms I’ll need at my next full grade) and my favourite form-I-won’t-need-for-a-long-time, Rohai. It was a really strange experience being taught by a different master, as everyone teaches differently, but it was valuable. Rohai especially; it’s not a form I actively practise, but I love the shape and movement in it. I cracked my knee on the floor far too hard with an over-enthusiastic ‘break’ punch halfway through, which still hurts if I kneel.

Later we all re-grouped and went through the second dan gum (dagger) form. I’d been through it a few times before with the people who went to the first seminar, but it was nice to have it drummed into my head with constant repetition for an hour or so. There were some finer details that I wasn’t sure about too which I’ve been able to clear up since which was good. The main problem with the day for me and many others wasn’t the heat directly (although it was really debilitating) but the kicking and turning on the wooden floor. I think a combination of the humidity and the wood meant that we ended up with a lot of blisters. Proper nasty, deep blisters. Most of them have healed now, but one tore open last weekend and now I have that super-soft baby skin on the bottom of my foot; I can’t see it being much fun to train on. The Masters ended the seminar by being taught the first new sword form introduced to the EMTF. It’s a very nice looking bit of very Korean sword, and I’m looking forward to learning it in the future. Our great hosts made sure we went away with full bellies as Master Kumar Snr’s wife prepared a great buffet with homemade samosas and pakoras – heaven!.

Skip forward a week, and it’s another weekend of Tang Soo Do. Saturday say my brother take his First Dan grading, and two others take their Senior First Dan tests in a scorchingly hot dojang back here in Cornwall. The heat was really oppressive, but everyone gave a great account of themselves despite it, I felt tired just helping out with the Ho Sin Sool, Il Soo Sik Dae Ryun and free sparring at the end – I can’t imagine how it felt for everyone else. The following day we all went down to the Falmouth dojang for the gup grading, which again was very hot, but a lot better thanks to the breeze. Again, everyone did very well, and at the end of another long day (which thankfully kept me from watching England’s dismal display in the World Cup) we had a quick lesson to brush up on some of the changes made to various bits and pieces we do. My blister tore open during one of the races we had at the end, but by then I didn’t even notice. A really good, if long, weekend which saw a lot of people take their next step on the ladder.

This weekend is free so far, so I’m planning a Saturday involving a long lazy barbecue in the afternoon followed by a trip to the Blue Bar in the evening for a pint on the beach watching the sun go down. I’d better make the most of it, it’s the club’s first annual summer retreat the next weekend, three days of 4:30 am starts and 12 hours a day training, eating and sleeping Tang Soo Do.

Awesome.

Technorati Tags Blue Bar, EMTF, tang soo do, training

I’m writing this off the back of the most memorable weekend, and one I hope is only going to be repeated in the future. We (as a club) went away to Bedford to compete in the EMTF European Tang Soo Do Championships, and I like to think we did our club and our county proud.

A long trip is kind of expected for us now if we want to compete on anything more than the (rapidly dwindling) local circuit, and we weren’t disappointed by the trip to Bedford. As well as the 300+ miles on the road, this time we were taking ‘Reggie’ with us, the minibus from the university campus where many of our club train. Reggie unfortunately has a speed limiter which means he had trouble getting above 60 miles an hour, which made sections of the motorway feel like a drag at times, but at the same time helped us all feel like a bit more of a team. No-one gets left behind!

I can’t speak for everyone, but I had trouble eating on Friday night as the nerves started to kick in. After not-a-lot of sleep we headed over to the sports centre and basically got on with it. Lining up to start the ceremony was a new experience for me, and it felt very strange to be stood just behind the front row. Being counted as Senior in a hall of a few hundred fellow practitioners is an eye-opener, especially when the Dan grades are asked to turn around and have the rest of the competitors bow to them. Once we got past the opening ceremony, which included a big show from out old Seni friends, Baba Deep Singh Gattka, it was on to business. I thought I’d had a bad omen within 10 minutes of the competition beginning after only just getting changed into my dobok. I was stretching in front of the audience seating and managed to hit a spectator in the glasses as she walked past me…. smooth, Adam.

I was far more under control of my nerves than I thought I’d be when I got called to perform my first form, Chil Sung Sam Roh. That said, I was still absolutely flushed with adrenaline, so much so that I barely remember performing it at all. I remember sitting down afterward though and feeling like I really wanted to fight, or run a mile, or jump around like a lunatic – it was such a massive buzz. To my amazement I did enough to take Bronze which was very satisfying, even moreso when it turns out I was only beaten by two members of my own club. Making a clean sweep of the podium in the Dan grade Chil Sung event felt like vindication for the amount of time and effort we put into them. I had plenty of time to watch our guys on other mats as I helped with some score keeping on the one I was assigned to, a mat which typically hosted two of our junior grades. Better not make any calculation errors in that one then! Luckily I didn’t, and the girls took well-deserved silver and bronze.

Later in the same day I competed in the Chang Bong (bo / staff) forms category and did enough to pick up silver which was also really gratifying. A lot of the people performing Bong were doing very elaborate forms with a lot of spins, whereas myself and another of our Dan grades performed something more akin to a Kicho open hand form (read: very basic). The fact that good technique shone through and we took silver and bronze was nice to see in a discipline which seems to be being influenced by ‘freestyle’ moves more and more.

That night we had a good trip out to an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet which helped make up for the lack of eating anything for the day, followed by a failed attempt to find a pub to watch the Haye Vs Ruiz fight. By that point I was so tired that I was quite as annoyed as I would have been otherwise, which was lucky as I’d been waiting a long time to see that fight. A few hours kip later and it was time for Day 2: Sparring.

I spent a lot of the day behind a scoreboard or helping to referee fights, which was both quite an honour to be asked to do, and also a nuisance as I didn’t get to see many of the ISK competitors. Those I could watch though were great, and by and large bossed the mats which, again, was testament to the extra training we all put in.  I personally didn’t like the way a lot of the points were scored, but that may just be my bias of coming from a competition background of freestyle, where blocked shots normally aren’t scored. My own fights went pretty well despite the way the official results went, and I was really pleased to beat one of the Dutch Huk-Tti guys, despite not medaling, as they have a big reputation. All over the hall our team were picking up medals left, right and center, it was a great day.

The Indian banquet which rounded the weekend off was awesome, we all ate far, far too much food, indulged ourselves in Master Uberlander’s delicious beer and danced the night away. I’m really looking forward to the first training session back tonight, getting back on the mat and training while I’m still really enthused. I couldn’t be more proud of our team, and I can’t wait to see how we manage to build on this standard for the upcoming British and World Championships.

Now comes the self-centered, reflective bit. Don’t say you weren’t warned

I’m quite surprised how much the competition, and the weekend as a whole, has affected me. I always knew it was going to be a good time, but I’ve taken so much more from it that I’d ever anticipated. I can’t describe how it felt to be a part of it all, to be stood there with all of those other TSD practitioners who’d traveled from all over the UK and Europe to do the same as me. It was great to be included (as a Dan grade) to help with the adjudicating and keeping the days running smoothly, it all felt very inclusive.

Stand-out moments for me include: bowing in with hundreds of other people for the first time, hearing people from our club cheer and applaud whenever I or anyone else competed and represented ISK, not falling over or forgetting my forms, watching our guys (and girls!) performing better than I could have imagined, and getting drunk with and dancing with everyone on that final night.

I’ve come back to Cornwall feeling completely inspired, and utterly determined to get as good as I possibly can, and hopefully a little bit beyond that! The feeling of being part of something bigger – and as clichéd as it sounds – a family, is something that’s really stayed with me. The strange thing is that even though it was such an amazing time, I’ve come back and feel quite dejected now. When we all stood for the final bow-out it hit me that it was over, and ‘normal life’ had to resume. I realise that it’s the fact that it was such a departure from the norm that made it so special, but I didn’t want it to end.  I just have to keep telling myself that this is just the first of many of these experiences for me, and that it’s only going to get better as we do. It’s safe to say I can’t wait for the next event

And finally, despite it being quite crass and ego-centric, here’s what I won. It’s not as much as some, and there’s no gold there, but these (or what they represent for me)  mean an enormous amount to me.

Bronze for Chil Sung, Silver for Chang Bong

Tang Soo everyone, and thank you all!

Technorati Tags EMTF, Eurpoean Championships, In Sung Kwan, ISK, success!, tang soo do

I’m listening to Paul Simon’s Graceland and looking forward to the weekend, so I thought I’d have a go at writing an update for this. I’ve been at a bit of an impasse for the last couple of weeks where I’ve wanted to write something, but just haven’t been able to muster up the enthusiasm or subject matter. Not really writers’ block, more of a general brain block.

It’s only a week before the European Championships now, and I’m nervous and excited. More excited than nervous for the time being, but we’ll see how long that lasts. The big team sessions we’ve had lately have really helped pull the clubs together, and I think it’s going to feel like a really good, big family unit going u to compete. I’m confident in at least knowing the forms I’m going to be competing with, it’s just smartening them up and practising again and again for the next seven days that I need to do. I’ve always stuck to just sparring at previous competitions which has suited me just fine, but it’s a loooong day just waiting for your category to get called and I’ve never really tested myself with my forms in front of a high-ranking group of strangers. I really hope don’t let the chang bong slip out of my hand!

Before I even get as far as the competition though I need to get better. I’ve had colds and sniffles on and off for weeks now, literally weeks and weeks, and just as I seem to be getting over one another one comes along and kicks me in the ass – or more accurately the lungs. This latest one has made itself right at home unfortunately and has turned into a chest and sinus infection, and the most irritating cough I’ve ever had. It tickles and tickles and never clears, and it meant I got about 3 hours sleep last night. People who know me know I don’t do well without a good night’s sleep, I’m like a zombie, so I’m amazed I’ve even written this much today. It doesn’t bode well for poor Murphy who’s meant to be going back to dog agility tomorrow morning after two weeks off due to Crufts and a local competition. Sorry Murph, we’ll be back to dog school soon.

On the games front it’s been pretty quiet. I milked Batman Arkham Asylum for all it was worth and finally gave it back yesterday, but it’s been such a long time since I played a game I enjoyed as much as that that I’m itching for more. So much so that I went into town and made a random purchase yesterday thanks to a sale at the games shop and a new reward card so I could at last spend the points I’ve had saved on there for ages. I bought Dragon Age: Origins, despite the graphics really not looking that great (although my last few games have probably spoiled me), but mainly because it’s a Bioware game and they have a tendency to make very good role-players. I had a couple of hours on it last night and really enjoyed what I’ve seen so far, even though there’s an unusually small number of race and class choices. I’m still waiting to borrow Assassin’s Creed 2 too, it’s supposed to be very good. Oh, and Blazblue Calamity Trigger is out next week too, more 2D fighting goodness from Arc Systemworks, the genius behind the likes of Guilty Gear XX (which is still the pinnacle of that series if you ask me).

So yeah, that’s me. More inspiration and less boring updates next week with a bit of luck!

Technorati Tags EMTF, European Championships, games, ill, tang soo do

This past weekend has been one of the busiest and most tiring I can remember and I’m suffering for it today. As I mentioned previously on here we had a visit from the federation we’re part of for our Tang Soo Do training, the EMTF (European Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do Federation). We were expecting three visiting Masters but unfortunately Master Nessworthy was unable to attend, but that still meant that we had Masters Kumar Jr. and Sr. down and were determined to give a good account of ourselves.

Friday evening’s normal lesson was replaced by a two hour seminar led by Master Kumar Jr., and it was an utter beasting! Those of us who’ve seen or met him before know that he’s a very strong and very fit person, and after that session it’s easy to see why. We mainly concentrated on sparring techniques with a succession of drills interspersed with fitness and strength routines. The only problem was that we were training in a large dance studio at the local school and the ventilation was very poor. By ‘very poor’ what I mean is by the end of the session there was so much condensation/sweat on the floor that it was nothing more than an ice rink. The sparring we ended the evening with was crazy, people slipping and sliding everywhere, but all done with great spirit and a (necessary) sense of humour. In particular I remember trying to blitz my instructor and finding myself in  mid-air, horizontal and going nowhere. Well, nowhere but straight down.

Saturday was a tough one for the seniors, four straight hours of forms and weapons work under the  tutelage of both of the Masters, whereas those of us lucky(?) enough to still be considered junior only got to enjoy the second two hours. We were taken to one end of the hall to work with Master Kumar Sr. and personally it was a little nerve-wracking, but had more of a sense of ‘this is my chance to show what I can do and how we’ve been taught’. He walked us through basics and forms and I’m hoping I came across well enough, he only saw fit to correct my shape once (my high block was a little too far back over my head since you ask). After the rigours of the previous nights training the tops of my thighs got tired and sore very quickly indeed, and holding stance during heung-jin kong kyuk (sideways moving punch in horse-riding stance) was agony! The only way I find to get through that is to keep breathing, tell myself ‘it can’t last forever’ and most importantly a really good kihap on each strike.

Saturday evening was a much more sedate affair. Off we went to a local Indian restaurant, where I confidently strode down through the town leading everyone there despite never having been there or  knowing exactly where it was. The feeling of relief when I finally saw the place was palpabe I can tell you! Meals in the presence of such senior practitioners isn’t a simple thing like it might be when going for a bite with your mates, there’s still a definite air of respect and ceremony applied. For example; no-one sits, orders, eats or does anything really until the most senior (in terms of rank) does first. I was sat next to Master Kumar Sr. and so was on best behaviour all night, no slouching, no booze, good manners – the whole shebang! One of our guys couldn’t really contain himself at times and was laughing and joking and not being entirely appropriate, but luckily our visitors seemed to have a good sense of humour and take it in the manner it was meant. Tang Soo Do is all about the internal and external aspects, I think I did enough internal cringing that evening to last me a lifetime. That said, it was a good laugh, great food and really interesting conversation. The overall impression from the weekend seems to have been a good one though, and apparently they are very pleased with our training ethos and respect for tradition and etiquette. I think we can be really pleased.

(Seniors and Master Anesh Kumar training under Master Ashok Kumar)

I had no trouble sleeping on Saturday night, I was shattered and full of delicious Chicken Madras, and when I got up on Sunday morning it really hit me just how tired I was. Not tired as in ’sleepy’, but just having no energy in my legs, it was a serious effort getting around for the first half-hour. One of my friends came back from a European road trip so we went on a dog walking mission at the beach. It was bitter, but the dogs had fun running and getting wet as usual. I tried running with them at one point and soon realised just how exhausted I was. Never mind, more training that evening, a normal lesson followed by an hour of fight squad training. Surprisingly I felt ok in both, and really enjoyed the sparring. I was working on a few things and for the most part they came off well, so I’m very pleased. I’m feeling the effects today though, my legs might as well not be there for all the use they are and my back’s a little sore from some takedown in last nights lesson, but that’s why we train. As is said to anyone who takes a knock in sparring – ‘It ain’t flower arranging’.

Finally here’s a little tune that’s become firmly wedged in my cerebellum after hearing it last night while fighting. That little hook/sample in the background, it’s infectious.

M.I.A. – Paper Planes

Technorati Tags EMTF, etiquette, MIA paper planes, seminars, tang soo do, training

It’s time for ‘Random Round-Up Tuesday’, where things that might have happened over the last few days make their way into the annuls of obscurity forever, courtesy of my blog.

I had a massage on Sunday, the first of my life so far, It was a present from my better half. We’ve been to the hotel and spa where it was before on a cheap deal out of season, so I knew the place was nice and was really looking forward to it. Originally it was booked as a sports massage, but ideally these are to work on specific injuries as I understand it, so instead I had a deep-tissue massage on my back and legs. It was awesome, there’s no other word to describe it. Parts were actually very painful as she dug her elbows into knots on my back, but as much as they made me want to shout ‘aaahhhh!’, at the same time it just made me grin like an idiot. That might also have been due to my face being contorted with it squished down the hole in the table. When it was over she told me to take my time and get dressed when I was ready, and I just lay there for what felt like half an hour but was in all actuality just a few minutes. It left me feeling warm and a bit vague for the rest of the day – I’ll be going back for more.

I see that as of today HD-DVD is officially dead, thank goodness. Not that I had anything against it, far from it, it was the only format with a finalised design and format, but what I didn’t like was the choice and not knowing which format would ‘do a Betamax’. For once it wasn’t the Sony format. From now on if you want HD films, you’ll be either downloading them or buying them on Blu-Ray. Personally, I’m going to wait for the ‘profile’ nonsense to die down before investing in a player.

Tonight sees the last training session before our visitation from the Masters from the EMTF. I’m starting to get quite nervy about it now, but excited at the same time. Nervous because we represent our club and county, and more than that our teacher. How we perform (or perhaps more worryingly, act) reflects directly on our Sa Bom Nim. But giving some Um to that Yang (I like that way of thinking at the moment, you’ll have to excuse me repeating it) is… well, exactly the same thing actually. As much as it’s a possibility (however remote) that it could show us up, it’s perhaps more accurately a chance for us to show just how good we are. How hard we train, how hard we strive for as close to perfection as we’re going to get, how seriously we take our training, and how dedicated we are to the continuation and growth of our art. Whether or not it comes over like that is another matter.

I’ve also had confirmation of success in the Great North Run ballot. So it’s official, I’ll be running, walking and crawling the 13 miles around Newcastle this October.

This afternoon I have an interview with the head of Personnel at the company I work for. Hopefully by the end of the day I’ll have a firm understanding of what lies in wait for me at the end of this contract, and how long I’ll be able to keep going before I need a regular income again. My employment buffer.

Technorati Tags Blu Ray, EMTF, great north run, HD DVD, massage, tang soo do

There are so many things happening and things I have to remember lately that it’s beginning to make my head spin. Fortunately I’m trying to stay true to my resolution of making myself that little more organised this year, currently with the help of Google Calendar. It’s nothing outlandish or bleeding-edge as I’d normally go for, but I think something simple is just what I need. I’m terrible for procrastinating, and gadgets and gizmos would mean I’d never actually use the thing, I’d just end up faffing about with it.

This month has been fairly exciting in terms of our own club, as it’s been the first time we’ve actually put a formal bid in for a unit which would become our full-time Dojang. It’s a small industrial unit nearby, but perfectly sized and ample for what we’d need to get going with. It’s just a case of playing the waiting game now and seeing what happens.

Once February comes we have some of the senior members of the EMTF (and some of their students by the sounds of things) coming down to give a weekend of seminars and teaching. This is their first visit to see us since becoming a member of the federation, so we want to put on a really good show and make sure they’re taken care of as much as is possible. Roll forward to March now and somehow it’s time for another grading! I’m sure I can still feel the last one in my bones. It’ll be a big step for me, should I pass, as the red belt I’d receive is the last one I’d be given before becoming a Dan grade. That’s an ominous thought.

With the serious business of the grading out of the way April presents us with the Seni show, which I’m really looking forward to again. I have no doubt that I’ll spend way too much on things I don’t really need, but just being there is infectious. It was beginning to look like May might be the first month without something going on in it, but that’s been seen to now with the invitation we’ve had to compete at the European championships in Poland. The Polish take their TSD seriously and by all accounts are very good at it too, so what happens to us will be an education no matter what it is. Still, a long weekend away with some seriously talented martial artists who know how to enjoy a drink or two should be excellent, and just before my birthday too.

There’s other stuff carrying on into the year, but I’m going to call it quits there, this post would get even more boring than it is already (seriously!).

Moving on to the not-so-busy times mentioned in the post title, I thought I’d record my non-training activity for posterity. At the moment there’s mostly two things occupying those quiet times indoors, waiting for the Spring to come.

Firstly games. As anyone who knows me knows, I likes me some games. I’ve been quite addicted to Call Of Duty 4, the multiplayer in particular. Not since Counter-Strike circa version 1.5 have I played a ‘realistic’ shooter for so long. The mix of action, tactics and the brilliant use of unlockables and challenges introduced to the online mix is a breath of fresh air, and guaranteed “one more go” fodder. I still enjoy Skate too, although I’m terrible at spotting lines and working them. On the Wii I’ve been lapping up every second of Super Mario Galaxy, and enjoying reliving the good ol’ Track & Field type competition which seems to come around every generation. Button mashing sports games will have to go some way to top International Track & Field for the original PlayStation, but Mario & Sonic at The Olympic Games gives a decent account of itself.

I also picked up a book I bought for myself while I was out Christmas shopping a couple of months ago. I’d read about Hyperion before, but never thought any more if it until I saw the unusual cover at a stall in a shopping village. I’m so glad I took a chance on it, so far it’s been utterly captivating and the first book I’ve read in a long time which I found almost impossible to put down. I guess you’d call it Sci-Fi, in fact it obviously is, but it’s done very well and creates a very easily imagined universe. This one may even make it past the pile of half-finished books on my shelf.

Technorati Tags cod4, EMTF, European Championships, grading, hyperion, mario galaxy, Seni, tang soo do

Exciting times are ahead! We (the club that is) found out yesterday that the federation we are part of – the European Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do Federation (EMTF) – is planning a visit to Cornwall next month. Visiting us will be Masters Ashok Kumar, Anesh kumar and Master Nessworthy, and hopefully some students from the various groups. This is great news for us and is really starting to make us feel like a fully fledged part of the federation, as in the past it’s always been us who have had to do the traveling.

It might be quite daunting to train in the presence of that many masters, especially with one of them being the Vice President of the EMTF, but I can’t wait. It’s going to be great opportunity to learn from some of the most experienced and senior practitioners in the whole of Europe, and to show them how hard we work and train. It’s also added incentive for me personally to get myself moving with some of my own little goals for the year.

On top of all of that there’s also the chance that we may be seeing some people from the UK Haidong Gumdo Association, with a view to learning and training in the traditional Korean sword art. A perfect complement to Tang Soo Do. I’m really looking forward to the coming months now.

While I’m on the subject of TSD, I think I’ll add some pages to the blog here with terminology and the like, just to save me having to write the Korean and English for terms all the time.

edit: Oops, I nearly forgot to mention that for those of you running Wordpress (.org, not .com), there’s a security upgrade and bugfix out. It’s a good idea to keep up-to-date.

Technorati Tags EMTF, Haidong Gumdo, Korean, Terminology