12/9/06 -

Hello! It's Saturday afternoon, and I just finished my core work-out that I usually do on TU/TH. Thursday night I had real tough time sleeping because of hip pain and Friday was really busy with helping my mom get groceries down in Kentucky.

Weekends are busy with the kids on weekends Tamara and I have them, and catch-up work or taekwondo events on the other weekends, so I usually only depend on SA/SU a time to make-up practice or get some extra practice in. I think it is really important to take a very realistic look at one's schedule (family schedule), lifestyle, and goals to make the best training regimen. It can always be done with proper planning.

Speaking of planning, Grandmaster Choi started to narrow down what I will be performing at the 6th Dan test. It involves learning a number of new forms, hapkido, weapons, and a breaking form! I really hoped to know my curriculum by end of year so that space the learning and practicing. I know will have to be really creative with my first quarter scheduling so that I can get to Columbus enough to learn much of these requirements. It is always best to have at least six months to absorb what you will perform ( I hope I will have this time).

Sorry no time to write today! I will fill you in tomorrow!

12/7/06 -

Well this blog is finally up and running! Jo-Hwa-Tong-Il (Harmonious-Unity) is will be the theme for 2007! This is what we are all striving for in the martial arts. This year was the most difficult year for coming-up with the theme I have ever had. I thought about just calling 2007 the year of everything, but I kept searching for words, and finally with the help of Grandmaster Choi just now he helped me express what I was trying to convey as Harmonius-Unity. We are trying to unify our efforts as humans to be most productive while being happy! Without looking into ourselves and finding our highest purpose and reaching towards it with all of the resources of our mind, body, spirit and emotions, we cannot become happy.

More on this tomorrow, I am off to teach at Springer!

12/2/06 – Today I embark on a new journey with all of you! I am officially inviting you to come along for the ride towards 6^th dan black belt. During the year or so leading up to my 4^th and 5^th dan I did personal journaling to learn from the journey. This time I am giving any one who wants the opportunity to follow. Why am I doing this? I really felt “called” to do it for two reasons: Me and You.

First before I go any further, let me tell you that this journal will be raw material! I will quickly re-read some paragraphs to make sure they make some sense, but I am not going to take time to proof-read or re-write. This is not meant to be a collection of essays or an instruction manual for testing. I have no outline or plan. It just will be what it will be.

I hope by the end of the week I will have picked out a blog site with the help of more computer savvy people than me. At that point I will post the first week and if you ever want to comment, ask a question, or encourage me, I welcome it.

Any ways back to the WHY. My journey to 6^th dan is about life mastery (applying the martial art mastery to the expression of how will live). This has to start inside by how I think about things, how I apply my energy, and then finally how I speak and act!

This journaling will help discipline me to direct my energy in the highest way for myself. I hope that it also may be a help to you to see how through my over 26 years of martial art experience prepare for a Big Test. It my help you prepare better for your yellow belt test or your third dan test. You will also see that we are all HITS (humans in training) and that I have some of the same struggles to make my goals as you.

To get started Grandmaster Choi had us doing many many Daemahng Forms last night. I was so tired from being out of shape, having a cold all last week and because I wanted to show GM Choi that I could perform at his expectations.

The quote of the day in my Franklin planner says In the long run, the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip. _ Daniel Reardon

This quote seems very appropriate to me right now while I struggle with how it is all going to come together. I am excited about the next 33 weeks ahead.

12/3/06 –

I am so sore today from senior class and hanging Christmas lights yesterday. Luckily today is a down time with some decorating, movie watching and our first fire in the fireplace of the year!

12/4/06 –

Our Alarm went off at 6:15 a.m., I am physically tired, but mentally excited about the day! After coffee, making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for Addison, I eat some cottage cheese and ezekial bread with almond butter for breakfast. I am at the center now and have finished my 30 minute core work-out from Mark Verstagen’ s Core Performance Essentials Book. I also completed my 7^th In-Nae Gong towards 1000 for my 6 Task Book. I really recommend the core performance book to supplement martial fitness. I am really excited with the all of the loose ends I was able to connect today.

We have cleaning covered in January when Elizabeth heads to Asia. I have the most challenging class schedule to date, this winter class schedule 99% figured-out! We finally worked-out the final wrinkles to unveil the “new children’s program’ that has been six years in the making this January! We have a direction with our fledgling Demo Team.

12/5/06 –

Tuesday morning and I have just come back from the pool. I got a late start from the house and was caught in a traffic jam on Ronald Reagan. On Tuesday/Thursdays I do a 30 minute workout in the pool that I have very carefully designed over the last few years. It does several things for me:

1. I put a flotation belt on and peddle up and down the deep end. I do this in the warm water because of the therapeutic effect on my hip. For those who do not know have developed hip trouble from abusing my hip with thousands of kick, full contact sparring, and land on concrete floors throwing thousands of jumping kicks when I was younger. Luckily I train you a much healthier way these days! During the pool workout I am receiving relief from pain from the warm water, the femoral head is being released in the hip joint because the legs are hanging ( this really helps the bone spur from getting stuck in my right hip and keeps me from limping). I use what I have learned from the Alexander Technique and Kimoodo to help direct the hip motion and send healing energy their.

2. During the first five minutes that I am moving slowing and warming-up. I practice clearing my mind and breathing. I then do something I learned from Tony Robbins. I spend time reminding myself what I am grateful for and I think of specific reasons. I give thanks for my health, my wife Tamara, my children Ian, Olivia, and Addison, my parents, my step parents, my brother and sister, my in-laws, the time that I had with my brother Drew, my Grandfather, my Grandmother, I give thanks for the TKD Center, the Programs Directors, Instructors, and students that make it such a great place to live. I also give thanks to the great opportunities I have had in life and say some prayers for some areas I need help in.

3. I then do cardio work for based on Mark Verstagen’s system that includes interval training with the flotation belt on and some swimming with a cool down.

4. By the end of 30 minutes I have cleared my mind, improved my emotional state, reviewed the day ahead, relieved pain, open up my hip joint, improved my cardio, and built specific strength in my hip and the rest of my body.

My hip was still hurting a lot from the weekend and from teaching 6 lessons yesterday, so I really had to concentrate on form and not segregating my hurting hip from the rest of me. It reminded me about next week's theme of week is “Synergy.” ( the sum of the whole adds up to more that its parts!) This is really true in teamwork, but also in our execution of a martial art technique. When you concentrate your mind, body, spirit, and emotions (jung shin tong-il) as a whole you can deliver way more power!

After three hours of Christmas shopping, my hip hurt so much I could barely get back to the car. Walking longer than 15 minutes tends to hurt my hip the most. I made a mistake and increased the intensity of my pool cardio too quickly today. Partly, I missed read my notes, partly I was over enthusiastic! This was what was behind my hip hurting so much today!

12/6/06 –

I meant with my “medical team” last night. I am going to be thanking my many teachers and mentors in this journal. We need to seek out the best to become the best! Sue DiOrio, Steve Sallada, and George Griffin have helped patch me up and keep my body together for many years now. They have been the most generous friends, dedicated martial artists, and expert physical therapists and orthopedic surgeon. Last night we devised a way for me to mobilize my hip joint and for me to release my piriform muscle on my own regularly. These are the two things that have been reoccurring and causing me intense pain.

Tamara and I had our weekly lesson where we each lead each other in a TKD workout. I had a real hard time getting started while I was thinking about meal planning, getting groceries, Christmas shopping, getting bricks for the OMAC test, etc… I helped Tamara with her 3^rd dan requirements, then she watched me perform the Daemahng Chun and Ji sets pointing out bad habits. I am really glad we can do this as a couple. It is a great bond that we share, and who will be more honest than your wife about your bad habits?