Old and Alone

This mornings practice I was alone, actually old (which accurately represents what I am becoming) and alone. That happens several times a year, during a snow storm I show up and nobody’s there, or a holiday weekend when everyone is doing the right thing spending time for themselves and/or their families, but I’m there.

Actually I was feeling pretty good this morning, and had spent my normal 2 hours reviewing material, notes, etc. thinking of what I might do depending on who shows up to train. Feeling pretty good is more unique than not these days. The past few years stress keeping my job, arthritis and allergy attacks, etc. have greatly diminished my ability, not my resolve or desire, just I am not anything close to what I used to be.

That means I’m getting better in some areas and falling faster in many others. I’m losing balance, much flexibility and kicking ability more often just working a piece of the technique, but a lot of my small control gets better, interesting how we change.

It would be easy to say I feel lousy so I better do something better than training and teaching, but that’s impossible for me, and actually even doing the little I can keeps me strong moving forward.

Being alone doesn’t scare me, it allows me the freedom to train for myself.

I started with some Tjimande drills, the 2^nd half of the Yang Tai Chi form and some Yang sword work, just to warm myself up. Then realizing nobody else was showing up I began to work on material for myself.

Weapons forms: Chantan Yara No Sai, Chosen No Kama Dai, Bando’s Hidden stick, Wansu No Tonfa (solely my own), my Isshinryu tonfa kata and Sutrisno tanto drills.

Empty hand forms: Nijushiho, Gojushiho, Chinto, some Chinto work with tecchu, Kusanku, SunNuSu, Lung Le Kuen (Supple Dragon for the non-supple dude), Tomari Rohai (my version of theNakasone Seiyu lineage form) and Uechi Sanchin.

It’s interesting the more I fall upon myself I find incredible value from my work on my Yang sword practice, especially the centering alignment when I apply it to my other weapons studies.

Now by that time I was a tottering older fool, with little left for myself so I concluded with my study of Isshinryu Sanchin, full speed and natural breathing. It continues to be an energy pump for me, One time through I always feel restored and filled with vigor. This remains one of the most remarkable studies I’ve experienced.

I may be old and alone, but I sure had fun.