Unusual Training Venues

 

From my beginnings I have trained  many places.

Of course in dojo and on training floors with count.

Too many gym floors to mention.

In local civic centers and church basements.

At times at McDade park outside Scranton,

On its grass, hillsides, forest paths and on a narrow bridge over a culvert.

 

On the beach at Ocean City, Maryland.

At the campground under the trees at the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania.

Many campgrounds at many martial arts summer camps.

At the Derry Boys and Girls Clubs,

And on the parking lot outside of it.

My backyards and my driveway,

between my rows of blueberry bushes.

And on a narrow path leading between tall bushes.

On many hillsides.

 

When appropriate I used those places to instruct focused training.

On the bridge to learn to keep your spins in Chinto toward the bridge center.

On the narrow path between the bushes to teach the same lesson.

And the rows between the blueberry bushes for Naifanchi and Chinto.

 

I have practiced Tai Chi play guitar 

while be standing atop the stump from a tree

I had removed that same tree which 

provided sections of tree trunk (5 of them)

Perfect to practice and teach Naifanchi

while standing atop them.

 

I woken camps up to do Tai Chi in the early morning mist.

I have taught Kusanku night fighting applications.

Even applications that had the students place their fact in the mud on the ground.

 I’ve learned kama kata in pouring rain.

I’ve crossed a stream between two ropes while holding a bo in my hands.

 I have taught Tai Chi on my driveway when it was -20f.

Even the passing police car had to come back twice 

to see what we were doing.

And on the same drive way we have done karate when it exceeded 100f.

 Disney World, stayed there and of course 

I was outside on the driveway doing kata.

When attending conferences 

I started my morning outside doing kata.

Seattle, San Francisco, San Antonio, Knoxville and other places.

Anytime, anyplace I am is an appropriate venue.

 

These days I step out back

and use the plastic grass under the rising Arizona Sun.