My body has been a mess because taking falls over and over again is killer.\u00a0 Especially on my back.\u00a0 OY!<\/p>\n
Plus once you start getting into the higher level belt levels, along with testing materials you have to create your own demo and present it.\u00a0 This shows that you can think about movement and make connections on your own.\u00a0 Proof of concept so to speak.\u00a0 Plus it gives you a chance to do whatever you want so it’s fun!<\/p>\n
Scott and I have been training in SF<\/abbr> (that’s stick fighting, in case you didn’t hover your cursor over the abbreviation Here’s a pic of some of my training weapons.\u00a0 My sticks are taped because they are busted up and I need to break out some new ones.\u00a0 A training machete and a training knife.\u00a0 My staff is not pictured because it was hard to make it fit in the frame.\u00a0 It looks just like my sticks only much longer.\u00a0 The training knives are not sharp but extremely dull.\u00a0 However, getting smacked repeatedly with them still hurts.\u00a0 Trust me on this. We also do joint locks and limb destruction, takedowns, throws, and some grappling.\u00a0 I know how to do those with weapons and without.\u00a0 Toss in some staff work because we do that too.\u00a0 I particularly love this art because it teaches you how to be aware of your body more and it also isn’t a brute force art where you powerhouse through everything.\u00a0 I’m small and compared to the dudes, am not as strong as they are.\u00a0 And that’s okay because I don’t have to be!\u00a0 This art is all about body mechanics and how to manipulate that to your advantage.\u00a0 I don’t have to be a bodybuilder to take someone down and knock them on their ass.\u00a0 I just need to know where to hit and how to get them off balance.\u00a0 All of the moves we learn are also transferable.\u00a0 Meaning, whatever I learn with a stick I can do with a knife or empty handed and vice versa. \u00a0 It’s really a great style of fighting!<\/p>\n And now Scott and I are official black belts! I was super nervous and freaked out till about 3pm yesterday.\u00a0 Then I reached a point of, “Let’s just do this and be done!\u00a0 I know what I know and I accept that.”\u00a0 And really that’s all you can do when approaching a test.\u00a0 You know what you know and just do the best that you can.\u00a0 One thing our instructor does that I really like and appreciate, is that weeks leading up to the test (and this is for all belt levels) is that we practice moves in class and he watches closely to see how well you do the move.\u00a0 At test time he takes that into consideration because he knows you’re going to be nervous during the test and you may flub something or it might not as smooth as it could be.\u00a0 Having seen you do it before perfectly, he knows that you can do it and doesn’t worry about testing nerves.<\/p>\n There was a test before us, one of the guys was going for First Degree Black and he had to provide a demo connecting concepts and things.\u00a0 He did really well!\u00a0 Then we were up!\u00a0 It was Scott, me, and another classmate.\u00a0 Our test took a long time, ending past when normal class would already be over.\u00a0 And there was another test after us and after that we still had to present our demos.\u00a0 We left the school probably around 10:30pm and by the time we got home, walked Rocky, and showered it was after 11pm.<\/p>\n A picture of us post test which is why we are all sweaty and gross. :p\u00a0 My camera died during the test so I’m waiting on another classmate to email me some other pictures.<\/p>\n Long day!\u00a0 And now you know why my brain was all a frazzle and my posts sounded like maybe I got smacked in the head too hard. :p<\/p>\n There was celebrating last night when we got back home!<\/p>\n A beer?\u00a0 Yes please!<\/p>\n Pizza?!\u00a0 You bet!<\/p>\n Both of us were hungry and that was expected because nerves made eating not enjoyable.\u00a0 And there was a beer because yeah, it was needed and deserved!\u00a0 The beer was Imperial Stout because it is fancy and we are now fancy<\/a>!\u00a0 And the pizza because it was one of the quickest things to make and eat.<\/p>\n It was a little heavy only because it was so late in the evening but I needed food and I wanted something fun because again, we deserved it!<\/p>\n And then I crashed in bed at midnight and slept till 8am.\u00a0 Whew!\u00a0 Not the bestest of sleeps but a lot better than Tuesday night!\u00a0 I immediately poured some coffee and slowly started my day.<\/p>\n Once Scott got up, I made us some breakfast because I was Le Starving!\u00a0 And I wanted oatmeal so that’s what we had.<\/p>\n Super simple oats today with crushed walnuts, coconut, and dark chocolate PB<\/abbr> for mix-ins.\u00a0 After breakfast I got dressed and took Rocks out for a quick walk where we were met head-on with some drama.\u00a0 We’re walking down the sidewalk along a pretty heavily traveled street and there was a lady with a dog is walking on the opposite side coming towards us.\u00a0 The dog broke free from its leash and ran right across the road right at us.\u00a0 Thankfully there were no cars coming or the dog would have been toast because it was small.\u00a0 It starts smelling Rocky and Rocky is just standing there taking it all.\u00a0 He goes to smell the other dog and that dog flips out.\u00a0 Jumps on him and starts growling and all kinds of ugly things.<\/p>\n :o<\/p>\n The owner, who wasn’t really the owner but walking her daughter’s dog, apologized but it was almost too casual.\u00a0 Like her dog breaking free of its leash, charging us, and then sort of growling snapping at my dog is just normal everyday stuff.\u00a0 Whoa!\u00a0 The dog took off in another direction and she went after it and we went on our way.<\/p>\n I do not like dog drama!\u00a0 But we got over it and came home not long after that.\u00a0 And then I went to get my hairs cut!\u00a0 Whee!<\/p>\n A quick stop at WF<\/abbr> after that and then it was home to lunch.\u00a0 I was pretty hungry by this point.<\/p>\n
) for just over 3 years.\u00a0 We study a variation of Filipino stick and knife fighting.\u00a0 Our sticks are what would be considered short sticks, the length from your armpit to the middle of your hand.\u00a0 Since I’m one of the smaller people in class I have one of the shortest sticks. :p\u00a0 We do single and double stick work.\u00a0 And we also work both sides, meaning if I only have one stick, I can work either right or lefthanded.\u00a0\u00a0 Stick and knife isn’t all that we do though and that’s why I love this particular art because it incorporates so much.<\/p>\n![\"Stick](\"http:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/ohc_arnis_weapons.jpg\" "\\"Stick")
<\/a><\/p>\n\u00a0 You might not get cut but you’ll get some sweet bruises.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n