December 31st - New Year's Eve

My Thoughts 🤔 我的想法

Welp, I have finally moved to Minnesota. I'm glad I packed yesterday as bad weather hit overnight and leaving in the morning was another good choice. The roads were clear for the most part until I got into Minnesota where the roads were already plowed really well and way less icy than the roads in Wisconsin. Overall, the trip went by quickly as I just drove and listened to 谢天笑. Over and over and over again...

My last day of work (The 29th-30th) was fun too. I'd like to thank all of my co-workers, Shaun, Brett, Sam, Mason, and Alex of 2nd shift, there for just working well and being cool dudes. I'm glad to have left but you guys made working there fun even through the stupid/hard days.

Now it is time to train and really prepare for my school as I wait for my visa to get completed. I really am excited.

Sparring Insights 🥊 实战的想法

Sunday, the 29th, I went to Stevens Point Budokai and sparred with some cool guys there. This time I only sparred for an hour but it was an intense hour. I got knocked down twice and many of my kicks were caught which lead to me being tripped. After asking advice from various guys this is what they said:

Scott: Work on your head movement some more and remember to throw 3-4 move combos, not just 1-2.

Mence: Work on returning your moves back, make them faster, snap them back. (This applies to kicks and punches)

So, it is similar to last time but I did get one other compliment from the Gym leader, Mence, he said my technique is good. I just need to make my attacks quicker and have them snap back instead of leaving them hang out.

Some things I think I personally did good were using a "push, punch" move from Kung Fu, getting some good kicks in, and trying to target the arms and legs more to tire my opponent. Other than that, I need to work on being more aggressive and moving my head more.

Daily Tao ☯ 新生

 "Turn the wheel of your life. Make complete revolutions. Celebrate every turning. And persevere with joy"

-Daily Tao, pg 365

It is New Year's Eve and I am in a new state, back with my parents but I am preparing for another part of my life to begin. Is this the ending of a revolution or the beginning of a new one? Maybe both, the end of my working at a factory but the beginning of my little martial arts journey. Looking back at the quote, one of the things that this blog helps with is making me realize my "every turning", or my progress towards my goals. Reflecting on the past while preparing for the future has really helped me realize what is important to me and has helped me grow a little bit each day closer to being a better person.

I'm not quite sure where I am going with this thought.

What are you all doing this New Year's Eve?

-Johnny "白武龙"