Looking Within

My rest has been an experiance so far, as my body craves action. For awhile I was misled about how to handle my ankle and knee pains. I was listening to my body and my intuition, however I had to keep researching other sources to find out if I'm injured or not. That's all trash inside my head, preventing me from recovering.

Nobody, no doctor, would know my body better than me. If I can only choose to listen to myself and have the courage to look inside myself for the answer, and accept the responsibility of the Truth I know. Fortunately my pains are just from overuse, not enough rest. There is no injury, no swelling, I can bear weight, my joints in question do not buckle under weight, and the pain is very mild. I am also well aware of the need to recover from these mild discomforts, because they could easilly get worse in time and ignorant usage... The point is to atop seeking answers outside yourself, from other people... your answers are within. Don't be afraid, for fear is a natural emotion like the clouds and rain overhead. Fear keeps you alive.

The time I spend idle has left me with nothing much to do accept meditate on various concerns of mine. I'm actually glad I have this rest period ahead of me, it will allow me to really decide on important matters that have been on my mind. It will also grant me an opportunity to begin my training anew, fully recovered and very eager to get sweaty everyday.

The thing is, there are some realizations that every warrior must know. The first lesson to train and meditate on: Get rid of ALL the junk 'thoughts' in your mind. A junk thought is one that prevents you from being completely in the moment. Life is not the future, life is not impressing someone else, life is not in the past, life is right now and once this moment is gone it's never coming back. There is never 'nothing' going on.

When you are grounded in the moment, it's Zen like, or whatever earthly label you call it. It's like 'Neo' in The Matrix being able to do anything impossible. The important thing is the awareness of that moment, the Move or Technique the martial artist is performing. Don't think about it...Do it.

A warrior does not ever give up what he loves, he finds the love in what he does. Being injured like this is the essence of the warrior; absolute vulnerability, the only true courage. Choose to be a victim, or anything you'd like to be. Life is a choice.

So as I lay around to rest my legs, I can only think. I think that I love this, this part of life. I am alive while I lay there thinking. I realize that happiness, success, it's a journey. The journey itself is what brings us happiness, not the destination. The battles a warrior faces are not on the outside. The battles we fight are on the inside, for peace. The battle to be happy, without a reason in the world.

Concerns, Objectives, Methods

It should have been obvious that certain parts of my body would require special attention. For the most part I do understand that bone density takes several months, years in fact, to become a reality. Joints are more than the muscle strength of the surrounding tissue. The Bones, the Ligaments, the Cartilage, and Tendons take longer than sheer muscle to heal and adapt to the rigors of training. This is why Form must be perfected long before speed is acquired.

Since my rest days seem to revolve around the same types of soreness and pain, I must again evolve my approach to training and application. My Target areas include:

• Knee Strength - ability to stay in range of motion to prevent twisting.
• Foot Strength - less cramps, less chance of fracturing of the delicate bones.
• Ankle strength - titanium ankle routine
• Core Vitality - The most important area
• Shoulders - range of motion, strength, endurance

After several weeks of general fitness goals, I do indeed see a huge improvement to my parkour/urban ninja skills. I also see the same joints giving me trouble, which could lead in the future to more permanent injuries. A new focus is in order.

• Flexibility Training - Dedicated
• Stronger Core Emphasis
• Lower Body - Low Impact for knee recovery
• Upper body - Low Impact, basic methods
• Frequent Jogging/swimming (less impact by far)
• Dedicated Endurance Day Once a week.
• Basic technique (like handstands, planche, martial arts moves in the water)

Strength training always works out if done correctly, so I'll keep that up. The swimming pool is a dream, as you increase resistance 15 times, and everything can be practiced in the water at very low impact. For the following two weeks the pool will be my primary location. Gotta stretch out statically at least twice a day. Proper diet and rest. No High Fructose Corn Syrup, ( builds fat, prevents fat from burning), no hydrogenated anything. Water, Water, Water. Getting dehydrated in Friday nights Jam was a major bummer and def. embarrassing to suddenly sit out and be tired. Rest solid eight hour stretches, with alternating days so the same muscles do not get over trained.

In two weeks I will note my status and adjust as I need to. I will be emphasising Low Impact, and those target areas, specifically the joints.

Parkour Field Trip

Last night was spent doing Parkour with the local group of people, and a field trip to another area to meet up with two Tracuers in their home territory. It was a total success. I have definately learned a great deal from the experiance.

My first completely successful Kong Vault was achieved over a picnic table. I remember when that seemed impossible to do. It used to be so scary. A kong is a sort of 'Superman' piece of action; where you straight up dive towords your obstacle so you are fully extended, and grasp your hands upon it, then continue to pull your legs through your still extended arms. Scary indeed to the unexperianced. Graceful and breathtaking to the practitioner. That is the very reason I love Parkour; It enables you to realize that Nothing is Impossible.

Lately I've been doing so much more conditioning. To see the results in my increased performance ability came at such a shock to me. By conditioning my body through excersise I gain so much more real control of my movements, and maintaining constant awareness of my level of progress so I do not ever progess too quickly. Conditioning 90% of the time to 10% of practicing your desired athletics will take you from good to great, in addition to greatly improving your chances of walking away un-injured. I spoke and exchanged some training/conditioning philosophies and methods with last nights people. The key is not that anyone is completely correct; the key is in fact to constantly evolve your ideas too make them more effective for you, while discarding continuously the aspects that are not your Truth. This constant refinement of your attituted and practice will banish any concept of monotony, while allowing you to achieve your absolute maximum potential over time. Baby steps dude.

Finally I've learned some great new abilites. Those Kongs I was doing, and some tic-tac action and running along side of walls...wallrunning is like the matrix man. One of us was swinging on a swingset...only not sitting down like we complacent Americans are so fond of doing; Rather swinging by his arms like a gymnist. That was awesome and I will definately be doing more of that with the turns he was doing. Some more basic techniques that are crucial to survival, like the parkour Roll, was drilled in a few different ways. Lots of climbing and jumping around, precision work with rails, balance work...everything was covered.

I know for certain that I walk away from this episode able to begin a new chapter in my life.

wisdom of the elder

Earlier this week I had my first jam with a group of people, at night. I took alot away from the session, most importantly that I do parkour for myself and to impress only me. I say this because I am in my twenties, and most kids doing parkour are just that: kids. Besides, I love the reservation normally associated with a talented elder. That special wisdom only true experiance can grant. It was special to note however, as I ran and did my thing, there was a group following my lead. The mantle of leadership thrust upon a soul is a weight one must beare with responsibility, in any situation I find myself within, I readilly accept the weight of the world.

After all it is who I am, at least. I study and train myself not for isolation...but to connect with the world in my own self expression. My knowlage is yours to share, so long as you possess the wisdom to seek it for yourself.

Blane's Training Blog: The Descent

Blane's Training Blog: The Descent

Survival

I have been reading some articles and blogs from those that have the knowlage and wisdom I strive to aquire. Some of them were thoughts on conditioning, or thoughts on technique, or philosophies, etc. It's important for me to take that stuff in and learn all that I can for what works for ME, while evolving it and discarding what does not work for me. Today I had a great conditioning session, with a bit of parkour thrown in. I was thrilled to know I improved in my ability to perform the art of parkour. I also realized again the most fundumental attraction I have to this way of life. Freedom. Freedom to move in any way, to be able to DO anything I tell my body to do, regardless of the situation or place, even regardless of what clothes i am wearing.



Being new to the desert gives me a brand new sense of awareness to my surroundings, especially while conditioning myself in the mid day sun when it's well over 100 degrees outside. While exploring these desert mountains, or seeing these new places around the city, I am struck by a certain impression; survival is what it's all about. By training in unfamiliar locations, in different climates, in work out clothes or my leather hiking boots, in jeans or whatever. Doing this is not nearly the same as training in your comfort zone, when you have all the correct accessories and the proper outfit, running in the proper locations after doing the proper warmup.



I ask people, why do you train? I train for functionality in any given situation. I wish to be the master of myself, so no situation or person can manipulate me. If there were a natural disaster, would those useless muscles from the gym help you to evade debree in an earthquake or avoid a mob of brutality if the police weren't around to keep sheep in check? In a global age with wars rampant across the globe, natural disasters shattering records...it's vital to be prepared for anything.



If one trains only in a way that is comfortable, with their running shoes and shorts, how will they fare if someone was trying to hurt them in a night club or after a long day of tiring work? This is essential to be aware of while training. Run barefoot, learn how to aquire water without plumbing, learn how to track animals, study combat. These are just as important as mathmatics and science, writing and music.

Find your own path, don't just imitate and try to do what you are not prepared to do. Spend free time at study, or on a project you really want to do but never seem to find the time, spend it preparing for situations by creating those situations in a controlled manner.

Running in the desert today made me feel like fajita in dragon ball z back in the day...he trained in a place with much stronger gravity...so back on earth he would be stronger from that extra difficult training. It made me feel while running today that I could do anything, that no obstacle, physical or mental, could ever hold me back.