Hi all -

Here are the themes for the week:

Monday: High forms, jump kicks, 3 steps/1 steps/hapkido
Tuesday: Partner stretching, basic kicks with targets and feedback, free sparring
Thursday: blocks, forms, group work

Theme: One of the things I’ve found throughout my life as a martial artist is that there is rarely growth in comfort. The times when I’ve learned (and grown) the most have been the times where I’ve been in an uncomfortable situation, either physically or mentally. Uncomfortable doesn’t have to mean bad – one could be in a extremely happy situation and be out of their normal “comfort” zone. Reflect on the times you’ve grown as a person – have they been in times of comfort? In times of “normalcy”, however you define that? Or have they been in new, possibly uncomfortable situations?

One of my favorite poems (“George Gray”, by Edgar Lee Masters) speaks to this theme:

I have studied many times
The marble which was chiseled for me –
A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor.
In truth it pictures not my destination
But my life.
For love was offered me and I shrank from its disillusionment;
Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid;
Ambition called to me, but I dreaded the chances.
Yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my life.
And now I know that we must lift the sail
And catch the winds of destiny
Wherever they drive the boat.
To put meaning in one’s life may end in madness,
But life without meaning is the torture
Of restlessness and vague desire –
It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.

This week, push yourself further in the quest to escape your “comfort zone”!

-Ty

PS: Congratulations to all who tested in Boston this weekend!! It was an honor trying with all of you. And a BIG thank you to all who lent their spirit – either in person, or through well wishes.