You ever miss class

[Ray Pina]

and just feel terrible?

I did last night. For some reason I always feel like I'm going to miss out, and I guess I did. There's one side that feels like "O' boy, I'm going to miss that special techique, that one that changes my understanding."

But then there's also that side that says, "Dude, you train all the time. Use this time to relax a bit, you've gotten a lot in 14 months already.

I usaully don't listen to that ba$tard, but feeling a little low last night he got the best of me.

[Budokan]

Yeah, I feel bad when I miss class and have no good reason to. But, lately, I've missed about 4 weeks because I broke my heel bone and am hobbling around like a wino with a semi-hard on, so I don't feel so bad now.

[Hau Tien]

I know exactly how you feel.

I had a death in my family that required me to be away for a week, then upon coming back, promptly fell ill for another week and a half. I'm currently still ill, hoping I can get back to class sometime soon. Guess it might not happen until after Easter.

It's annoying, for sure, cause I can't even practice right now. In fact, sitting here even hurts... back to bed with me.

Hau Tien

[qeySuS]

I miss class all the time because i'm working, but it felt the worst last night, i've been in school working like hell on assigments and working after school in my job and going to most practices, then after the easter vacation started i've been working a lot to get extra money for the summer. So i got home early last night but decided to chill and go to the movies insted, i just felt so spent and wanted to relax.

Now i feel terrible and think i should have gone to practice. It's a lot easier if you absoloutly cant make it for some reason.

[JWTAYLOR]

Out of class for 3 weeks now since my wreck. It's the longest I've gone without training since my wreck 96.

JWT

[Sharky]

I am changing schools atm, going to a full time boxing school (not that i will be there full time, what i mean is that IT is a full time wlways open rocky balboa job) so until i can get there (3 weeks from now) i am just training in the gym and running etc.

I only feel bad if i ain't goin due to lazyness.

JWT: take the hint ;)

[wu_de36]

This post is not mine, it's an old bladeforums post that I saved. ironically, it's from our very own "ralek-killer" JF Springer. I don't save many posts, but I did save a lot of his.




"In the Fall of 1978 I was driving the "Old Man" back from NYC Chinatown with just the two of us in the car. I always enjoyed the private times as it allowed me to ask questions not otherwise authorized. The Grandmaster was sitting in the back seat, quiet as usual, and I asked him, "Master Chung, when do you train?" His response was "I am training right now." I took his answer as meaning "Don't bother me" and it wasn't until some 15 years later that his reply finally made sense. Many, if not most, people regard "training" as a formal process wherein one goes to a particular place, may or may not wear a uniform, and engages in a ritual or routine which is termed "training." I regard this type of practice as "formal training" and it certainly has its place in the life of any martial artist. However, it is only one form of training and arguably the least engaged in by anyone who has achieved a high level of skill (personal opinion derived from personal experience and observation). Our moment to moment lives consume far more of our time and offer us an abundance of "training" opportunities. By way of example consider the following: I just returned from Disney World where my Wife, son and I enjoyed a week of Walt's majic. Space Mountain is an excellent roller coaster, albeit a short ride, and offered an excellent opportunity to "train" centering. When the ride took off I focused on connecting with, and maintaining the continuity of, my lower tan tien. With each twist, turn, rise and fall I manipulated my tan tien to "offset or neutralize" the force my body was experiencing in the moment. Since the ride takes place in near total darkness the vector shifts were sudden and unanticipated. Good training. Likewise, the crowded conditions throughout the various theme parks provided for excellent footwork "training" as it was necessary to "weave" in and out of the crowd while maintaining a grasp of my son's hand (Wife was on her own.). This weaving was not "random" but rather focused on a particular type of footwork, i.e., "drag step, circle step, etc.," contained in the method I train.
Standing on long lines (get 'fast passes' if you can) in between metal hand rails also provided for excellent training. Exerting force through the rails using various arm and/or hand positions for extended periods of time (I said 'long lines') was "good training." Mind you, I did all of these things, and more, without my Wife ever being aware of what I was doing (she regards my 'training' as being 'strange' for a man of my age and profession). The possibilities are endless regardless of where one is "in the moment." I take the stairs to my office which is on the 7th floor and with each step I employ a specific footwork and hand technique. Counting the lobby that translates to 8 floor and 242 steps. I make that journey at least 3 times per day and I will "feature" a specific stepping method and hand technique each day of the work week. Good training. Several blocks of metal parking meters lining the streets I travel from the train station to my office serve as excellent striking posts for "training" phoenix eye fist (being discrete a bit more difficult but it can be done). There are exactly 150 "opportunities" to "practice" a correct strike into the middle gates leading to my office. So, revisiting the "Old Man's" response of "I am training right now" it is obvious that he was being truthful. I am particularly grateful for this insight these days as it is difficult for me to formally train more than about 3 hours a day during the work week. Family concerns and the requirement to be a "full up player" in the adult world tend to take up the majority of my day. The message is simply this: If you limit yourself to times of "formal training," then "time" will always be the limiting factor with regard to your progress. The body becomes its function. Peace, good training and good health, John."

[Sharky]

hm. i guess it depends if you want to look like a muppet or not. i cringe if i see people doing martial liek movents to themselve, in the street. i guess it depends on how much you are into it.

i think, if you goto disneyland with your wife and kid, you shoul dbe more interested in your wife and kid than focusing your chi in your dan tien or whatever.

i think his example was over the top. for me, that is.

visualisation is a good tool, but martial arts are supposed to enhance your life, not dominate/hinder it.

then again, train when you want to train, don't train if you don't want to.

yes. no.

maybe.

[Ray Pina]

That was actually an excellent post.

It's not a martial type movemnt if that's the way you always move -- disciplined.

There are two swinging doors to the men's room here at work. Everytime in I double shield the first one and rotate a palm around to strike the second. I spend a lot of time in there.

If no one is there, I'll even throw off a few rounds of palm strikes, just to keep the juices flowing.

I love the martial arts.

[qeySuS]

heh, i'll turn the lights out in the house when everyone is asleep by kicking them, that's about it (when noone sees me).

[Sharky]

I'll admit to doing things like that all the time, when ALONE (ahem) i am always punching the air.

But if there is even a SLIGHT chance of someone else there, it's a no no.

[shaolinboxer]

I practice so that my martial arts enhances my natural movement. Therefore, when I open a door, I just open the door and let my body move without thinking about it.

[wu_de36]

The deeper/larger point would be that one doesn't have to practice techniques per se. I'm sure his sifu wasn't in the back of the car doing tiny little hand movements.

Various qigong work, checking your body alignment, proper balance while walking, etc are all ways of training which aren't nearly as exciting as bag work and wooden dummy work, but are just as fundamental.

Heck, just sitting back and reflecting on your training once in awhile is better training than trying to work when you're hurt. When I'm injured, I'll go to class and watch. See what other people are doing, what kind of examples my instructor uses to fix it, etc.

Expand your definition of what training is, and you'll find that you should be "training" a lot more than what you do right now.

I too am guilty of bonking parking meters, brick walls, and light poles when I walk. But I'm just hyper like that.

[Sho]

If you missed a new technique while not attending training, it doesn't mean that it's the only time to bump into that technique. I know the feeling and I feel that way myself too, but hey, you will come across that same technique still many times.

[JWTAYLOR]

What hint?

BTW, I'm picking up my new bike this weekend.
2001 Honda Magna
JWT

[txwingchun]

I'm like a junkie I get the shakes if I miss class I just can't do it.

[Tae Li]

are u kidding? i missed ONE training session about two weeks ago because i had uni and even decided that uni commitments overwrite training atm, i felt physically ill and guilty at missing that first lesson, and said no way! screw it!

so now i carry all my gear with my books as well to uni, then leave 15min early to make the train (cos i dont have the car on that day) and i run for the train, and then i walk to training AFTER a long day of uni.

Then i train my asss of. But its alllll worth it!

Tae Li;)

[Prairie]

My job keeps me from attending all the classes in which I could participate. I'm only able to attend class twice a week out of a possible four.

I can't do much about my weird work schedule so I don't let missing class for work reasons bother me.

When I miss class because I'm not feeling good, I'm very bothered. However, one doesn't choose to be sick so I shouldn't let that bother me either.

[Colin]

Shaolinboxer " Therefore, when I open a door, I just open the door and let my body move without thinking about it."

Since starting internal arts.
At work when I have to go through a doorway, I become the door! :D

The other week, my Xing Yi Shifu was explaining why some people progress so much quicker than others. He says simply that if you attend once a week for two hours you get 52 sessions.
Whereas if you train every day at home you get 365 sessions + the 52 lessons, nearly 8 times as much, or 8 years compared to one!

He only wants us to attend class once per week, as he feels that we need the time between to practice on our own.

I suppose this method is more suitable to an art like Xing Yi, as the perfection of Xing Yi technique comes from large amounts of repetition.

Kind of handy really, as this enables me to attend/teach my Lau Gar classes twice a week too.

Colin...........

[rubthebuddha]

i wonder if springer's sifu was also talking about things other than physical techniques.

for example, if i'm in a really crappy mood at work or someone is really getting my rankles up, it's a good chance for me to practice my breathing and maybe focus on individual muscle movements -- like seeing if i can flex my lats or left glute or right hammy or left posterior delt -- stuff like that. also, it's a great chance for me to practice a bit of detachment -- why is this ******* getting on my nerves -- is the topic on which they're complaining all that important? is it, or is the *******, worth me getting angry?

nope. and stuff like this is just one more time to BE a martial artist.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

im missing allot of class and it's ****ing killing me. i went to florida with the family for a week, which was actually very cool, but when i got back i got to go to one class before giving myself a hernia. so i missed another two weeks and i just had my surgery today. i'm ****in hurtin and it looks like it will be another 4 - 6 weeks before i'll be able to go back.

to make it worse sifu has been "cleaning up" class and kicked about 6 people out for not showing up half the time. i know i got a good reason, and he's aware of that, but it still makes me feel worse about missing some how.

i aint got no luck. on top of everything else one of my good friends blew his head off last week. ****in idiot. if there is an after life i will kick his ass as soon as i see him.

[Hau Tien]

GunnedDownAtrocity:

I feel for you... but there is a bit of a lesson there. One I should heed as well.

I've had a couple times where I missed a couple of weeks of class due to circumstances beyond my control, and my first class back, I end up injuring myself. One time it was a pulled groin muscle that kept me out of class for another week, in addition to being extremely painful (as anyone who has pulled a groin muscle knows).

I think this happens because our bodies fall out of shape rather quickly. Then, when we go back, we train the way we did when we hadn't missed any classes, and our bodies aren't used to it.

I guess the lesson is to listen to our bodies more and not go all out our first class back to "make up" for time we've missed. I feel bad doing it... and am always thinking my Sifu will think less of me for taking it easy the first class back... but he'd much rather I take it easy a couple classes, then get back into it, rather than injure myself.

My condolences on the loss of your friend.

Hau Tien

[shaolinboxer]

Many of the world's top masters have suffered through long periods of illness, have families, and high level jobs.

They just never gave up.

[red_fists]

I have misssed a few classes due to work or Family commitments.

Felt bad about it: Yes and No.

Since I do Internal MA at the moment I am not too worried about missing out on a tech as Sifu usually catches us up the minute we walk into the kwoon b4 the class starts.

[Nexus]

Doing the internal arts, I would say that 95% occurs on my own time and 5% learning occurs in class.

Each time we come into class the previous class is usually given a bit of review in some form of another. Sometimes two weeks will be completely different, and other times we'll go several months building ontop of each exercise and continually training sensitivity.

I personally don't like missing class as it is usually a lot of fun and always has something new. It keeps my mind active and interested in what we are doing throughout my daily life. I'd say that if you are a student or have a job, try and find ways to schedule your priorities in the order which you care about most. For myself, it's scheduling so that I can attend my favorite classes, while allowing some classes to slip by which I will be too busy for or have other things occupying. I know it's ok because classes are offered over and over again, and the process is always ongoing, and growth is always occuring.

The most ironic thing about this thread of course is today is one of those rare days that I have to miss class!!! :)

- Nexus

[Chang Style Novice]

I miss class terribly. I can't wait to get back to it.

On the plus side, my new job has me doing hard physical labor about five hours a day, so it's not like I'm sliding into some grotesque physical decline (unless you count the farmer tan.)