I might start updating this again.
For the last few months, I just haven't felt the desire to write about my training. Sometimes I over-think and over-intellectualize things, so it's good for me to let go of the future and enjoy training as it unfolds. Sometimes I get too caught up in words and videos and such things interfere from my direct experience. In times like that I find that instead of just moving and enjoying it, I'm worrying about camera angles, or how I'll describe it all to an imaginary audience later on. It's been good to let go of the writing for awhile.
I have not let go of my training. Every day. Still. It's probably been close to a year now that I've trained every day. I never bothered remembering the date or anything like that. I plan on keeping it up for a while. If I tire of this and decide to stop training daily, I'll cut the braid. Until then, onward.
Down to the nitty gritty details. Over the last few months I've taken on more gymnastics classes and therefore learned a lot about that sport, teaching its skills, and also learned several of them myself. I have paid particular attention to developing my shoulder flexibility, maintaining my splits, using isos to develop strength, improving my handstands, trying to develop a front-full, trying to improve my back-tuck, and acquiring more basic tumbling skills. I put a lot of time into my front handspring, strength work on rings, planche, and lately my back handspring. All of these have paid off.
Last week I learned back handsprings. Having taught them for months, they came pretty naturally, though my coaches advised to not rush to doing them on floor. I also landed b-twists and sideswipes for the first time last week. Weeks like that are rare, so it's nice to enjoy them when they come. The b-twist night was a lot of fun.
I've been working them almost everyday since then.
Yesterday I went to Mt. Diablo and jumped around on giant rocks, before taking in the solar eclipse. It was a long and epic day full of adventure.
Next weekend Vellu and Riyanto, two fantastically talented European trickers, will be in San Jose, so I'm going to journey down for workshops with them. I can't wait. For the last month or two I have been drilling my basic tricks, transitions, and working on developing long combos that integrate both my more challenging tricks and the simpler basic tricks I know. Focusing on the fundamentals always pays dividends. By summer's end I'd like to have my cheat 720 super consistent, and start working on a cheat 9, as well as backside 9. I'd also like to combo my b-twist and sideswipe.
Anyway, that's the ramble for now.
I also graduated from Sonoma State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. No emphasis, though I studied both early modern East Asia and early modern/Imperial Spain in-depth in my upper-division coursework. My 25 page senior seminar paper was on the Satsuma Rebellion in Japan in 1878. Developing the mind is as important as developing the body in developing the spirit.
Love you all.
