Time to get me some nanquan coachin' ...
Yes, I renamed it to “The Weekly Wu”. I thought it worked better and .. well .. that’s pretty much it, I guess.
So, here we are at the beginning of the journey. Or rather, the next leg of the journey which started 16 plus years ago.
As I mentioned before, the plan is to make a plan. Or more specifically to have a goal. 7 days to improve and develop just a smidgen. But many smidgens combined make up a bit. And a few bits can turn in to a bunch. Get enough bunches and you have a bushel, which over time will become an orchard. Give that enough time and … I will lose track of what I’m talking about. Were we discussing apples?
Anyway, in order to have a short term goal one must have a long-term goal. So I spent the last day or so figuring out what I would really like to do with wushu (or what I would like wushu to do with me?) I set some long terms goals for next year up until 2015. I’m a little hesitant to write them down here for fear of completely falling off the wagon and having to read this blog entry again in a few months and feel like a total heel, but that’s okay. If I don’t, then it is much less likely to happen. So better to try and fail, then never try and not learn.
Long Term Goals
2015: CMAT Senior All-Around Champion
This will be the 15th anniversary (!!!!) of when I won the CMAT Grand Championship back in 2000. I figured it would be a good chance to have a bit of an anniversary party by trying for another title at CMAT.
2014: World Traditional Games – Gold Medal
I’ve always wanted to compete at the World Traditional Games, as I’ve seen them and have had friends compete there. So, I’m going to aim for a 2014 entry to see if I can do it. Due to the rules of the games (at least the last time I looked) the top 1/3 of the competitors get a gold medal, so it doesn’t necessarily mean getting first (not easy to do in a competitive event like nanquan) but I think I can manage the top 1/3.
2013: Train with every professional team in China.
Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe .. To which team will I go?
This is more of a personal goal. I don’t think anyone has ever done this, so I’d like to be the first. Considering the scope of that project I might be the only. (hahaha?). I will spend 2012 and 2013 taking some trips to other provinces in China to train with various teams.
I figure there are around 25 teams all together, of which I have trained with 4 of them (Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong, Shaanxi). I have connections with a few others (Liaoning, Jiangsu, Shanxi, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Henan, Fujian) and hopefully I can figure out solutions for the others. My goal is to train with each team for at least a week each, but of course longer is better. I have a job though, so not sure if it is feasible or not.
2012: Compete in Wushu
So, my goal for next year is to be able to compete. I don’t care if I get a medal or not. I just want to be in good enough shape to actually enter a competition. That is goal number one. If I can do that, then I will be on the path to fulfilling my other goals.
So, keeping these long-term goals in mind, I have some shorter-term goals to get me towards them.
First, though I need to set a date for my first goal. In 2012, if I want to compete in Wushu, I have to pick a competition to attend. Fortunately the summer is usually a good time to do this. Next year there should be a few in the U.S. (no team trials, of course) including Nationals, CMAT and more. I plan to go to Europe in the fall, so that might be a good place to aim for. If I start researching now I can find a competition somewhere to attend.
But my goal is to be ready to compete by June 1, 2012. That is 9 months from now. Fortunately for me, most of my preparation is of the physical nature, since I’ve been doing wushu long enough that, were I in shape, I would know enough about my wushu form to compete. In other words, I’m not learning wushu from scratch — I’m just building my body from scratch. (Considerably more painful, I’m sure.)
So, with a 9 month goal to be ready for competition, what about some short-term milestones to work towards? Here is what I came up with:
Short-Term Milestones
6 Months (March 1, 2012):
Getting myself back in fighting shape again ...
This is just 3 months before I should be ready to compete. I want to be training regularly in a professional environment and have completed the choreography (or at least have it 99% worked out) so that I have forms to pratice for my three events, nanquan, nangun and nandao. This is the final push before I’m in “fighting shape”, and it is important that I maintain consistency.
My goals are:
- Training with the Shaanxi Wushu Team 5 times per week.
- Complete “final” choreography for my nanquan, nangun and nandao forms.
3 Months (December 1, 2011):
In November I will have begun the transition from training with a private coach to training with the professional team. I will aim to train with them 2 mornings a week, and then use Saturday morning as my third training day. The greater intensity of the training will be taxing and so I will have laid off my personal conditioning program while my body adapts, but by mid-December I should be able to re-integrate my own strength and endurance training. For my forms I want to have at least 2 – 3 sections of my nanquan ready for practice sessions, as well as at least 1 section for both of my weapons.
My goals are:
- Training with the Shaanxi Wushu Team 3 times per week.
- Continue conditioning on my own (flexibility, strength, endurance) 3 times per week.
- Have initial choreography for my nanquan nangun and nandao forms.
1 Month (October 1, 2011):
I will have trained with my private coach for almost a month by this point. I will have asked him/her to focus primarily on my fundamentals, working a lot on kicks, stances, combos and transitions. We will train 3 times per week in the evenings for 2 months before I begin my transition to training with the professional team. I will also maintain my own program of flexibility, strength and endurance training 3 times per week.
My goals are:
- Continue training with a private coach 3 times per week – focusing on wushu fundamentals.
- Continue conditioning on my own (flexibility, strength, endurance) 3 times per week.
So, now that I have my long term goals and my short-term milestones figured out. What about this week’s plan? This is called the “Weekly Wu” after all. Here is what I plan to do this week:
August 29 – September 4: The Weekly Wu
1. Daily stretching, strength and endurance training
So, this week I will begin a routine of stretching, strength training and endurance training in the mornings.
Stretching:
- Yoga – modified (x3)
- Lunge (x10)
It's time to "ya" my "tui" ...
- Drop (x10)
- Horse (30 sec. x3)
- Head to toe (x50 each leg)
Strength:
- Squats (3 x 10)
- Hindu Pushups (3 x 10)
- Heel-touch Crunches (3 x 10)
- Kettlebell swings (30)
- 5 stance holding (5 sec.)
Endurance:
- Warm up walking (1 lap)
- Light sprints (100 m x 5 )
All this together, including time to and from the track, will probably take about an hour. I will do the first 3 stretches and strength items at home and then do the rest at the track where I’ll have more room.
2. Make arrangements with a private coach to train twice per week (Tue, Fri) starting the following week (9/6)
It just so happens that Xiao Yu is in town for 3 days starting today. I’ve arranged to meet up with her in the afternoon on Monday, at which time I’m going to ask her about training options (she already said through SMS that should would help me find a coach). Wu Ya Nan, who I mentioned before is in the U.S. (or he might be back by now) also connected me with someone for coaching. So I have some decisions to make. After speaking with Xiao Yu I will see what my options are.
But for sure I’m gong to make arrangements this week to start my training next Tuesday. Why next week and not this week? Because this week I’m finishing up my night-time teaching at a software company in Gao Xin and that goes from 6 – 8PM three nights of the week. The other two nights I will be doing my own work so I don’t have the availability. Once the class is finished I can re-commit that time to wushu training. (yay!)
3. Continue nutrition program for additional weight loss.
I’ve been following a no-sugar diet (well, except for the apple pie I had tonight after dinner ….) for the better part of the past 6 weeks and have lost a decent amount of weight. I’m going to re-confirm that and keep up for the next month as well so that I can continue my progress. Before I start training with the team in the middle of November I would like to be 20 pounds lighter than I am right now. That is feasible since I’m increasing my physical activity and maintaining a good nutrition program.
So, there you go. My Weekly Wu to start tomorrow morning. The purpose isn’t to kill myself this week. Could I do more? Sure, I suppose everyone could always do more. But just because you can doesn’t mean you should. And a slower start is actually a wiser choice in my opinion. As long as my exercise is enjoyable, I will keep it up. And as long as I remember the reason I’m doing it and why I love wushu, then I will be able to maintain my motivation for training.
Baby steps turn in to teen hops which lead to adult leaps. Of course, in wushu terms I’m practically an old man so I suppose I’ll do senior strides and see where that takes me.
Related posts: