Not a single day goes by that I don't think about writing in my blog. I'll have a profound thought, a wonderful life lesson, something ironic, you name it and I'll forget to write. Well... I had a profound thought tonight and said to myself, "go bust out the laptop and blog about it."
Now, I don't claim to be very knowledgable about the economy, but I think I can hold my own in a 3 round, 2 minute conversation with someone. I'll admit I don't know too much about how Bush and our next president affects the economy. I mean, I kind of thought I knew, but then I read something that doesn't make sense, or it contradicts itself.
I'm a thinker, actually... more like a dweller. I dwell on things until I can come up with an answer that makes perfect sense. Perhaps, it's my engineering background. Anyhow, let's begin with what I know and what I don't know.
I know that when you're dead broke, you don't go and buy stock on your credit card, just because the company is going to report outstanding earnings.
I don't know why there are so many business coaches that have never created a successful business for themselves.
I know that if you're thinking about selling some investment property, you should do it before Obama gets elected since we'll probably never see taxes this low for awhile (currently 15%, Obama will raise it to 25%). Note: I wish I knew enough about the candidates to be able to bash one or the other. Unfortunately, I don't. So please don't interpret this as a pro McCain statement.
I don't know why people say they don't have time for things. We all have the same number of minutes in a day, including the busiest people in the world.
I know you don't buy United Airlines stock right after terrorist use the planes as weapons of mass destruction. Do you recall when Jack in the Box served burgers with the Salmonella bacteria in it? People made a fortune on Jack in the Box stock from their recovery. Well, United Airlines never recovered. In fact, they were delisted from the New York Stock Exchange.
I don't know as much as I'd like about history. Therefore, I checked out a book on Julius Caesar. Did you know it has been theorized that his namesake was derived from an ancestor who was believed to have been born by a caesarian section? Seriously, I got the book to study the leadership skills of this historical figure.
I know it's possible to buy a 20 year, high yielding bond at 8% interest right now.
I don't know why more people don't enrich their lives with books, exercise, good nutrition, and martial arts (The Academy of World Taekwondo- 381-0587, ask for Kendal). ;)
I know the ancient chinese philosophy of Yin & Yang very well. I know that it can be applied in every situation of life. I dare you to try and stump me:). Taekwondo is a huge part of many of our students lives. For me, Taekwondo is my life. I can't help to naturally think about everything in terms of Yin & Yang, which basically boils down to balance.
Remember when the bottom fell out the stock market in 99'? Or was it 2000? What came next? The real estate market? What happened immediately after that? The economy! Let's look back at history. Do all three things always correct themselves? Of course! The reason why they correct themselves is because we, as in you and me and everyone else driving the market, make the needed adjustments.
I was just watching something on TV about an hour ago. They were basically talking about how to survive in a recession. The financial expert was talking about saving a penny here and a penny there and eventually you'll save quite a bit. She also discussed down sizing and becoming more economical with things.
Remember, I'm a dweller. While she was talking, I couldn't stop thinking about the economic stimulus checks we all received. We all know what those checks are for, right? We're supposed to be buying plasma TV's, stereo's, and clothes with that money. Okay, now we have two very oppossing philosophies. Or, do we??? You see, one is simply Yin (conservative spending) and the other is Yang (liberal spending). The bottom line is, you can't have one without the other. Too much Yang will have to result in an abundance of Yin in order to correct itself.
The US economy will not collapse, because businesses that were Yang yesterday will become Yin tomorrow. The trend will eventually trickle all the way down to the everyday consumer. Once the larger corporations, businesses, and consumers begin adjusting their Yang ways to a more Yin approach will we find everything back in balance, which is essentially the meaning of Yin and Yang- balance.
Remember, I love making lessons out of everything. Here it is. If you're feeling the affects of a down economy, perhaps you have not adjusted your Yang ways. Maybe it's time to throw a little Yin into the mix. Make a list of your Yang and another list of your Yin. Is your Yang bigger than your Yin? I guarantee if you make adjustments to balance the two, you'll still have the means to enjoy those family vacations to Disney Land.
Respectfully,
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
http://www.FreeKarateLesson.com
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Motivation & Taekwondo Training... Let's Get it Going!!!
The human body is a miraculous creation capable of many great things. Next year at this time, you will be a new person. Literally! All the cells of our bodies are replaced every 12 months. How come we look the same year after year? Maybe even worse as time goes on. It's because our minds get in the way! We start a new regimen with high hopes of achieving our vision. We hit the workouts and the diets hard making it our number one priority. Time goes by with little improvements, but we're determined to finally make a change. More time goes by and we see even less improvements so we begin to slow down a little bit. We start missing workouts and slipping up on our diets. We start saying, "Monday, I'm going to hit it hard again." Somehow Monday seems to have come and gone and now it's Thursday and you haven't trained once. So you settle for mediocrity.
Imagine that you have a vision in your right hand. Hold it up high. In your left hand you have reality. Hold it down low. Connecting your two hands is a rubber band. Peter M. Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline, calls this your creative tension. Your goal is to bring your left hand, reality, to your right hand, vision. The vision hand is up high for a reason. It symbolizes the top, a mountain peak so to speak. The reality hand is symbolic of your present state, at the bottom of the mountain preparing for your journey. Too many times in life do we strive to bring the reality hand to the vision hand, but rather give up, letting the vision hand come to the reality hand. When we do this, we're quitting. We're settling for mediocrity. Mr. Senge says, "Most people's lives are like the food in my freezer. Not quite bad enough to throw out and not quite good enough to eat."
We live in a life controlled by the dynamics of cause and effect. Why do people smoke? Because they're not going to die the moment the cigarette touches their lips. Why do people eat those Krispy Kreme donuts, even though they're so high in fat and partially hydrogenated oils? Because they don't see the effects at that exact moment. I guarantee that if at the moment you swallow that delicious donut your pant buttons pop open with each bite, you'd reconsider. Since that doesn't happen, we continue our eating habits, waiting for Monday to come.
Okay, so how do we get out of this viscous cycle? It's easy! I hope that puts you at ease a little bit. And it's hard at the same time. Unfortunately, there is no potion that will transform you or make you workout. I read a book recently, called Good to Great by Jim Collins. It's about the qualities of a company that make it successful. Many times during the book I kept finding myself thinking about these companies like our bodies. Basically Mr. Collins research shows that great companies are not built overnight, but rather over time. They also experience many setbacks that help make them the great company that they are. When this crawl, walk, run approach is taken, a great company becomes "Built to Last." Our bodies are no different. If your mindset is to transform your body with ease, and be sent on your way, you'll be sadly mistaken.
You must make a new lifestyle for yourself. Not a diet. Not a workout. A lifestyle. Have you ever heard a person in great shape say they're out of shape? Does it make you sick? This person probably hasn't been training in Taekwondo as often as they like or maybe they're in an off season, but an athletic person is never really out of shape because being conditioned and healthy is a lifestyle for them.
You may have made a committment to your Taekwondo training. Make this a priority like you make brushing your teeth a priority. You brush your teeth probably because you know and have experienced the effects of cavities.
You need to supply the personal commitment to start leading a new lifestyle. Diligent Taekwondo training can be a big commitment. It's easy to do if we cancel all of our daily appointments, miss out on family time, etc. Usually, when we do this we're bombarded after several weeks of neglecting the important things in our life. Do not make Taekwondo training a hiatus from the rest of your life. Just like eating steak, cut the fat out. Your day should consist of what matters most. Try using a planner or some other time management system.
Good luck to you!
Respectfully,
Master Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
http://www.FreeKarateLesson.com
Imagine that you have a vision in your right hand. Hold it up high. In your left hand you have reality. Hold it down low. Connecting your two hands is a rubber band. Peter M. Senge, author of The Fifth Discipline, calls this your creative tension. Your goal is to bring your left hand, reality, to your right hand, vision. The vision hand is up high for a reason. It symbolizes the top, a mountain peak so to speak. The reality hand is symbolic of your present state, at the bottom of the mountain preparing for your journey. Too many times in life do we strive to bring the reality hand to the vision hand, but rather give up, letting the vision hand come to the reality hand. When we do this, we're quitting. We're settling for mediocrity. Mr. Senge says, "Most people's lives are like the food in my freezer. Not quite bad enough to throw out and not quite good enough to eat."
We live in a life controlled by the dynamics of cause and effect. Why do people smoke? Because they're not going to die the moment the cigarette touches their lips. Why do people eat those Krispy Kreme donuts, even though they're so high in fat and partially hydrogenated oils? Because they don't see the effects at that exact moment. I guarantee that if at the moment you swallow that delicious donut your pant buttons pop open with each bite, you'd reconsider. Since that doesn't happen, we continue our eating habits, waiting for Monday to come.
Okay, so how do we get out of this viscous cycle? It's easy! I hope that puts you at ease a little bit. And it's hard at the same time. Unfortunately, there is no potion that will transform you or make you workout. I read a book recently, called Good to Great by Jim Collins. It's about the qualities of a company that make it successful. Many times during the book I kept finding myself thinking about these companies like our bodies. Basically Mr. Collins research shows that great companies are not built overnight, but rather over time. They also experience many setbacks that help make them the great company that they are. When this crawl, walk, run approach is taken, a great company becomes "Built to Last." Our bodies are no different. If your mindset is to transform your body with ease, and be sent on your way, you'll be sadly mistaken.
You must make a new lifestyle for yourself. Not a diet. Not a workout. A lifestyle. Have you ever heard a person in great shape say they're out of shape? Does it make you sick? This person probably hasn't been training in Taekwondo as often as they like or maybe they're in an off season, but an athletic person is never really out of shape because being conditioned and healthy is a lifestyle for them.
You may have made a committment to your Taekwondo training. Make this a priority like you make brushing your teeth a priority. You brush your teeth probably because you know and have experienced the effects of cavities.
You need to supply the personal commitment to start leading a new lifestyle. Diligent Taekwondo training can be a big commitment. It's easy to do if we cancel all of our daily appointments, miss out on family time, etc. Usually, when we do this we're bombarded after several weeks of neglecting the important things in our life. Do not make Taekwondo training a hiatus from the rest of your life. Just like eating steak, cut the fat out. Your day should consist of what matters most. Try using a planner or some other time management system.
Good luck to you!
Respectfully,
Master Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
http://www.FreeKarateLesson.com
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Mia St. John wins WBC Title
We Won!!! Well, actually Mia won, but for the record she couldn't have done it without her "seconds". Seconds, or better put- 2nds, refer to the boxer's team. The team consists of the Trainer- Charles, Assistant Trainer- me, and the Cut Man- Sergio.Next time you watch a boxing match, pay attention to the coordinated effort that goes into taking care of the fighter. It's absolutely amazing. I'm used to Taekwondo matches where our player (as we call them in Taekwondo), comes back and it's the coach and the athlete. On the other hand, a Taekwondo player is not taking the same facial beating that boxers endure.
If you watched the match on TV, you probably missed my job. No worries... I'll cover it right now.
Click, Click, Click. That is the 10 second warning. At this point, I pick up the stool, double check that I have the jar of vasoline in my pocket. The Cut Man has the ice pack and the trainer has got the water.
DING... In one consorted effort, three men are in the corner, 1 in the ring, and we're prepared to cool the fighter down, temporarily close cuts, bring swelling down, stop bleeding, hydrate, add vasoline, and oh yeah... offer some good boxing advice. It takes about 3 seconds to have all three of us in place.
DING... Mia stands up and we need to be gone! If we're not out of the ring within a few seconds, Mia could be penalized. Prior to giving a penalty, the referee gives us the command, "2nd's out!" At that point, we MOVE and the fight continues.
As I mentioned yesterday, we were a little nervous about the crowd of 20,000 people. Quite honestly, seeing the crowd last night, there was no reason to be worried at all. Mia esta muy famosa aqui. She is a national celebrity. Mia's face appeared in every newspaper and news channel in Mexico. As a matter of fact, the governer of Zacatecas, a state in Mexico, sent her an enormous bouquet of flowers. If that wasn't enough, the governer had her representative- Juan Carlos, make sure we were well taken care of.
Today, Juan Carlos and his chauffeur took us on an amazing tour of the Azteca Pyramids. I took some fun and exciting video while racing my sister to the top. Unfortunately, I haven't converted the video to put in this blog.
DING... In one consorted effort, three men are in the corner, 1 in the ring, and we're prepared to cool the fighter down, temporarily close cuts, bring swelling down, stop bleeding, hydrate, add vasoline, and oh yeah... offer some good boxing advice. It takes about 3 seconds to have all three of us in place.
DING... Mia stands up and we need to be gone! If we're not out of the ring within a few seconds, Mia could be penalized. Prior to giving a penalty, the referee gives us the command, "2nd's out!" At that point, we MOVE and the fight continues.
As I mentioned yesterday, we were a little nervous about the crowd of 20,000 people. Quite honestly, seeing the crowd last night, there was no reason to be worried at all. Mia esta muy famosa aqui. She is a national celebrity. Mia's face appeared in every newspaper and news channel in Mexico. As a matter of fact, the governer of Zacatecas, a state in Mexico, sent her an enormous bouquet of flowers. If that wasn't enough, the governer had her representative- Juan Carlos, make sure we were well taken care of.
Today, Juan Carlos and his chauffeur took us on an amazing tour of the Azteca Pyramids. I took some fun and exciting video while racing my sister to the top. Unfortunately, I haven't converted the video to put in this blog.
After the pyramids, they treated us to an amazing dinner in the historical district of Mexico City, right next to el Capitale. The restaurant itself, Cafe de Tacuba has an amazing history. Once originally a monestary for monks, then converted to a cafe'. It became a famous cafe' in the early ninteen hundreds where many political figures once ate. In fact, some of them were even gunned down in this cafe' because of the corruption in the government in the 1920's and 30's. I'm sure that corruption is all better now.
Tomorrow, I will be heading back to Boise. I really do enjoy the culture and musica de Mexico. I also enjoy walking or riding my bike alone in Boise and not worrying about a thing. There was actually nothing to worry about on this trip, mainly because we were treated like royalty by the state of Zacatecas. It does look as if we will be returning in November, but this time to Zacatecas itself, for one more fight. I do plan on bringing my entire family this time so they can learn more about the culture of my mother. My mother actually grew up in Zacatecas, and her entire family still resides there. It's going to be quite the cultural experience for us.
See you soon!
Respectfully,
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Ph: 208.381.0587
http://www.FreeKarateLesson.com
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Hola, from the La Ciudad de Mexico!
Hola! Que esta' pasando, estudiante's y amigo's? What is happening, students and friends? I am in the Mexican spirit. I have arrived safely en la Ciudad de Mexico. I promised a blog post last night, but had difficulty tracking down some internet service. Esta bien, ahora!
If you haven't heard, I am here for my sister's retirement boxing match. Por que Mexico City? Well, we are half Mexican. Hence, the reason I write half espanol:). Seriously, she chose to accept this fight in Mexico City because she has an enormous fan base here. In fact, they are literally insane for her. The weigh in was like a concert with thousands of raving fans.
Learn more about Mia at http://www.MiaStJohn.com
A little about la Ciudad De Mexico. I wouldn't recommend traveling here for vacation. Stick to Cabo, Cancun, or mi favorito mejor- Puerto Vallarta. Honestly, I'm not into Cabo or Cancun, since it's hardly leaving the United States. Puerto Vallarta still has quite a bit of Mexican culture. Don't get me wrong, it's still for turista's. However, it's also a city that the Mexican people vacation to as well.
Anyhow, we are not here for vacation, so it doesn't matter. My job is to protect my sister and get her from point A to point B safely. A task I'm very familiar with given all her fights in Vegas during her days fighting on Oscar De La Hoya's cards. The big difference is that the population of Mexico City is nearly 9 million people, crime ridden, horrible infrastructure, corupt policia's, and to top it all off... the event tonight is free. 19,000 fans that don't have to pay a dime. Very different from a Las Vegas crowd where tickets are no cheaper than $250 for the nose bleed section and go up to $5,000 for ringside.
Watch for the piratas! That's pirates, in case you were wondering. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go back in time to see things in history like Christopher Columbus, Magellan, and the pirates. The past is a world that can seem so fairy taleish. Actually, many things of the past are alive and well today. You just have to travel to the right part of the world to see it.
In Mexico City, there are 110,000 taxi's. Of that 110,000, 30,000 of them are not registered. You have no idea which ones are registered and which are not. A common practice in Mexico City is for a friendly taxi cab driver to pick up a tourist from the airport, drive for 15 minutes or so, then at a specific stop light 2 armed piratas will jump into the taxi and the driver will continue driving, usually at high speeds. During this time, the piratas will thoroughly go through the turista's belongings and will rob them of all their valuables, then be dropped off in a remote area.
I'd like to think I fended off a possible attack. When I arrived, a taxi driver was trying to get me to come with him. I tried making it clear to him that I first need to see if I am being picked up by the hotel. He told me to meet him at puerto ocho, door 8. He walked off, briskly. About a minute later, an armed officer told me the taxi's are not for turista's. He made it very clear not to accept a ride from anyone, but rather to buy a shuttle ticket.
My sister's trainer, Charles, had a very different experience. He arrived at around midnight, and therefore, had no driver from the hotel to pick him up. He took the taxi. About 10 minutes into the drive, the taxi had taken, what he thought was an unsual turn into an alley. The taxi quickly came to a stop, and before he could question the stop, 2 people got into the taxi and demanded 500 pesos for the taxi to keep moving. Charles is a large man, who has boxed professional, and trains many top ranked professional fighters. This dude is tough, and he looks tough too! I wish I could say he took on all 3 men with his boxing skills, that would've made a great story. Instead, he did what an intelligent martial artist would have done. He lowered his shoulder, and barrelled into one of the men, bursting the door wide open before the pirata could close it, and ran screaming "policia, help... policia, help".
One thing that surpises me is the amount of policia here. Something that always boggled me was that they always have their lights on. After this incident with Charles, I now have a theory on why they drive with their lights on. The number one crime in Mexico City is robbery, and it mostly takes place in Taxi's and while walking. Fortunately, Charles saw the lights of a Policia and knew if he could get out of the taxi he would be safe.
Here is the hilarious part. The policia had trapped the taxi with it's car and questioned the taxi driver and his "amigo's." The taxi driver explained to the policia that the passenger misunderstood and there is no problemo. The policia then assured Charles that it was okay to ride with them. WHAT??? Well, it turned out alright since the policia followed the taxi all the way to the hotel. Talk about an uncomfortable ride!
That's all for now. I'm going to hit the gym, then we're off to the event. The fight is tonight on TV Azteca. In an email, I announced that the fight will be on TeleVisa, which is actually the station that is in Mexico. El estation en La Estados Unidos (USA) es TV Azteca's.
Stay tuned for more!
Respectfully,
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Ph: 208.381.0587
If you haven't heard, I am here for my sister's retirement boxing match. Por que Mexico City? Well, we are half Mexican. Hence, the reason I write half espanol:). Seriously, she chose to accept this fight in Mexico City because she has an enormous fan base here. In fact, they are literally insane for her. The weigh in was like a concert with thousands of raving fans.
Learn more about Mia at http://www.MiaStJohn.com
A little about la Ciudad De Mexico. I wouldn't recommend traveling here for vacation. Stick to Cabo, Cancun, or mi favorito mejor- Puerto Vallarta. Honestly, I'm not into Cabo or Cancun, since it's hardly leaving the United States. Puerto Vallarta still has quite a bit of Mexican culture. Don't get me wrong, it's still for turista's. However, it's also a city that the Mexican people vacation to as well.
Anyhow, we are not here for vacation, so it doesn't matter. My job is to protect my sister and get her from point A to point B safely. A task I'm very familiar with given all her fights in Vegas during her days fighting on Oscar De La Hoya's cards. The big difference is that the population of Mexico City is nearly 9 million people, crime ridden, horrible infrastructure, corupt policia's, and to top it all off... the event tonight is free. 19,000 fans that don't have to pay a dime. Very different from a Las Vegas crowd where tickets are no cheaper than $250 for the nose bleed section and go up to $5,000 for ringside.
Watch for the piratas! That's pirates, in case you were wondering. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go back in time to see things in history like Christopher Columbus, Magellan, and the pirates. The past is a world that can seem so fairy taleish. Actually, many things of the past are alive and well today. You just have to travel to the right part of the world to see it.
In Mexico City, there are 110,000 taxi's. Of that 110,000, 30,000 of them are not registered. You have no idea which ones are registered and which are not. A common practice in Mexico City is for a friendly taxi cab driver to pick up a tourist from the airport, drive for 15 minutes or so, then at a specific stop light 2 armed piratas will jump into the taxi and the driver will continue driving, usually at high speeds. During this time, the piratas will thoroughly go through the turista's belongings and will rob them of all their valuables, then be dropped off in a remote area.
I'd like to think I fended off a possible attack. When I arrived, a taxi driver was trying to get me to come with him. I tried making it clear to him that I first need to see if I am being picked up by the hotel. He told me to meet him at puerto ocho, door 8. He walked off, briskly. About a minute later, an armed officer told me the taxi's are not for turista's. He made it very clear not to accept a ride from anyone, but rather to buy a shuttle ticket.
My sister's trainer, Charles, had a very different experience. He arrived at around midnight, and therefore, had no driver from the hotel to pick him up. He took the taxi. About 10 minutes into the drive, the taxi had taken, what he thought was an unsual turn into an alley. The taxi quickly came to a stop, and before he could question the stop, 2 people got into the taxi and demanded 500 pesos for the taxi to keep moving. Charles is a large man, who has boxed professional, and trains many top ranked professional fighters. This dude is tough, and he looks tough too! I wish I could say he took on all 3 men with his boxing skills, that would've made a great story. Instead, he did what an intelligent martial artist would have done. He lowered his shoulder, and barrelled into one of the men, bursting the door wide open before the pirata could close it, and ran screaming "policia, help... policia, help".
One thing that surpises me is the amount of policia here. Something that always boggled me was that they always have their lights on. After this incident with Charles, I now have a theory on why they drive with their lights on. The number one crime in Mexico City is robbery, and it mostly takes place in Taxi's and while walking. Fortunately, Charles saw the lights of a Policia and knew if he could get out of the taxi he would be safe.
Here is the hilarious part. The policia had trapped the taxi with it's car and questioned the taxi driver and his "amigo's." The taxi driver explained to the policia that the passenger misunderstood and there is no problemo. The policia then assured Charles that it was okay to ride with them. WHAT??? Well, it turned out alright since the policia followed the taxi all the way to the hotel. Talk about an uncomfortable ride!
That's all for now. I'm going to hit the gym, then we're off to the event. The fight is tonight on TV Azteca. In an email, I announced that the fight will be on TeleVisa, which is actually the station that is in Mexico. El estation en La Estados Unidos (USA) es TV Azteca's.
Stay tuned for more!
Respectfully,
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Ph: 208.381.0587
Monday, May 5, 2008
Your Life's Wobble Board
Last week, I offered a friend some help in building a jungle gym. Not your normal jungle gym from Costco or Home Depot, but rather a custom built one. The wife of my friend said, "Yeah right, when are you going to find the time to do that?
I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to explain to this person why I have time to not only build a jungle gym, but build a jungle gym for someone else. On top of all that, what on earth does this have to do with Taekwondo? Ahhhhh... but, it has everything to do with it.
Take for instance a middle punch. You don't have to understand martial arts to understand what I'm going to describe. With your middle punch, one fist thrusts outward toward the target, and at the exact same time, the opposite fist comes back in toward the body. It's a push/pull sort of motion.
You'd be surprised, the mechanics of this super simple motion become very complex, very fast. In fact, it becomes so complex that in college I actually studied the middle punch with a 2D motion simulation program. Without boring you with all the details of my findings, let me tell you what factors contributed to a stronger punch and which contributed to a weaker punch.
Force from a punch is generated by the acceleration from several muscles working in sequence with each other. At the exact same time, it is possible to have your muscles working against you while you're punching. Even the most experienced martial artists are still developing the mechanics of their punch. If I could sum up the solution to a powerful punch in 3 words, it would be Yin & Yang.
Yin & Yang is about balance and harmony. When your body is physically in balance, executing a middle punch, you become very powerful. The same goes for other techniques, like the roundhouse kick.
Yin is considered the passive side and Yang is the aggressive side. As you raise your leg for a roundhouse kick, your contracting muscles accelerating your foot from the floor toward your target is considered Yang. Now, in order for your leg to travel smoothly, without resistance, you must have elastic muscles that are not pulling your leg back to the floor. In other words, flexibility- Yin. Students will often be attracted to the power of a technique, disregarding the Yin aspect. The same goes for when a student longs to kick way over their head, and focuses on stretching, but neglects building the strength to bring the leg that high.
The ancient philosophy of Yin & Yang is all about balance. Balance is something that not only takes place in the Taekwondo classroom, but also in life. In our school, we have a piece of exercise equipment called a wobble board. It's a round disc with a half dome on the bottom, located in the middle. This round board requires you to stand on it while maintaining balance. The neat thing about this board is that you're constantly applying Yin & Yang to remain as static as possible.
Don't worry, I'm making my way back to the jungle gym...
Imagine standing on that wobble board, immediately you're rocking in an infinite amount of directions trying to maintain a static position. Now, imagine on one side of the board it says FAMILY, the opposite side says CAREER. Also, imagine that another side says FRIENDS and the opposite side says HEALTH. Let's keep going... HOBBIES and opposite is PERSONAL GROWTH. Should we do one more? How about MONEY and opposite is SPIRITUAL.
Now that you're on your imaginary wobble board, you'll find yourself constantly wobbling. In fact, it's impossible to remain 100% static on a solid surface. We're constantly applying too much Yang to one side, then having to come back with some Yin to balance it out.
How do I, personally, balance on the Yin & Yang wobble board of life? Well, it's simple, and it's not because I train everyday. I make sure that everything I do in a day fits into one of those categories listed above. I make sure that I don't get involved with activities that don't contribute to any of my categories, like watching TV. If you've read some of my earlier posts, you know Rachel and I are proud of our rabbit ears. Every now and then I do tune into Leno or Conan while I change gears before I begin reading.
I happen to love construction. I love building and I love the tools to do it. I enjoy friends and I enjoy making new friends. Let's take a look at the wobble board. The two things I mentioned above are HOBBIES and FRIENDS. When I have the opportunity to do both, it's a no brainer. This past weekend was a double no brainer. My whole family spent the afternoon at this FRIENDS house. The kids played together, we hung out as FAMILES, and I fullfilled a HOBBY.
Here's the lesson-
1. Determine your categories that are important to you or use mine.
2. Choose your daily activities that fit in those categories.
3. Avoid doing activities that prevent you from getting closer to your category goals or have nothing to do with it.
4. Then apply the ancient Chinese philosophy of Yin & Yang and constantly work at keeping your balance with all of them.
Respectfully,
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Ph: 208.381.0587
Web: http://www.FreeKarateLesson.com
I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to explain to this person why I have time to not only build a jungle gym, but build a jungle gym for someone else. On top of all that, what on earth does this have to do with Taekwondo? Ahhhhh... but, it has everything to do with it.
Take for instance a middle punch. You don't have to understand martial arts to understand what I'm going to describe. With your middle punch, one fist thrusts outward toward the target, and at the exact same time, the opposite fist comes back in toward the body. It's a push/pull sort of motion.
You'd be surprised, the mechanics of this super simple motion become very complex, very fast. In fact, it becomes so complex that in college I actually studied the middle punch with a 2D motion simulation program. Without boring you with all the details of my findings, let me tell you what factors contributed to a stronger punch and which contributed to a weaker punch.
Force from a punch is generated by the acceleration from several muscles working in sequence with each other. At the exact same time, it is possible to have your muscles working against you while you're punching. Even the most experienced martial artists are still developing the mechanics of their punch. If I could sum up the solution to a powerful punch in 3 words, it would be Yin & Yang.
Yin & Yang is about balance and harmony. When your body is physically in balance, executing a middle punch, you become very powerful. The same goes for other techniques, like the roundhouse kick.
Yin is considered the passive side and Yang is the aggressive side. As you raise your leg for a roundhouse kick, your contracting muscles accelerating your foot from the floor toward your target is considered Yang. Now, in order for your leg to travel smoothly, without resistance, you must have elastic muscles that are not pulling your leg back to the floor. In other words, flexibility- Yin. Students will often be attracted to the power of a technique, disregarding the Yin aspect. The same goes for when a student longs to kick way over their head, and focuses on stretching, but neglects building the strength to bring the leg that high.
The ancient philosophy of Yin & Yang is all about balance. Balance is something that not only takes place in the Taekwondo classroom, but also in life. In our school, we have a piece of exercise equipment called a wobble board. It's a round disc with a half dome on the bottom, located in the middle. This round board requires you to stand on it while maintaining balance. The neat thing about this board is that you're constantly applying Yin & Yang to remain as static as possible.
Don't worry, I'm making my way back to the jungle gym...
Imagine standing on that wobble board, immediately you're rocking in an infinite amount of directions trying to maintain a static position. Now, imagine on one side of the board it says FAMILY, the opposite side says CAREER. Also, imagine that another side says FRIENDS and the opposite side says HEALTH. Let's keep going... HOBBIES and opposite is PERSONAL GROWTH. Should we do one more? How about MONEY and opposite is SPIRITUAL.
Now that you're on your imaginary wobble board, you'll find yourself constantly wobbling. In fact, it's impossible to remain 100% static on a solid surface. We're constantly applying too much Yang to one side, then having to come back with some Yin to balance it out.
How do I, personally, balance on the Yin & Yang wobble board of life? Well, it's simple, and it's not because I train everyday. I make sure that everything I do in a day fits into one of those categories listed above. I make sure that I don't get involved with activities that don't contribute to any of my categories, like watching TV. If you've read some of my earlier posts, you know Rachel and I are proud of our rabbit ears. Every now and then I do tune into Leno or Conan while I change gears before I begin reading.
I happen to love construction. I love building and I love the tools to do it. I enjoy friends and I enjoy making new friends. Let's take a look at the wobble board. The two things I mentioned above are HOBBIES and FRIENDS. When I have the opportunity to do both, it's a no brainer. This past weekend was a double no brainer. My whole family spent the afternoon at this FRIENDS house. The kids played together, we hung out as FAMILES, and I fullfilled a HOBBY.
Here's the lesson-
1. Determine your categories that are important to you or use mine.
2. Choose your daily activities that fit in those categories.
3. Avoid doing activities that prevent you from getting closer to your category goals or have nothing to do with it.
4. Then apply the ancient Chinese philosophy of Yin & Yang and constantly work at keeping your balance with all of them.
Respectfully,
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Ph: 208.381.0587
Web: http://www.FreeKarateLesson.com
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Eat to Live
Many students, Taekwondo or Thai-Robics, always ask me about nutrition. I love it! I love when someone is interested in making a change. Tonight, I'd like to blog about a way of eating that will help you look your best and perform at your best.
The last thing I'm going to do is write down how many calories you're supposed to consume or the amount of protein, carbs, or fat, you need in a day. That's absurd- soley because I need to know your body composition. By the way, we do those for free in the Ultimate Body Challenge (UBC).
More importantly, I'm going to try and expand your context. If you've read books on nutrition, you've expanded your content. Think of context as the bowl that holds the content. Get it? :)
First of all, if you want to be successful at the nutrition game, you must decide right now why you eat. Of course, when asked, everyone says they, "eat to live." Why do you eat dessert? Most desserts have very little nutrtional value. Still, people treat themselves to some sort of dessert every single day, be it a grande white chocolate mocha, or some sort of ritual bedtime treat.
If you treat yourself to a dessert on a daily basis, you are living to eat. When you live to eat, you get fat! I'm not going to sugar coat this (pun intended). This is the truth, and hopefully I can shift your thinking.
Life is an amazing experience. In fact, for me, it gets even more amazing everyday I wake up. Everyday, I learn something new. Tony Robbins often says, "If you're not growing, then you're rotting." One of the most amazing things about life is that we have choices. We are blessed with the ability to choose. Everyday, I see people that have chosen to be obese. I see people who have chosen to be poor. I see people who have chosen mediocrity.
Whoa! How did get on this subject from nutrition? Let me explain... I am attempting to live my life to the fullest. I am teaching Taekwondo students how to defend themselves, compete in tournaments, or how to use their skills in other areas of life to help them become successful. I teach Thai-Robics and Sport Fusion to help people get more out of life. I plan on conducting workshops on a global scale someday. I plan on building another jungle gym for my kids, when we move, like I did this past weekend.
Life is too great to devote it to eating. This is what I call "living to eat." If you want the most out of life, "eat to live." Decide right now that the foods you eat are not for pleasure, but for endurance, strength, and stamina. Life has many pleasures and there is no reason to get that pleasure from food. So... I leave you with this- why do you eat?
Respectfully,
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Ph: 208.381.0587
Web: http://www.FreeKarateLesson.com
The last thing I'm going to do is write down how many calories you're supposed to consume or the amount of protein, carbs, or fat, you need in a day. That's absurd- soley because I need to know your body composition. By the way, we do those for free in the Ultimate Body Challenge (UBC).
More importantly, I'm going to try and expand your context. If you've read books on nutrition, you've expanded your content. Think of context as the bowl that holds the content. Get it? :)
First of all, if you want to be successful at the nutrition game, you must decide right now why you eat. Of course, when asked, everyone says they, "eat to live." Why do you eat dessert? Most desserts have very little nutrtional value. Still, people treat themselves to some sort of dessert every single day, be it a grande white chocolate mocha, or some sort of ritual bedtime treat.
If you treat yourself to a dessert on a daily basis, you are living to eat. When you live to eat, you get fat! I'm not going to sugar coat this (pun intended). This is the truth, and hopefully I can shift your thinking.
Life is an amazing experience. In fact, for me, it gets even more amazing everyday I wake up. Everyday, I learn something new. Tony Robbins often says, "If you're not growing, then you're rotting." One of the most amazing things about life is that we have choices. We are blessed with the ability to choose. Everyday, I see people that have chosen to be obese. I see people who have chosen to be poor. I see people who have chosen mediocrity.
Whoa! How did get on this subject from nutrition? Let me explain... I am attempting to live my life to the fullest. I am teaching Taekwondo students how to defend themselves, compete in tournaments, or how to use their skills in other areas of life to help them become successful. I teach Thai-Robics and Sport Fusion to help people get more out of life. I plan on conducting workshops on a global scale someday. I plan on building another jungle gym for my kids, when we move, like I did this past weekend.
Life is too great to devote it to eating. This is what I call "living to eat." If you want the most out of life, "eat to live." Decide right now that the foods you eat are not for pleasure, but for endurance, strength, and stamina. Life has many pleasures and there is no reason to get that pleasure from food. So... I leave you with this- why do you eat?
Respectfully,
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Ph: 208.381.0587
Web: http://www.FreeKarateLesson.com
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Families That Kick Together, Stick Together!
Families that kick together stick together. I've been teaching Taekwondo in Boise for 16 years and have had the opportunity to teach hundreds upon hundreds of families.
I'm also happy to say that it's the most rewarding feeling to know that we are helping brothers and sisters, mother and fathers bond together in our program. In some cases, mom is doing Thai-Robics, and dad and the kids are in Taekwondo. Or mom and dad are doing our Ultimate Body Challenge and the kids are in Taekwondo. Nonetheless, the families have a common experience that they share together, and the enthusiasm continues long after class ends and while they're at home.
Remember that movie with Robin Williams, Mrs. Doubtfire? I don't remember the line verbatim, but Mrs. Doubtfire (Robin Williams) made a comment about keeping a marriage together. She was asked how do you re-light the flame in your marriage. Mrs. Doubtfire said, "...the key is to not let it go out."
It's my belief if we share experiences as a family, and as couples, we will keep that flame in our marriages and in our family, going strong. You don't have to sign the family up for Taekwondo, Thai-Robics, or The Ultimate Body Challenge to get this experience, although that would be a surefire way (hint, hint).
All you need to do is find an activity that allows everyone to grow, either mentally, physically, or even spiritually. I've been doing rock climbing lately with my son, Isaac. Talk about a bonding experience! I'm holding him with a rope that's attached to a harness around my waist. I'm known as the "balayer." Rock climbing is like trying to solve a puzzle. I'm at the bottom watching Isaac trying to solve the puzzle of how to make it to the top of the wall. When he gets stuck, we work together to try and find the best "hold" to put his foot or hand on to solve this puzzle. When he fatigues or slips, he trusts that I will prevent him from falling to the ground. It's really a neat experience that helps us grow together. I see many families in our program that share the same enthusiasum with each other, and it always gives me a wonderful feeling watching it.
Respectfully,
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Ph: 208.381.0587
Web: http://www.FreeKarateLesson.com
I'm also happy to say that it's the most rewarding feeling to know that we are helping brothers and sisters, mother and fathers bond together in our program. In some cases, mom is doing Thai-Robics, and dad and the kids are in Taekwondo. Or mom and dad are doing our Ultimate Body Challenge and the kids are in Taekwondo. Nonetheless, the families have a common experience that they share together, and the enthusiasm continues long after class ends and while they're at home.
Remember that movie with Robin Williams, Mrs. Doubtfire? I don't remember the line verbatim, but Mrs. Doubtfire (Robin Williams) made a comment about keeping a marriage together. She was asked how do you re-light the flame in your marriage. Mrs. Doubtfire said, "...the key is to not let it go out."
It's my belief if we share experiences as a family, and as couples, we will keep that flame in our marriages and in our family, going strong. You don't have to sign the family up for Taekwondo, Thai-Robics, or The Ultimate Body Challenge to get this experience, although that would be a surefire way (hint, hint).
All you need to do is find an activity that allows everyone to grow, either mentally, physically, or even spiritually. I've been doing rock climbing lately with my son, Isaac. Talk about a bonding experience! I'm holding him with a rope that's attached to a harness around my waist. I'm known as the "balayer." Rock climbing is like trying to solve a puzzle. I'm at the bottom watching Isaac trying to solve the puzzle of how to make it to the top of the wall. When he gets stuck, we work together to try and find the best "hold" to put his foot or hand on to solve this puzzle. When he fatigues or slips, he trusts that I will prevent him from falling to the ground. It's really a neat experience that helps us grow together. I see many families in our program that share the same enthusiasum with each other, and it always gives me a wonderful feeling watching it.
Respectfully,
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Ph: 208.381.0587
Web: http://www.FreeKarateLesson.com
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