7.3

The journey of mastery is something that gets talked about a lot, specifically the role that the black belt plays in it. What I'm going to write is essentially what has been said, but put into my own words to help me and maybe even a few others grasp it and understand it better. On the day you receive your black belt, the journey towards mastery isn't over. In my mind, that's not where it starts either. I would say that the "starting point" towards mastery is different for everyone. For some, it might be when they joined Kung Fu. I was 2 when I joined, so it's probably safe to say my start towards mastery was a little bit later. While the black belt is not the end of the journey, it is still an important piece. It shows your dedication, skill, and knowledge is where it needs to be to further the journey closer to the "goal". I believe that it is not possible to truly achieve full mastery in one lifetime. There is simply too much within the concept of mastery to achieve without some form of immortality. But that should not deter anyone from striving towards it, as the process towards achieving mastery is still beneficial without ever fully achieving the end goal. That's my interpretation on the mastery subject. Not sure if it makes sense to anyone else but this is how it works in my head.

3040 push ups

3040 sit ups

56 M'long Koon

56 Hockey Stick Form

70 Kilometers

7.2

On the Monday following the Chinese New Year banquet, I was heading home from school when I got into my first accident. It wasn't a bad accident at all, as everyone walked away and the vehicles were still drivable, but it still happened. It was a three person accident, including me, my friend from school, another guy. I was coming up to a light when it changed to yellow, so I decided to stop. My friend was behind me, but couldn't stop in time so he swerved into the other lane, hitting the other guy and then bouncing back into me. I got out, looked at everyone, made sure everyone was okay, and then got us all pulled off to a side street just around the corner. This is when the other guy revealed he had a shoulder injury and demanded I call 911 to get police and medics on the team. After I had called, he got back in his truck and started to feel out his hip, which raised. some red flags for me. At the same time, my friend started to have a panic attack, as he had only gotten his license a few months ago. When the fire truck came, they checked out my friend to make sure he was okay as well as the other guy. After a few seconds the firefighters determined he was fine and just acting for insurance money. The three of us ended up going to the collision report center, where we waited in line for about an hour and a half before giving a full report on what happened and the damages that occurred. After it was all said and done, I got home and it started to set in what had just happened. I realized that in the moment, I had essentially blocked all adrenaline from affecting me, which allowed me to stay level headed and make the decisions I did. Staying calm in a situation like that is a skill that I got from Kung Fu, and I'm glad that it works. Turns out deep breaths really can do the trick.

2880 push ups

2880 sit ups

53 M'long Koon

53 Hockey Stick Form

64 Kilometers

7.1

 Why did I choose a hockey stick as my weapon for both this year and last? That's a question I have gotten a few times since I first chose it. last year, but I don't think I have really answered it until now. The idea behind it was simple. We are told in class that when Kung Fu was still in it's infancy in China, the government had a ban on all weapons, so those trained in the martial arts made staffs out of the handles of brooms and such as to "get around" the law. In short, they took an everyday item and made the most out of it. That was my thinking heading into last year, but I couldn't decide on what to actually choose at first. There were a few things around the house that stood out, but then I saw this old Chevy hockey stick beside the shed. With it being a stick based weapon, it wouldn't be too difficult to find ways to make it work with what I was already used to, with it being unique enough that it would stand out in a crowd of weapons. So that is why I chose a hockey stick as my weapon for the I Ho Chuan.

2720 push ups

2720 sit ups

50 M'long Koon

50 Hockey Stick Form

60 Kilometers