Sorry about not posting in a loooong time...here's my performance at the 2007 Diamond Nationals performance.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Thursday, July 12, 2007
U.S. Open
The U.S. Open is quite possibly the largest tournament in North America. The hotel resort was located in Disney World which makes this tournament the best family vacation tournament in the country because it always held around the July 4th and its location lets you really make a vacation of the tournament. I started the tournament on a rushed note. My plan arrived at 100 pm and then I waited for an hour to get my luggage. As I took the shuttle to the tournament I looked at my watch to find that it was 300 pm -- my scheduled competition time. Luckily the tournament hardly runs on time. I took my luggage right into the Grand Ballroom competition area of the hotel and got situated by my competition ring. I didn't compete until about 6 pm.
It was kind of cool to compete with all my weapons divisions on Friday. I don't focus my training on my weapons competition as much as my traditional form competition anymore, but competing Friday was a good warm-up for traditional form on Saturday. It's nice to get in front of the judges and crowd and just do it. I fared well with a 3rd place finish in my Creative Weapons Division (fancy, more contemporary style) and 4th in my Traditional Weapons Division (which earned my top ranking back -- I'm now the 4th ranked competitor in the country with that placing).
The next day was like an endurance wait-a-thon. I was scheduled to compete at 900 am, but I knew full well that I would be competing at that time. Nevertheless, I wanted to be prepared. The Korean Style Forms division went first then the Japanese style form (my division).
SIDENOTE: It's funny that I'm competing in a Japanese Style form when I'm Korean, and my competition buddy is competing in the Korean forms when he's actually Japanese. Well, I thought it was funny.
BACK TO THE ACTION. The Korean division had 31 people in it!!! I don't know how I would judge 31 people in a division. It's pretty hard to win if you're not nationally ranked. That division took 2 hours to finish. So my division started at 11 am. There were 40 PEOPLE in my division. I'm ranked 2nd in the country, so I get to go 2nd to last (pretty awesome privilege). I competed after 1 pm. Phew! I feel bad for the judges. They're volunteer. Many of the judges run their own tournaments, so part of the deal is they come to judge the other tournaments, and then the other promoters return the favor. I ended up in 3rd place. I think I've been putting to much pressure on myself, and I'm trying NOT to make a mistake instead of really cutting loose. I've talked to Mr. Nicklaus and Suzann Wancket, and I figuring out a game plan to get mentally ready. I'm training harder than ever, so it's just a matter of getting my head right.
SIDENOTE: No video this time. Ask Ms. Facchinello about it :)
SIDENOTE2: Also, I had a great time hanging out down there. I've befriended some guys from Chicago who train with John Sharkey (Suzann Wancket's instructor), and we ended up playing volleyball late at night and swimming. If you go to Disney, check out Coranado Springs Resort. Pretty cool area. Unfortunately, I had a 6 am flight back, so I had no sleep that night, but I slept on the plane ride back. I got that down to a science -- SIT DOWN & SLEEP. I usually wake up when people are deboarding (yeah, i know i made up a word, leave me alone). :)
Battle of Atlanta - July 27-28
It was kind of cool to compete with all my weapons divisions on Friday. I don't focus my training on my weapons competition as much as my traditional form competition anymore, but competing Friday was a good warm-up for traditional form on Saturday. It's nice to get in front of the judges and crowd and just do it. I fared well with a 3rd place finish in my Creative Weapons Division (fancy, more contemporary style) and 4th in my Traditional Weapons Division (which earned my top ranking back -- I'm now the 4th ranked competitor in the country with that placing).
The next day was like an endurance wait-a-thon. I was scheduled to compete at 900 am, but I knew full well that I would be competing at that time. Nevertheless, I wanted to be prepared. The Korean Style Forms division went first then the Japanese style form (my division).
SIDENOTE: It's funny that I'm competing in a Japanese Style form when I'm Korean, and my competition buddy is competing in the Korean forms when he's actually Japanese. Well, I thought it was funny.
BACK TO THE ACTION. The Korean division had 31 people in it!!! I don't know how I would judge 31 people in a division. It's pretty hard to win if you're not nationally ranked. That division took 2 hours to finish. So my division started at 11 am. There were 40 PEOPLE in my division. I'm ranked 2nd in the country, so I get to go 2nd to last (pretty awesome privilege). I competed after 1 pm. Phew! I feel bad for the judges. They're volunteer. Many of the judges run their own tournaments, so part of the deal is they come to judge the other tournaments, and then the other promoters return the favor. I ended up in 3rd place. I think I've been putting to much pressure on myself, and I'm trying NOT to make a mistake instead of really cutting loose. I've talked to Mr. Nicklaus and Suzann Wancket, and I figuring out a game plan to get mentally ready. I'm training harder than ever, so it's just a matter of getting my head right.
SIDENOTE: No video this time. Ask Ms. Facchinello about it :)
SIDENOTE2: Also, I had a great time hanging out down there. I've befriended some guys from Chicago who train with John Sharkey (Suzann Wancket's instructor), and we ended up playing volleyball late at night and swimming. If you go to Disney, check out Coranado Springs Resort. Pretty cool area. Unfortunately, I had a 6 am flight back, so I had no sleep that night, but I slept on the plane ride back. I got that down to a science -- SIT DOWN & SLEEP. I usually wake up when people are deboarding (yeah, i know i made up a word, leave me alone). :)
Battle of Atlanta - July 27-28
Monday, June 18, 2007
Bluegrass Nationals 2007
(check out the video of my form below)
Louisville is a beautiful city. The hotel that the tournament was at is set right on the Ohio river. I got into Kentucky around 1230 pm est, and since I didn't have to compete I hung out with some competitors from the Minneapolis area that I've gotten to know over the years. Ms. Facchinello also made the trip out to tournament this year, too.
Creative weapons was next where I'm the number 2 ranked competitor in the nation, so I got to perform second to last which is really nice. It's funny to say, but I use this division as a warm up for my Tradtional Form division. I got a 2nd place in this division, so I almost beat the top guy.
Next up, Traditional Form. I've trained so hard for this, going to Chicago to train the two previous weekends, staying up late after hours practicing my form, running at 10 or 11 pm--HARD. Also, I've got my head straight. Some good advice I've gotten from John Sharkey, Jr was that I shouldn't be worried about competing or chasing the #1 guy as much as doing my best for me. This took the tension off my brain so much. I didn't say "oh my god, there he is, I have to beat him" when I ran into him on Friday night, so I was relaxed. I went out and did the best form that I've done in a while. I wasn't tired at all because of my hard training, and I got some good scores -- 9.99, 9.98, 9.99. The #1 guy was up after me, so I knew that he'd have to do really well to beat that. Turned out he only beat me by .01 getting straight 9.99 which is frustrating to see, but I'm just gonna push HARDER, physically and , more importantly, mentally to get the results that I desire.
P.S. MISS YOU TRANS!!! Until next year - maybe sooner ;)
Louisville is a beautiful city. The hotel that the tournament was at is set right on the Ohio river. I got into Kentucky around 1230 pm est, and since I didn't have to compete I hung out with some competitors from the Minneapolis area that I've gotten to know over the years. Ms. Facchinello also made the trip out to tournament this year, too.
Meeting with the Trans
My Friday surprise was running into the Tran family at the tournament. The Tran's is a family that had their kids in our program and then moved to Lexington, KY last June. There two oldest earned their Black Belts and the other earned her senior blue belt. I knew that the Tran's were coming to the tournament, but I thought that they were coming later Friday night. Anyways, I got the call that they were there, and I meet them. We spoke for a few hours catching up on how things are going. The kids--Danh, Thien-Huong, and Kim--are really maturing both in size and personality. It was also really cool seeing their newest baby daughter, Thien-Lan, who smiles and trys to get her way with people. They've finally gotten the kids back into Martial Arts, and not to brag (but kinda-heehee), Mrs. Tran said that she couldn't find a school as good as what she found in LaX (yessss!). The found a pretty good school now. Unfortunately, I didn't compete until Saturday, they weren't able to come and watch, but they'll be more trips to Kentucky to compete and see them.Competition
Competition started bright and early. First up was my traditional weapons division. I lost my Top 4 ranking because I didn't compete in Traditional Weapons at the last tournament, so I was 2nd up in the order to compete in this division out of 11 which is a hard position to win from because the Top 4 get to last in the order, and the judges expect them to do well which means that they hold the top scores for them. Ah well. I ended up with 6th.Creative weapons was next where I'm the number 2 ranked competitor in the nation, so I got to perform second to last which is really nice. It's funny to say, but I use this division as a warm up for my Tradtional Form division. I got a 2nd place in this division, so I almost beat the top guy.
Next up, Traditional Form. I've trained so hard for this, going to Chicago to train the two previous weekends, staying up late after hours practicing my form, running at 10 or 11 pm--HARD. Also, I've got my head straight. Some good advice I've gotten from John Sharkey, Jr was that I shouldn't be worried about competing or chasing the #1 guy as much as doing my best for me. This took the tension off my brain so much. I didn't say "oh my god, there he is, I have to beat him" when I ran into him on Friday night, so I was relaxed. I went out and did the best form that I've done in a while. I wasn't tired at all because of my hard training, and I got some good scores -- 9.99, 9.98, 9.99. The #1 guy was up after me, so I knew that he'd have to do really well to beat that. Turned out he only beat me by .01 getting straight 9.99 which is frustrating to see, but I'm just gonna push HARDER, physically and , more importantly, mentally to get the results that I desire.
"Every man is what he is because of the dominating thoughts
which he permits to occupy his mind"
which he permits to occupy his mind"
Best Regards,
P.S. MISS YOU TRANS!!! Until next year - maybe sooner ;)
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Sensei Says...
When your Instructor (Sensei) asks you to do something, you do it.
I went to Chicago this past weekend to train with John Sharkey, Jr who's reveared as one of the top instructors in the country. People from all over come to his school to train for tournaments. I went there because he's Suzann Wancket-Yue's Sensei. During my time there, he asked me to practice my traditional form by running the form over and over and over without trying to put any pauses in there -- just run the form in the fastest, most mechanical way. He said do that for 3 or so days, and then add the timing back in. In theory, it will help fix any problems with my timing that I've had.
So far, day 1, I ran my form 20 times just absolutely running myself into the ground, but after every form I take a one minute break, close my eyes, and think why I'm doing this -- I want to get better. After the minute, I open up my eyes, walk backwards, say aloud, "this is what champions do," and then start another form.
When your Instructor asks you to do something, you do it.
(fist raised in the air),
Next Tournament: Bluegrass Nationals -- Lexington, KY -- June 15-16
I went to Chicago this past weekend to train with John Sharkey, Jr who's reveared as one of the top instructors in the country. People from all over come to his school to train for tournaments. I went there because he's Suzann Wancket-Yue's Sensei. During my time there, he asked me to practice my traditional form by running the form over and over and over without trying to put any pauses in there -- just run the form in the fastest, most mechanical way. He said do that for 3 or so days, and then add the timing back in. In theory, it will help fix any problems with my timing that I've had.
So far, day 1, I ran my form 20 times just absolutely running myself into the ground, but after every form I take a one minute break, close my eyes, and think why I'm doing this -- I want to get better. After the minute, I open up my eyes, walk backwards, say aloud, "this is what champions do," and then start another form.
When your Instructor asks you to do something, you do it.
(fist raised in the air),
Next Tournament: Bluegrass Nationals -- Lexington, KY -- June 15-16
Thursday, May 24, 2007
New England Open 2007
Results:
Creative Weapons: 2nd Place
Traditional Japanese/Okinawan Form: 4th Place
Review:
Only you know deep down inside if you're truly giving your best effort, and who you are today is a result of the decisions that you made in the previous days. I was not completely happy with the results at the tournamet. I trained for the tournament, but I knew it wasn't the hardest that I could train. The results show. I've come to the conclusion, if I want to be the best, I better be training harder than anyone else.
I heard someone say the competitors at the tournaments are professional athletes. It rang true with me after this competition. I better train like a pro, I better have desire like a pro, I better win like a pro.
Next tournament, Bluegrass Nationals - Louisville, KY. What price am I willing to pay to get better results? I'm training 2 hours a day to prepare. One in the morning, one in the evening. I'm trading two hours of my time that I could use to relax, sleep, be comfortable for something that I really want.
If you're not getting what you want, you have to pay the price to get it. You have to try something different. In my case, train harder and more purposefully. I've made the plan. I'll let you know how it goes.
(fist raised in the air),
Creative Weapons: 2nd Place
Traditional Japanese/Okinawan Form: 4th Place
Review:
Only you know deep down inside if you're truly giving your best effort, and who you are today is a result of the decisions that you made in the previous days. I was not completely happy with the results at the tournamet. I trained for the tournament, but I knew it wasn't the hardest that I could train. The results show. I've come to the conclusion, if I want to be the best, I better be training harder than anyone else.
I heard someone say the competitors at the tournaments are professional athletes. It rang true with me after this competition. I better train like a pro, I better have desire like a pro, I better win like a pro.
Next tournament, Bluegrass Nationals - Louisville, KY. What price am I willing to pay to get better results? I'm training 2 hours a day to prepare. One in the morning, one in the evening. I'm trading two hours of my time that I could use to relax, sleep, be comfortable for something that I really want.
If you're not getting what you want, you have to pay the price to get it. You have to try something different. In my case, train harder and more purposefully. I've made the plan. I'll let you know how it goes.
(fist raised in the air),
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Late Night Working Out
My first workout today was kinda iffy. I did it after morning class, and I didn't eat breakfast. I normally don't eat a big breakfast. The first workout, though, was bad by my standards. I practice with the fire that I normally do, and I just kinda pushed through the workin out for an hour.
It got my juices flowin, though. So I was pumped for teachin some good classes. Afterwards, I spent some time emailin and then off to my 2nd workout -- WHICH WAS A KICK BUTT, SWEATY SHIRT WORKOUT!
I worked out from 930 pm to 1130 pm gettin my new moves in my trad'l form clean and ready to roll. During the workout, I made it a point to draw a
It got my juices flowin, though. So I was pumped for teachin some good classes. Afterwards, I spent some time emailin and then off to my 2nd workout -- WHICH WAS A KICK BUTT, SWEATY SHIRT WORKOUT!
I worked out from 930 pm to 1130 pm gettin my new moves in my trad'l form clean and ready to roll. During the workout, I made it a point to draw a
Success Picture
A success picture is an image of yourself doing exactly what you want to do in the future. So really it represents your goal. I figured out that sometimes when I workout, I lose my focus; I lose my motivation; I lose sight of my goal. I plan to use more success pictures to channel my energy towards my goals. Remember, you're either gettin closer to your goals or further away. I was pumped. Plus, I stopped to see my mom for lunch, and she made me a KICK BUTT LUNCH that supercharged my fuel cells.
To Your Improvement,
A success picture is an image of yourself doing exactly what you want to do in the future. So really it represents your goal. I figured out that sometimes when I workout, I lose my focus; I lose my motivation; I lose sight of my goal. I plan to use more success pictures to channel my energy towards my goals. Remember, you're either gettin closer to your goals or further away. I was pumped. Plus, I stopped to see my mom for lunch, and she made me a KICK BUTT LUNCH that supercharged my fuel cells.
To Your Improvement,
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Preparing for Boston
I'm getting my body and mind ready for the New England Open on May 18 - 19 in Marlborough, MA.
You cannot place enough value on training with experts for self-improvement. That's why I train my students. That's why I continue to train with experts.
Last Sunday, I trained with Suzann Wancket-Yue in Minneapolis and made some changes to my traditional form. It was a 3 hour workout which blasted my quads especially my right one because I'm working on a new move that's low to the ground. It's a squatty, spinny, turny move -- very cool. I'll show it off to the people who show up at my Secret Moves Workout on Friday, May 11th.
Mr. Nicklaus introduced me to Suzann years ago. She's an 8 time World Champion and just amazing to work with. I'm glad that I have the opportunity to train with her. In the next month, I'm also looking to train with John Sharkey, Jr. (Suzann's Instructor) in Chicago and also Michael Bernardo - another mentor that Mr. Nicklaus introduced me to.
John Sharkey, Jr. has probably trained more champions that anyone else in North America. He always gives great advice. Mr. Bernardo helps with my bo training. Notably, Mr. Bernardo trains Team Canada for World Competitions.
Well, I'll keep you posted.
You cannot place enough value on training with experts for self-improvement. That's why I train my students. That's why I continue to train with experts.
Last Sunday, I trained with Suzann Wancket-Yue in Minneapolis and made some changes to my traditional form. It was a 3 hour workout which blasted my quads especially my right one because I'm working on a new move that's low to the ground. It's a squatty, spinny, turny move -- very cool. I'll show it off to the people who show up at my Secret Moves Workout on Friday, May 11th.
Mr. Nicklaus introduced me to Suzann years ago. She's an 8 time World Champion and just amazing to work with. I'm glad that I have the opportunity to train with her. In the next month, I'm also looking to train with John Sharkey, Jr. (Suzann's Instructor) in Chicago and also Michael Bernardo - another mentor that Mr. Nicklaus introduced me to.
John Sharkey, Jr. has probably trained more champions that anyone else in North America. He always gives great advice. Mr. Bernardo helps with my bo training. Notably, Mr. Bernardo trains Team Canada for World Competitions.
Well, I'll keep you posted.
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