Kenpo Seminar

To start things off, the youtube channel is up now and Alec has the first video up. Here's the link!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dGgHIU1rOJk

Moving right along. Yesterday I had my very first Kenpo seminar. I knew it was review for the testing and that there would be a lot of things that I haven't seen before, but I still wanted to check it out. 

When yesterday morning came though it was a different story. I honestly, didn't want to go. It was my day off and the thought of biking up to the school and doing karate for 3 hours sounded about as appealing as, well, going to work. But I told myself at the start of this project that I wasn't going to get in the way of myself and I told Alec that I would be there and I wanted to keep my word. It ended up being a good experience and by the end of it I felt a lot better about just getting out there and trying new things. There were, (and still are), a lot of things I didn't know, so I got lost several times, but it did give me a chance to learn some new things as well as go over things I have learned. 

There are some things that are harder for me, like the stances. I don't like the stances. Mainly because they're uncomfortable and I feel that I would be easily off balanced, which is contrary to their purpose. I talked about that with Alec over lunch and when we got home he worked with me a little bit on it and while I understand how it's supposed to be, I'm obviously still doing something wrong because it feels unsteady. With the comfort issue I realize that it comes with time. The more I do it the more natural it will feel and maybe the more balanced and steady I will feel. We'll just have to see because it's not something I can know right now.

I'll keep practicing and let you know what I think about that particular problem in a few weeks.

If you're doing martial arts or just trying something new, what are things that you find difficult? Do you give up on it because it's "too hard" or do you keep going because you want to get over that hump?

I'm tempted to give up at times, not with martial arts, but with other things that I find difficult. Once I really think about it I realize I don't actually want to give up; I want to see it through to the end just to prove to myself that I can do it. If you're finding something difficult I encourage you to stick with it. Just think, right now it may seem hard, but in a few weeks/months you may look back and think "Really? What was so hard about that?"

I look forward to the next seminar. Who knows maybe I'll be able to follow along! And of course I'll let you know! :)

Last thing. It's not about me, but it is karate related. Alec went from being an orange belt yesterday to a purple belt! Pretty cool, huh? I've never actually seen someone get a new belt before, so that was a neat experience. I look forward to seeing others progress in the system as well.

My challenge to myself and to other's is to stick with it, even when you're tired, or it's hard and to be an encouragement to those around you. When you're encouraging your friends and fellow students you start to feel better too! That's all for now!

My name is Beckah and I'm working on a martial arts project. I have no martial arts experience; so I'm writing this blog and making videos to chronicle my experience as a beginner in martial arts. The goal in doing this is to show others how it looks when you first start martial arts and then how you look months and years after doing martial arts. At first you might not be confident in your ability to do the techniques, at least that's how it is for me, but as you progress you gain confidence in your ability to execute your techniques. Well, that's what I'm hoping for anyway! This is a definite 3 year journey for me, as my personal goal is black belt.

I hope that by doing the blog and video logs it will encourage beginners to stick with their martial art. 

I'm currently studying American Kenpo Karate and that might not be your style, but I think we can still encourage each other to continue on in our learning experiences. If you've taken lessons before maybe it will inspire you to pick up on your lessons again.

So, now you know why I do this, but maybe you wonder how it came about.

It started with a conversation my husband, Alec, had with his instructor/boss, Theron. Theron told Alec he wished he could show students and potential students how they would look in three years if they just stuck with the program, like looking through a window at themselves. Later, Alec met me for lunch and was telling me about the talk they had. From that conversation is where project Experience the Rainbow was conceived. I had the idea of getting a new student with no prior martial arts experience and making videos of them for three years and showing students how it looks starting out and then how they look a little ways down the road. Alec liked the idea, but then posed the question of "Where do we find that student?" I said I would do it. I want to get in shape, be more active, and spend more time with my husband. This project is the perfect way to do all those things. I will be completely honest in saying I'm not a die hard martial arts person, I started this mostly as a way to spend time with Alec. Now that I've been going to the Kenpo classes I find that I'm having a lot fun doing it. So, it's a fun way to spend more time with him.

What about the name? I decided to call this project Experience the Rainbow because of the different belt colors. I'm not sure why there are so many, but it made for a great name! In another post I will be sure to get a picture up!

I have a lot of questions about karate and other styles, but I think those will be left for the next blog, as this is only an introduction. We are also working on getting a Youtube channel up so we can show my monthly progress. It's on the way so be on the look out at Karate Beckah on Facebook.