Sparring Styles

So, I've been talking to my boyfriend a lot lately about different fighting styles.  Which has gotten me to think about my strategy when I spar.  Now, I'm not trying to imply that I have some expert strategy, in fact, I don't even have much of a strategy to speak of.  I do, however, have a couple of tricks and moves that I favor because they work for me.  So, here's my general strategy:

1. Control: I value keeping myself calm and controlled over anything else.  The thought of losing control, or causing pain where it is not necessary is a concept that really bothers me.  So it is very important to me to stay calm so that I don't get flustered.  This also helps me avoid mistakes.  In general, I try to mirror the intensity of whomever I am sparring.  This makes sure that I don't allow myself to be easily beaten, but I avoid being too intense and possibly hurting someone.  Part of this comes from the fact that I learned to spar in class with people of varying ages and skill levels.  Because of my smaller size I generally ended up partnered with the 10 or 12 year olds.  This meant that in some cases I needed to make sure that I had good control so that I wouldn't hurt someone.  Now granted, some of them were extremely skilled and did not require me to hold back at all, I'm just generalizing.  So, I keep controlled and calm which makes sparring a lot easier for me.
2. Using your opponents force against them: My Sensei from my Issynryu class was also a black belt in Tai Chi, which means that he often emphasized using your opponents momentum against them.  The cool thing about this strategy is that you don't need a lot of strength, you simply re-direct their force and use it against them.  This is something that I am still working on, but it is something that I always try to incorporate. 
3. Kicks: Anyone who has sparred me before generally prepares to be nailed with a lot of kicks.  It's something that I really rely on.  I started doing this after my first belt test.  After I finished the test one of the other students mentioned "You have long legs and you're pretty fast, you should use more kicks."  After that I tried incorporating them more and it worked very well.  I can kick pretty fast and my kicks are a lot stronger than my strikes so it just makes sense for me to use them a lot.  
4. Block then strike: When I first started to spar I had a very hard time incorporating attacks into my sparring.  I would block all day, but I had a really hard time forcing myself to attack.  So, the Sensei's who worked with me told me that every time I blocked I had to strike immediately afterwards.  This broke me of the hesitation to strike and taught me to flow quickly between defense and offense.  I still have a hard time with outright attacks, but now I can generally settle into a pattern of blocking and striking that is fairly successful.  
5. Circling: My instinct, probably from watching people fight on tv was to circle my opponent.  Luckily this turned out to be how I was taught to spar.  I generally try to keep up a fairly steady circling motion so that I am never a direct target.  
6. Lefty fighting: So, I have not completely perfected this yet, but being as I am ambidextrous I figure that I can surprise my opponent and make things difficult for them by fighting left-handed.  If I take a left-handed stance it forces my opponent to do the same making them fight with their non-dominant side.

So, that's pretty much it.  My fighting style, or at least the closest thing I have to one.

Bye,

Chris

No Meat for Me

I have been a vegetarian since the beginning of my freshman year of high school.  Now, a lot of people generally ask me why I decided that, or how I can live without eating meat.  So, here's the best explanation I can give for my thoughts about being a vegetarian.  


So, to start, I can say that I have always had a problem with eating meat.  I remember pretty clearly bursting out into tears in the middle of the grocery store because I realized that lamb meant actual baby sheep.  I always wondered why something had to die just so I could eat.  


Then during the summer before my freshman year I was talking to my parents at dinner one day and I mentioned that I planned on being a vegetarian when I was cooking for myself.  My dad said that as long as I  made sure to still eat healthy there was no problem with me being a vegetarian now.  And so from that point on I haven't really eaten meat.  I'm not perfect with it, but in general I try not to eat any meat/fish.  Generally my family eats normal meals, with meat and I just eat everything else, or occasionally cook something else.  We generally eat a couple of completely vegetarian meals pretty regularly.  


My logic is pretty simple really.  I just am not comfortable with eating something that was killed for my benefit.  Now, I'm not saying that I think everyone should be a vegetarian.  I understand that as human beings we have a biological compulsion to eat meat.  I know that I cannot force anyone else to adopt the same lifestyle and that's really not my goal.  It's none of my business.  However, I just feel like there is no reason that I need to live a life that causes other beings to die for my comfort.  And so its pretty much as simple as that. 


A lot of people ask me about gray areas.  Where I would draw the line.  Would I kill an animal if it was attacking me, would I eat meat if I was starving, do I kill bugs.  And the answer is, there is not always a perfect line.  I just try the best I can to live a life that does not cause harm to others.  Yes I would do what was necessary if the situation called for it, but for my day to day life I can survive pretty well without eating meat.  


And thanks guys! Over a thousand views!


Chris

If All Else Fails...

So, I haven't updated in a really long time and I'm sorry about that.  It is a combination of the fact that I really haven't had a good idea and the amount that I have been working lately (Go Radioshack).  But, I am trying to get back into the swing of it.  


Now, I am finally pretty sure about what I want to do when I get out of college.  I actually have another, serious post planned about that, but that's not what this is.  I am really happy with my decision thus far and am excited to get going with the coming school year.  That being said, I also have the habit of randomly deciding that I am actually going to have a completely different (and completely ridiculous) back-up career.  Now, most of this time this is a result of me either not wanting to do my homework and am whining or the fact that I don't feel like thinking about something that is stressing me out.  But, hey, some of these of really valid options:


Hideous Wallpaper Designer: So, whenever I am doodling/playing Draw Something I have a tendency to draw very elaborate wallpaper.  However, this is probably the most hideous wall paper that ever existed or will ever exist.  It's kind of painful.  So, naturally, I've decided that I am meant to design wallpaper.  Because hideous wallpaper has so many uses.  Don't want your guests to overstay their welcome?  Wallpaper your guest room in my obnoxious combination of colors.  Trying to get a criminal to confess?  Cover the interrogation room in my weird array of polka dots.  It's a good idea, trust me.


Circus performer: Ok, so I am completely not serious about this one.  This is my go to, I don't want to do my homework.  This can't actually happen in real life because a. I've never been to the circus b. I have no desire to go to the circus because of some animal rights issues that I'm not going to talk about right now and c. I have NO coordination.  So, it won't happen, but I enjoy saying it every once and a while.  


Children's Book Illustrator: This one has actually been jokingly suggested to me.  I feel like it would be very enjoyable.  I may not have any actual artistic skill, but I can doodle like no other!

Here's an example of my skill, haha

  I have even written/illustrated a picture book before for my biology class.  It was a story about biological warfare and featured giraffes as the main characters.  Apparently I "made biological warfare cute".  I'm not actually sure if that's a good thing, but I'll but it on my resume anyway.  


Chris 

A List That I Refuse to Call a Bucket List

So, I decided that something kind of fun would be for me to write a list of things I really want to do in my life.  I'd call it a bucket list, but that just seems too morbid.  So, here goes:

1. Write/Publish a book: I may have mentioned this before, but I really, really want the opportunity to call myself an author.  I have always wanted to write fiction, but really anything would be pretty cool.  
2. Walk on my hands (for more than a few seconds): This is a weird goal that I've had since I was little.  It may not be the most profound goal in the world, but you have to admit, it would be pretty cool.
3. Ride a horse, for an extended amount of time: When I was younger I went through a really horse-crazy phase.  And lets be honest, I never really got out of it.  I got the opportunity to ride one once, but it was for a pretty short time and we didn't get to do anything but walk.  Also, I was pretty young so my horse was tied to another one anyway.  I would love to be able to go faster or just ride for a longer amount of time. 
4. Get my black belt: Now, I view martial arts as way more than just achieving belt levels.  And it really doesn't matter what belt level I am, as long as I feel like I am really learning.  However, I feel like a black belt would be a really amazing achievement, provided I feel like I really deserve it by really understanding what I am doing.
5. Inspire people: I want to know that what I am doing will really affect people and hopefully help them.  I want to do this as a teacher, but I would also like to do this as a person.
6. Go back to Maine: I went to Maine on a school trip a couple of years ago and I really, really want to go back!  It was so beautiful there, and I have never found a place that I just truly loved being in so much.  
7. Make a Build-a-Bear: Ok, I know, not very profound.  Don't judge me, it's my list.  I always wanted to do this as a child and I never did....so yeah.
8. Go white water rafting: I feel like this is pretty understandable.  It would just be so cool!
9. Learn some type of dancing: I am not a very graceful person.  It would be a really amazing feeling to be able to do something that requires coordination.  (and hopeful with some type of skill behind it too)
10. Travel out of the country: I really feel like experiencing another country would be a really fulfilling experience.  I'm not really sure where, yet, but I just know that I would like to experience something different.

Alright, there's the ten that are coming to mind right now.  Some a little silly, some serious, and hopefully all will be checked off at some point.  

Thanks for reading,

Chris

Google is NOT the answer to Writer's Block!

Ok, so I've been a little bit bad at updating lately.  The problem is, I really feel like writing, I'm just a bit short on ideas right now.  Which I am sure I will get some more pretty soon, but for the moment I'm a little stuck.  It got to the point where I google image searched inspiration.  I don't know what exactly I was expecting to find....but it was pretty weird.  So I figured I'd share some of it with you guys-because it's kind of weird.   

I was not aware that Inspiration came in a can
but that would be convenient.

Umm, I don't know what this has to do with  inspiration,
but ok then.

Hmm....I don't really know what a moment is supposed
to smell like!

I really don't understand this.
And honestly, it kind creeps me out!

And then pretty much everything else looked like this.

Alright, so I know that that was kind of a cop-out as far as a blog post.  There should be a real one later today.  But this was sort of something fun to get out of my mental block.  And seriously, if anyone can explain that creepy bear picture to me, I would really appreciate it!

That's all,

Chris

Harry Potter!

So, I just read my friend Kaylyn's status which said that this time last year she was watching the final installment of Harry Potter.  And it caused me to think about how influential that series was and is to my life.  

I actually didn't get into the series until after I saw the first movie.  My Mom had recommended them a while before this but, for no reason other than elementary school brattiness, I didn't want to read a book I hadn't found for myself.  However, once I saw the movie I immediately to read the series.  I was delighted to find that the books were even better-by about a million percent!  This was about third grade.  I quickly read all of the books that were out, which was up to the Goblet of Fire at that point.  I absolutely fell in love with them. From then on, I went to every midnight release and usually ended up reading by flashlight most of the new book until I was too tired to comprehend anything.  I was glued to those books.  And I came to love the characters.  I'm not lying, I literally threw The Order of the Phoenix across the room sobbing because they killed Sirius Black.  And then picked it back up 10 minutes later because I had to know the end.  


I loved those midnight releases.  I would go with my dad, my friend Kelsey and her father.  Kelsey and I would stand there eagerly discussing the books and our Dads would come up with their own theories of how the series would end designed to mess with us.  I believe their favorite theory was that Harry would wake up from a dream to find he really was a muggle and Snape was the pedophile next door.  We used to get so mad at that one.  


I also watched every movie aside from the first one in theaters.  My whole family went to see the second movie, but because I was the only one who really had an interest, only my Dad and I saw from three on.  It became a sort of tradition for the two of us.  We would go see the movie, and he would patiently listen to me rambling about how the movie was and was not like the book.  It became one of my favorite parts of the summer.  


I pretty much fell in love with the characters.  Because they are real.  No one is all good or all bad and no one is perfect.  They are relatable.  If Hermione could be valued for being smart and loving knowledge than there was no reason for me to hide my love of books.  And if Ginny, the girl who started the series running from the room and hardly able to speak, could become a powerful witch and member of Dumbledoor's Army then I knew that I would be able to find my own power.  


The last Harry Potter movie came out the summer before I left for college.  And in a way that was perfect.  It was an end to my childhood in a way, and definitely the end of an era.  But Harry Potter will probably always influence me.  After all, "you start to think anything's possible if you've got enough nerve"


Chris

Just Because He's the Villain Doesn't Mean he has to be a Jerk!

Ok, so I just got home from spending a great evening with my boyfriend. We went hiking and then watched Avatar, which he turned me on to and I am starting in love.  However, during one of the episodes, I came to a realization about myself.  It was all because of this guy: 

http://img.poptower.com/pic-14407/zuko-avatar-last-airbender.jpg?d=600

So, for those of you who are like me, and are not all that familiar with the show, this is Zuko.  He is pretty much a jerk, most of the time and is generally trying to kidnap the protagonist and otherwise be a jerk.  Although, I think it is pretty debatable that he has his reasons.  

So, anyway, we're watching this show and Zuko does yet another cruel thing.  So, I do the only rational thing and start yelling at the screen, telling him how he really needs to be a good person.   Ok, it was rational in my mind.  Because the thing is, I just feel like he could be a really good guy if he put the effort in.   I just don't see him as a totally evil guy and I really want him to turn out to be secretly good, and get rid of that awful ponytail, but that's beside the point.  

The real point is that he's the bad guy.  I should probably be hating him, not lecturing the screen about how he needs to fulfill his potential as a good person.  But that's what I do, because I want him to be a good guy. This is much to the amusement of my boyfriend, who just laughs and reminds me that he is the villain so I shouldn't be that surprised if he does something "mean".  

But, that's kind of just who I am.  I am a super-idealistic person.  As long as you don't come at me with a chainsaw, I'll probably believe that you are a good person.  And yeah, I know that that's naive.  I have had multiple people tell me that I shouldn't trust or forgive certain people-even at times the people that I am "mistakenly" trusting have told me that I'm being naive.  But, honestly, I just prefer idealism over cynicism.  I'm not saying that I don't think that people will hurt me or other people.  I just think that most people have at least one side of them that is downright decent.  I just trust that when it's really necessary these people will choose to show this good side.  I think that we all have this good side.  And yeah, we probably all have a downright terrible side to.  We all have the capacity to hurt each other, but we also all have the capacity to choose not to.  And a lot of the times, that's what people will choose.  Maybe even Zuko.  

Anyway, that's all for now.  Just some idealistic ramblings to connect some of my thoughts.  

Bye guys, 

Chris