This is the first full week of 2021 and YHC was glad to step in when a Q was needed at the Ballroom. IIRC, the last time I Qed there was back during Short Sale’s tenure, when Google Maps had no aerial photos.

8 PAX appeared in the gloom on a cool Tuesday morning. The weather said that there was some light rain in the area, but it wasn’t at the Ballroom.

The disclaimer was a disclaimed in a new way today, because YHC would be describing some very odd, new exercises and prescribing modifications as we went along. It may have sounded a bit professional, but I assured the PAX that I was not getting paid.

The warmup

A quick mosey around the parking lot followed by:
15x SSH
10x Low Slow Squat
10x Imperial Walker
10x Hillbilly Walker

Mosey around the back of the school for a stop by the bridge. Here we would do some stretching and exercises that were passed down from the Shaolin lineage, as well as from a cult known as Chung Moo Quan (more on that, later). This was part of the standard warmup from YHC’s studio in MN.

Legs about shoulder width for these, always both sides. Static stretches held 10s

1. Arms overhead, grab the R hand and stretch (pull) to the left without a twist. (lats)
2. Arms straight out, L hand toward L ankle, no twist (obliques and some lats)
3. L arm out, palm up. Grip L fingers with R hand using overhand grip (thumb to thumb) and pull down and back to armpit (inner forearms)
4. Elbows tucked into sides, L hand by chest, grab top of L palm with R overhand. Pull L arm up, push R hand down. Basically fold your hand back toward the elbow (wrist tendons)
5. Widen stance a bit. R in L hand fingertips up. From standing position, dip down to behind the ankles and come back up. (like cherry picker, but just once and up) 3 times.  Then both hands on lower back, chest and stomach out for the “old man getting out of bed” stretch three times. 5 rounds
6. Both hands make a diamond near the ground, legs straight as possible. Slowly orbit from ground, to the right, behind, to the left and back to the ground. Reaching as far as possible for entire movement. 3 orbits each direction
7. Legs out as far as they go, heels down and toes up. Fingertips on the ground (was pretty easy for the PAX to get the fingertips down). Fingertip pushups. Rock back on the way down, over the hands on the way back up. 10x

Mosey up the hill to the back of the school. Everyone on their six. Both sides if only one is listed, static stretches for 10s if not listed

1. Legs straight out, separated as far as possible, toes up. Arms crossed in front fingertips up, sweep arms over toes 3 times, then grab and pull down for 5s hold.  4 times
2. L hand to L foot, bending to L, R hand overhead reach to foot
3. Feet together, pushing down knees (butterfly)
4. Lay back, L hand grabs R foot and pulls to chest, L foot hovering
5. Sit up, legs straight. Leaning back with straight back until feet start to hover, hands in fists, pound stomach 30times with fists, double count
6. 10x 4count Flutter
7. 10x 4count Hello Dolly
8. Sit up, hands on ground behind. Both knees bent, kick both legs straight out, to right, and to left 10x. No break between R and L

Mosey around to the front of the building again and instructed PAX to find a pillar for support. Each exercise is right and left leg

1. L knee at waist level, bounce knee up above waist and don’t let drop below waist. No touching the ground either  x40
2. L knee again at waist level, snap kick out, no touching the ground  x40
3. L foot to the side, toe forward. Raise as high as possible, no touching the ground x40

The Thang

Now that the warmup is complete, walk over to the high side of the parking lot and line up for the Doji. This is a balance and strength exercise that can be done by anyone.

Start by standing straight up. Using your L hand reach behind the R shoulder and ‘scoop’ with your fingertips, as you come around the front of your body, step into a deep forward stance with your R knee at 90º, and your L leg straight out, both feet parallel and about 45º off the direction of travel. Shift your stance to L forward stance while scooping behind you with your R hand, when you come back around, step forward staying very low, into L forward stance and push ahead with your L hand open, fingertips just at the shoulder level. Scoop behind w/L going into  R forward, then step forward with R and push with R.

It sounds like a complicated movement, but it wasn’t too difficult for the PAX. YHC called out each movement and we travelled about 15m with it (about 10 steps each foot), then turned around for another go.

After this movement we had about 12 minutes left. I had planned on getting more running into the workout, and skimmed over in my head the various workouts and exercises that would be good for a moderate workout without toasting the legs any more than I already had.

The best way to get some extra steps in? Dora

100 pushups, 200 squats, 300 LBCs!!!

We finished with about 90 seconds left, which was enough time for 20 flutters and a very quick saunter over to CoT

Cot

8 PAX counted off and name-o-ramad

Not a lot to announce right now, so Drop Thrill hyped the 2021 Christmas party.

Praises were voiced, prayers were requested.

nmm

Yeah, so the cult thing. My Shaolin teacher got caught up in a cult known as Chung Moo Quan in the early 90’s. I joked with the PAX about this commenting that they should hand over their wallets and sign some forms, to some good natured chuckling.  Obviously none of us are involved in anything like that, so we can laugh about it.

But have you ever tried to point out someone’s poisonous indoctrination? It’s usually not pretty. The cult indoctrinated don’t usually even know it’s happened because of how “normal” it seemed on the way in. They’ve received a lot of training and are well equipped to remain indoctrinated. Pride, ignorance, shame… all of these methods are veiled as normal and create an indoctrinated member.

I realize it’s super weird to expound on cult membership at a workout or in a backblast, but I assure you, dear reader, that it is relevant to every day lives.

Because while we may not be members of Chung Moo Quan, vandalize a building in the name of Tyler Durden, chant “the greater good” in a hooded robe,  or follow Jim Jones into death, we’re all subject to attempted indoctrination during almost all of our waking hours.

TV advertisements try to indoctrinate you into the cult of yourself.  Talk shows and news commentary try to indoctrinate you into the cult of bitterness, greed, or supremacy.  Our free country is, for the most part, monetizing our minds through indoctrination.  It’s incredibly difficult to tune it out.

This is why my word this year is “Discipline”.  I’m using two definitions. The first is the study of a subject, the second is to train.

Discipline as a study helps me to understand my beliefs and how they work in a world that wants me to change them all the time.  It applies to all 3 Fs as I intend to refocus on nearly 20 years of Shaolin training, be more intentional about being social (the pandemic has made life very cozy for a hardcore introvert like YHC), and actually focus on spiritual beliefs.

Discipline as a training regiment helps me to be strong enough to understand whether indoctrination is attempting to change my beliefs, or I’m just wrong.  As a physical training regiment, discipline can help me get the sleep I need and eat correctly. And as social training, I can tune out awful social static.