JEET KUNE DO SWEDEN

As I said before, Mikael was on a trip to Charlotte  NC , USA and took the opportunity to meet with Warren Graham who is a certified Ted Wong JKD instructor.

I asked Warren if he would like to write something and here is what he sent me.

“It was good to me another martial artist that was on much the same wave lenth as me. I have always thought that the straight lead, for instance, is made truly for “intercepting”. It is very hard to hit someone with it who is on guard and waiting for you. But as he makes just that slight movement forward and thinking offense, forgetting defensive posture for a split secongs, that’s when you nail him with the lead. His forward motion acentuates your strike and you can knock him out cold.

We also discussed the endless politics in JKD and how silly most of it is as it usually boils down to money and ego. Let’s just all get together, gear up and sweat! Today in our work out, to what new levels can we rise? That is my priority.”

As I understood, Mikael was very pleased to meet Warren and had a great time talking and sharing opinions and experiences.

Ok then, I have a couple of exercises to do everyday for the shoulder and the arm. It will take some weeks to recover from this apparently and during the first times I am not supposed to train.

I will only use the left side in this case, I want my strong side to fully recover so I can go on with my regular training but there is no reason why I should not train the rest of my body.

I don´t feel too good about the situation but I have to see the positive aspect, there is no other way.

that´s it, I am done with not being able to train, something will have to happen now. I am scheduled to the Xray tomorrow morning, I won´t get an answer right away but I decided I will start training anyway and already did.

I worked on footwork and shadow boxing yesterday, I take it easy of course because my back is limiting my movements and my right arm is not good enough , but it is better as the constant pain is gone, I only feel it when I move and if I take it easy I think it will be fine, I will try anyway because I am getting insane soon !

The sun is shining we have beautiful days in Sweden now,  this is the right time to start with outside training, biking and running, can´t wait to pay a visit to the stairs!

Scandinavia is the most depressive place to be in the winters, but the rest of the year is beautiful and the presence of the light can´t be wasted a single minut, so let´s go !

So I thought , well I will train the left side if the right is out of order for the time being, but that is not so easy. there is also something wrong with my back and the doctors say NO TRAINING !

Not only my arm is hurting 24 /7 , so do  my neck , upper and lower back , result : I can do nothing and after two weeks,  I start loosing my mind. I am tired of the pain and depressed.

I tell to myself : what was I whining about last year with my arm injury ? that was nothing, I could at least train other things, now I am totally useless because when the back is not working nothing works! I have difficulty working, walking, sleeping, you name it .

I am waiting for an X ray, it can take 10 days says the doctor, only after that can I get a treatment.

My blog is 2 years old today, 215 posts.

I have always written about everything since I was very young. I almost have a book of my life, now I also have a blog.

This is something that I do and enjoy doing. Not sure a lot of people are reading or even are interested but I mostly do it for myself . Writing about some events is for me a way to remember. In this case the purpose is to see the progress, the evolution, to remember things that happen and feelings that I have at that moment and have something written about the way that I train. JKD is such a part of me, I see nothing else I would want to write about.

I rarely go back and read what I have written at all,  but  sometimes I do and I often smile. I like to think that events are not just happenning , I write them down so I don´t  forget anything.

Some events like the trip to San Francisco in 2010,  celebrating Bruce Lee´s birthday and  meeting his family and friends. The second trip in 2011, spending time with Allen Joe and his wife Annie, Jeff and Julie Chinn taking us around town visiting Bruce Lee sites,  these were  days that I described in details, some of the best days of my life.

There are of course a lot of events prior to the Blog that mean a lot, these are described somewhere else because of the personal aspect but there is definetely one day to  mention, the day that changed my life is the day I met Mikael. I believe none of what I have experienced after that would have happenned if I had not met him. Of course I forced a couple of things on him, like facebook. I believe it helped us getting in contact and  meeting great people along the way and we have learned from the good and from the bad that came out of it. Where we are now is the result of our hard work as a team.

It has not always been easy, I have my opinions and I speak them. I have not always written about everything because when I have an issue with someone I take the matter directly. I don´t want my blog to be  political or controversial, some people have tried to use it that way through comments but I decide which comment I publish and these are going straight to the trash.

I am happy to have lasted so long and I look forward to write about more special days and experiences.

Thank you for reading and thanks to some of our JKD friends in the USA who have linked my blog to their website.

Being a woman and training JKD in Sweden is a challenge. First of all, no one understands why I do that. Not my problem, I do it because it makes me happy and it brings all kind of positive things to my life and to my health, mental and physical, I do not need to explain this to anyone.

The other aspect is being the only woman, is that a problem for me? No Sir! It is an advantage and I will tell you why.

When I started in 2004, I was put in the girls group and I did not like it because it had nothing to do with JKD.  But soon they moved me to the JKD guys group. This was better although not good enough as most of the guys did not want or dare train with me. That was one of the reasons why I left and started with Mikael instead.

What is good about our group now is that no one treats me like a girl, I train with anyone and they are professional enough to adapt but still they don´t hold back too much.

I like training with guys and especially Mikael because he is twice my size and weight and it is so hard for me,  it makes me train harder and be used to the level of difficulty, this is how I progress.

My goal training JKD is simple and personal,  I do that for me and no one else. I don´t need to prove anything, I don´t need a belt or a piece of paper telling me how “good” I am. The proof is in fighting , the proof is in me.

I don´t want to participate in any war, a lot has happened lately, groups within groups, alliances, strange attitudes, discords… I have no time for these childish guy attitudes fighting about who has got the biggest ego…  Again, this is their problem not mine. I ´d rather spend my time training and even if nobody would ever notice me, I will always feel good about myself because I know where I come from and what I have achieved.

I will always say what I think and some people won´t like it  but I don´t need anyone liking everything I do, I don´t need sucking up to anyone to be noticed either, to me training is a personal thing not a race towards fame and recognition.

So what´s the point?

The point is what JKD brings me, the person I have become and the people I have met along the way.

I can´t stand seing or hearing about cruelty against animals. I just looked at a video on FB not knowing what is was about,  it starts with a “man” beating his dog, I feel sick to my stomach. There is so much cruelty out there, so many cowards that feel strong and in power! These guys beating animals, women and children are all of the same kind.

I always wonder what I would do if I witnessed something like that in life, considering how I feel now I really don´t know if I would be able to control myself.

This is something to think about, considering what this could imply but there is no way in hell I would walk or look he other way.

What to do when you are unhappy with how things are going ? 

I will quote my favorite artist Michael Jackson : “start with the man in the mirror and make that change”.

I always say if you are not happy with something, just get out ! it can be personal affairs, work, friendships, weight problem or whatever, I like to say nobody is forced to a situation, your life is what you make of it. Often we blame others for being stuck somewhere because doing something about it can be very hard and involve many other things.

Some people talk about time, that things will get better with time, what do we know about that? Anything can happen, time won´t fix any problem, time will only make you lose an opportunity, make things be too late or unfixable.

It is exactly the same with JKD, if you think that you suck, just do something about it and not tomorrow, now ! Nobody will do the work for you. Now being aware that something is not right is already a good thing !  That means you have a certain knowledge, the next step is to know how to fix it, then just do it. Simple and direct !

In any situation in life the key is YOU.

I read on the internet about the people born in the year of the Dragon  here is what I found:

In a group of people, “the Chinese Year of the Dragon person” stands out. There is a certain aura about them.
They certainly are not shy – they demand attention and respect. The dragon is a symbol of power. Therefore in Chinese astrology the dragon person born under this Chinese Zodiac sign tends to be a “doer” – they do things and achieve power by getting things done. A dragon can breathe out fire so the person born in the Chinese Year of the Dragon can be a hothead. Watch out if you make them angry!

Seems to me this is the description of Bruce Himself!

Now let´s see, what am I ? well I am a RAT, a water Rat ! Does not sound too good when it is said like that but the person born in the year of the rat according to the Chinese is not a bad person at all, let´s see what I found:

The person born in the Year of the Rat is naturally shy according to Chinese astrology. However they work hard to conceal it although it is there below the surface. 2012 will be another year of hard work.
The rat is very industrious and hardworking. Therefore, the person born under this Chinese Zodiac Sign is hardworking and always very busy trying to get ahead in business.  They are very loyal to their friends.
They are single minded in achieving their goals and not easily distracted from this by other things.  

Mikael is a Pig ( talking about chinese astrology here ! )  , a metal Pig :

Outspoken and confident, Metal Pigs give 110% for everything they do. They throw themselves into relationships with others completely, sometimes to a fault. These Pigs are headstrong and diligent in the workplace, honest and caring in a relationship and trustworthy with everyone he meets unless given reason not to be. Metal Pigs usually give people more credit than they deserve but when challenged can be a hard nut to crack.

So let´s see what the year of the Dragon will bring us, apparently it will be a good year for us Rats and Pigs….

Happy new year 2012 !

Our place is getting ready, still painting and getting some stuff but it is getting there.

This is all new for us, we always talk about our “new” place but really, this is our first place. We have been training together for almost 7 years, having a place or not was never an issue. In my opinion a  place is not making anyone good a martial arts, anyone who wants to train will always find a way and this is what we did over the years. Now I must admit that  having somewhere to train which is our own is really nice, it is not that big but again, the size is not relevant.

We will still train outside during the summer, the variation is good and allows us to be used to fight in any condition, this is more or less what we have always done.

Last wednesday was our first group training. Michel, Remy, Will, Pierre and David joined us for this very special session. It got very hot in there but we had room for 6 people plus instructor and this was very nice to see that it is working just fine.

We mostly worked on mitts and pads  and added funny pushups and situps drills, I was not really fond  the last one which consisted in lying on the floor having one person walking on everyone stomach, I am the lightest , not fair ! We finished with the famous invisible chair, ( when you “sit” against the wall the longest possible), and … no no , I won´t brag about who won this one… by far !  :-)

We did some drills with the TRX before Remy tried on a surprise attack on Mikael… oh oh , this is always a bad idea !

Anyway this is good  that we are moving on and this is a great start for this new year.

This morning Mikael and I trained, he showed me some other ways to kick the bag standing on the medicine ball,  Oh yeah really ?????  I will try that one when my kicks look better than they did today ! But seriously, either than being flashy and for those who can do it,  it is a good exercise for the balance, I will definetly try it. Mikael has a lot of good drills that  help with the technique and a better technique will produce better fights. I am always amazed by the amount of drills he comes up with, he has one or ten for anything we would ask, this is incredible and it shows the level of his skills. When Mikael sparrs it seems so easy and effortless, always simple direct and explosive. I understand more and more the amount of work he has done over the years. It can be discouraging for a student but I don´t expect getting as good as him because it is not the point, I will train until I am as good as I can be and considering the range of competence I have access to,  it is up to me to absorb everything I can. I am never questionning Mikael´s methods because I just look at the result:  the quality of his technique and his performance in fights, that is why there is no question.

So my 2012 resolutions are quite simple, I have to get in the best shape ever and reach the next level in JKD, I am not getting any younger,  so it is now or never!

That was our last training in the warehouse for us. André , Adam, David and Gina were present this Sunday.

We actually had a quite calm session , Mikael thought he would go easy on us which is good in a way ….or not ! I know for sure he is preparing a tougher training for next year, not only will we get more group sessions but the intensity will be increased.

Anyway , yesterday we worked on mitts most of the time, we did basic punch  and kicks drills.

After a short sparring session  we did some pushups situps and jumps. Without revealing any names, I saw some ugly girly pushups out there !!! 

Next Sunday won´t be any training as we get the keys,  we will spend the day moving in and fixing the place the way Mikael and I want it, I really look forward to that.

Merry Christmas and Happy New year !!!

One of the most important aspects of JKD for me is to be myself. No one will ever be or look like Bruce Lee or Ted Wong  but surely there are a lot of people who think they do. Well, this is  not my problem, I am true to myself and the only person I would be happy to look like in JKD is my instructor, but because of the body structure and a couple of other parameters,  I will never do and I think it is good to know that.

It is important for me to find my way, this is where my own evolution in the art will take place. There will always be some people thinking, “you do this wrong, I know better”, well I let them think what they want. There was a time when I was bothered by what people would think but really, who cares! I respect people’s opinion but I will only take the one from my own instructor because after 7 years,  I think I know how most things should look like,  even if I don´t do it right ( yet ).

All this is a question of self confidence and I know a lot about that! I lacked it for many years and after a couple of years training JKD things changed, not only my body but my mind got stronger.

Of course I still get sad at times especially when I spar like a grasshopper! I get disappointed at myself and mad, but I only have myself to blame for that.

I still produce negative energy for myself but I don´t take any negative energy from anyone else, this is the way Mikael and I are working and with the things going on out there, this the only way to not get totally insane

Exactly one year ago,  Mikael and I were flying to San Francisco, to attend Bruce Lee´s 70th Birthday celebration. We almost did not make this trip but I finally got allowed to fly. It was a good day, we were so happy to be on our way and had no idea what was going on at the same time.

It is only when we got back to Sweden that we were informed about Ted´s passing. I remember it was an early morning,  I was driving on the way to work when Mikael called.

I had not met Ted as much as Mikael or Stefan did but I can say that the impact he had on people was extraordinary. Ted Wong was a man who did not need to say anything at all, people just had a huge respect for him. In June 2005 when I first met him,  I remember having trouble believing I was talking to him , I was staring all the time, thinking “God this is unbelievable! Noone is going to believe me!”. My family in France even asked me several times if I was sure …

I don´t think any of us has ever stopped thinking about Ted on the contrary, we always feel he is looking at us, expecting us to go on and do well and this is exactly what we do.

Our website is now up and running, as you can see we have asked some of our friends to participate with texts.

Make sure  you check the links, the website of most of our friends are listed there.

It feels good to finally have a website in english, previous one was in swedish so it was not really international friendly

We changed the layout completly and Mikael designed the entire thing.

We will add more information and updates as they come.

This is a new step for us, it feels very good.

http://www.jkdsweden.com/

Jeet Kune Do Sweden website is almost ready, a few details remain to be fixed but we will soon be able to launch.

It is entirely designed by Mikael, I just helped with some details and texts.

I am happy we finally got this done…

The next step is the new place, we are already planning on some gear that we need, and as soon as we get access,  it will be easier for us to arrange the place just as we want it.

I really look forward to this, having a club will be a real advantage for us, and an opportunity to increase the training frequency!

At the church yesterday during a beautiful funeral service, the priest said:

“The more impact people who pass away have had on us, the more grief we show”

Considering the high level of emotions showed in the church yesterday, it is pretty clear that Stefan made a huge impact on people.

I remember that Stefan always talked about his love for his  family, yesterday I was able to meet them and I understand why,  Stefan has the most beautiful family.

We were almost all present from his other family, the JKD family. We are so thankful that we were allowed to share this moment.

Our friends Håkon and Oyvind from Norway made a beautiful performance at the church, everyone was very touched by the ceremony.

We gathered afterwards and were able to talk to different people, it was peaceful and filled with great memories.

Stefan´s family received an incredible amount of telegrams that were displayed. Messages from Spain and Poland were read by Madelen´s sister and brother in law.

Stefan´s mother asked Micke about our JKD training, she wanted to make sure he would go on. There is no question in his mind, JKD is a part of Mikael, quitting is just not an option.

After the gathering, The JKD brothers went to take a picture at Stefan´s favorite place, The JKD Rock. Unfortunately my camera fell on the ground and broke, but that did not stop us, we took pictures with a cell phone and as it was dark, we used the lights of one of our cars.

We went back to the hotel and discussed about various JKD topics, friendship, memories,  future plans, seminars in Sweden Norway and Poland were also discussed.

October 27^th, 2011, a day full of emotions,

Rest in Peace Stefan Nikander,

Until we  meet again.

Tomorow, october 27th, 2011 at 13.00 in Nynäshamn, Sweden.

JKD stockholm, together with our friends from Norway and Nynäshamn, will pay our respects and say our last goodbyes to our friend Stefan Nikander.

We bring messages and thoughts from the Wong Family and the Joe Family and from JKD friends from  the USA, Canada, Polen, England and Spain.

I talked earlier about the positive effects on my life which came from training JKD. Since before the summer, my training has been affected, first the injury, then the holidays, then several sicknesses, all this combined with a lot of anger. I feel totally unbalansed right now, to the point that I get myself into unnecessary situations like conflicts with different people, at work,  at home with neighbours … It seems a lot of people have problems they need to take out on me these days and  I can´t stand being attacked in any way,  never have but I react stronger than I should.

That kind of negativity just brings more negativity,  It feels like everything is just falling appart right now and I need to get a grip on this  real quick.

It happenned too many things this summer in my opinion,  now the winter is coming, the famous dark swedish winter, I need to get out of the darkness before the darkness  hits me ! ( footwork ! )

Micke and I talked about the situation today, he has no agression but he is also very tired. We hope it will get better or easier after Stefan´s burial and that somehow we can go back to our normal training routines and find the lost energy again.

Training is my link to a more balanced attitude and life, and the positive aspect here is that I feel something is wrong and I am going to do something about it.

I met Stefan in 2004, he was already in battle against this tumor, I remember thinking he was really strong minded, someone who does not give up, ever.

In 2010 it was time for him to take another round against this thing.

I remember we went down to Nynäshamn a couple of times to train with him, each time I told Micke I was so amazed by the energy Stefan had, we could not stop him, he was so full of life.

That made me believe until the end that he would win this, no matter what.

The last time I met Stefan was in August this year, it was difficult but also inspiring because of the light of hope he was spreading, I remember him telling us:

“I am back”!

I thought if someone is determined enough to beat this thing, it is Stefan! I told him we knew he would make it and we were all waiting for him.

There is no way I was prepared for Micke´s phone call yesterday morning.

Madelen asked Micke to take care of informing us and some close friends in The US, Spain, Norway, Polen and Canada. After a while it came out officially on FB as well.

I am writing this now, out of respect for the family and for Stefan.

We are deeply hurt by his passing, first Ted then Stefan; it was certainly not their time to go, but I like to believe that Stefan has now met his hero up there and that together with Ted, the three of them are united and at peace, they certainly have a lot to talk about.

It is up to us to go on now. I can for sure say that all of us who have been training JKD in Sweden and in Scandinavia, will go on in memory of a great Man.

Stefan did not lose his battle! Stefan was called up there by Bruce and Ted because they felt it was time. This is anyway what I want to believe.

REST IN PEACE Stefan, you and your accomplishments will never be forgotten.

Mikael (as well known for it) has started a good topic on FB. It is interesting to see how people think and I thought it would be a good opportunity for a blog post today.

So the question was that sometimes it is too much footwork. What did he mean by that?

Footwork is to be used to any technique,  retreat and so on, no JKD without footwork, we all know that,  but I think you need to know how to punch or kick because footwork won´t help you do that. I think good technique will be made effective by footwork, but that was not the question.

Now how can there be too much footwork ? I think Micke talks about people dancing around, using energy in footwork that is not needed and not in place with any technique. I saw fights where the two guys are standing 3 meters from each other,  doing some good footwork but not hitting at all, what is that good for?  It is losing  energy for nothing if you ask me. In close fighting  you have to use the correct footwork to hit, using too much footwork in this case can cost you because some situations will not allow too many moves,  that is why you have to use the correct defense or attack wisely together with most appropiate footwork to get you out of there.

I was quite surprised by some comments like : footwork  beats anyone or any kicks or any punch … what ?  How does footwork beat anything?  Footwork together with a punch or a kick will beat something allright,  and those punches and kicks have to be good ones with power,  but alone what does it do either than avoiding, retreat or closing a gap ? still you have to be able to throw a good punch or kick.

I would not isolate one part of a martial art and say this is what will make you win. Ok some people have better footwork than others, so are they better fighters ?

Well then we get to the interesting stuff, I would say yes if they also have the rest but as I hear it,  some people think footwork is only what it takes , I disagree. Concentrating on footwork only will make you quick , light on your feet, hard to hit… yes, but how good do you hit and kick ? JKD is a fighting art,  so we are not talking about looking good on your feet and on pads,  we are talking about fighting, if we are just dancing around avoiding and retreating this is good footwork of course  because you won´t get hit, but this is not a fight, and is this JKD ? I don´t think so.

I train footwork everyday by itself, in shadow boxing and anytime I train punches and kicks or any technique. I train on speed,  power and technique and make it all be one. Sparring is where I can apply it all. This is where I get a picture on what I do right or wrong, what I need to work  more on. I am not the best fighter far from it,  but I don´t think any part of JKD should be isolated, any good fighter trains daily on few techniques together with footwork, this is my point of view and why do I think that way? because I get my ass kicked in sparring anytime something is missing