# Your goals for 2017



## dan.jaret (Jan 1, 2017)

A perfect split, in all directions, and a 180 degrees kick hold.
Move up at least one belt in kung fu and taekwondo.
Finish up all the levels of my training routines (training a routine that goes by levels to improve flexibility and kicks).
Get a house by the beach and a new car.
Buy that beloved piano I've been wanting for months.
Increase my income by 100%.
Remain in perfect health and wake up full of energy each day.

Share yours.


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## Bill Mattocks (Jan 1, 2017)

Any day spent above ground is a good day.


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## Gerry Seymour (Jan 1, 2017)

Grow the program to regular 10-person classes (about the limit of our space).
Add a Study Group day to the program.
Complete the rest of the new Shojin-ryu forms.
Shift my business model (for my primary business) to return to profitability, or replace it entirely.
Finally actually take some guitar lessons. I love my guitar, but I'm pretty sure she's bored with the one fingerstyle pattern and 3 chords I know.
Spend more time in the forest.


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## Transk53 (Jan 1, 2017)

dan.jaret said:


> A perfect split, in all directions, and a 180 degrees kick hold.
> Move up at least one belt in kung fu and taekwondo.
> Finish up all the levels of my training routines (training a routine that goes by levels to improve flexibility and kicks).
> Get a house by the beach and a new car.
> ...



Yeah, I would like a piano.


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## Buka (Jan 1, 2017)

Make it to 2018.

Figure out why BlueTooth keeps messing up in my car.

Visit roger Goodell's grave.

Get a better lens for my camera.

Get a brindle Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy (female). With stinky puppy breath and a waggly tail.

Choke out just one more guy.


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## Transk53 (Jan 2, 2017)

Transk53 said:


> Yeah, I would like a piano.



Been thinking for years that playing the piano seems like an instrument that would especially be very rewarding.


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## Gerry Seymour (Jan 2, 2017)

Transk53 said:


> Been thinking for years that playing the piano seems like an instrument that would especially be very rewarding.


That's me and the guitar. Tell you what - you work on your piano, I'll work on my guitar. By the end of the year, we should both be able to play...some damned thing.


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## Transk53 (Jan 2, 2017)

gpseymour said:


> That's me and the guitar. Tell you what - you work on your piano, I'll work on my guitar. By the end of the year, we should both be able to play...some damned thing.



Sounds good. When I was around 10 or 11, in galaxy far far away. I had ago on a acoustic. Probably a lack many things at time prevented from sticking to it. Loved that Casio keyboard I had. Anyway waffling, really curious on what you play. Acoustic/electric, or both?


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## Gerry Seymour (Jan 2, 2017)

Transk53 said:


> Sounds good. When I was around 10 or 11, in galaxy far far away. I had ago on a acoustic. Probably a lack many things at time prevented from sticking to it. Loved that Casio keyboard I had. Anyway waffling, really curious on what you play. Acoustic/electric, or both?


I have both. The acoustic sits mostly unused - it's an old Yamaha 12-string that used to belong to my grandfather, strung with only 6 strings (because I could never manage to finger any chords on 12). The electric is a semi-hollowbody Epiphone - a beautiful beast with redwood stain. I like it because I can practice while my wife is asleep in the next room by simply not using the amp.

I'd love to be able to play some bits of old folk music, a few soft rock/pop pieces, and a bit of jazz. At present, I can sort of play part of the James Bond theme, a bit of the Pink Panther theme, most of "Away in a Manger", a simple fingerstyle pattern, and not much else. Even with what little i can do, I find playing (especially the fingerstyle pattern) soothing and almost meditative.


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## Tony Dismukes (Jan 2, 2017)

gpseymour said:


> I have both. The acoustic sits mostly unused - it's an old Yamaha 12-string that used to belong to my grandfather, strung with only 6 strings (because I could never manage to finger any chords on 12). The electric is a semi-hollowbody Epiphone - a beautiful beast with redwood stain. I like it because I can practice while my wife is asleep in the next room by simply not using the amp.
> 
> I'd love to be able to play some bits of old folk music, a few soft rock/pop pieces, and a bit of jazz. At present, I can sort of play part of the James Bond theme, a bit of the Pink Panther theme, most of "Away in a Manger", a simple fingerstyle pattern, and not much else. Even with what little i can do, I find playing (especially the fingerstyle pattern) soothing and almost meditative.


Whenever you make it into Lexington and we get a workout in, maybe I can give you some guitar tips. I'm not a pro by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm a passable amateur performer.


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## Gerry Seymour (Jan 2, 2017)

Tony Dismukes said:


> Whenever you make it into Lexington and we get a workout in, maybe I can give you some guitar tips. I'm not a pro by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm a passable amateur performer.


Tony, if any of your tips make it sound - even momentarily - like I know what I'm doing, I'll buy the beers.


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## Tony Dismukes (Jan 2, 2017)

gpseymour said:


> Tony, if any of your tips make it sound - even momentarily - like I know what I'm doing, I'll buy the beers.


I have the same advantage in teaching music as I do teaching martial arts - I'm profoundly lacking in natural talent for either field and so I'm well acquainted with all the problems and pitfalls that an untalented student will encounter along the way.


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## Transk53 (Jan 2, 2017)

You two should try a pair of 1210's and American House. When you untalented, you do it really wrong


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## Transk53 (Jan 2, 2017)

gpseymour said:


> I have both. The acoustic sits mostly unused - it's an old Yamaha 12-string that used to belong to my grandfather, strung with only 6 strings (because I could never manage to finger any chords on 12). The electric is a semi-hollowbody Epiphone - a beautiful beast with redwood stain. I like it because I can practice while my wife is asleep in the next room by simply not using the amp.
> 
> I'd love to be able to play some bits of old folk music, a few soft rock/pop pieces, and a bit of jazz. At present, I can sort of play part of the James Bond theme, a bit of the Pink Panther theme, most of "Away in a Manger", a simple fingerstyle pattern, and not much else. Even with what little i can do, I find playing (especially the fingerstyle pattern) soothing and almost meditative.



Old folk music, only listened to Irish. Finger style pattern? Jazz. Don't understand it for minute, or maybe a few seconds. Aside from NYC and Chicago House, Jazz seemed little noisy, if you see what I mean.


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## Gerry Seymour (Jan 2, 2017)

Transk53 said:


> Old folk music, only listened to Irish. Finger style pattern? Jazz. Don't understand it for minute, or maybe a few seconds. Aside from NYC and Chicago House, Jazz seemed little noisy, if you see what I mean.


I'm a soft-jazz guy. I do enjoy some other types of jazz from time to time, but soft stuff (like Sade, The Crossing, Stanley Jordan) is what I really like. I also love blues guitar.


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## Transk53 (Jan 2, 2017)

gpseymour said:


> I'm a soft-jazz guy. I do enjoy some other types of jazz from time to time, but soft stuff (like Sade, The Crossing, Stanley Jordan) is what I really like. I also love blues guitar.



Sade? I am really shocked here, never expected that. Blues, only a little, aside from the obvious of course.


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## wingchun100 (Jan 2, 2017)

Get back to class to practice Chi Sao.


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## kuniggety (Jan 3, 2017)

Buka said:


> Choke out just one more guy.



I'm about to head to Kauai, but if I make it to Maui, I'll give you a head's up for a beer and choke.

Goal: 

BJJ: get my *** back on the matts and get a couple of stripes on that blue belt. I've started weight lifting but made far too many excuses for not being on the matts in BJJ. I think I only did around 50. I was pulling a lot of 60 hr work weeks making it difficult. Just changed jobs and then wife is about to be gone for 5 months, so it's a good chance to hopefully get 200+ hrs of matt time this year.

Language: sit down and get Thai script figured out so that I can leap frog my abilities with it. The same for Mandarin.


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## JowGaWolf (Jan 3, 2017)

Bill Mattocks said:


> Any day spent above ground is a good day.


funny but true.


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## Tony Dismukes (Jan 3, 2017)

*Martial arts goals:*
Continue refining my BJJ fundamentals, especially takedowns and guard passing.
Improve my cardio to the point where I can realistically enter a BJJ tournament. I haven't competed since I was a brown belt and I think it would be good for me to give it another try.
Do more stand up sparring. I've been too sporadic with that lately.
Build a solid foundation in Capoeira and earn my first cord at the Batizado in the Spring.
Make more progress in Wing Tsun - if @yak sao and his son ever move class back to the weekends.
Be more consistent with my mobility and strength & conditioning training.

*Non-martial arts goals:*
Get my household budget under control and pay down old bills
Continue my Portuguese study and get myself to the point where I can read a newspaper in that language.
Prepare for and pass at least a couple of professional certification exams.
Continue efforts I began over recent weeks to keep my apartment consistently neat so that I can invite guests over without having to allow time for frantic cleaning.

I'm not normally one for New Years resolutions, but these are mostly initiatives that I had begun over the last couple of months anyway, so it doesn't hurt to make a public commitment to continue them.


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## Blindside (Jan 3, 2017)

Keep growing my training group, I would like about 5 more regulars in the adult class.
Fight in two Dog Brothers Gatherings.
Grow involvement in the Warrior Tipon-Tipon event that I co-host.
Work on my kicking game and get it better integrated into my weapon fighting.
Work on my anaerobic fitness and lose about 10 pounds, I felt slow last year.


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## Kickboxer101 (Jan 3, 2017)

To not cut up my knuckles hitting a bag dammit failed already


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