Which is not as bad as it sounds.
I have for many years (about 30) had as my central style Traditional Yang Style Taijiquan. Before that was Jiujutsu and TKD. But over the last 30 years I have tried many other styles, Shaolin Long Fist, Wing Chun, JKD, Yin Baguzhang, Cheng Baguazhang, Jiang Baguazhang, Xingyiquan (Hebei, Shang, Wudang – My addiction actually), Chen Taijiquan, Wu taijiquan, Sun taijiquan, CMC taijiquan, Sanda, Yiquan and likely a few more I forget along the way.... This is how I exercised, but Yang Taijiquan has been the main style, ok sometimes it was Xingyiquan, but mostly Yang Taijiquan.
Through the arthritis issues, knee issues, retina issues I have kept Yang style going and started to work more on Sun style. I tired JKD a few times and worked on Xingyiquan (a lot). But then I had an eye doctor (surgeon actually), after the retina reattachments (x2) tell me to stop JKD, he did not think regularly getting hit in the head was a good idea for my retinas, and I did for a bit, then tried it again only to have my arthritic hip make me stop.
I convinced myself after the knee replacement that I could go try Aikido and maybe go back a train a bit of JKD. Well at a bit more than a year after the total knee and being a bit over 60 years old and dealing with a gastrointestinal issue for the last couple months, I believe I was finally hit with a dose of reality. There are simply things I can no longer do or are not medically advisable to do. So, what do I do?
I tried working on the Cheng Manching form but discovered that it places a lot of stress on my arthritic hip, and I could not walk right for a week after a weekend of working on CMC, so that stopped. I thought about Xingyiquan again, no surprise there, even contacted my closest (by mileage) shifu…who luckily had no class at this time. And after a few days of Santi Shi, the hip began to bother me a little. So that stopped too.
It appears age and infirmity have taken hold and slapped me around a bit into reality. So, again, what do I do…for exercise…and martial arts….can I do any martial arts…can I do anything? I eventually came to the answer…yes you can, now just get out of the chair and stop being so dang lazy.
So, a few weeks ago I decided to join the YMCA again, if for nothing else, to get myself out of the recliner and go commit to some sort of training, and then, believe it or not, I actually did get off my backside and start training. So far it appears to be working. I go two days s week, I’m there about 1 hour and I do a little cardio and work on upper body strength. Then I do lower body at home, 2 other days per week. And this seems to be helping, I am feeling better. I also cannot believe how much strength I have lost through all this, that was a bit of a scary discovery. The routine is being modified as I go, and speaking of infirmity, my shoulders hate the military press, so I now do a deltoid fly. I forced myself to do the military press for 3 sessions when I concluded there are other, less painful ways, to work the shoulders. So the military press was out and the deltoid fly was in.
As for the martial arts bits, I have done Traditional Yang for almost 30 years, so why not work to get it back. I have been working with the long form and have gotten back to the first 2/3 of the form. Basically, through the kicks to the second cross hands. Now I have to finish the long form, and then work on getting back 2 jian forms a dao form and 2 fast forms, but I'm in no rush. However my shifu is in his 80s so I can't go to slow either. The one fast form may make it necessary for me to meet with my Shifu again, that is if he is willing to teach it to me again… And it is interesting to note that nothing in the long form is causing me to have any issues with my hip.
And then there is push hands, but the push hands group seems to have dissolved and is not getting back over the summer we shall see in the fall. I do know a guy near me who occasionally holds push hands classes and applications classes and I am hoping to get to those, but it is CMC form. However, he has told me in the past I am more than welcome to join the classes. So, I will see what happens there. I will add it is interesting to be going so slowly through the long form again. Noticing a lot of connections, I have not paid much attention to for years.
As for Sun style, I really like the style, and I have learned a short form. But to truly learn the long form I would have to travel 3 hours east, and if I am facing reality, that is not likely to happen, on a regular enough basis, any time soon. So, I will work only with the short form again, at some point in the future.
So after about a year of doing no real exercise beyond the PT exercises for my knee, and 2 prior years dealing with meniscus repairs, all while not advancing much in any direction, Yang style included. It appears I am starting to move again. Now all I must do is maintain it.
But as I enter geezerdom I have decided to not go down easily, so I shall exercise and work on Yang style. And to look on the bright side of this gastrointestinal issue, which appears to be slowing going way. I have lost 16 pounds, which is a good thing.
Enough from me
Yang Chengfu 1883 - 1936
I have for many years (about 30) had as my central style Traditional Yang Style Taijiquan. Before that was Jiujutsu and TKD. But over the last 30 years I have tried many other styles, Shaolin Long Fist, Wing Chun, JKD, Yin Baguzhang, Cheng Baguazhang, Jiang Baguazhang, Xingyiquan (Hebei, Shang, Wudang – My addiction actually), Chen Taijiquan, Wu taijiquan, Sun taijiquan, CMC taijiquan, Sanda, Yiquan and likely a few more I forget along the way.... This is how I exercised, but Yang Taijiquan has been the main style, ok sometimes it was Xingyiquan, but mostly Yang Taijiquan.
Through the arthritis issues, knee issues, retina issues I have kept Yang style going and started to work more on Sun style. I tired JKD a few times and worked on Xingyiquan (a lot). But then I had an eye doctor (surgeon actually), after the retina reattachments (x2) tell me to stop JKD, he did not think regularly getting hit in the head was a good idea for my retinas, and I did for a bit, then tried it again only to have my arthritic hip make me stop.
I convinced myself after the knee replacement that I could go try Aikido and maybe go back a train a bit of JKD. Well at a bit more than a year after the total knee and being a bit over 60 years old and dealing with a gastrointestinal issue for the last couple months, I believe I was finally hit with a dose of reality. There are simply things I can no longer do or are not medically advisable to do. So, what do I do?
I tried working on the Cheng Manching form but discovered that it places a lot of stress on my arthritic hip, and I could not walk right for a week after a weekend of working on CMC, so that stopped. I thought about Xingyiquan again, no surprise there, even contacted my closest (by mileage) shifu…who luckily had no class at this time. And after a few days of Santi Shi, the hip began to bother me a little. So that stopped too.
It appears age and infirmity have taken hold and slapped me around a bit into reality. So, again, what do I do…for exercise…and martial arts….can I do any martial arts…can I do anything? I eventually came to the answer…yes you can, now just get out of the chair and stop being so dang lazy.
So, a few weeks ago I decided to join the YMCA again, if for nothing else, to get myself out of the recliner and go commit to some sort of training, and then, believe it or not, I actually did get off my backside and start training. So far it appears to be working. I go two days s week, I’m there about 1 hour and I do a little cardio and work on upper body strength. Then I do lower body at home, 2 other days per week. And this seems to be helping, I am feeling better. I also cannot believe how much strength I have lost through all this, that was a bit of a scary discovery. The routine is being modified as I go, and speaking of infirmity, my shoulders hate the military press, so I now do a deltoid fly. I forced myself to do the military press for 3 sessions when I concluded there are other, less painful ways, to work the shoulders. So the military press was out and the deltoid fly was in.
As for the martial arts bits, I have done Traditional Yang for almost 30 years, so why not work to get it back. I have been working with the long form and have gotten back to the first 2/3 of the form. Basically, through the kicks to the second cross hands. Now I have to finish the long form, and then work on getting back 2 jian forms a dao form and 2 fast forms, but I'm in no rush. However my shifu is in his 80s so I can't go to slow either. The one fast form may make it necessary for me to meet with my Shifu again, that is if he is willing to teach it to me again… And it is interesting to note that nothing in the long form is causing me to have any issues with my hip.
And then there is push hands, but the push hands group seems to have dissolved and is not getting back over the summer we shall see in the fall. I do know a guy near me who occasionally holds push hands classes and applications classes and I am hoping to get to those, but it is CMC form. However, he has told me in the past I am more than welcome to join the classes. So, I will see what happens there. I will add it is interesting to be going so slowly through the long form again. Noticing a lot of connections, I have not paid much attention to for years.
As for Sun style, I really like the style, and I have learned a short form. But to truly learn the long form I would have to travel 3 hours east, and if I am facing reality, that is not likely to happen, on a regular enough basis, any time soon. So, I will work only with the short form again, at some point in the future.
So after about a year of doing no real exercise beyond the PT exercises for my knee, and 2 prior years dealing with meniscus repairs, all while not advancing much in any direction, Yang style included. It appears I am starting to move again. Now all I must do is maintain it.
But as I enter geezerdom I have decided to not go down easily, so I shall exercise and work on Yang style. And to look on the bright side of this gastrointestinal issue, which appears to be slowing going way. I have lost 16 pounds, which is a good thing.
Enough from me
Yang Chengfu 1883 - 1936
