Disclaimers regarding Team Trials:

1:  Anything I say, write about, or do represents only my opinion, and not necessarily those of my friends, family, temmates, or coach.

2:  Anything I say, write about, or do should NEVER be construed as criticism of any athletes involved.  I sincerely try to never disrespect athletes.

...

That being said, I just returned from Team Trials.  Many things to say, and lots of others have already started saying them.  In an effort to not be redundant, I will try and summarize as follows:

1:  The best team was not chosen.

2:  Bias was evident.

3:  Deductions were anal, and were performed under poor direction by clueless people, ... but they WERE consistent and do NOT as a whole amount to the reason why the best athletes won't be going to Macau.

4:  Judging can be summarized as follows ... If you were desireable, then you were scored at a baseline of 9.3-9.6 REGARDLESS of performance; from this baseline, deductions were made.  If you were one of the other poor saps, then you were scored at a baseline of 8.9-9.2 REGARDLESS of performance; from this LOWER baseline, deductions were made.  This is BEYOND incompetence ... this implies collusions and a rigged tournament.

          a.  eg: DY's changquan score was 9.23;  the 2 high scores were Omei students with 9.4s.  Wait for the videos ...

          b.  eg: Jenna Haight's broadsword was several levels HIGHER than that of her nearest competitors (wait for the video) and was in the 9.2 range before receiving deductions, further lowering her score.  Her score before deduction should have been MUCH higher, and THEN the deductions should have been made, resulting in a more accurate score.

          c:  The 2 nanquan high scores (both from Omei) were 9.4 and 9.3 ... all others were 9.2 and below ... wait for the videos.

          d.  Dary Sao did not win women's nanquan ... wait for the videos ...

5:  The fact that 6/8 A-team members are from Omei is no accident.

...

Good things:

1:  Athlete love!!!!  We really are in this all together, even when it seems we are working at cross purposes, our real goals regarding US wushu align more often than we realize.

2:  ATHLETE LOVE!!!  Regardless of school ...

3:  Changquan DY and Nanquan Jason will do all of us very, very proud. 

...

Final note:  Sometimes we do bad things that we aren't ashamed of or sorry for, but which we still have to pay for.  ... I once was told that you can do anything you want as long as you are willing to suffer the consequences of your actions.

...  Congressman falls over with heart attack ...

MARGE: Homer, quick!!!  Perform CPR!!!

HOMER: Uh ... uh ... [singing] "I see a bad moon rising ..."

MARGE:  THAT'S CCR!!!

                                - Homer, regarding CPR

It's been so long since my last weblog entry that I forget how rite wurds good.  oh well, I'm shur I'll get it bak.

2 weeks to Team Trials, and I've spent a lot of the last 6 weeks prepping in different aspects of the game.  I tried to hit details, flavor, and endurance. I put endurance off 'til last 'cuz I figured it would come the fastest ... this may or not be true -- but it definately comes faster than the other two for ME.  I checked myself on video a couple of times this weekend.  I got nanquan down to 1:33, and I think I can speed it up some more ... and you go faster on game day, anyways.

details good ... still a few things off:

Nanquan: punch higher, 3rd step harder, swing arm a bit looser, wheel arm looser, push closer together, jump-elbow higher, watch wrist, time slow (1:33)

Nangun: hit the wrist EVERY time, flow smoother with pushes, snap backward stance, tighter circle, faster flower, time OK (1:25)

Nandao: swing a bit more open, faster flowers, overhand strikes smoother, smoother body turn, HIT THE TARGET, time OK (1:21)

i also doing random other trainings for my endurance ... have been sprinting last 5 weeks, and am up to 500m, but also do a fair number of 200 and 400m.  I want to get a solid 800m by next week.  I think this will get the anaerobic threshold to an acceptable level.  Also doing 30:30's in a pool: swim underwater 25m (no breath) 30 sec (shouldn't actually take you 30s, so stay underwater for all 30s), then come out and breathe for 30s; repeat 10x.  Doing this is a small, wet hell, but it should work.

On a related note, I'm really, really, REALLY saddened that Mark Moran won't be at Team Trials.  It won't be the same ... as Mark was my target (meaning BOTH goal and bullseye) in a lot of things Nanquan.  If I can do half of what I learned from him (most of the time, he didn't know I was stealing from him), I should do OK.  But even without Moran, there are some great athletes to beat at Baltimore. ...

Should be good ... I feel good ...

i'm back ... i'm so back it hurts ...

started moving again, practicing again, getting into the world again.  wushu will be ok ...

endurance has all gone to shit, though, ... but endurance comes pretty fast when you're not running into fire hydrants.

worked more on nandao and nangun last few days ... started feeling my waist doing things that i didn't think it could do. it's a funny thing ... after you actually start using your waist for some moves, you wonder how you ever lived without using your waist, it just seems so right ... but there can simultaneously exist moves where you still haven't gotten your waist to move correctly, and you see no possibility that you ever will ...

i still a little lazy ... haven't started sprinting again yet, but soon ... am enjoying an extended time off from really REALLY hardcore training.  i want to hammer out as many details as I can before i revert to the crazy hard training, because when I start, I probably won't be able to change a lot of things in my forms ... at that point, my capacity for changing stuff (details) is way WAY lower, and I'm more interested in nailing the endurance, the speed, and the ability to coordinate all these things while going very fast.

saw matrix reloaded yesterday ... worth the wait.  some fights not so good ... some fights exceptionally good, some tricks with cameras i haven't seen before ... and the psychology is better ... a little deeper and darker.

the thing about using your waist is ... you have to use your waist.

my abs are sore ...

"Kids are great, Apu ... you can teach them to hate the things YOU hate!"

                                -- Homer, to Apu, on children