Preparation equals performance...

The last few days leading to a tournament are always filled with intensity, emotion, and visualization.

With the US Capitol Classics right around the corner, I've been preparing myself mentally and physically for it. It is the first time that I will complete in the Black Belt divisions at a weight that tends to be very competitive and full of talent.

I have been told that the US Capitol Classics Black Belt divisions are made up of some of the best martial artists on the East Coast. Some of these guys go on to be stunt doubles, movie stars, etc. A popular aspect of this tournament is the XMA (X-treme Martial Arts) portion with all the high-flying flips, tumbles and twists. However, my area of focus is the traditional aspect. The forms that are not created by oneself, but rather handed down from generation to generation. Forms that were developed by Grand-masters and studied by many students after him.

That is my passion and focus and my goal to is win my division and become a Black Belt NASKA Champion.

To get there, I have been going over my forms over and over, in my head and on the mat.

Last night was no different. With the power outage, we had to cancel classes, which was cool because I got a chance to get some alone time with my instructors Sa Bom Nim Muhib and Sa Bom Nim Jamal.

One of the best parts about last night's training was the Budokon. We were taught the first kata in Budokon and it was totally amazing.

To me, it was a combination of yoga, traditional karate, and grappling movement, which makes it all the more fun to do.

Here is the form we learned so you can see what I'm talking about.



After doing the form for warm up, I went over the forms I intend to do on Saturday. The wonderful thing about instructors is that don't hesitate to make corrections. It's funny, the more you think you know, the less you really know. That is what becoming a Black Belt is teaching me.

A lot of little details were explained to me, why we do this, why we move this way, and so on and so forth. It's amazing to begin to understand the meaning behind the movements and its history.

After that, I got to roll a bit with my brother who's visiting from Jersey. Grappling with him is always fun. I get to see what he's learning from his instructor and practice the techniques that I am learning down here. I have to admit he is getting better and better every time I roll with him. I am sure that soon enough, he will be making me tap left and right.

We plan on having another session like this one tomorrow keeping in mind that preparation equals performance.