Chris Meistre

Due to the first aid course we were on and having to study for it, we couldn’t do our training on Saturday.  Luckily we didn’t miss a class as if it was a normal class, so we could carry on last night where we had left off.

We are still just carrying on with the techniques we had learned so far.  Our warm up sessions are also getting more and more hectic as we try and push ourselves just that extra bit.

As part of tonight’s session we included a bit of sparring (fighting) where we would hit each other and try and block it.  Luckily no one got seriously hurt

For the next couple of days we’re off to do our 4 wheel drive guide course, and it means we’ll be out in the bush.  We’re quite excited about this, and the only problem we have is that we’ll miss out on 2 training sessions.  We’ve decided though that we will do this in the mornings at the camp site.

What is distance learning?  I’m sure the name says it all, but in essence it’s learning at home making use of DVDs or Guides.  You might ask yourself why one would do this?  Well, it’s simple, some of us have very limited time and/or we need to be able to change our schedule on short notice.  Owning two businesses, as well as a couple of online businesses, I fall in this category.  So it makes sense for me to try my hand at distance learning.

There is a problem with this though, normally you don’t have someone that keeps you motivated and accountable to keep on going.  This was my biggest reservation with spending money on getting these courses and then not carrying on with them.  That is why I got my wife to start the training with me. We’ve been doing Ninjitsu for close to a month (2 days short) now, and it really has helped to have someone to do it with.  Normally when you have someone with you, it works out that if you’re perhaps not feeling like training on a day, that person is psyched and ready to go, so that motivates you.  And it works vice versa as well.  You are screwed though if both of you get demotivated at the same time So my advice to anyone that tries anything like distance learning would be to get a partner that will enjoy doing it as well, then you can keep going at it!

I believe that distance learning actually works quite well.  I’m the type of person that grasps things easily if I understand it in my way.  Having to watch someone perform a certain technique on a DVD, and then having to study and understand it on our own, makes a huge difference.  You’re concentrating so much more than having a person in front of you.  Also, there is the benefit of rewind, and slow mode

Another advantage is that you don’t have to worry too much if you miss a session due to work conflicts, etc.  You can pick up from where you left off the last time.  Whereas with a normal class if you miss out on that class, it’s likely that you would’ve missed out on something.

It won’t ever beat hands on training and learning, but if you put your mind to it, you will learn a lot.

As part of our Ninjitsu lesson tonight, I thought I’ll incorporate my initial test as well to see how many situps I could do.  Not having really read anything about the two hundred situp challenge yet, I just assumed that I needed to do the initial test to see how many I could do.  I was right with that, but I was completely wrong in the type of situps I did.

I managed 25, and when I started feeling that it’s getting a bit heavy I stopped.  I thought this would put me in the average to good category.  I opened up the link now to actually read up on the program and see that it actually puts me in the poor category.  Sheesh.  0-39 is the poor category.  So I read up a bit more and see that they actually do the situps differently.  Now, I don’t know for sure, but I’m willing to bet something on it that I can do a lot more using their technique.

So now I wonder, should I retry the initial test using the correct technique, or just start off in the poor category and work my way up.  Let’s see how I feel in the morning!

Again, like with the hundred pushups challenge, this is a program worked out in such a way that within 6 weeks you will be able to do 200 consecutive situps.

I know if you look at this blog, it seems that everything we’re doing has come from New Year’s resolutions, but they haven’t.  If anything, these are all things that we’ve been wanting to do for quite a while, and after the year we had last year we decided now is the time.

Why I’m reluctant to call it New Year’s Resolutions, is because they normally don’t last.  I found this interesting article on just this.  There are a few steps you can take though to make sure you stick to your resolutions – it’s called SMARTER.

SMARTER goals comprise of 7 essential elements:

S is Specific
M is Measurable
A is Accountable
R is Realistic
T is Time Bound
E is Emotional
R is Reviewed often

Read this article

While having a look at Hundred Pushups tonight, I noticed a new link called Two Hundred Situps.  And if the success of the pushup program is anything to go by, this situp program is going to be a great thing.

So I’m adding that to my list of things that I want to achieve.  Doing so many situps will help strengthen your core, and help with a lot of other things.  I will be doing my max test (similar to the max test of the pushup program) this week and start from there.