2012 Sunflower State Games

WOW! After 20+ years away from the tourney circuit I got wild hair and decided to signup for this years Traditional Empty Hands Forms & Traditional Weopan Forms at the Sunflower State Games in Topeka.
 I also got one of Ben Miller one of my novice students interested in competing. Ben spent a few months working on Lian Huan Chuan and performed it very well. Especially when you concider it was the first time he ever competed and the first time he ever performed in front of more than three or four people. Ben place 2nd in Novice 12-13 year old Traditional Empty Hand Forms. 

 GREAT JOB BEN!!!!

Personally I decided to do Shaolin Shao Fu Yen Chuan for my Empty Hands Set and BaJi Li Liu Dao for the Weapons set. Now I didn't actually plan on Li Liu until the week of the tourney. You see I was training a traditional Whip Chain Set when I unexpectedly had a connecting link BREAK! So as with so many things in my life plans changed.
 The competitors were amazing. Okinawan, Japanese, Korean and Ben & I the lone Kung Fu guys.  Well I have to say I was sure after watching the completion that I was in no better than 5th place in weapons and when the score keeper called me as SECOND PLACE I about dropped my sword. Seriously, I was happy where I had myself scored, but to pull a second against the guys I was competing against with the focus and control they were exhibiting absolutely blew me away.
 Then we got to the Empty Hand Forms and the bracket grew from eight to about 12 and then all the stops were pulled. I mean WOW these guys were great.
 Smooth, solid, focused and powerful.
 I don't actually know my final score but the top three absolutely deserved their spots!
 The tourney was held at Christ the King Church and the facility was very nice. Thanks to all who did prep work and to all who assisted in making the tourney happen. I will be back next year and I am pretty sure I'll compete in more categories especially after the encouragement and comradery  I received from this years competitors.
 May the Lord bless you and your house hold

3000 Rep Fitness Challenge - July

Well June was a hectic month all the way around. Lots of work and lots of stuff going on with the wife and kids....now that I have set it up and my excuse is firmly in place I can tell you that I fell short of the 3000 Alternating Kettlebell Swings I had set as my goal for June. Life conspired against me, as life usually does and I only managed to knock out 2400 swings. I also missed 4 or 5 of my standard workouts last month.
 So lets start all over with a new month, the nice thing about an new month.
This months 3000 Rep Fitness Challenge is 100 reps per day of Alternating Squat Kicks. These are done simply by squating down until your hands touch the floor and then exploding back up, as you reach the standing position you do a snap or rising front kick, then return to the standing position and repeat. This time as you come up you kick with the other leg.
 It will really make you suck air!

Awesome no bake energy snack

Alright I enjoy baking and cooking as well as Theology and fitness. Unfortunately our oven recently bailed on us so until I can get it repaired it's all microwave, stove top, and no bake.
To that end here is a fantastic no bake snack I found on Penterest the other day.
Mix together:
1-Cup Oatmeal (old fashioned)
1/2 Cup Peanut butter or other nut butter.
1/3 Cup Honey
1/2 Cup Flax seed or Wheat germ
1/2 Cup chocolate, Butterscotch, Mint, Peanutbutter OR other baking chips.
2/3 Cup Toasted Coconut
1/4 Cup finely chopped nuts. (I like almonds)
1 tsp Vanilla
Alright that's all. Now mix it up really well place it in the fridge for an hour or so and then roll it into 1-inch or so balls.
Enjoy!!

May the Lord bless you and your house hold.
John Roche

More on Old Testament Salvation

1st Peter: 1:10 As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. 12It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look.

Salvation has always been a by grace, not by law, not by works, not by any other means. God's plan for salvation has been the sames since BEFORE the beginning, Faith in Jesus the Messiah. It was that faith that Peter is speaking of here. Old Testament saints looking FORWARD towards the coming Savior, seeking Him and prophesying of His coming while yet knowing that in there lifetime they would never see Him.

John 1:14And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. ................ 17For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

According to John, "grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ"! The grace that we dwell in today was made reality by Christ Jesus. We today are drawn to Jesus by the Holy Spirit, so to were the Saints of the Old Testament, the men and women who lived their lives intently looking for the coming Messiah, the Redeemer and Savior. Again just as today saved by grace through faith, not in their own righteousness or in the sacrifices they made nor in the works of their hands.

Nothing has changed, they looked ahead to the coming of the Ancient of Days while we look back to the same event! Same faith, same grace, same means of salvation.

May the Lord bless you and your house hold.
John Roche

3000 Rep Fitness Challenge - June

Well May is in the record books 3000 reps of Macebell 360s are done! So here it is June and time for a new exercise,this month Alternating Kettlebell Swings!
I have to tell ya' I am unsure on this one as to what weight to start with so I have settled on 50lbs to start with.

I know that I know!

“Oh, that my words were now written! Oh, that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever! For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold” (Job 19:23-27).

3000 Rep Fitness Challenge!

Goals are good. Without a goal where would soccer, football, basket ball or for that matter any other sport be?
As a Christian I have a goal for my life and that is to hear my Master say "well done good and faithful servant".
I have other goals as well and I though I would share the one I have set for the remainder of this year.
Starting on Tuesday May 1st, 2012 I will embark on a monthly 3000 Rep Fitness Challenge.
Each month I will post a new exercise an challenge myself publicly to complete 3000 reps over the course of the month. Here is a simple math breakdown of what it will take to complete each month.
3000 divided by 30 days = 100 reps each day.
3000 divided by 21 days = 142 reps each day. (should I be dumb enough to take weekends off)
3000 divided by 36 days = 115 reps each day, allowing for one day a week of rest. Ideally Sunday.
You get the idea.
What this will do to my regular workouts is yet to be seen,,,and felt. I will no doubt have to back my work level off somewhat but the months will tell. My desire is to complete each months challenge while maintaining as much of my regular training as possible..

Yes I'm a dreamer and optimist at heart.

So there it is, join in at any time and let me know how you are progressing as I will keep you updated on mine.

OH!, I almost forgot May's 3000 Rep Fitness Challenge is, drum roll please, Macebell 360s. What, you don't have a macebell? A heavy sledgehammer will do just as well.