Long time readers of the blog know that I've been here in Kansas City since June 2018. As of today (7/17/19), that makes it a little over 13 months.
When I moved, I left much of my old martial arts life behind.
Oh, not all of it. My teacher is able to come to KC once in a while and train with us. And I've been to Texas once, and trying to go again in a few months maybe, and I'll be back there again in the spring for sure.
What I left behind was my day-in, day-out martial arts training, mostly in Presas Arnis.
That's been harder than I thought it might be. I miss my old martial arts life, a lot. I miss my teacher, I miss my training partners, and I miss the routine of it, not to mention the general "damn what I do is SO MUCH FUN" factor.
But, I'm not one to wallow in what I've lost. This meme sums it up for me:
The thing to do is to not focus on the losses, but create new gains.
Not long after we moved here, we started the Kansas City Presas Arnis Meetup. It's still small, but we have a cadre of people who come and go and it helps keep our hands in Presas Arnis training. If you're in town, feel free to stop by.
Through that, and through working contacts we made in Kansas City as well as our friends back in Texas, we've made a lot of relationships and connections here. We were able to put on our first Heartland Arnis Players Alliance gathering (to great success) and now we're planning a second one.
I trained in another style (karate) for a while, but it didn't work out due to my new work schedule (but my husband still trains there and that teacher has been SUPER helpful and supportive). I decided after that to concentrate on finding a place - or place(s) - to teach Presas Arnis. It is where my mind is right now, y'know?
So I have two big announcements.
I am stoked. I have some really interesting, fun, and practical material I'm going to teach there, and I know we'll have a great time.
Second, we're going to start a Presas Arnis program this fall. I am not going to share the details now (still being finalized), but when I can, you'll hear about it. This will be a formal program, using a curriculum and ranks and whatnot (the free Meetup is just sort of all over the place with no curriculum or ranks given).
And that's not all.
My plan is to have three one-a-week programs total (not including the Meetup) in different parts of our city. I am working to have the second of the three going by the end of the year. When I get that going, you'll know about it, too.
When I get done, I'll have a Kansas City Presas Arnis EMPIRE!
It took some time, and networking, to get this stuff going. I'm making progress here, and I'm happy with how it's all coming together. It's not as quickly as I wanted, and it's not necessarily how I envisioned it a year ago when I got here.
That's the lesson for YOU, friends. Things don't always come as fast as you like. Sometimes you get into false starts. Nobody is going to hand you anything - you often have to work hard to develop what you really want. And sometimes what you end up with is different than what you envisioned but just as good.
This is true in the martial arts, and it's true in life.
I want Presas Arnis to flourish in Kansas City. I'm going to make that happen.
If you want YOUR martial arts to flourish, whatever you do and wherever you are, you have to make that happen. It's up to you.
Tell us about a time you made something happen, even when it was hard. If you are like me and living far from your teacher, how do you keep training and what obstacles did you overcome to do it? Let us know in the comments!