Reset

I've been training at the Gracie Barra in Perth for about two weeks now and I have to say the training is completely different from what I have gone through back home. It's not really a matter of the level of skill but more along the lines of the style. One thing I've noticed is that Gracie Barra students treat every roll seriously. It's the sort of no nonsense style that a new practitioner would feel intimidated by. In my first week I was submitted a total of four times by various chokes and armlocks. A new low for me seeing as how I managed to remain unsubmitted for months back home. Like the JiuJitsu, the sparring in kickboxing is full on and anyone who goes in without any striking expertise would likely go home with a headache and a bruised face. Perhaps I was slightly pampered in Singapore where rolling and sparring were kept to a minimal at the early levels. Though I feel that is a good way to transition between skill levels, I think that throwing someone in the deep end lets them develop in a totally different way. It feels as if my entire game has now been reset. I don't think of it as too much of a bad thing but it definitely is a change that will take a little getting used to. On the upside, my standup has improved a little seeing as how the sparring aspect really makes me think on my feet. I have been able to incorporate slips and weaves into my striking game though I am still relatively new to the concept of evasion in boxing. Now that I know a couple of nifty moves, I don't just block everytime someone punches. It's all about adaptation and evolution after all. Perhaps this reset is going to be great for me.

So college has begun and my brain is finally getting a chance to work. One part of my course I enjoy alot is film and television. We have been tasked to write a script for a short film as our assignment and I have been working on an idea about the life of a down and out boxer. Now I know you might be thinking that it's a cliche like "Rocky" but I am specifically going to focus on the vices and hopelessness within the life of the average bum. Our lecturer said that our scripts should focus on the things we know best. Well I can't think of anything I know better than writing and fighting, so put them together and there we go, a short film! Of course the writing process is going to be a killer. It's not going to be easy fitting a story like that within the timeframe of 3 to 5 minutes. Well, I expected a challenge and now I've got one. Let's see what this brain can come up with by the end of the week. It would be amazing to see my script come to life if it does get chosen to be produced. It's one thing for a writer to see his work published in text but for it to become a movie, that's a whole different level of accomplishment.

"With a good script, a good director can produce a masterpiece. With the same script, a mediocre director can produce a passable film. But with a bad script even a good director can't possibly make a good film. For truly cinematic expression, the camera and the microphone must be able to cross both fire and water. The script must be something that has the power to do this”

-Akira Kurosawa


Let's get that script going.