5 Ways Tai Chi Has Made My Life (and Jiu Jitsu) Better

I've been practicing Tai Chi about 4 years now. I love it. It has become one of my passions. Last year I also started training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Neutral Ground in Milwaukee.  About 6-7 months ago Jon Friedland, the owner of Neutral Ground, gave me the opportunity to teach a Sunday night Tai Chi class there.

One day I saw one of my fellow Jiu Jitsu brothers at a concert and I was telling him about my Tai Chi class . He asked me how I got into Tai Chi and what I felt the benefits were. In the concert atmosphere it was hard to put together any concrete thoughts so I answered with a very generic "Uh… I don't know. I like it." - Hahahahaha


I feel like these are 2 really good questions though, so I thought I'd take the time to answer them here. Each question is pretty important, so I've decided to separate them into 2 different blogs :) This is part 2 of 2 and focuses on 5 things Tai Chi has done for me in life (and in Jiu Jitsu :) ).

1. Tai Chi makes my body feel electric and alive.
After doing my Tai Chi form my body feels as if I have heightened sensitivity from the inside out. I'm sure some would describe this as 'chi', but I'm more western and the concept of 'chi' just doesn't quite resonate with me as much as some people. Maybe my blood is flowing more or more freely into areas normally constricted by everyday postures such as desk sitting or couch lounging. Maybe its the deep breathing that oxygenates my blood more or maybe its the much needed relaxation my muscles need. I'm sure its a combination of all of those and probably 1000 other things that create that tingle-ey, vibrant feeling that happens through my whole body while doing Tai Chi.

2. Tai Chi calms me down.
Since I started doing Tai Chi, I am able to better control my emotions. This isn't to say I don't get into arguments with people or get upset ever. But when arguments pop up now, I feel more 'in control' of myself and my ego than before I started Tai Chi. Also any post conflict stress seems to melt away almost immediately. Leaving me with a clear mind to examine the situation and hopefully gain perspective from it.

3. Tai Chi trains my body to be more relaxed and flexible.
At Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class people are always remarking about how flexible I am. I don't really practice a whole lot of stretching. Mostly my body is flexible from keeping the muscles relaxed. When my muscles are relaxed there is way more flexibility than a stressed or tensed muscle. In life, this 'muscle state awareness' helps you breakdown and dissect which muscles you actually NEED for any given task. Even in things like driving or cooking there are unnecessarily tensed muscle groups which lead to body stress. In BJJ terms, this extra flexibility might give you an extra few seconds to think of an escape or way out of a bad position before tapping. Or maybe someone doesn't have a submission on properly, relaxation gives you the extra flexibility that you need to not tap on something that isn't done correctly.

4. Tai Chi makes me more aware of my own body
The Tai Chi I do focuses on one 'basic' 37 posture form. The form is refined first from the external/physical aspects - body alignment and positioning. Because the process is an endless refinement of one set of movements, there is a meditative quality that comes into play as you begin to work on the internal aspects of the form such as breathing or muscle states or being aware of your 'center' and balance. This all adds to a heightened body awareness not only when doing the form, but in all aspects of life - walking, driving, rolling at Jiu Jitsu.

5. Tai Chi gives me a fresh perspectives on life
Tai Chi was originally developed from Daoist philosophies. If I find I'm having trouble with something and need new perspective I tend to examine it through a Tai Chi 'lens' where I can put to work the principles of staying relaxed, not trying to meet force with force, and keeping with the 'flow' in all aspects of my life from work to relationships to Jiu Jitsu.

Even after 4+ years, I feel my Tai Chi is just developing. Yet even so,  the benefits above (in addition to countless others) have already enriched my life so much that I will always be on my Tai Chi journey :)

-Shane Olivo
The New Loud

Why (How) Did I Start Doing Tai Chi?

I've been practicing Tai Chi about 4 years now. I love it. It has become one of my passions. Last year I also started training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Neutral Ground in Milwaukee.  About 6-7 months ago Jon Friedland, the owner of Neutral Ground, gave me the opportunity to teach a Sunday night Tai Chi class there.

One day I saw one of my fellow Jiu Jitsu brothers at a concert and I was telling him about my Tai Chi class . He asked me how I got into Tai Chi and what I felt the benefits were. In the concert atmosphere it was hard to put together any concrete thoughts so I answered with a very generic "Uh… I don't know. I like it." - Hahahahaha

I feel like these are 2 really good questions though, so I thought I'd take the time to answer them here. Each question is pretty important, so I've decided to separate them into 2 different blogs :)

1. Why (How) Did I Start Doing Tai Chi?
I've always been interested in martial arts since I was a kid. I mean what kid doesn't like ninjas? When I was younger and all through high school I had terrible allergies to the outside as well as having asthma which totally dissuaded me from any physical activities or sports. By the time I was in my early 30's, I felt a real itch to start something martial arts-wise but didn't really know where to begin. At this point one of my best friends had been working on Southern Style Kung Fu and then Bagua for about 10 years. I talked to him about starting a martial art - I wanted him to teach me, but at this point in his life he didn't really have time.

The advice he did give was this: "Since you'll be just starting martial arts now, being a little older, you might want to look into some of the internal/softer styles of martial arts like Tai Chi or Bagua." Softer/internal styles of martial arts focus more on what's happening within your body and tend to be more meditative. Tai Chi specifically trains relaxation, sensitivity, center and balance. They focus on a 'soft' power which is, in theory, supposed to be able to overcome harder strength based attacks - though there are very Tai Chi 'masters' skilled enough to demonstrate this adage. Tai Chi is also a form of Qi Gong which has many health benefits from increased bone density to lowering blood pressure.

The Bagua teacher he learned from was very skilled, but only taught the public on Saturdays in Madison which didn't work very well with my work schedule at the studio. So I asked my friend if he knew any Tai Chi places and he said "I know this guy that's really good. He makes these crazy YouTube videos. You should check him out."



That's my Tai Chi teacher Casey in the video. Casey's been working on Tai Chi for about 13+ years. In the winter of 2009, Casey was teaching out of the Neutral Ground space (where I teach now). He had a Sunday morning class that I started going to. 2 years later, in January 2011, I went down to San Diego and competed in my first martial arts tournament, taking home 2 gold medals and 1 silver medal in Fixed Step, Restricted Step and Moving Step Push Hands (Tai Chi Sparring).

I love Tai Chi. It has benefitted my life in countless ways since I started. I'll focus on a few of the most important ones in the second half of this post: What Does Tai Chi Do For Me?

-Shane
The Newloud

2 Simple Steps to Letting Go OR How To Save The Next Taco Night From A Stupid Argument

I can start obsessing about things fairly easily. Like my girlfriend won't return a message or text and it starts this feedback loop in my head. I wonder what she's doing that she didn't respond. I start to feel small and unimportant, my ego starts to get hurt, I start to get pissed. In reality all I'm doing at that point is drinking past or future poisons. Almost anything that is messing with your present can be traced to the illusions that are the past and future playing tricks on you.

So this is what I'm working on now: Eliminate any possible past or futures that are negatively effecting my present, my NOW.

I learned a trick which works really great for this. When I find myself getting upset because of projections or memories or regrets, I simply ask myself 2 questions:

1. What are you feeling NOW?

The first question has to do with the moment. What am I feeling right this second? What I want to be feeling is happiness or whatever my version of 'happy' is. So if I'm not feeling happy or content or positive, I determine how I'm feeling and then move on to the 2nd question.

2. Is there anything missing?

Why am I feeling like I'm feeling and how is it messing with my NOW? What is missing that I am not happy or content? Then I go through a list of things.

For instance: I inadvertently start a fight with my special lady on Taco Night about attention that I feel I've been missing (past) and attention I feel like I should receive (future).

These regrets or negative projections are simply past and future poisons. I can't go back in "time" and add the attention I was missing and by focusing on negative things yet to come or uncertainties I am simply making myself miserable thus causing a fight and totally messing up my present, my NOW.

Ahhh my NOW… what really IS my NOW?

My NOW, Taco Night, should've been a blast! (I mean how can you mess up Taco Night?!? There was even Patron… I'm big stupid.) In fact, after stripping away the illusions and tricks of the past and future, most situations are not inherently bad, they're actually pretty good. Even during the mundane, I become more attuned to my present circumstance which creates a kind of wonder that brings pleasure and happiness. I am walking and begin enjoying the weather (no matter what weather it is). I am driving and begin to enjoy the music I'm playing in the car or the response of the vehicle to the slightest movements of the controls.

Without the past and future gremlins mucking things about, life begins to really open up. But just like anything, it takes practice. I'll still have my fair share of ruined NOWs while this new line of "thinking" becomes more automatic.

At least the next Taco Night will be safe :)

-The New Loud

Letting Go, Bike Riding

I rode my bike today for the first time in like 2 years. I didn't ride much last year, too damn hot and when it wasn't it seemed too cold - lol.

Anyway I rode down to the lake today and back. While I ride my bike, sometimes all over town, I don't consider myself a 'bike-rider' - I don't have a bike suit or a bike with gears (60's Schwinn with coaster brakes) or even a helmet (probably should get one of those).

I feel like a bike ride through traffic is an excellent way to practice 'letting go'. People drive poorly, they don't pay attention a lot - they're on their phone or distracted by their destination. They're definitely not paying attention to me on my bike. They cut me off or they ride stupid close. I've even had someone yell that I should be on the sidewalk - which is precisely where bikes should NOT be.

Anyway, stuff happens, stuff I can't control... I get pissed... I want to catch up to them and spit on their car or kick it or yell some shit at them, but their car is much faster than my bike, especially MY bike. I think "Wait until they get stopped at that light, Ima catch up and then SHIT IS GOING DOWN!!!!"

But that never happens. Their light is always on a repetition ahead of mine or they turn. So there's nothing to do except let it go. "Whatever!" Sometimes I try and put myself in their shoes, maybe they're having an emergency, maybe someone is hurt or their wife is pregnant and about to have a baby, maybe they just had a bad day and they just want to be home. I can't say.

I.
am not.
them.

I guess feel like I'm progressing because I'm getting less and less worked up by these situations. Most times the revenge scenario isn't even fully developed before I just drop it from my mind. Which feels a lot better than trying to catch something I'm never going to catch to create a situation that probably shouldn't be created.

-The New Loud

Tai Chi Tournament - The New Loud Represents Milwaukee!

Hey everyone,

Shane from The New Loud here. I've been doing the martial art called 'Tai Chi' for a couple years now. Tai chi is an internal martial art which focuses on balance, center, and relaxation as opposed to brute force to conquer opponents. In January my teacher, Casey Payne and I traveled down to San Diego to compete in a martial arts tournament put together by ICMAC - New Loud Jessi went along for the ride. 

Despite never having been to a martial arts tournament before, I managed to place in the top of my weight class and come home with 2 Gold Medals and 1 Silver Medal.

Our school is called Black Horse Tai Chi and its located in Milwaukee, WI. We mostly focus on the 2 person tai chi exercise called 'Push Hands'.

Results of the competition can be found HERE. 

Here's a minute or so of BONUS footage from the trip!

HEY Where'd Yr Amps GO?! The Amp-less Live Setup

Hey Everyone,

So over the past 6 months I've been experimenting with using no amplifiers for guitar and keyboard at The New Loud Live shows. We've done 2 Milwaukee shows and 1 Chicago show so far.

Video explaining the pros and almost no cons of an amp-less live setup:

The hardware:

MacBook Pro i7 2.66 Ghz w/4 Gigs of RAM

Avid 003 Interface running Pro Tools 9

RME Fireface to handle extra outs/ins

Rane 6 Ch Headphone Amp

Etymotic wired in ear monitors - cheapest ones they make @$60/ea

I'm using almost all Pro Tools stock plugins except for Eleven LE which I use on the guitar. Though with PT 9, I'm running into some resource problems.

With this setup we can not only not bring any guitar/keys amps to clubs, we also get the added benefits of

-having what ever effect I want on anything at any time

-4 individual in ear mixes for the band that are consistent show to show venue to venue

-ability to multi-track record every show

-MIDI stage lighting sync

-'Guide vocals' for harmony parts pumped into specific performers in-ear mix

Future plans for the setup include using an iPad to remote mix the band from the audience.

At our 2nd Milwaukee show with the setup we ran into some funny technical difficulties with the setup. Here's a video explaining the situation:

Here's a flip cam version of 'Better This Way' filmed at The Cactus Club during the same show:

You can come and check it out again if you're in Milwaukee on Saturday January 15th, we're playing Mad Planet.

1 Million Dollars For Milwaukee Schools

Hey everyone!




GO HERE TO HELP!
http://mydeadxbox.com/

Kohl's is running a contest to give away 10 Million dollars to 20 schools($500k each) throughout the US. Milwaukee has 2 schools in the top 100. 

My roommate has setup a contest to give away 5 brand new XBOX 360 Slims to 5 random people who vote for the Milwaukee, WI school St Marcus Lutheran.