Rocksmith 2014

I guess i should start this post by wishing everybody a happy new year.

I love playing guitar, I am not very good at it but i do try. I did take lessons for about 6 months but found them very expensive and difficult to practise what was been taught between lessons due to other commitments.
I am now using Rocksmith 2014 on my PS3 to teach me how to play. This is not a perfect method by any means but it fits in with what I am able to do and it makes learning fun. I am sure many traditionalists would say you cant learn guitar like that but I beg to differ. Sure, your probably better off with professional tuition but this just isn't appropriate for everyone.
Rocksmith allows me to learn the basics of playing guitar. Its teaches everything from scales, chords, bends, slides, harmonics, how to improvise and jam with a band to learning well known songs and much more.

I have been learning "R U Mine" by the Arctic Monkeys for a couple of weeks now and though it is not perfect I think it is coming along nicely. Please excuse the sound quality, this was recorded through my phone and the sound quality from the television isn't fantastic.

Joseph gets his black belt

After a lot of uncertainty Joseph managed to get his black belt in karate last weekend.
As you may have read in my previous post he was diagnosed in the summer with JIA (Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis) and spent many weeks unable to walk properly and then when the medication kicked in building up the muscle in his legs again.
In October his joints were in injected with steroids and after only a couple of days he had full mobility again and off medication, this wonderful treatment meant he was fit and able enough to take his black belt grading.
To say i am incredibly proud of him is an understatement, not just because he has achieved so much in his martial arts but because of the obstacles and personal demons he has had to overcome to get there.

The Chuldow Championships 2016

Today can and went much faster than I expected. I didn't sleep too well last night, a mixture of nerves

and anxiousness took a while to abate. The Chuldow Championships was a fantastic event and was extremely well organised. Every instructor and volunteer that made the event happen should be proud of what they have a achieved today, a well organised competition with an amazing atmosphere.

I am pleased to say both my son and I came first place in the karate point stop fights and I even managed to pick up 3rd place in the kick boxing competition. I would like to thank all the instructors at Chuldow Rothwell for all the support and training they have given my son and I. I would also like to thank students from the club that came to show their support even though they were not competing themselves, what a great club!

Anyway, below are some of the fights my son and I took part in. To avoid any confusion I am in the shorts with white shinguards.


This is my first Karate fight, the guy was incredibly strong, one of his kicks winded me, I think will spot the kick as it makes me stumble back slightly.

This was my final fight against a lad I train with every week, Anthony Firth, This fight went well for me gave me 1st place in the championship.

Joseph's Karate final. So proud of my son, He overcame his fear and won every fight with the maximum number of points possible. I look to dominate each of his fights with simple tactics and earned himself a well deserved 1st place.

Okay so the fights that I was most anxious about, kickboxing continuous sparring. This was my first fight which went pretty well. I felt bad for the lad as he seemed nervous and I somehow knocked him down or he tripped.

My second Kick Boxing fight seemed a much better match as the lad seemed much more confident. I actually though at the time that I won this fight but the decision went against me,

Ironman

I thought that since my wife was working late tonight I would take advantage of the quiet house and play a little guitar. Not having to worry about progression since I am taking a break from formal tuition I thought I would go back to Ironman. I love this Black Sabbath song. I can honestly say that I think this was the first heavy metal song that I was introduced to. I think it was a cartoon called Ironman in the early 1980's and he went on a rampage killing people to Black Sabbaths anthem. I remember asking my mum why he was killing people and she told me to listen to the words of the song again and then explained that he had helped the people and then they had been nasty to him.

I have looked on you tube to try and find this video but I cannot see it.

Anyway, this still remains one of my favourite songs and is probably the reason why i chose to practise it tonight. I hope one day to be able to play it in full and without making any mistakes but I fear I am a long way off this yet.