Updates

When a sports club plans a weekend experience …

Posted on by Mike Ritz

… the Thuringian State Sports School in Bad Blankenburg in the Rudolstadt-Saalfeld district is well worth a visit.

In the following article, participants share their impressions on joint training weekends. A colorful bouquet of experiences and adventures – enjoyable exercise and leisure time, but read for yourself.

You are well accommodated there, enjoy all included meals together, can have many hours of interesting experiences in one big group or in small groups in addition to training. Our small club was a guest there on several weekends, with club members and sometimes spouses. We were able to experience all of this:

  • Joint training
  • Early morning exercise on dewy meadows in the summer
  • Theoretical training in well-kept rooms
  • Walks in the facility’s large, well-kept park
  • Interesting evenings with tasty drinks in the restaurant
  • Excursions in the surrounding area, such as a hike to Greifenstein Castle, a visit to the falconry near the castle or a hike along the Schwarza river in the famous Schwarzer Tal valley. On the way back, we recommend a free visit to the Kneipp pool just before the state sports school.
After just 2 days of intensive training and many shared experiences, you’ll feel like you’ve had a short vacation.  (Brunhilde Schumacher)

Ever since Traudel and Wolfgang held a BailongBall teaser weekend in Suhl in 2005, I’ve been hooked. Not long and my husband was also with the racket. Our group grew steadily.

Training with the same sports friends in familiar surroundings and on fixed dates is fun – no question about it. We get on well, sometimes more, sometimes less – typical “group dynamics”, is what it is.

The small training camps – weekend trips to the state sports schools in Bad Blankenburg and Mühlhausen – loosen up club life and add spice to training. It becomes more intensive as the whole weekend is available and not just one or two training sessions per week. You train, are catered for and have fun doing things together in your free time. You move more from “me” to “we”. The distance from home is also important. It’s a little personal vacation. (Martina Schadewald)

Our sports group’s stay at the Bad Blankenburg State Sports School is always a highlight of our club’s life. The intensive training and the great atmosphere give me a positive qualitative boost every time. I find the perceived breadth and openness inspiring and stimulating. (Evelyn Werner)

And now a few more impressions from the perspective of the organizer, Edeltraut, and also some details on the programme for the weekend in August 2023, which was more than “an ordinary” training event. Want to know why – read on…

Bad Blankenburg was designed as an exam weekend for Martina, Evelyn and Nico in 2023. The first day of training began at 09:00 am with a discussion of the schedule.
 
To get in the mood for the weekend, there were various drinks, homemade cakes and creative treats. Everyone always comes up with something different for the team.
 
For all club members, the training began with warm-up exercises led by Evelyn. As a trainer, she had chosen good exercises that were elastic, well-rounded and holistic.
 
After watching the Game techniques together on www.bailongball.com (thanks to Mike and Susanne Ritz for sending us the links to the test parts), Nico led the practice in groups of two.
 
Before lunch, everyone was able to activate their “small circuit” in a guided relaxation session. This involves assigning specific words to one point at a time. Exercise sequence:
 
I love (Hui Yin), accept (Chang Chiang), trust (Ming Men), am humble (Yai Gen), 
 
grateful (Bai Hui), courageous (Yin Tang), forgiving (Hsuan Chi), happy (Shan Chung),) in energy balance (Chi Hai).”
 
This mini-exercise harmonizes all energy levels of the body and brings about coherence of the head, heart and “abdominal brain”.
 
In the afternoon, after watching the Art techniques on the TBBF homepage, Martina led the training of the Art techniques for everyone. 
 
During the coffee break, our candidates explained the four principles specific to the sport, the aims of BailongBall training and its effect on body, soul and spirit.
 
Before practising the Warm-Up Form together, Nico practised a special rhythmic breathing technique with everyone, a combination of singing and movement, “I am the light of the soul”.
 
Nico explained, that breathing exercises condition the muscular strength and endurance of the transverse abdominal muscles and the diaphragm. They activate the deep core muscles more quickly and are also involved in regulating the structure and function of the lumbar spine. Five simple movements generate energy and joy. The hands draw a horizontal figure of eight and are placed on the heart, then the hands form the tree of life, the fingers moving quickly from top to bottom go to the heart and from there release negative energy to the earth for neutralization by leading the arms to the front, and then collect positive energy by turning the hands back to the bowl (Text: I am the ligth of the soul. I am bountyful, I am beautiful, I am bliss. I am, I am, I am.)
 
The first day ended with a relaxed get-together.
 
On the second day, Wolfgang invited us to heart qi gong at 07:00 am, which nobody missed. After breakfast, the test phase began. The camera team consisted of Rolf as director and Claudia as assistant director. The first part, Game techniques, was completed in the sequence Evelyn, Nico, Martina. Edeltraud filled a short break with specific finger exercises to activate the energy flow. The second part, Art techniques, was completed by the candidates in the order Martina, Evelyne, Nico. The team members who did not want to watch were able to play over the net. 
 
Before lunch, everyone replenished their “Chi Hai” with fresh energy in a guided relaxation session. This little exercise can be done standing, sitting or lying down. The lying position is usually preferred. The practitioner mentally draws the number 1 above their head in their favorite color, then the number 3 on the sole of their left foot, then the number 0 on the palm of their right hand, then draws the number 2 on the palm of their left hand and completes the first round by drawing the number 4 on the sole of their right foot. By repeatedly drawing the numbers, always starting with the 1 above the head, a three-dimensional pentagram is created energetically, i.e. the energy is centered like a coil.
 
After lunch, the 3rd part, the Warm-Up Form, was completed by the candidates in front of the camera. In the order Nico, Martina and Evelyn succeeded in capturing the basic form of the three candidates on the lens. The applause and joy of the spectators was the first reward for the candidates for their diligent practice.
 
Ralf packed the recordings into the three “folders”, which we sent to Susanne and Mike in Bensheim.
 
When the call came that all three had passed the Assistant Trainer exam, we were naturally delighted. The certificates were sent to us by the 1st chairman of the Taiji BailongBall Federation e.V., Xiaofei Sui. We chose our end-of-year celebration 2023 as a suitable occasion to present the certificates. We concluded the examination ceremony with a rose, a small donation from the association and a photo show.

We can only congratulate all participants on their successful events and, of course, the new assistant trainers on passing their exams. Are you already thinking about a BailongBall training weekend in Türingen?

Mike Ritz
BailonBall Instructor

1 thoughts on “When a sports club plans a weekend experience …”

  1. Xiaofei says:

    Edeltraud and Wolfgang have been shaping this wonderful sports family culture for the TBBF since 2005! Thank you very much! And keep up the good work so that what is valuable is not lost!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *