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	Tutorial Name: Essentials Size: 23.5 mb Date Added: June 30th Note: Essentials for Tricking. Holden and Thompson – Nothing; Yoko Kanno – Rise; Nana Katase – Telepathy
	Tutorial Name: Conditioning Size: 25.08 mb Date Added: June 27th Note: The fundamental element of tricking. Hallucinogen – Spiritual Antiseptic Web Version
	Tutorial Name: Titanium Ankles Size: 32.8 mb Date Added: June 27th Note: A house is only as strong as its foundation. Shiina Ringo – Souretsu, Ishiki, Yatsutsuke Shigoto
	Tutorial Name: H2O Size: 26.3 mb Date Added: June 27th Note: The ultimate training tool. Shiina Ringo – Yokushitsu; Radiohead – Idiotech Web Version
	Tutorial Name: Isometricks Size: 48.2.3 mb Date Added: July 5th Note: No gym? No problem. Shiina Ringo – Hatsukoi Shoujo, Sounan, Love is Blind
	Tutorial Name: Muscle Memory Size: 18.3 mb Date Added: October 17th Note: Basics in tricking theory pt. 1. Hallucinogen – LSD; Infected Mushroom – Bust a Move
	Tutorial Name: Center of Gravity Size: 14.3 mb Date Added: June 27th Note: Basics in tricking theory pt. 2. Shiina Ringo – Shuukyuu; Gorillaz – Left Hand Suzuki Method
	Tutorial Name: Blocking Size: 19.08 mb Date Added: June 27th Note: Basics in tricking theory pt. 3. Aphex Twin – Windolicker
	Tutorial Name: J-Step Size: 16.9 mb Date Added: June 27th Note: The building block of gainers, moonkicks, corks, and swingthroughs. DJ Krush – Decks Athron
	Tutorial Name: Sideflip Size: 11.6 mb Date Added: June 27th Note: The easiest flip. DJ Krush – Trihedron Ft. Opus

I have received a fair amount of e-mails lately in regards to the recent lack of English blogs. Today, I’m here to tell you about the future of Dogentricks.com.

For those of you who don’t know, the trickstutorials forum–AKA tricking central, the tricking mainframe, the trick-star, etc.–was permanently shut down a matter of weeks ago. This effectively disbanded the tricksters littered around the globe to their respective cliques. Around the same time, I sent the first draft of my second Japanese novel “Senpai,” to a handful of my most intelligent friends–several of which are graduates from Tokyo University (certified geniuses). Within a few tricking deprived weeks I had received my feedback. This brings us to today.

My name is Dogentricks.com, and this is my life. I strongly believe that this life, the life of Dogentricks.com, is an existence with a distinct, defined purpose. Furthermore, I believe the role I play is bigger than my existence as a human. That is, while as a human I am entitled to indulge myself in the warm love of a gentle woman, the liberation of a cold beer with old friends, or the passing of genes through a laughing child, as Dogentricks.com I simply can’t allow myself to wade into these temptations.

The purpose of life is inspiration. Inspiration fuels passion, and passion drives action. Action is the catalyst of our world and the source of evolution. Inspiration is the difference between potential and growth, thought and will, existence and life. It is but only during our fits of passion can we truly say to ourselves, “Yes! This is what it means to be alive!” We must live to spark fires and ignite reason to reach towards the impossible.

This is what I truly believe. While ‘enjoying’ life is of the upmost importance, beyond that I believe I am inclined, perhaps obligated, to sacrifice personal leisure for a larger purpose. For me, it is more important to inspire than enjoy. I would love to drink red wine with woman of my dreams and watch over the growth of our children–but I can’t. The role I was born into wasn’t that of a spectator enjoying the game–it was that of player stealing from third to home.

Thus, I am left with no choice but to train. I have to give the spectators something to cheer for—something that will have them screaming from their seats—something that will make them jump to their feet and bring tears to their eyes. Above all, I can’t be out; I need to steal home, and make it. I absolutely cannot fail; I need to to write the preeminent Japanese novels of this generation. I am Dogentricks.com, and this is my purpose.

Before that happens, however, I need to get out of the batting cage.

The next time I write an English blog will be after I am a published writer in Japan. Those with questions are more than welcome to e-mail me.

I am not a child, youth, or teen. I am 21 years old and months away from college graduation. I am waiting to hear back from a serious position in the real world. I am thinking about and planning my future.

Everyday, I wake up aching. I look down at the figure I’ve created and consider accumulated damage. My right big toe is swollen and restricted from a fracture in high school. My left small toe is nearly immobile and discolored due to a simple gym mistake. My ankles are gnarled and tight. My tibia are lined with veins after two years of battling major shin splints with rigid conditioning. My right knee cap is pulled taught against my meniscus from a torn MCL and several years of patellar tendonitis. My left quadriceps are large and disproportionate from almost half a decade of unilateral moonkicks. My hamstrings lay relaxed after another recovery from more strains, sprains, and tears than I can count. My femur jostles my inflamed hip with every movement. My back aches; it wakes me in my sleep and keeps me paralyzed in fear of a future doubled over in pain. My abdominals are completely asymmetrical from four years of constant twisting to the left. My shoulder is rigid and pinches into the socket suddenly and without warning. My elbows are tight with tendonitis and my wrists are weak from landing on them with multiple times the weight of my body. My pale skin is scarred and worn from countless burns after hours in the sun, trying to land that one, last trick. I’ve been to the doctor a dozen times, gone through thirty-six sessions of physical therapy, and had six X-rays and four MRIs.

I have nothing left to break.

My name is Dogentricks.com and this is the end of chapter one. It kills me to say, but upon graduating from college this June, I will quit tricking. My eyes are literally filling with tears as I write these words – this is something I have no want to do, but know it must be done. I cannot justify a lifetime of chronic, full-body pain. Tricking is without any doubt the source of my injuries and the reason I ache every waking minute. I have to quit if I want to walk in my thirties, I have to quit if I want to swim in my late twenties, and I have to quit if I want to regain the ability to run, now. This is the inevitability I have blocked out for years.

I’ve known for a long time when I would quit tricking, but recently the reality of abandoning quite literally my heart and soul has become very tangible. The idea of a life without tricking has given me anxiety attacks and a need to release the constantly building pressure in my chest.

So today, I want to write an entry about tricking, and its place in my life. 

I discovered tricking some time toward the end of junior high. I was searching around the internet, looking up cheat codes for Tenchu 2. By accident, I stumbled across a website known as Trick Busters. The first link I clicked brought me to a 6 second clip of a short Asian girl named Alyssa performing a ‘butterfly.’ Alyssa glided across the floor, gracefully dipped her body, then leaped into the air. There, she floated, slowly and beautifully wrapping around her center of gravity. Landing without a sound, Alyssa turned toward the camera and smiled.

Something twisted in my stomach, hard. How did she do that? In an curious, almost frantic state I began clicking every link on the website. Within an hour I watched all the videos on Trick Busters and subsequently overrode their daily bandwidth. When I went to watch the last clip and “error 401, exceeded bandwidth” came up, I nearly threw my mouse. I had to have more! What was this? Why could seemingly normal people do things like this? This isn’t real; this can’t be real. This is what people do in movies with wires. Why could Alyssa trick? How long had she been training? What is going on?!

In that state of troubled confusion, I seemed to subconsciously evaluate my existence. “Each day I count down the hours until I get home to instant message my friends about things I won’t remember one week from now. Meanwhile, there is this group of ‘trick busters’ who are living among the clouds. These guys are so cool! There is no one who wouldn’t think these guys are cool! I mean, they ARE cool! They are literally flipping around like it is a completely normal thing; they are effortlessly performing physical acts which people pay to see in a movie, and for fun!” Trick busters: We are a group of kids in the bay area. We love training tricks! We are trick busters! Thanks for visiting our site!

I had been caught red handed. I was looking up cheat codes for a technique in a video game – a technique that any of the trick busters, real humans, could perform with ease. I felt embarrassed and worthless. I felt I had nothing to prove in life. A trick buster wouldn’t waste their time laughing at me. It was the most frustrating and upsetting moment of my life.

For that, I am thankful. Tricking became part of me from that day forward.

I woke up the next day and immediately did as many pushups as I could. I had a banana for breakfast and did calf raises while brushing my teeth. I got on the bus, put on my headphones, and thought about nothing but tricking until I arrived at school.

I told everyone about it. “Have you ever heard of tricking? It’s so sick!” Of course, nobody was interested. What did it matter if a group of kids, hundreds of miles away, were apparently capable of performing some flips? “No, it’s not like that, these guys are insane! You have to see the way they move! These guys are different!” Nobody at my school could understand my enthusiasm, and for good reason – nobody at my school had ever seen or heard of tricking. This was 8 years ago, well before myspace, youtube, or Ong Bak, for that matter. This was well before even I knew what tricking truly is. But, I was already hooked.

I had to learn. Everyday tricking was the only thing on my mind. I was in my backyard constantly doing cartwheels and in my play room burning my back trying to windmill on old, faded carpet. My frail, stiff body quickly tired and absolutely shut out the idea of any aerial techniques. I don’t care! I need to learn this! I continued everyday for over a year, slowly but surely developing my body and confidence.

It’s time. I need to learn this tricking; I need to learn the butterfly. I devoted everything I had to the technique. I fell on my side countless times; i looked like a fool stumbling over at the park, over and over again. Regardless of that, I became more familiar with the technique and gradually sharpened my form. Cleaner, cleaner, cleaner.

Hey Dad. I know what I want for my birthday: a digital camera. With this, I’ll be able to see myself, and analyze my technique. Sure son, what model do you want? This one’s nice.

Jesus, my technique was far from clean! It wasn’t even close to a butterfly; it was more like a fat caterpillar. I had to fix this. I had to practice more. So I practiced, all the time. I practiced flinging my body from high to low to high again and again, and again. Was it impressive? No, not really. Was it something that everyone could do? Probably, but it would take them practice. Oh wait, oh my god!

I just landed my first butterfly! I just landed my first trick!

I was 15 years old and had spent more than a year and a half on mindless training. I did innumerable pushups, loads of crunches, and countless cartwheels. I had trained in an ignorant almost counter productive fashion, but it finally produced results. I could do a butterfly, and it was clean. My friends approved. “Hey, that’s actually pretty cool, do you think you could teach me?” Yes, I thought to myself, I could teach you – BECAUSE I CAN DO IT!!

With the passing of time came knowledge about tricking. I learned about the origins of the sport, current practitioners, and various techniques. I had a copy of the infamous ‘wushu’ video, and became an active visitor to bilang and tricks tutorials. I spent every free second watching tricking videos or training. Tricking was, more than ever, the center of my life. I began to learn about proper training habits from my older, close friend Nic Nichols, who was an active body builder. I cleaned up my diet and refined my training. I began to see change, but it was too slow for me. I wanted to be better, now.

I joined my school’s all girl gymnastics team. Yes, I was laughed at by everyone and it was hard. But, tricking was everything to me and I was willing to sacrifice my social life for it. I sat in the cafeteria everyday after school for two and a half hours, patiently waiting for wrestling practice to end and gymnastics practice to start. I was surrounded by girls and told to do split leaps and pirouettes, often in the presence of the wrestling team. Whatever, I was improving. In my first season of gymnastics I significantly developed my strength, flexibility, and coordination. Even if no one knew it, I was no longer a nerd. I had become an athlete, and I was proud of it.

I became more intwined in the online tricking community and befriended the likes of Turkeyman, Empire, Waterboy, Spike, Crazy Asian, Furious Angle, and Ceopopeye. I even got Steve Terada’s screen name, but didn’t dare send a god like him a message. I often got into tricking chat rooms and became an active member on the then very young, very small Tricks Tutorials forums. I read every article I could find on anything related to resistance training, flexibility, and nutrition. I scolded my parents’ lax eating habits and rid my diet of anything artificial. I was learning the essence of dedication.

Jeff Shearer, one of my closest friends, got a trampoline during my junior year of high school. I was well conditioned and highly motivated, and spent literally days and nights at Jeff’s house on the trampoline. After weeks of visualization, I finally sacked up and went for my first backflip, ever. My training paid off; the move came quick and naturally. My body had learned how to invert itself and hang in suspension. An indescribable ecstasy took over – I was making real progress. Some of the warmest moments of my youth were spent on that trampoline. Thanks, Jeff.

No, I don’t want to stop here. Everything I’ve done so far has only made me happier. I don’t care about looking cool anymore, this is about being the best I can be. I want to advance like all the other tricksters. I want to flip like Waterboy and kick like Turkeyman. I need to learn the backflip on ground. Dad, come here. Ryan, stand there. Ok, just flip me, ok? 1…2..3!!

I could do standing backflips on the grass within two months. Kevin, the same skinny guy doing cartwheels from one year before, was now the only guy at school who could backflip. Off of benches, in the cafeteria, in my backyard – I did them everywhere. My close knit group of friends became hooked. Day after day, Rob, Ryan, Jeff, Wilson, Hunter, Sasha, and myself would gather in my backyard and practice tricking. We jumped over trash cans, flipped onto Rob’s lawn chair cushions, and crashed on our backs. We had the time of our lives and escaped from the stress of school, work, and family.

When gymnastics began next year, a group of guys showed up to practice. Nic, Rob, and Ryan all came to practice on a regular basis. Hunter and I joined a new fitness gym only minutes from my house. My progress began to accelerate from the presence and encouragement of friends. Wall flips, aerials, side flips, gainers, websters, front flips, and 540s all became part of my rapidly expanding tricking repertoire. Every school dance, I owned the floor after tearing things up with a flash kick or gainer. I became the authority for flips at Redmond High School and was approached by many students eager to learn. The social highlight came when an article was published in the newspaper about tricking and its place in my life.

During my last year of high school I began commuting to Emerald City Gymnastics twice a week. Mondays and Wednesdays were nights for tricking and the only thing on my mind every other day. Each cent from my part time job went into the twenty-five dollar, ninety minute gym sessions. Here, I met Aaron, the best coach and mentor I have ever had. Aaron was an olympic skier and inhumanly fit. The man could jump onto a swiss ball half his height and balance as if it was nothing. He performed double jumps, in real life. Moreover, he taught me to be confident in myself and follow my dreams. Aaron pushed me to my mental limits and convinced me it was possible to do anything if only I believed in it. His coaching brought me into a world of tricking beyond that of the trick busters.

My senior year, I learned gainer fulls, the technique of my dreams. It was a move I literally thought to be impossible only a few years earlier. I became so confident in my gainer fulls I threw them on concrete, at school, and even at a rave under a field of flashing lights. I had support, ability, and potential. College applications were done and classes were easy; training became my only focus. Larry Chen, (now known as Rizzice) a local guy interested in tricking, contacted me through the tricks tutorials forum and quickly assimilated into our group. Tricking was everything. I began making video tutorials and trying moves few people had ever landed. The only memory from my fourth year school is a blur of sensations: the bass from Rob’s decked out Focus, the sweet, tangy smell of a fresh Monster soda, and the incredible high of training with friends. That summer, I spent almost everyday with Larry at the beautiful waterfront in Kirkland. They were the best days of my life. Thanks, Larry.

Just before moving out for college I got a mail from a young, talented man named Jonathan Pierce. “Hey Dogen, I’m going to be moving up to Seattle for a while. We should get together and train.” Larry and I met Jon in August at the University of Washington. It was the first time I met someone who was better than me at tricking, and it completely floored me.

My motivation sky rocketed. I upped my training and swore to myself – I’m going to catch up with Jon. I need to get this good. The sampler Jon released later that year became my favorite tricking video of all time; to this day, it continues to motivate me. Jon, Larry, Nathan and I formed Team BT late that summer and tricked all the time, everywhere.

I entered UW September, 2005. Within weeks I befriended the ever amiable Ben Friedman, Bobby Nguyen, Tylee Chen, and Nathan Ma, a group of break dancers and the best guys I know. We trained 3 times a week together in Mat Room A, polishing our skills to the undeniably catchy thump of a break beat. In spring, I tricked in the quad under the beautiful cherry blossoms and made sampler after sampler, day after day. Visitors began to come from other schools and cities to train with me and Larry. My tricks were clean, fast, and powerful. Everyday I felt fantastic.

Everyday I woke up and thought, “I love the world I live in. I love training. I would not trade my life for anything – not anything.” I felt I was becoming a little bit better than the person I was the day before. Many of my fraternity brothers partied night after night, bellowing and bragging about the high number of women they were able to fondle in a drunken stupor. I laughed from a distance and continued to train; my world was completely locked. The thought of drinking or partying, the mere idea of tainting my structured lifestyle, was absolutely out of the question. My concentration, love for training, and will for progress created an invisible, and yet almost tangible wall of determination. I loved every minute of it.

My fraternity brother and great friend Austin Wang suggested I create a tricking website at the end of my freshman year. I loved the idea and we began working on it immediately. If you’re reading this now, there’s a high possibility you know about the website and what it has become. So, if you’re reading this now, then I have to say thank you for your support. The website has flourished into a popular tricking/Japan interest community and a means of self expression for myself and hundreds of others. Thanks Austin, means a lot.

Taimatsu surprised me with a quick visit from Alaska during my first summer at college. Despite being sore from work (now teaching kids at Emerald City Gymnastics), we had two incredible, high energy sessions. His aggressive tumbling abilities and bright outlook provided two days of non-stop adrenaline and laughs. Thanks, Taimatsu.

My second year of college followed suit with more relentless training. Before my 8:30 classes I biked to gym with Scott Winges and performed endless water-based dynamic training. In the afternoon we lifted together and went to Cascade Elite Gymnastics with Jake for rings training, group stretching, and full body workouts. The results were absolutely tremendous. I quickly flattened my front splits and developed immense upper body strength. I could perform ten handstand pushups without any form of support, climb a full rope twice without my legs, and do twenty pull ups without breaking a sweat. Most of all, my tricks were the best they have ever been. Larry and I were called from Canada to attend a small gathering.

The BC gathering was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Larry and I drove up to Vancouver BC and tricked with Reim, Reza, Leim, Daryl, and Ryan, for three days. Our gym session was out of this world – it was unquestionably the most pumped I have ever been. I landed several new moves and combos, and met a bunch of new tricksters who shared my passion for development. Despite abrupt introductions, we were best friends within minutes, rattling off tricking lingo like a second language. This is where I belong. This is who I am. I love this.

Just before my study abroad, I compiled a sampler from all my best college footage. It was the second major sampler I ever made and the first I was truly proud of.

Though my focus was shifted to study, I continued to trick in Japan and maintain training. I met guys from all over, including the country’s best, Kambe Yukata and Andy Koji.

I tricked under the blooming Sakura in Shinjuku, alone in a quiet park next to a castle, and in front of my favorite band. Even halfway around the world, tricking was the best thing I could show for myself, and the best thing I could show for America. “This is tricking, it’s a new sport born in America. Why not train together?” I became actively involved with the Keio dance team, Jade, and taught many of their members. Tricking provided me a free pass through the traditionally closed doors of Japan’s tight knit culture.

I came back to the states early August 2008 and resumed all my efforts on tricking. Since then, DK, Kaden L, Justin G, and a handful of others have honored me with several out of states visits to Seattle. Thank you guys, you truly cannot imagine what it means to me.

Tricking with Dan and Larry

 

In the Quad with Justin

 

After tricking with Kaden

Even without the tricking, the fact I was able to meet these guys makes me truly proud to have this website. I had the time of my life with all of you. Thank you.

Regardless of the fact that I am not a talented trickster, the reality I spent my entire college life completely and utterly dedicated to athleticism, and the notion I may have ruined up to decades of my later life due to injuries, I love tricking. No matter what job I land or who I meet – no matter what happens to me for the rest of my life, I will never forget, regret, or bemoan one second I spent tricking. Tricking is the core of my character and absolutely the best thing that ever happened to me.

My final countdown ends this June. Until then,

Train hard.

Edit: All Video Tutorials are now online and working. Please let me know if you guys find any broken links or images.

Edit 2: All Tricking Samplers are now online and working.

Edit 3: Updated my author page with the hyperlinks promised from a long time ago.

YEA!

I’m a young man participating in the JET Program. Currently, I am living in the outskirts of the boonies, AKA Bungo-ono, Oita, Japan. I attended the University of Washington, majoring in Japanese Linguistics. I was originally inspired to study Japanese at the age of 13 after hearing a song called “tokoshieni” by a band formally known as Softball. For about a year I studied by myself, but eventually became busy with school and other activities and had to stop. I started Japanese again during my sophomore year of college and spent the entirety of my junior year in Tokyo, studying at Keio University with some of the greatest people in the world. Study abroad was the best experience I’ve ever had.

My primary passions (though I am currently taking a long break for recovery) is tricking – a mix between martial arts, acrobatics, gymnastics, and breakdancing. I discovered tricking at the age of 13 after stumbling across the old trickbusters webpage. I’ve been training ever since then and the sport has literally transformed every aspect of my life. Tricking has taught me discipline, determination, and the joys of teaching others. I am not a talented trickster, but I do my best and love training.

I am a music fiend and audiophile. This basically means I spend an unhealthy amount of time listening to costly headphones attached to equally expensive amplifiers. I buy 99% of the music I listen to and encourage others to do the same. I studied piano for 6 years and still love to fool around. My favorite bands include: Softball, Akiakane, Shiina Ringo, Third Eye Blind, Mass of the Fermenting Dregs, The Back Horn, Bonobos, Supercar, and about a gazillion others. I read several music blogs and know more about Japanese music than Avex.

I love writing, though it’s probably near undetectable in this stale, fact driven page. In addition to being a language teacher in Japan, I plan on becoming an author. I would like to create novels, short stories, and non-fiction work. My writing style is characterized by an absurd amount of alliteration, parallelism, simile, backward reference, and spelling erors. My favorite grammatical structure is the complex sentence, though I often overuse it. My lexicon is severely lacking due to the lack of reading I did in junior high and high school, in addition to my aggressive studies of Japanese. As a result, minimalist tone is the only style I can employ and still come across as intelligent or respectable. Shoot. I write in both English and Japanese.

I also enjoy riding my Kawasaki Ninja, video editing, picture taking, and tea. I am unbeatable in Smash Bros 64.

Hope you guys enjoy the site! Feel free to e-mail me anytime at:

Dogentricks@gmail.com

BONUS!!!

Hello friends. My name is Dogentricks.com and this is my life.

What this page has evolved into is far greater than the scope of my original intentions. How to explain Dogentricks.com and what this site means to me is unfortunately beyond the borders of my still very limited conceptual imagery. All the same, this website needs a purpose statement and I will do my best to illustrate the aim of Dogentricks.com, 3.0, in the words that follow. 

In September 2007 Dogentricks.com was rereleased bearing added focus to the non-tricking aspects of my life, namely Japan. For one year I lived in Tokyo and tried to best funnel my experiences into words, pictures, and video – a way for me to keep tabs on my memories, and a way to open that time capsule for others to see. During those 11 months I fell in love, found a home away from home, and frequented the scenes of my lifelong dreams. I met people with passion, people with talent, and people I had been admiring for nearly a decade. This chain of remarkable events led me to the one person I was least expecting to find.

In a world of unfamiliarity, you are given a second chance to create yourself. Preconceptions don’t exist in a world of strangers; it’s nothing but hindsight to drive you forward. Take everything you’ve learned in life and mold it into what you hold to be true–spotlight strengths and amplify ambitions. Keep old insecurities boxed up in the back shelf of the closet. There they will fade, eventually becoming little more than personal nostalgia. With that freedom you are reborn and live as nothing but your own idea of self, be it for the better or worse. In Japan, I took that chance and ran with it.

I found my passions, my dreams, and my beliefs.

The person I found in Japan was myself. I found the person I want to be, the person I need to be, and the person I was born to be. That person is Dogentricks.com and this website is an unclouded window to my life and mind. With this, I offer the following maxim and words by which I live.

The purpose of life is inspiration. Inspiration fuels passion, and passion drives action. Action is the catalyst of our world and the source of evolution. Inspiration is the difference between potential and growth, thought and will, existence and life. It is but only during our fits of passion can we truly say to ourselves, “Yes! This is what it means to be alive!” We must live to spark fires and ignite reason to reach towards the impossible.

Dogentricks.com is the account of my attempts to do so using the tools I was born with, the experiences I’ve had, and the incredible friends I’ve made along the way.

I thank you for visiting this site and hope you enjoy it!

Well, I just finished my first semester as an exchange student in Japan and I have to say I quite enthusiastically devoured my first 4 and a half months here. That leaves just over 6 months before I cry myself home on a 12 hour flight back to Seattle. About a month ago I thought, “”No, there is no way I’ve been here for this long already!”" But now, I feel like I’ve really adjusted to life here, and I can easily cope with the fact I’ve been in the land of the rising sun for more than a couple weeks.

Here’s the fun part – you guys are going to kill me when you hear this – from now until the end of March, I have no school. Yes, I have a 2 month spring break. in Japan.

You see, in Japan the school year ends now and begins at the end of March. In America, we typically get out sometime in June and start up in September. So, that creates a 3-4 month vacation. In Japan, this break is split up between the summer and spring. 2 months and 2 months instead of an epic, forget everything you ever learned, part-time-work extravaganza.

I’ll be doing a lot of CRAZY things during my time off, but before that, I need to give my thanks.

Since re-launching Dogentricks in September I have time and time again received messages that brought me to tears. Here are some of my favorites – to those of you who wrote these, know that they did not go unnoticed.

“”Your site offered so much information, but most importantly; reassurance. It made me believe that I could really go out and start tricking like a pro, and that’s what I think is so important about your site – it gives people confidence.”"

“”I typed in “”crazy asian hair”" in Google image search and a pic of that male model came up( it was in your nov blog i think)…well i read… and read and read. and what started out as being so bored that i was tring to find cool Asian ppls hair. about 4 1/2 hours later turned into me reading pretty much everything i could find on your site lol, it’s really well done and im into tricking myself, and japan has allways amazed me. so i just wanted to say TY for not only haveing awesome samplers up but putting things that pertain to life and the beauty of another country.”"

“”I love the site, it’s really helped me along. So, you have my gratitude Dogen.”"

“”Your tutorials and general attitude when it comes to tricking and life have also greatly impacted me and my life in such a positive way.”"

and most recently, the most moving was a blog flipcast beautifully wrote about the ‘my life video’. My heart just about stopped while I was reading this:

An Impressive Walk

Thank you. Thank you for everyone that’s ever visited this site. Thank you for anyone that’s sent me any kind of message. Thank you:

Akeem – for continually sending me inspiring and thoughtful e-mails.

Austin – for handling everything tech, being a great friend and an incredible role model.

Mom and Dad – for giving me the most incredible opportunity of studying abroad.

Every user on the forum, especially gullie, ATAandTruong, Psych, Yakri, MIAtrix, SupperSapphire, Yoichi, Natein, Strider-Hajime, Lonewolf4524, jkarate212, Bissen, Teemu, 4LAO, Shoes Magoo, RuKuS, Cicero, Zerocool, ryanlq, Kibs, Ish, sky walker, 0_Grav, and of course my great friend and incredible training partner Scottykins.

The friends I’ve made since coming to Japan – David, Rodger, Luke, Andrew, Chris, Loren, Keishi, Hiro, Andrew, Sebastian, Oka, Pansy, Gigi, Hirotomo, and Sei.

Friends from before who welcomed me with open arms – Ayako, Toshi, Mari, and Hitomi.

My incredible teachers this quarter – Ikeda, Sakai, Katou, IZUMI, Asayama, OTOKO NO IKEDA.

Risa – for changing my life.

and to everyone else – you know who you are. thank you.

Anytime someone has been inspired by this website, know that it wasn’t because of Dogen. You’ve simply been touched by one of the people listed above working their magic through me.”

First off! I feel like my Japanese is continuing to improve. I had one of my friends, who I’ve known for a long time, comment on my Japanese, saying that he can tell I’m making improvements. Yay for THAT. I’m really trying my best to improve. Waching Risa is extremely inspiring for me, her dedication to English and skill is insane. She knows more SAT words than me! Haptics, for example.

Yesterday I went with her to a park in Shinjuku and showed her what defines me. Yes sir, that would be tricking. I really wanted to do it properly, so here’s what we did. I brought all of my tricking gear, tape, water, camcorder, clothes, etc. Of course, the fundamental element was music. I have my tricking playlist that I always trick to, similar to most tricksters I know. I usually trick “”to”" the music, and I wanted to include Risa in that somehow, so I burned her a cd with all the songs, she put it on her iPod, and we listened to the same thing at the same time, while I trick, and she watched. Needless to say, it was quite the experience. The fact that someone would do that, as a means to understand me, is very humbling for me. Thanks Risa! You’re amazing!

After that we went to some delish thai food, the first I’ve had in Japan, and then settled down in a coffee shop to talk about relations between Japan and China, our dream vacations, and language. It was the first time I got to speak what I feel was real Japanese to Risa, so I’m happy about that too. Summary, yesterday was another fantastic day with my lovely Lisa. (Alliteration).

Finally, I received two e-mails in the past few days that have had quite a profound effect on me, and I’d like to share them with you all. Here you are!

I just read your current blog entry about this guy who sent you this e-mail. What is funny about that is that just yesterday I was thinking on writing la message like that to you, too lol. You’ll probably think something like i want to make myself look sympathic to you or something like that but it’s true and i was kind of scared how much the message of this guy looks like the one i’d have probably written. man i wished i had written that one yesterday evening LOL. hajime no ippo, real passion for japan and also the fact that i just started learning japanese at a different school because mine doesn’t offer it. Further I’m also hoping to go to japan next summer. All that and also the style of the e-mail that was so much like my own thoughts had been…all that seemed really amazing to me. What I wanted to add is that what you wrote about that you’ve been hiding your passion about japan to others is just the situation i’m in at the moment. What you said really opened my eyes and today i quit lying about things so i told a friend of mine that i’m going to my japanese class this evening when he asked me why i had no time to meet. Final i want to say that your blog entrys as well as your tutorials and samplers really inspire me and that you’re one of the most amazing people in the world to me. Thanks Dogen, i mean REALLY thanks Dogen,

Yoichi

Number 2

Hey Kevin, I just read the purpose section on your site and I have to say that it brought tears to my eyes. I don’t really know what else to say except that I am so sorry for all the times that I was not nice to you or criticized you for anything regarding Japan or tricking or anything else. I realized my mistake maybe a year ago and have tried to be nice to you ever since then; I hope you’ve noticed this but I never offered an apology for all the time before that. You are my brother and I love you and that’s all that matters. To be honest I look up to you for a lot of things and have always wished I had your passion and work ethic. I hope this means something to you and know that you don’t have to hide anything from me anymore.

Love, Ryan

Enough to make you cry huh? I know I did. Reading these makes me want to keep doing my best and standing up for what I truly believe in.

Thanks everyone! Train hard!”