Tang Lang

Late to kickboxing last night because of work stuff, so worked extra hard once I got there, especially on the punch pads.

Then kung fu. Lots of people there, not really enough room in the small hall so it was hard to find a spot to take some of the green belts through basic bokken moves. Then over to help out with the beginners - one of whom was having extraordinary difficulty with the start of the wing chun.

Despite taking him through it really slowly about 20 times (no, I'm not exaggerating, that's probably an underestimate), he was still finding it very difficult. Never had such difficulties with an adult before, not sure if the problem was with me or him.

In the sparring, still on a buzz from the weekend, I decided to try out some mantis techniques. They seemed to work quite well so I think I'll work on that for a while.

Went through Li Pi and Pa Chi after the class, then this lunchtime put in a good 40 more minutes just going through Li Pi again, trying to bed it in properly.

Opportunity Knocks

Derby on Wednesday, then a relatively rare Nottingham Thursday. And just as well I did go - turns out P and D have hatched a plot, which they related to me in the pub after, that involves me starting a class in a month or two rather than the 6 months I had in mind. But we've been handed an opportunity to get a hall on a Tuesday night that looks too good to turn down, so it seems like I'll be giving it a go.

It's an ill wind...

Having spent the last little while at work fielding questions about volcanic ash, this weekend the flight ban meant that I didn't have to take the kids class single handed after all, which I must admit was something of a relief.

The problem with the kids class is that it is very easy, especially with the littlest ones, for them to start misbehaving and I worry that I don't yet have the authority of T to get them to settle down and behave, so there is always the vision in my mind of the class just becoming an hour of me trying to stop them hurting themselves/each other, instead of teaching. Significantly less of a problem with the adults...which is one of the reasons I can't see myself ever setting up a kids class in Derby.

Lots of practice of 5-animal related drills, which was fun but hard on the legs!

Target Audience

Bunch of guys in their early twenties (I reckon) came to the Derby kung fu class last night and seemed to enjoy it. I think it's a good sign - up till now we seem to have had either end of the age spectrum - tween/teenagers on the one hand and late thirties/forties on the other, but no-one in the middle ground that really ought to be our main constituency. If we can crack that "market" then the class should become pretty stable.

They mentioned, with no prompting from either me or D, that they'd like to train more than once a week - which is a good sign for the further class I'll be starting soon....

Vote of Confidence

Still reeling slightly from the shock of T suggesting on Monday night that I could grade some of the junior beginners. Guess that means he's treating me like one of the pukka instructors now, rather than the trainee.

Nearly time to cut off my padawan braid?

Double Header

Because it's the school holidays this week I got the chance to go to Kung Fu on both Wednesday and Thursday night.

Wednesday Derby class was good, tai chi class especially seems to be growing quite well.

Thursday was the Nottingham grading for the adults, so it was quite hard work, nearly 3 hours long, although at least with the adults when they display their forms they have to do it by themselves so I get a chance to have a bit of a rest, unlike the kids gradings where I have to lead them through it. Down to catch the very end of tai chi, where we went through the second 2-person stick set. I've only ever done that set in kung fu before, where it has a subtly different emphasis, so a few new nuances to learn there.

A long chat in the pub afterwards with D and R about training and teaching. D is pushing me hard to start my own class this September. While I still have mixed feelings about whether I can commit to it, I'm starting to realise that there will always be some work-related reason why it seems a little risky, so really if I'm ever going to start teaching it might as well be soon...

I'll meditate on it a little while I'm on my hols this week.