Last Thursday

Neck felt good enough to go to training last night, and since it was the last opportunity I'll have to go to a Thursday kung fu/tai chi combo for a while, I decided to strap up my fingers to protect my painful knuckle and go along to see how I felt.

Last residues of stiffness in my neck disappeared once I'd warmed up and I had a good class, other than the fact that we focussed quite a bit on mantis, where it's quite tricky to get the requisite "hook" hand shape when your fingers are taped together. After kung fu first D came up from tai chi to get my help with a section of char chuan he'd forgotten, then I had a good chat with one of the intermediate guys about plateauing in training and having to work through it to start seeing more improvement.

In Tai chi we worked on the Yang Long form, then some chen and some mi cheong, which I haven't done for ages, but D helped me revise the opening few moves which I've always found particularly tricky. D wanted to talk about me becoming a proper instructor, he wants us plan out my "development", start applying for my CRB checks, getting my first aid qualifications and so on....

Off to the pub afterwards with a couple of the guys because it will be a while before I get the opportunity again, given that I'm going to have to (at least temporarily) give up Thursday's for a while to concentrate on the Wednesday night classes we're starting up in Derby. I'll particularly miss the tai chi guys, since I get to see most of the kung fu lot on either Monday or Saturday at the other classes.

Dizzy

I read on the BBC earlier this week that the first week of February is the top week in the year for people to be off work ill - either genuinely or spuriously. And this Thursday's Kung Fu was certainly the smallest for a while. Not that that's a bad thing from my point of view, as I tend to get to work on the intermediate and advanced stuff a bit more when it's quiet - choy li fut and some bokken work.

We also worked on some more difficult kicks, particularly the jumping spinning inward crescent kick. I can actually do it reasonably well now, but when we have to do repeated ones down the length of the hall (about 5 or 6 kicks in a row, which amounts to a dozen high speed spins without pausing) I get so incredibly dizzy it's as if I've done that thing you see on "hilarious" home videos where people put their forehead on a broom and run round in circles, then stagger about a lot and fall over....I didn't actually fall down, but I was having distinct trouble walking in a straight line when going back to the other end of the hall.

Tai chi was yang style to the left, Hsing-I drills and living pole. D said we were nearly at the end of it but in my recollection we're less than a quarter of the way through it - so he must be planning on teaching it in discrete chunks. More photos at the end for the publicity - damn paparazzi!

Setting the Pace

Mainly Choy Li Fut in Kung Fu, which made a nice change, followed by trying to teach the "two step" bokken set, which initially filled me full of dread as I thought it was pretty sketchy, but actually turned out much better than I'd expected and even got a rare "good" out of T when we showed him what we'd learnt.

A scary stick drill paired up with T that put my knuckles in a lot of danger, then sparring with the padded sticks at the end. For some reason I am absolutely hopeless at stick sparring, I think it's partly that I feel constrained by the limited targets you're allowed to aim for and partly that you're not allowed to use your free hand to grab or block your opponents stick. If it were a real free-for-all I think I'd do better.

Arrived at Tai Chi just in time for D to ask me to lead through the short yang form while he observed. This is a first in Tai Chi, and although it wouldn't make me bat an eye-lid in kung fu, and although I've been doing the yang form for longer than anything else in martial arts, this filled me with fear/paranoia that I was going to get it wrong. Thankfully after the first few moves I managed to relax into it a bit and concentrate on my tan tien a little, so I think it wasn't too bad. It was however at a (relatively) fast pace as I was still a little hyper from kung fu, which was commented on as a bit of a change for most of the tai chi guys who tend to take it fairly sedately. (I wish I knew the long form well enough to try to go through it at a faster pace. I've heard that it can be done in around 10 minutes if you step it up a bit....).

After that I taught one of the new-comers to the advanced class a portion of the sword set (teaching is another first for me in tai chi), then we all went through some drills from "Living Pole" which I haven't done for a long time. Anyway, by the end of the night I was feeling a little more confident about my Tai Chi than I have done for a while.

Normal Service is Resumed

T back from holidays so a "normal" Thursday training session today. I spent most of it with the beginners taking them through Sui Lim Tao and then the first 2 person set, glancing enviously at the choy li fut going on at the other end of the room. I have a bad feeling that the introduction of more kids into the Thursday session is going to mean I spend most weeks with the beginners. I hope not though, as I've always considered Thursday the day when I do training for me on the more advanced stuff, rather than as an instructor going over the basics - Mondays session is for that....

After the session D appeared and we went through Char Chuan a few times. He brings a slightly different flavour to it than T, which gave me a few things to think about. Then down to Tai Chi, and the long Yang form, which is slowly but surely getting better. I still have no idea what order things are going to happen in, but now at least I recognise each individual section. Spent a while chatting about the practicality of using Tai Chi in a real self-defense situation, then did some Pa Kua, in which I think I had a bit of a breakthrough moment on the latest 2 changes we've been learning. D is trying to organise a seminar with Master They later this year on Pa Kua, so I'm keen to get fairly solid on what I know so far.

Four Forms

Well, three short Yang forms (two right, one left) and one long Yang form. Also some mi chong, some pa kua, single and two person pole and a sneaky bit of char chuan. So although there was no kung fu this Thursday I still managed to get a fair bit of practice in.

Off to the big smoke for a few days so no more 'til next week though....

Rap it up - I'll take it

Thursday's Kung Fu - T introduced a new routine for doing stance work which was pretty good, similar to chang chuan really. Then I got to do single and 2-person pole with the purple sashes who'll be grading on it soon, and revise Choy Li Fut a few times, then Mi Chong. So basically all my favorite forms in one night! I also went through a two-person double sticks drill with the beginners, which is fun, and only got my knuckles rapped once.

One of the guys who use to train with another part of the school in Bath is going to show me his Double Sai form next week. I've always wanted to learn the Sai's, and didn't know that Wutan had a form for them, so there's something to look forward to for some point in the future, hopefully.

Downstairs to Tai Chi, managed to get a short break between which helps a lot, then short form to the left. Single person sword this week, learnt a few more moves, feeling quite comfortable with it this time (I should be as this must be about the fourth time I've been taught it). Double pushing hands to finish, which was difficult as always - not least because everyone else there is about a foot taller than me.

Necessary force

Made it in time to Kung fu despite hectic meeting schedule at work. I was happy to see the lad I injured last week was there - looks like I didn't cause any lasting harm. Went through nam chuan again with T but it's still not really sinking in so it's a good job it's not something I've got to grade on. Then lots of wing chun again, and some bokken.
Downstairs to tai chi without a break and straight into yang short form to the left which is always a challenge, but I actually felt quite pleased with my focus. 

Then we did some 2-person work where D asked us to try to think of how we could "add more power" to a move. When it came to my turn to demonstrate my suggestion it was accused of being particularly brutal! I don't think I've really got the hang of the tai chi minimum force attitude - I'm more of the "if someone is trying to hurt me then they've lost their right not to be hurt" school. Finished with a bit of chen, which made my knees hurt as always, and I still can't do the exploding outwards bit properly.

Eye Opener

Thursday - Kung Fu. It was generally a good lesson, plenty of Wing Chun again, going through Siu Lim Tao and Chum Quoi. Then the sparring. That was going quite well too, then, paired up with a young lad (don't know exactly how old, I'd guess about 12 or 13?), I blocked with a "golden rooster" to a turning kick he was trying, somehow my shin made contact with his knee and suddenly he was in a heap on the floor! He was very brave and didn't make a sound but it had obviously hurt him pretty badly, and for the rest of the evening he couldn't put any weight on it, so had to sit out. T had to give him and his mum a lift home because he couldn't walk. No idea how it happened really, but I feel really sorry for him. Hope it was nothing that a bit of rest and ice can't fix but we'll have to wait and see - knees can be quite tricky....

Quickly went through Mantis 6-punch after the class before rushing down to the Tai Chi class, which now starts earlier, so I barged in halfway through the Yang Long Form - it was really hard to concentrate and adapt to the pace without the short break I normally have between the classes. This will be a test of my ability to focus I guess. Went through some more of the sword form, then started going through the 2 person sword again, which I love! S managed to pick up a hand injury from someone's sword (looks like stigmata!) - but that wasn't my fault, I promise.

R&R

A day off today, supposed to be resting, but such gorgeous sunshine that I couldn't resist going for a quick 2 miles around the park and down past the cricket ground today - to the sounds of the Kinks, Kooks and Kylie. Relaxing on the sofa now, feel pretty good, but probably going to go for a snooze later!

D has decided to start Thursday's Improvers Tai Chi earlier, which, combined with T's decision to start Kung Fu a bit later is going to mean I have to make a choice between sparring and the Yang form. Tough call....might have to chop and change from week to week.