It's Target-the-Nose Night!

My definition of impossible has been overrun by external events so often as to take away from me any certainty regarding what is possible and what is not. -Daniele Bolelli, On The Warrior’s Path


The Form Of the Day is Frolic Of the Five Animals (have you ever heard a dorkier name for a form in your whole life- but the form itself is actually pretty cool).

Thursday afternoon walk, then evening kung fu.

After a couple of rounds of hand strike drills, we worked on the Tiger kick drill- the last two pieces after the kicky sequences: the one where you crouch on the ground and the one with the Dragon Rides the Wind. Dragon Rides the Wind had our newbies tied in knots. I told them, "This is one of the wierdest things we've got," which is true. Marcie said, "My first karate sensei is spinning in his grave; this violates every tenant of movement that he taught me."

Then we practiced some wrist grab escapes and some lapel grab escapes. I was working with RM, whose hands are big and strong and you can definitely see resemblance to Nemesis' hands, but a few notches down on the size and strength.

Then we did monkey-in-the-middle, using just the lapel grabs and wrist grabs that we'd just worked on. I startled RM by getting right in his face and slamming my palms onto his chest hard enough to make him grunt, then grabbing a double handful of his shirt. He stumbled back two steps, opened his eyes and stared startled at me in what I refer to as an "oh shit" moment. I told him that that was way too long of an oh-shit moment. Two turns later, I did the same thing, and he did the same thing. SK yelled, "React!" and he finally did.

I did the same thing to the others. Nemesis is used to me doing that, so it didn't faze him. I disturbed Marcie, even though she had seen me do it to RM first. I like to use monkey-in-the-middle to knock people out of their comfort zone by initiating attacks that are different from what they are expecting, getting right up in their faces, and with very confrontational challenging body language. Marcie reacted, but she was obviously a little shaken. So I did it to her again- that time, we ended in a very tense staredown from a distance of about eight inches.

Nemesis got in one good bop to my nose- then did the same to RM's nose. I commented that tonight was obviously Target-the-Nose Night.

When it was my turn, the others were cracking up at evry single pass. First it was because of my targeting (RM commented again about how amazing it was). Marcie grabbed my wrists from behind, and when I went to do the "angry chair" defense, there was nothing there. SK said, "Ah- she got her center of gravity lower than yours!" I realized that she was in an extreme low horse stance. I donkey-kicked my heel directly up into her groin and yelled, "Ping!" I responded to several more attacks in a row by punching or kicking directly to the face, or belly- or Snake-striking the throat- instead of doing one of the standard escapes. Well, this is how Tiger thinks. Tiger cannot be bothered with escapes- we don't want to escape, we want to shred and tear things. SK commented, "Kitsune, Queen Of the Direct Response," Finally I mock-pouted, "You all laugh at everything I do...." RM, whom I had just socked in the throat, raised his hand and declared solemnly, "I'm not laughing." Then we were *all* laughing some more.