Thursday

Today's Form Of the Day was Kiu Two. Wednesday's was Leopard at Dawn. Tuesday's was the Tai Chi long form. (Again, noticing that that is one extremely looooooooooooooooong form, even micro-fu'ing through it at a speed that would make CK cringe).

Yes, my Jeep is still in the shop. I popped a tire on my motorcycle on the way home from work Monday night. I have obviously offended the Gods Of Travel in some enormous way- inadvertantly desecrated a shrine or something. Anyway, left with no transportation at all, I was forced to rent a car. I mean to get back to BJJ class next week.

Thursday kung fu:

Hand strike drills. I am still doing my ridge hand strikes with too much elbow-flying and too much shoulder movement. I am also putting some unneccessary wrist flourishes in some of my Mantis parries. When I removed the extra wrist flourishes, the technique was faster... however, it felt more "Mantissy" *with* the flourishes.

Tiger Kick Drill. Most remember that the third technique involves a claw to the side (west) and not to the rear as I first learned. The left hand does not need to swirl upward before chambering (this makes for a strange palm orientation that felt glaringly wrong). Just move it directly down in a J shape trajectory.
After Dragon Rides the Wind, replace the kicking leg BEHIND the posting one. I have been pulling it through and placing it in front in order to begin the drill again on the opposite side- which is great, but as soon as I tried it THIS way, it was much easier to keep my balance. I can always just take a rolling step forward after that, in order to begin the next rep on the opposite side.
One more thing- remember to chamber everything fully- especially the kicking leg. The kicking leg still chambers in front (not to the side) for a side kick.

RM got the Dragon Rides the Wind today. After struggling for a good while, shaking his head at the weirdness of it, he threw out two perfect ones. Then went back to the ones where he looks like an arthritic farmer pitching a fork of hay up into the loft. But he's getting it. I commented to him today, "You like Mantis, don't you?" When it was his turn to pick a hand strike, he asked SK for something Mantissy that he hadn't seen before. I can hardly wait to see him start learning Bung Bo Kuen.

Black Crane line drills. Need to remember to not lock out my elbow on the corkscrew punch. Let the ending rotation rotate around a fixed point on the knuckle. Corkscrew punches have always been a bugaboo for me. Also, the very first drill, with the eye strike- for some reason I wanted to use knife hands today, although I know it is a two-finger stab. I think it was just because I was tired (this is my third consecutive night of midnight shifts, sleeping very poorly- no sleep at ALL today). But I am notating it anyway, so as to jog my memory next time.

We continued on to one of the more complex Black Crane drills- the one with the White Crane stance in it. I seemed to do better this time with the "which-hand-does-the-Crane's-beak-strike" confusion, but still worth noting that the beak strike is with the opposite hand as the kicking foot. Also- the kick should have the foot oriented diagonally witht he heel inward, because you are aiming where the thigh joins the torso. I was furthermore told that I should do the second kick (the one after the takedown) lower. This drill also starts in a low Black Crane guard with Eagle claws (although I first learned it from high Black Crane Guard (no claws). I found it easier to morph the two by ending the drill in the high Black Guard and then deliberately dropping the arms into low guard with Eagle claws.

Five Animals. I remembered to not bend my wrists in the White Ape Presents the Fruit. (SK really wants me to do this technique "the mean way"- with the protruding gouging thumbs- instead of the "nice way" as I tend to do it.) I also remembered to do a hard decisive wrist hook with the double Crane Beaks. My Snake pull-aparts are better this week as well. I am getting the weight shift into the pull. I seem to want to straighten the front leg on the second rep, though. It is a Cat stance, so I need to make sure I go into the correct stance.

My Improvement Opportunity for this week- after the two kneeling stabby strikes, do NOT get up from the second one and raise the right arm while turning east into the double Dragon fist punches. As SK eloquently demonstrated, this is inviting someone to come along and nail you in the right ribs. Instead, lead with an elbow. This can curl straight into the right handed Dragon fist (I wasn't able to quite manage that this time, but I can see by slo-mo'ing it how it would work).
Also- do not collapse the left knee in during the closing.

30 min of individual formwork. I did Kiu Two, since it was the FOD. Then I did some Spear Hand (both chunks) and the Southern Mantis bit. SK wanted me to show him the Southern Mantis. Then I asked him to do Kiu Two with me. I bobbled it some at first (I always get so discombobulated trying to do partnered forms). At least I did not mix up any techniques (in front of him, anyway) between Part A and Part B. Needed some fine-tuning of the final Flurry-Of-Strikes sequence (including one bit where I told him to go ahead and Snake-strike me in the bladder hard enough to make me remember, if I continued to fail to parry low enough). Still cheating- if not forgetting altogther- that blasted ton sau. I also phucked up the sweep and needed to be reminded to 1)set the second foot down closer to the first, and 2)don't try to spin 360, end facing the side and then twist as you stand. Sigh.