To achieve an elite standard of personal performance usually requires a fair amount of natural ability, motivation and commitment. It does not follow that an elite martial artist also has the ability to pass those skills on to others at all levels. IN fact, the opposite is usually true. To become an elite performer usually means that the student has natural ability and therefore learns skills quickly and easily. A great degree of self-motivation and commitment is also required and such performers generally find little difficulty in applying themselves to the rigors of training, grading and competition. Since very few students achieve such high levels of performance, too often a coach does not understand the needs of these "lesser mortals" who are in fact the majority. When one looks at specific groups such as junior, female, male, elderly, competitive, aggressive, shy, introverted, or combinations of these, many martial arts coaches in the past have been- to say the least- underprepared. Tony Gummerson, "Teaching Martial Arts"
Today's FOD is the Chen Dao form. I went back and corrected an additional small error that I knew was in the transcription.
I did get a walk today, albeit not a particularly strenuous one. I skipped BJJ this morning, partly just because I was being lazy and partly because I assumed I'd be going to BJJ tonight. Then I found out that the reason I have been skipping Kung Fu was not going to apply to tonight's class, so I could go. Happy I was. I appreciate it even more now that access is limited.
Starting with some hand strike drills, specifying that we start with a defensive move followed up by an offensive one.
Then we were asked to come up with a short opening sequence that we might use for a first attack. We spend a lot of time practicing things that are defensive (first) and assuming the other guy is making the first attack, so this was a little different mindset.
I chose a Wing Chun guard with the left hand on top. My idea was that I'd hope the guy would be watching my top hand. My right (dominant) hand Mantis-gripped his right wrist while I stepped in, turned his corner, Yanked him forward and downward with the Mantis grip, and my left hand circled UNDER our joined arms to palm-heel him the side ribs. I liked it. If I was trying to surprise a random person, I would use Mantis- because it's just WEIRD. Few people are going to expect you to grab them and pull them into your strike. Once I tunred the corner, he couldn't get me with his other hand. The palm-heel was also quite hidden from view, and I liked the way it felt circling down and under- very natural, and I got good power on the strike.
It was amusing/interesting to see that- working independantly and in pairs- everyone in the class had chosen slightly different variations of the same thing: Bridge one arm, turn the corner on the same side, and strike.
Individual forms. I ran through all my mirror forms (with the exception of Five Points, which is still too rough). Then I did each form normally, followed immediately by its mirror counterpart. I bobbled a few things, just because my brain was a bit confused by having to switch gears like that.
Then I worked on Five Points In the Mirror. I haven't worked on it in a long time, and it was very rough at the beginning. Once I got back in the groove, though, it came a bit easier.
I'm not sure why this one snarls my mind so badly- maybe just all the directional changes. I keep having to go back and verify and reverify that I'm turning in the correct directions. Then I have to verify and reverify that I am truly doing the mirror version, and not simply the same techniques on the same side just facing a different direction.
If it's not just all the directional changes that are mixing me up, it may be the fact that- ironically- the material is *TOO* intimately familiar. The other forms, I just have to keep in mind that I'm doing a given technique on "the weird side"... the Tiger stuff, it feels right on both sides, so I keep thinking, "Wait... is this *really* the "weird side?""
I got about three quarters through and thought, "Crap, this is giving me a migraine!" So I just went back and repped the first bit several times over.
After that, I did a couple reps each of Kiu Two and Snake Versus Five Animals. Those two are full of strike sequences that are complex enough that they just really need a lot of frequent reps to stay solid. I think I should probably put an extra stone or two in the FOD bowl for each of those.
A few additional reps of the three trickiest spots in Bung Bo Mirror. Then I was out of time.
I told SK that I am almost finished with all my transcriptions, and he wanted to know what I am going to work on NEXT. I still haven't told him about the Mirror Forms, and I don't want to yet- so I just told him I have a top-secret project!
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