Uketemiro! Rozan Shou Ryu Ha!!!

Where I've been...

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 19:29:34 GMT

OK, I guess that question bears asking and answering, so ...

- I'm working on three feature-length films. One of them is out-of-state. One is a script, written by my own hand. The other is, thankfully for variety's sake, neither.

- I have a kung fu workout group (not a school) and fight team, Rising Dragon. Soon, very soon, I need to make time to earn my wings as a senior instructor. This will require more time away, to familiarize myself with certain higher-ups and traditions in the kung fu family. I'm sure many hours of "flying horses" are in my future, too. WHEEEE!!!

- My fellow instructors in Rising Dragon and I have been honing our skills and training the other team members. (I'll get my 180-degree splits back yet!)

- I still have a full-time job.

- My social life is, well ... Who needs to be social, anyway?

- There are a few more people on my "To be Force lightninged" list.

- To quote Ford Prefect, from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, "Time is an illusion. Lunchtime, doubly so."

- I miss you all ... and will likely do so for quite some time, if you aren't someone I regularly see on my daily adventures.

Revisiting ...

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 20:19:38 GMT

Funny how reading the things you wrote months ago can show you why you're the way you are ... and how much you still have to learn. Intriguing ...

Grand opening party in the works...

Wed, 12 Jul 2006 21:22:31 GMT

As some of you are aware, I'm going to be opening a Kung Fu training center soon. To celebrate, I'll be hosting a grand opening party on the evening of Friday August 11th, in Detroit. There will will be video screenings, live demos, weapons demos and other martial merriment yet in the planning stages. Please contact me at fightguycal@yahoo.com for more info and developments. You can also check out my MySpace page at www.myspace.com/umbrioch for updated info, as it becomes available.

May the Fu be with you.

The Chi Sao of life

Tue, 13 Jun 2006 04:18:15 GMT

Chi Sao is a Wing Chun sensitivity exercise, wherein two people "roll their arms together" (for lack of a better description) and use their Kung Fu to feel out weaknesses in one another's structure (horse stance, wrist and elbow placement, relaxation ... overall Kung Fu). Once someone feels the opening to strike, one participant attacks, the other defends. Not all attacks are successful, not all defenses are successful. However, if an attack or defense is successful, it tends to be overwhelmingly, unquestionably so. The attack will be such that it moves the defender's horse stance (even to the point of launching them across the room) or the defense will be such that no ground can be taken from the defender and now it will be his turn to be the aggressor. It's all about having the sensitivity of knowing how to "feel the right time and place to strike".

Events have fallen into place now where it's come time for me to play Chi Sao with my life and affairs. I didn't expect it to happen ... now. But then again, I'm not surprised by the sudden opportunities which have presented themselves, either. My Kung Fu pulled them into me. Now, to make sure that I know my Fu well enough to know what it can and can't handle, for the here and now.

And as I hit the waterfall today, it didn't reverse its course, but I swear, for just a second, it stopped ...

The adventure continues...

The week in review...

Mon, 12 Jun 2006 13:18:43 GMT

"Closing my eyes, recalling quite clearly,
Has this been a dream?
Calling out to the driving breeze,
Kissing empty air...
Statements today, statements tomorrow,
messages made and sent.
Statements today, statements tomorrow,
Gestures made and meant."
---Eden

What a week! I’ve been really busy. Projects at work are picking up (looks like I’ll be there quite a while, contrary to initial projections), rehearsals for SLRF are in full swing, the premiere of episode two of InZer0 and High Tech Soul, an indie film about the birth of techno music in Detroit, rocked. In addition, my Sigung breezed into town with good news about EZM Productions, my Kung Fu grew (I actually have decent Chi Sao now) and my two rookie fighters filmed their fight … AND F’N ROCKED! (Nothing like a “hot chick Kung Fu fight” to get the blood pumpin’!)

My plans are in motion. All I need do now is stay on top of things and keep my momentum going. Part of that includes making it to the ICC Kung Fu workout in August. I plan to spend a week or two, in the company of Sifus and senior students, who can clean my clock without trying. By the end of that, my Fu will have transformed yet again. So, it’s gonna be a slammed summer. Stay outta my way, or I’ll call my girls and have them rough ya up!

Snoozin' at the waterfall ...

Wed, 24 May 2006 14:52:46 GMT

“Don’t ask. Don’t expect. Don’t desire. Empty your cup. Wait”

--- sage advice for studying Kung Fu

The Fu is strong with me, but I need a short reprieve. Not a break --- that’s different --- just a reprieve. I need a few days or maybe a week of just playing forms, without “touching hands” to assimilate all the new knowledge I picked up from the seminar. Breaks are very important in a Kung Fu practitioner’s development. Sometimes one needs to handle life issues, other times one just needs to refresh and adjust to new knowledge. Development through Kung Fu is not without a bit of pain and confusion, in equal doses. A good break should be every bit as productive as a hardcore workout and when the practitioner returns from it, it’s not uncommon for their Kung Fu to be the better for it. Actually, it should be better, barring injury or an extended absence from training. A well-planned training regiment actually has breaks scheduled into it. But, even without a “plan” they tend to happen when they need to.

My Sifu and Sigung gave us all a lot to think about and work on this past weekend. I not only got new ideas about old knowledge this weekend, but I also picked up some new physicality and a new form. The form came at a time when I was capable of handling it, just not when I was “conveniently ready”. But, as the saying goes, “If you want to get something done, assign it to a busy person.” And I was quite busy, sifting through the wreckage of my old Kung Fu and picking out the few things that were worth holding onto, when my Sigung split up the class. The grandstudents were to work on Bil Gee (Wing Chun’s third form), whilst the great grandstudents worked on Chi Sao exercises. Newsflash: I’m a grandstudent, but I don’t know Bil Gee! There was talk of having me learn it last year. I so would not have been ready for it last year. This weekend wasn’t looking ideal either, but apparently my Kung Fu was telling a different story. Then, one of my Sihing, whom I shall not name (insert mock dirty look here) said, “You mean Cal doesn’t know Bil Gee?” thus sealing my fate. So, I’m learning Bil Gee (a.k.a.-“thrusting fingers”), which is not only stranger than the first two forms, but comes with new responsibilities. No complaints here. However, I do need to just sit for a moment and contemplate the waterfall. I’m convinced that it’s maintained by the constant “emptying of my cup”, but the view is pretty damn spectacular.

A VERY grand opening ...

Mon, 22 May 2006 17:06:47 GMT

So, the grand opening seminar for the Detroit Moy Tung Wing Chun School has officially come and gone. Both my Sifu (teacher) and Sigung (grandmaster) were in attendance. Not a common occurrence. The school was packed with fellow students from all over the country working out together … clobbering each other, in celebration of the birth of yet another strong child in the Wing Chun family. The Detroit school is a fairly unique child too. In my limited experience (6 years), I’ve noticed that Wing Chun folk tend to look kind of unassuming … for the most part. You’d never think to view them as much more than average joes.

They are not particularly large or impressively built, for the most part.
They don’t have that “killer look” about them. Hell, they don’t even have “the walk”, in most cases! (Other martial artists will know what I mean by that.)
They hide their Kung Fu very well. On this note, Detroit Wing Chun students DO hide their Kung Fu, rest assured, however …

Many of us look and dress like assassins. There’s just no other way to put it.
We seem to have an “intensity” about us (which probably has less to do with our Kung Fu and more to do with where we live).

OK, so I promised I’d explain the whole Rozan Waterfall thing last time: It’s a reference to an anime called Saint Seiya. One of its heroes, St. Dragon Shiryu (also one of my userpics), trains at Mount Lushan (phoneticized by the Japanese as “Rozan”, due to their alphabet) in China. To complete his training, Shiryu must master Lushan’s Rising Dragon Wave (Rozan Shou Ryuu Ha) and reverse the flow of a waterfall … by punching or kicking it! It’s a long and arduous undertaking, to say the least. After 7 years of ---literally--- superhuman martial arts training, it takes him a year of non-stop effort (we are given the impression that he doesn’t rest, once he confronts the task), before he kicks the cascade and causes it to rise … in the shape of a huge Chinese dragon. A chimaeric analogy, to be certain, but it IS symbolic of the hurdles one faces as a Kung Fu student. Sometimes, especially as a novice, one is told do something that seems every bit as implausible as striking a waterfall and reversing its flow. One may think, “That’s impossible!” until shown that it CAN be done, with lots of practice and hard work. So, it’s no coincidence that the term “Kung Fu” is perhaps best translated from Chinese to English as “hard work”. Hence, my opinion that most everything in life is Kung Fu.

Oh yeah, Sigung gave me more Kung Fu yesterday. It’s Fu that I’ve wanted since last year (when my Kung Fu wasn’t one-tenth what it is now), but when the time came to accept it, I was ... apprehensive. Ah well, time to go hit this damn waterfall again …

Stupid waterfall

Fri, 19 May 2006 20:31:05 GMT

OK, so I mildly strained a glute muscle. Yes, “glute” as in gluteus maximus. If you've never experienced this particular brand of agony ... don't go looking for it. It is the suck. It happened on Wednesday … not quite sure how. More than likely, it was a combination of things (I gotta learn a better stretch for doing scorpion kicks!) So, I had all kinds of flashbacks to when a similar plight befell me years ago. To spare you the gory details, I was out of action for about 3 weeks. “Out of action” meaning “no kicking above the knee and anything requiring the hips was pretty much FUBAR’d”.

Well, this happened on Wednesday and didn’t really hit til sometime late Thursday morning. By “hit” I mean “felt like Godzilla was stomping on it”. (Talk about a pain in the ass!) And of course, the grand opening seminar for the Moy Tung Wing Chun school is this weekend. AAAAAIIIIIGGGHH!!!

Well, the Fu is strong with me. After 24 hours of resting, minor stretching, spinal adjustment, massage, ice, Motrin and some Siu Lim Tau, I can stand up straight and do forms again, as if nothing had happened. Mind you, these were all things I did last time and I was still out of the game for 3 weeks. But, my Kung Fu wasn’t nearly what it is now at that time. And while I’ve never led a sedentary life, this is definitely a good reason to never start.

Time to go play more (relaxed and really careful) Siu Lim Tau. That stupid waterfall is NOT going to win. I'll explain the waterfall reference next update...

Whoa, horsey!

Tue, 09 May 2006 18:16:48 GMT

This new horse stance is great! It actually MAKES me breathe the way I'm supposed to when doing my forms, it's more stable and it's easier on my joints.

Mind you, for right now, while I'm getting accustomed to it, it makes doing Siu Lim Tau REALLY F'N HARD!

I may have to cut my number of forms for a week or two, to acclimate.

Stupid bloody horse.

Oh well.

Strong shall my Kung Fu become.

Next time I strike this stupid waterfall, its flow will reverse and I'll earn my Saint's Cloth. ROZAN SHOU RYUU HA!!!

Til then, I have to play better, as opposed to more, Siu Lim Tau.

Everything old is new again...

Mon, 08 May 2006 17:24:47 GMT

Argh.

Four years ago, I had my horse stance “broken”. (Translation: critiqued, taken apart and corrected to the point of being re-made) Saturday, it happened again. Now, more things make sense about the way my Kung Fu is SUPPOSED to work. And now, my legs hurt a little more than normal. The Horse is strong with me.

Speaking of my Kung Fu experiences, I’ve decided to write a book, based on them. But not just MY exploits: as many people as I can talk to in the Moy Yat/Moy Tung family. So, if you’re one of my Sihing, Sidai or whatever. Let me know about some of your Kung Fu tales or just things that you’ve noticed about you, since you started studying Wing Chun. Maybe this book will become a family heirloom in future days. If I can get it published, I’m going to use a percentage of the money to help support the Moy Tung Detroit school.

Included in the book will be a glossary of all the Wing Chun jargon and slang I’ve picked up over the years. Let’s add a couple definitions now …

“House” slang (verb)

Pronunciation– `haus (past tense: `haust)

1. The act of single-handedly and decisively kicking the crap out of EVERYONE in a particular building, establishment, territory, etc., particularly if you are an outsider. 2. A more generalized and euphemistic term for Dojo-busting. 3. Martial pwnzorage of an entire school and everyone in it by a single martial artist, a la Bruce Lee in “The Chinese Connection” and Jet Li in “Kiss of The Dragon.” See also: Dojo-busting and “Close the school”.

Example-

Me: “So what happened to that rival school down South?”

Sihing: “Some other school sent a representative over there and he housed ‘em.”

“Close the School” slang (verb)

1. The phenomenon of a single fighter or rival kwoon (Ch: martial arts school) walking into a school and clobbering everyone so badly that the school in question should consider closing/relocating, due to shame. 2. Also known as Dojo-busting.

Example-

Sifu: “That does it! I’m sending two of my senior students over to Joe’s Karate Academy to close the school!”

*************************************************************************************************
Playing more Siu Lim Tau is going to be interesting now...

Not a Jedi Yet ...

Fri, 05 May 2006 16:41:35 GMT

Last night's tally: 108 forms, 4,000 hand techniques and new Siu Lim Tau details.

BOO-YAH.

The Thursday Si-sook workout has us delving into more stringent conditioning and attention to finer details. My horse stance is beginning to startle me. There was no way I could have done this last year! I was physically incapable of doing the Kung Fu that I’m doing now … and there’s still so much I need to learn and develop. Wing Chun is a complete neural, muscular and skeletal makeover. To this end, it has the peculiar (and fairly painful) habit of making you develop your weaker, commonly unused muscles, first and foremost. But then, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Though Wing Chun’s fundamentals can be developed quickly enough to use competently in combat (a few months), it CANNOT be rushed. Regardless of how quickly or how well your fundamentals are developed, you must allow time for your body to acclimate to your new abilities and prepare for your next stage of martial training. As your body changes, you are introduced to the finer details of things that you think you already know.

A reckless student will rush into advanced Kung Fu, not realizing that he or she is dramatically increasing the chance for injury, just due to the fact that their bodies aren’t ready for the advanced “trauma”, even if their minds do grasp the concepts. The old adage, “easier said than done” springs to mind. Wrists must learn to bend in abnormal ways, muscles and tendons supporting the knees must be strengthened at their weakest points, joints must be trained to hyperextend at full power without causing injury, and the list goes on. For instance, I learned how to punch last night. I’ve been punching for 23 years, but last night things changed. Whoa. The seemingly “cryptic fortune cookie” answers that Kung Fu teachers give students who aren’t ready, such as, “You aren’t ready”, “It isn’t time” and “Don’t ask” make more sense than you might think, once you’ve been exposed to these realities. Anyone who hasn’t been exposed to these realities doesn’t need a better explanation because the “better explanation” (or the “why” for you Matrix fans) doesn’t really exist without the experience.

To use another cinematic reference, let’s look at the “Luke Skywalker becomes a Jedi” thing. Luke is training hard with Yoda, but suddenly leaves, at a crucial point, to save his friends and face Vader. Luke is warned that he is not ready, not only by his teachers, but by Vader himself. And they’re right. In the end, it’s a very expensive and painful lesson, that SHOULD have waited. Yet, years later, when Luke returns to Yoda to complete his training, he is told that he has learned all that he can be taught. You might be thinking, “Well, how the fuck does that work?” Well … Luke rushed his Kung Fu. He learned things that he was not prepared to know and miraculously survived. Thing is, it cost him A LOT and didn’t make his transition from apprentice to Jedi Knight any faster or any less traumatic.

The moral of the story: Don’t rush your Kung Fu.

Now go play more Siu Lim Tau.

Details, details, details ...

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 19:23:28 GMT

“If they did their bong saos THIS way, we’d have to take their Kung Fu seriously.”
--- Sifu Owen Matson

“BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” --- Me
RE: Kung Fu details and why they’re so damned important

I often harp upon the importance of details in Kung Fu, mostly as a self-reminder. Mind you, those “details” go beyond physical stuff. Attitude and good judgment are of equal, or perhaps greater, importance. Last week we discussed the dilemma that many Kung Fu students face, when they discover that they now have a choice as to whether or not they want to tolerate someone else’s bullshit. What happens, for instance, when someone who is a pacifist becomes a martial artist, capable of ... well ... kickin’ sparks outta somebody’s ass, quite frankly? I’d imagine it’d be pretty easy to be a pacifist, when faced with no other choice, but now, as a martial artist, that luxury is no longer afforded. Choice has entered equation. Given the option of fighting, it wasn't long before the nature of fighting, in various regions of the country, came into the discussion.

Owen is from Iowa. In Iowa, when he was growing up, it was possible (OK, likely) that you could get into several brawls in a week’s time. You could get bloodied up, or bloody someone up, but nothing too serious. Things didn’t escalate past the “good ass-kickin’” stage. Detroit, however, is a different story, as are most urban areas. In Detroit, getting bloodied, knocked down, etc., tends to escalate things quickly. At this point, foreign objects, such as beer bottles, furniture, pepper spray, tasers, knives and guns tend to enter the fray, and a “good ass-kickin’” goes out the window and becomes a “life-threatening situation”. Therefore, one must assess any potential altercation with care. First off, due to the nature of Wing Chun, its students tend to look as if THEY are the aggressors, when defending themselves. It’s a risky proposition, but the Wing Chun practitioner may want to consider taking the first hit (or at least allowing it to be thrown), lest non-Kung Fu savvy eyewitnesses bring unwanted legal repercussions. Something to consider on a per-case basis, to be certain.

“Mine is the style of fighting without fighting.” --- Bruce Lee

Now, those of you who know me are painfully aware that, in moments of ire, I’ll be the first guy talking about kicking sparks outta somebody’s ass. How many of you have actually seen it happen? I haven’t been in a real fight, for about 16 YEARS. That’s not to say that the opportunity hasn’t presented itself ... several times. That is also not to say that I haven’t used my Kung Fu to END a real fight, in that time. I just haven’t actually had to kick sparks outta anybody’s ass yet.

There are a few recent examples I could cite, but the best case was in 1995 (not-so-recently), when a rather largely-muscled and reputedly very skilled female bouncer and I were on the verge of coming to blows over something stupid a friend of mine said at a local nightclub. (This is what I get for defending my friends when they do dumb shit, but oh well ... ) After this friend of mine said the word “Dikes” for the umpteenth time (Can ya guess which club we were at yet?), the bouncer in question, well within earshot, stood up with the intention of forcefully ousting my asinine friend blazing in her eyes. This girl and I weren’t exactly friends, but we were mutually aware of one another’s skills and reputations. I stared at her and she stared at me. Neither one of us was going to back down, our intentions were fixed and our courses were set. THIS WAS GOING TO BE A VERY UGLY FIGHT. There was no question that BOTH of us were going to end up in the hospital, if only by virtue of the whole mess turning into an uncontrollable Goth/industrial bar brawl. (OK, you better know which club we were at now!) In an instant we each, she and I, watched the other assess the outcome of the next few minutes and arrive at the same answer. Simultaneously, she relented, as I turned to my idiot friend and said something to the tune of “Shut the fuck up, you moron.” A win/win outcome, if one ever was.

Owen’s reply: “Now THAT’S good Kung Fu.”

Damn straight it is. To this day, I’m still not sure who would have beaten whom. And I guess that’s the secret to not finding that person who’s “better than you”, whom any wise instructor will warn you about, lest you rush out and get sparks kicked outta your ass.

Now, go play more Siu Lim Tau. I’m outta here.

Eh, not bad ...

Mon, 24 Apr 2006 17:28:14 GMT

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Yoinked from Susie

Sun, 09 Apr 2006 04:14:24 GMT

Egad...

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True stuff

Fri, 07 Apr 2006 14:35:11 GMT

Just a few things to consider ...

"You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then I thought, wouldn't it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe."
---Marcus Cole from Babylon 5: “A Late Delivery from Avalon”

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." ---Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900 - 1944)

"I have seen what power does, and I have seen what power costs. The one is never equal to the other."
--- G'Kar to Franklin in Babylon 5:"Epiphanies"

“We tend to get what we expect.”
--- Norman Vincent Peale

*****************************

Dewa mata!

Relaxation ...

Fri, 07 Apr 2006 04:07:56 GMT

... is the key to good Kung Fu. For tonight's workout, I was all-but asleep. I'd had a busy day of problem-solving, little sleep the night before and I skipped lunch. Add that to a nice, heavy meal right before working out and I was dead on my feet by 6:30 this evening. Mind you, I was still in the game at 10 pm, playing some good, solid Chi Sao with Zach and Owen. My legs were ready to collapse and I barely had the strength to lift my arms. As a result, my horse stance has never been more rooted and my techniques have never been more powerful.

The only bad thing about my sleepy Wing Chun workout was that getting hit was like being awakened with a bucket of ice water ... delivered on the end of a fist. I'll get that Five Sacred Mountains' Rising Dragon Wave (Rozan Shou Ryuu Ha) working yet, but for now ... you guessed it: the pillow beckons. Oyasumi-nasai!

"Gonna be sore in the mornin'!" --- Hellboy

Perseverance

Thu, 06 Apr 2006 20:49:30 GMT

Again, at the buzzer, in sudden death overtime, I win.

My Kung Fu is strong. It outlasts disappointment and outfights adversity. It gives me strength to fight (when I’d rather just quit), so that I can circumvent or destroy that which stands between happiness and myself, as well as the wisdom not to, when such is a fool’s errand. It also gives me awareness of the responsibility that comes with my “powers” and respect for the consequences of misusing them (even when some useless git really deserves it). I can bend without breaking and I can break that which will not bend, in a contest of fists or of wits. Best of all, it keeps me humble, yet still fully aware of my worth. My Kung Fu is perseverance.

That’s just my Fu. I haven’t even started talkin’ about my faith, yet. But, that’s a tale for another day. Now it's time to go play more Siu Lim Tau...

"I'm a soldier, born to stand.
In this waking hell I am
witnessing more than I can compute.
Pray myself we don't forget
lies, betrayed and the oppressed.
Please give me the strength to be the truth..." --- Yoko Kanno "Rise"

Your worth

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 13:09:56 GMT

I spoke to a friend of mine at work this morning, who is studying to be a relationship therapist. She said some very interesting things. Among these “things”, she said that a lot of people don’t recognize (or even believe in) their own worth, so they accept things that they ought not.

I’ve known this for a long time. It’s helped me a-plenty, in times of despair/indecision ... as recently as a few weeks ago. So, I offer this piece of advice/inspiration to any who need it: Recognize your worth, believe your worth and get what you're worth.

BOO-YAH!

Thu, 30 Mar 2006 14:23:26 GMT

So many things could have gone wrong yesterday ... but none of them did. The day was full of pleasant surprises, both at and away from work, Kung Fu and change. It’s going to be a very good Spring. There are lots of beginnings in process. A particularly cool one was going with J-chan to see Maria’s new baby, right after she was born, last night. Definitely worth staying up for ... even if it means I’m draggin’ ass this morning!

My life fuckin’ rox0rs!

THAT explains a bit...

Mon, 27 Mar 2006 18:28:03 GMT

"Oh, for fuck's sake." --- Eddie Izzard

Drink Up!

Mon, 27 Mar 2006 17:06:32 GMT

Disturbingly accurate...

How to make a darth_boot

Ingredients:

5 parts intelligence

5 parts courage

5 parts ego

Method:
Stir together in a glass tumbler with a salted rim. Add lustfulness to taste! Do not overindulge!

Personality cocktail
From Go-Quiz.com

107%

Mon, 27 Mar 2006 16:58:32 GMT

Yup, I’m up to about 107% of my former power. For those of you keeping track of my LJ, that means I have 3% of my “old self” left to recoup. I’ve faced the fact that the last 3% may not come for years, if at all. That’s fine. As it stands, there are things that I can do now (in regard to fighting/performing/Kung Fu) that I could not have done years ago. It’s an acceptable trade and it proves that some knowledge does, indeed, come with a price.

The Saturday Fu workout yielded its usual bounty of useful info and unconventional Wing Chun ideas. I even got to use some of my old, non-Wing Chun kicks for one drill in particular. I honestly didn’t know I could still kick like that. I actually knocked one of my Sidai out of his horse stance with a head-level roundhouse kick ... even when he blocked it. My Sihing, Owen and I are of the same mind, in regard to high kicks: They are NOT the standard Wing Chun way, but sometimes you have to go there. On the street, I have rarely seen a well-executed kick to the head fail to end a fight ... decisively. On occasion, I’ve decisively ended fights in just such a manner. One must weigh the pros and cons of high kicks (and the measure of one’s opponent) very carefully. Mind you, I am loathe to use them when fighting a fellow Wing Chun student. And I’m GOOD at throwing high kicks. Anyway, Saturday class rox0rs, due to much thought-provoking Fu.

Sunday was, in many ways, even better. Heh.

And to answer your smart-ass question, Mantindome (Kirk); yes I ran out of “no” again, and I’m glad for it (ya fucker) ^_^. I suppose zee Germans will be coming for me now, too. I hope they have a good dental plan, for their sakes.

The Horse is with me....

Fri, 24 Mar 2006 05:29:47 GMT

"You feel the Force, but you can't control it." --- Obi-Wan Kenobi

In Wing Chun, the smallest details are difference between hit and missed, good and great, life and death. It's scientifically scary; mentally and physically taxing, in equal measures. Tonight's Chi Sao workout consisted mostly of me putting together the pieces of all the prerequisite drills and saying, "Oh, that's WHY we do that!" Duh. At that initial moment of realization, I hit my Sihing with a good, solid technique, that actually moved his horse stance ... finally. After that, I spent the rest of the evening wrestling with why that worked and why it took me so damn long to figure out. Although, I'm told that I've thus far taken about a year or so of development and crammed it into about 3 months, so I guess I should be more amazed than disappointed by my progress.

Wing Chun is all about complete domination of an altercation. In the Chi Sao drill, it isn't about sparring and trading techniques. One person delivers an unquestionable ass-whoopin' and the other person is forced to take it. One person's defensive AND offensive capabilities are completely shut down and the other person is Darth P'wnz0r, Dark Lord of the Fist. Rare is the ocassion that things transpire differently. This is what makes the art so overpoweringly effective, and why, as the song says, "It's the little things that kill".

Speaking of which; body hurts ... brain hurts ... pillow doth beckon.
Oyasumi!

Developments

Thu, 23 Mar 2006 14:34:21 GMT

Ow.

This new horse stance is amazing, but my body is still adjusting to it. My hips, glutes, inner thighs and the sides of my calves are throbbing. But, at least it doesn't bother my knees and lower back anymore. The pointers my Sifu gave me when I was in Iowa City have finally taken root. He said that if the horse stance hurts your knees, you're not turning your feet and legs inward enough.

Wing Chun causes bizarre developments in one's body. Shoulder muscles have to stretch to accomodate certain elbow and hand positions for maintaining centerline, leg muscles must change, so that the body may relax and move in the (somewhat unusual) horse stance, the wrists must learn to stretch, so that the hand may launch deadly strikes at unconventional angles, over very short distances ... and building up a layer of bone callous in one's sternum wouldn't be a bad idea either. These changes don't take place overnight. It is unwise to "push" these developments. At best, it can create bad habits, diminish relaxation and spawn poor technique. At worst, it invites injury. Much like one's mental and spiritual development, these changes can only be cultivated with diligent practice, time and rest.

Some friends and a "more than friend" of mine are in the midst of some developments that will take diligent practice, time and rest. Those of us who claim to love these people, need to give them the opportunity to, in essence, "make their Kung Fu strong". Anything else isn't love.

Oh yeah, as of Tuesday, I've done 1,000 forms for the month of March.

*

Just cuz I think it's funny ...

Mon, 20 Mar 2006 18:54:04 GMT

MORE WING CHUN SLANG

BURNOUT <noun> - 1. A state of being, in which one or more of a Kung Fu student’s muscles simply refuses to perform good technique, as a result of fatigue. 2. A good time to take a break, lest you train your body to perform half-assed technique.
(Ex: Student: Oh! Tan sao burnout! My shoulder is gone. Break time!)

FIST-IGATE <transitive verb> – 1. To provoke action/reaction/injury by means of one’s fists or other hand techniques. 2. Generally, both provocation and resolution in a Wing Chun duel
(Ex: Student 1: “How’d you get that black eye?
Student 2: “Fist-igation.”)

FLYING HORSE (or Pegasus) <noun> – 1. One’s horse stance, after being struck (probably repeatedly) by someone with far more Kung Fu, and failing to relax. 2. Usually the precipitator to being “walled”, generally involving fist-igation. (See also: WALL and UNHORSED)
(Ex: Wow! My Si-dai’s flying horse stance is looking pretty good today. *Crashing sound follows*)

WALL <verb> – The act of sending an opponent or training partner crashing into/through a wall or similar semi-unbreachable object, usually by means of fist-igation. Seen a lot in martial arts-oriented anime and kick flicks.
(Ex: Damn, Agent Smith totally walled Neo!)