Shaolin Inches

Last night, I did wall stretch with Heng Mo and Niederwelt. When we were stretching Mo out, she asked me to move her leg back two more inches. I guess I was a little overzealous and pulled her right leg back more like five inches. When she said, "Hey, that wasn't two inches," I replied, "Shaolin inches."

Those inches can mean so much. Either we push harder and go farther, or we maximize what we do in the space that we use. For instance, Quantou reminded us to go to the End of the Carpet every time we train last month in his guest entry. For me, I learned this lesson yet again last night when Shifu sent me to the side for taking too many steps in between my waibaituis. This was not the first time he has warned me against doing too many steps. I heard it both times in his evaluation of me during the two times I tested. I've been busted before for the same thing during lunbi caijiao.

Why do I take too many steps? It's not necessarily me doing kicks sleepy style and trying to waste space. Most of the time, I am stumbly. Part of it, I think is due to my flat feet, but mostly it has been my eternal struggle, learning how to control my body as I try to kick harder and higher while going faster and trying to maintain balance. I know I can't be complacent with the status quo hence the constant adjustment.

So I got bopped to Kung Fu Kindergarten for the first time in ages, and while doing basics again for Shifu on the side, he pulled me out with a few others to work with Heng Li on lunbi caijiao. I was a little surprised, but not upset. When Li watched us do our caijiaos and then lunbi caijiaos, I was pleased because he did like that I remembered to keep my head up and foot extended light as a feather, unlike when I first started at Temple. But I did need to work on a few things like not hunching over and returning my body and shoulders facing forward after rotating my arm and kicking. And I think I am finally getting what it means to pop, although still lots of fine tuning to do. Always.