Austrian Update: Last night, Heng Xin, Heng Yi, and the entire performance team were out at a mini seminar so Level 2 was about half its usual size, and Heng De ended up being called upon to teach the class. It was fun to train USA style in the temple and I think the Austrian folks enjoyed mixing things up as well.
I felt called on to represent, and ended up leading the line. I loved starting off going straight into caijiaos- here they do lots of running and hopping first. And I felt more in my comfort zone in this more familiar routine. For some reason, though, about halfway through class my chi just wasn't there. I've been struggling lately with feeling weak and choking from lack of confidence, in my head I know that it's silly, but I've lost all faith in my arms to hold me up, feel totally pop-less in my kicks, and cannot maintain my balance on anything from long Level 2 movements to a gongbu or waibaitui. I hear Sifu in my brain telling me to relax, let it go, don't get upset, (Heng Yi says, "Stay happy!") and I want to, but it just has been difficult lately.
The last half of class helped cure me. I did kip ups: for forty minutes. I kipped and kipped and kipped, and while I never got UP, it felt a lot better by the end. Maybe pounding my back into the floor over and over and over again released all the tension, or maybe I just got really determined because everyone here can do the kip up and I want to get it too. But once class was over and I was kipped-out, I felt a lot less strained than I did at the beginning. The guy teaching me, whose name I didn't catch, told me, "It looks very close, you are just really tired now; you never know, the next time you do it might be the time you get it." And that is an inspiring thought.
I felt called on to represent, and ended up leading the line. I loved starting off going straight into caijiaos- here they do lots of running and hopping first. And I felt more in my comfort zone in this more familiar routine. For some reason, though, about halfway through class my chi just wasn't there. I've been struggling lately with feeling weak and choking from lack of confidence, in my head I know that it's silly, but I've lost all faith in my arms to hold me up, feel totally pop-less in my kicks, and cannot maintain my balance on anything from long Level 2 movements to a gongbu or waibaitui. I hear Sifu in my brain telling me to relax, let it go, don't get upset, (Heng Yi says, "Stay happy!") and I want to, but it just has been difficult lately.
The last half of class helped cure me. I did kip ups: for forty minutes. I kipped and kipped and kipped, and while I never got UP, it felt a lot better by the end. Maybe pounding my back into the floor over and over and over again released all the tension, or maybe I just got really determined because everyone here can do the kip up and I want to get it too. But once class was over and I was kipped-out, I felt a lot less strained than I did at the beginning. The guy teaching me, whose name I didn't catch, told me, "It looks very close, you are just really tired now; you never know, the next time you do it might be the time you get it." And that is an inspiring thought.
I think your body misses number one soup.
ReplyDeleteWith this kind of commitment and determination, I am sure you will master the kip up soon! :)
ReplyDelete