Friday, January 25, 2008

Wall Stretch? Anyone?

Poorooop.... Pooorooop... Poorooooooop...

(That's cricket sound in Thailand.)

What happened to the good old wall stretch or just helping each other stretch in general? Is it because we are too lazy to clean up the walls and mirror after the class? Is it because self-stretch benefits more? Is it because we don't want to touch other people's stinky hairy legs?

Two years ago when I first started, I thought it was mandatory to help other people stretch. Now it looks like stretching alone is preferable.

I like to wall stretch because I think my flexibility improved significantly because of it and also because I get to learn people names and then torture them...

Can anybody tell my why we wall stretched at the first place? And now we don't do it that much anymore?

Poorooop.... Pooorooop... Poorooooooop...

11 comments:

  1. I know what you mean. I also thought it was mandatory (and in L2, N'ou always makes it a point to discourage stretching alone). You do end up stretching farther when people are urging you, literally, to do so.

    I think the personality of Temple changes depending on the student composition, so maybe this is just a symptom of that.

    In the meantime, I'll wall stretch with you! <3 You're stretchy and it's inspiring!

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  2. i fell out of the habit when i had my two rounds of shaolin butt sword, and most recently, with my knee injury, but yes, maybe i should try stretching with others again. my flexibility really went away with my time off from training!

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  3. Yeah. You are right. We all used to stretch together a lot more. I remember when I first started, all the wall space and mirror space would be taken with people wall-stretching.

    Shifu hasn't emphasize it in a while either. He used to give a speech when people didn't help each other stretch.

    Does anyone know if they help each other stretch at the Shaolin Temple? Do they do wall stretches? Or straddle? Or are they all so flexible that they don't need help anymore?

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  4. Maybe wall stretch just isn't practical anymore. We don't have as much wall space as before. We can't use the dragon wall or the dragon poles. Stretching on the mirror wall sometimes blocks people from changing rooms and refrigerator.

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  5. inspired by your post, i did wall stretch with mo and easter on thursday, and man, do i need to stretch harder! it's amazing how my flexibility has diminished since i injured myself. oof!

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  6. oh i so miss the wall stretch aka 3man stretch that i love/hate so much. now ji(b) & i have a stretch machine but it's not as much fun as what sucheela says: torture & be tortured & take names.

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  7. is stretching machine a new couch for kungfu dorks? seems like all the dork households have one of them.

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  8. oh man...now i need both a stretching machine AND a new couch!

    gimme (green) chi!

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  9. you will have one

    \\W// (jedi hand movement)

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  10. I will have one...

    (((*_*))) (nods with a blank stare)

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