Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Pubu Bootcamp

I was asked to teach Pubu last night. So automatically, I taught my students like how I was taught - rotating arms and jumping into it on one side, then rotating arms in reverse and jumping into another Pubu on the other side. And of course nobody understood what I was doing.

Shifu told me to show my poor students slowly. I did. And got extremely confused. Eventually, Shifu laughed, told me to stop and showed me how to do it.

And here's how: see page 196 to 197 in The Shaolin Workout.

Start with arms by your sides and feet together, body up straight. Cross your arms like when you start Tsabu or Fanyao - right arm on top. Rotate until the left arm is by your ear and right arm by your thigh. Eyes follow the right arm. Cross the arms by your sash and lift your left foot. Go into Pubu on the left.

From there to go into the next Pubu, keep your back foot in place. Come up from your front foot and take a step so that your feet are together. At the same time cross your arms with the left one on top. Rotate to the left until the right arm is by your ear and left by your thigh. Tug arms and lift the right foot. Eyes follow the left. Go into Pubu on the right.

Repeat on the other side.

A few pointers that Shifu gave us: cross arms at your sash height - not at your chest. Lift your leg high and point your toes before going into Pubu. While in Pubu, keep your body up and reach pass your front foot. Chamber the other hand in fist at your waist.