11/14 Taichi
Last Saturday some kind of children’s dancing festival/competition was being held at CKS Hall, so our space was periodically invaded by bunches of similarly dressed children who would line up and dance around for a minute, then leave. So, no space for forms. All that was left was pushing. I practiced with Not from China Guy. I figure that, while dealing with him, eliciting a flurry of violent activity is good enough, a signal that I must be doing something right in provoking such a response. Beyond that, things start to get dangerous, so I usually retreat. Though I know that the ideal is to use as little force as possible, I still want to learn how to use what little force I can summon more effectively. It seems to be mostly in one’s attitude, focus and intent.
One Wednesday, I spent most of the time standing around watching other students practice. I did get a bit of a workout towards the end, which was good. Teacher Xu told me that I should try not to let different styles fluster me. I’m guessing he means the more aggressive styles I find it hard to deal with, in that my negative reaction just makes it harder for me to deal with them, resulting in a cyclical deterioration in my performance.
I’m also wondering just how much of this account is read by the other students, and if they are reluctant to practice with me because they don’t want to end up being talked about here. Maybe it would ease their minds if I told them hardly anyone reads this site.
Hi, I’ve been reading your blog for a while and find it very inspiring. I don’t get to practise tui shou as much as I’d like so it’s great to read about your experiences. Please keep up the good work and many thanks.
Comment by James — November 16, 2007 @ 8:33 am
Thanks for reading, James.
Comment by Poagao — November 25, 2007 @ 12:09 pm