I had lots of thoughts bouncing around this morning.
At last weeks class we were doing a front thrust/spinning back kick combination. Then, of course, there was the roundhouse to stiff swinging kick to spine in livestream #40....and the ever-present dragons whip/spinning back kick in Da Mu Hsing.
I was working on all of these this morning and was having a tremendous amount of trouble. I was way off balance and was having a really hard time bringing everything together.
I used the technique of working my way backwards, and I came up with a few tidbits. And I realized later on that all of these things are sort of related to each other.
- My mind is way ahead and I'm not focused on the intent of the preliminary kick. I'm already thinking of turning, and so I'm pulling myself out of that kick prematurely.
- My upper body seems to be leaning unnecessarily at the very start of my spin. Like I'm leading with my shoulders/head maybe??
- I'm feeling like I'm top heavy. So I'm thinking an obvious disconnection between my upper and lower half.
- I'm not coming back to my center after that first kick. Meaning I'm not coming back to a crane (not a true one)...so again....I'm not completing the move I'm on.
- I started thinking about the contraction/expansion I've heard about. I haven't been privy to an actual class with a full-on explanation of this, only hearing bits here and there in the Q&As, but I wondered if that applied here. Meaning, crane (contraction), front thrust kick (expansion), crane (contraction), spinning "coil" (contraction), back kick (expansion), crane (contraction)...then back into my stance. Are contractions and "re-centering" one and the same? Would re-centering and releasing my energy coincide with contraction and expansion?
Anyways, lots of thoughts sort of came about this morning and I'll continue to ponder and play with it all.
I think first and foremost I really need to work on establishing and committing to my intent. Finishing my move in full before beginning the next.....even in my mind....especially in my mind. If I can commit to the different pieces and really fine tune those techniques, then the reps will build my speed naturally. Ultimately I think sometimes I just need to slow down.
And really this applies to everything I think.
My take on your 5 points:
ReplyDelete1. This is part of intent. Intent must be pure moment to moment in order for you to properly complete each technique in a combination.
2. Leaning is another example fo thinking too far ahead of combination. It also can be an indication that you are not centered before your spin but are actually kicking while you are spinning.
3. This is an indication of number two on this list.
4. This is also an indication of numbers two and three on this list.
5. Think less about contraction and expansion and more about aligning your skeleton with the delivery of your power. Those two terms will come into alignment after you master more of the six harmonies.