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So. Stick form. Which is basically the dao broadsword form, but with something not-sharp to start. Less dangerous. (I whacked myself in the head last night. Not very hard, though. I've finally got the hang of not hitting myself in the leg, mostly.)
It's different from open hand forms. Obviously there are some similarities, such as the basic taiji principles of centered movement, but I have to remind myself that I've got this thing in my hand, and I ought to use it. I'm not used to thinking about doing something active with my hands. I'm getting better at it.
Timing issues are a pain in the ass, though. I'm loving it, so far. I just wonder how long it'll be before he lets me try with the pointy thing. ;)
When we were finished last night and I was leaving, LaoMa said I'm doing well, and that I wasn't lying when I said I learned pretty quickly, because I'm flying through. And I'd just been thinking, "god, this is slow; can't I go any faster? Sheesh." Heh. But considering that we have probably 30 minutes of instructional time in the 90 minute class, at most, and there are 3 noobs, and each of us is at a different part of the form so the time is divided between us, I've learned 90% of the first quarter (7 postures + the 3 of the salute) in 3 weeks, or about 45 minutes of instructional time. I've almost caught up to the 2 high school kids who've been learning for about 2 months. Imagine if we had more time per class!
I'd been kinda nervous about saying that I learn quickly when I talked to LaoMa on the phone before I started class; it had been a long time since I'd learned anything new, because I'd been working on Chen for 2 years and was mostly refining and correcting. But I'm pleased to see that my confidence was not misplaced.
Last week, it was just me & the high school kids with LaoMa. This week, it was me, the HS kids, Dorothy (who's learning cane form), and Gul. (I have no idea if I'm spelling his name right. -__-) So when we split into teaching groups, LaoMa put me with Gul while LaoMa worked with the HS kids. It was kinda nerve-wracking, I have to say. *shifty eyes* But he's a good teacher, and he seems to have a wry sense of humor.
Also, it's true that there's a visible difference between doing taiji and moving your body in the prescribed steps of the form. The two HS kids both come from external (hard) martial arts backgrounds (tae kwon do and karate I think), and their movements are noticeably different from those of people with the internal martial arts background (eg, taiji players.) I could try to explain it, but it's much easier with visuals. Taiji movement starts from the dantien (a chi point below the belly button, near the center of gravity), and that's where the power comes from. So when somebody is just moving their arms around to do the postures, it's noticeably different, if you know what to look for.
I haven't spent much time refining my Chen style, but I practiced the full long form the other morning, and I'm planning to go to Friday morning Chen practice tomorrow. I haven't forgotten the san shou, either. I haven't emailed Dan to see about practicing, yet. I got time off work for the 4-day san shou workshop, so I can learn the rest of it and refine what I've already learned. I wish I had more time in the day to practice. Stupid job.
It's different from open hand forms. Obviously there are some similarities, such as the basic taiji principles of centered movement, but I have to remind myself that I've got this thing in my hand, and I ought to use it. I'm not used to thinking about doing something active with my hands. I'm getting better at it.
Timing issues are a pain in the ass, though. I'm loving it, so far. I just wonder how long it'll be before he lets me try with the pointy thing. ;)
When we were finished last night and I was leaving, LaoMa said I'm doing well, and that I wasn't lying when I said I learned pretty quickly, because I'm flying through. And I'd just been thinking, "god, this is slow; can't I go any faster? Sheesh." Heh. But considering that we have probably 30 minutes of instructional time in the 90 minute class, at most, and there are 3 noobs, and each of us is at a different part of the form so the time is divided between us, I've learned 90% of the first quarter (7 postures + the 3 of the salute) in 3 weeks, or about 45 minutes of instructional time. I've almost caught up to the 2 high school kids who've been learning for about 2 months. Imagine if we had more time per class!
I'd been kinda nervous about saying that I learn quickly when I talked to LaoMa on the phone before I started class; it had been a long time since I'd learned anything new, because I'd been working on Chen for 2 years and was mostly refining and correcting. But I'm pleased to see that my confidence was not misplaced.
Last week, it was just me & the high school kids with LaoMa. This week, it was me, the HS kids, Dorothy (who's learning cane form), and Gul. (I have no idea if I'm spelling his name right. -__-) So when we split into teaching groups, LaoMa put me with Gul while LaoMa worked with the HS kids. It was kinda nerve-wracking, I have to say. *shifty eyes* But he's a good teacher, and he seems to have a wry sense of humor.
Also, it's true that there's a visible difference between doing taiji and moving your body in the prescribed steps of the form. The two HS kids both come from external (hard) martial arts backgrounds (tae kwon do and karate I think), and their movements are noticeably different from those of people with the internal martial arts background (eg, taiji players.) I could try to explain it, but it's much easier with visuals. Taiji movement starts from the dantien (a chi point below the belly button, near the center of gravity), and that's where the power comes from. So when somebody is just moving their arms around to do the postures, it's noticeably different, if you know what to look for.
I haven't spent much time refining my Chen style, but I practiced the full long form the other morning, and I'm planning to go to Friday morning Chen practice tomorrow. I haven't forgotten the san shou, either. I haven't emailed Dan to see about practicing, yet. I got time off work for the 4-day san shou workshop, so I can learn the rest of it and refine what I've already learned. I wish I had more time in the day to practice. Stupid job.
