The letting go and catching a spear is to simulate the idea of being able to re-catch your weapon if you lost control of it during combat. The doing it behind your neck? Yeah, not very practical. I am going to ask my instructor about application next lesson. But it is in the standard form. There is one spin at the end traditionally. The others were added for the exhibition version. Aside from the idea of "distracting" your opponent, which really isn't smart during actual combat, I think flowers are really about just building up dexterity and control. I think I need a refresher on this and will be chatting with my instructor about this overall next lesson. What does your instructor(s) say about the flowers (spins) in the form you are learning? All right, remember you ASKED me to geek out on my school! Well, he was active before Covid hit. He can't travel out of China now. Honestly, China is probably safer with Covid than here in the USA. He is in his early 70's. He used to travel to various schools in his Federation all over the world to do advanced level testing and Seminars. We students have wondered if, having a taste of retired life, if he will ever return to that after Covid. Or will return to doing that, but at a slower pace? Much is unknown. I know that he still talks with and is consulted with questions brought up by Sifu's and advanced level instructors. Our Tai-Sigung is pretty much the most advanced Student in the Federation. The title Ta-Sigung had to be created to reflect that. He is the only one in the Federation. (It really is just organizational titles to run the Federation. As far as teaching goes, they are all Sifu's.) Tai Sigung has been given permission to run advanced tests without GM Wong because of Covid restricting his travel. I don't know if anyone else in the Federation has been given this. I would guess yes, so that students can advance during Covid, but I don't know. I wonder about other schools and systems that used to have high level Sifu's/ Sensei's/ etc. travel to do advanced testing. How they have made adaptions for Covid? Tai Sifu runs our location. He teaches some classes, some students, and most of the instructors. We also have a Chief Instructor, who is basically a Sifu in training. Although at this point, he is pretty experienced. They co-run the school. Our Chief instructor happens to be my Tai Chi Chuan instructor. We don't have advanced students teaching classes like many schools. All the instructors go through instructor training and are paid staff. Certain instructor's are unofficially recognized as Senior level instructors. My school is set up with a system where you have private lessons in addition to group classes and various other classes. Your individual instructor guides you not only through the curriculum, but handles the individual challenges and needs of their students. Example of how this can tailor an individual. I really wanted to learn the script language - that is the Chinese terminology in depth. Most students do not want to learn this beyond a cursory knowledge. Both my instructors have helped me develop this skill. Mind you, the instructors have a multitude of students they teach privately. (Group classes offered before Covid that you could go to. Some on hiatus with Covid. Group and group kicking classes 6 days a week Kids group classes- not sure how often. Want to say 3 or 4 days a week? TCC group classes 4 days a week. Then sparring, push hands and moving step, grappling, stick fighting, stretching classes ,weapons form class, and Advanced classes for certain levels and age groups.) The instructor will call in and ask for guidance from our Sifu when he deems it necessary. Most often, calling in the Sifu (in our case Tai-Sifu) for test observations. I have the membership where I get two private lessons a week. One in CLF and another in TCC. Most students do one private lesson a week. Students can of course, when training or in classes, ask for help from any instructor, not just their personal one. Since our school is not just open for classes, but one can just go work out there, it is nice to be able to find an instructor and ask for help if stuck while practicing on your own. Instructors may walk by and offer advice. But if another instructor says something different than your instructor, you ask your personal instructor and defer to them. They have their own system where they work out discrepancies. We have our Tai Sifu and Chief instructor. We have one full time instructor. And then a lot of part time instructors. I can think of 11 right now, but I think I am missing a couple? Every instructor has to study both CLF and TCC, but our school has many more CLF students than TCC. So, not all of them have TCC students. I would say that honestly, not all the instructors are equally eager to do the TCC. And the students quickly figure out who the instructors are that really truly in their hearts do both arts. I don't know exact stats, but roughly the school has around 200 to 250 students. Lots of kids at our location. There is a much smaller group of long time more serious students. It is a full time school open with full time hours. Not a rented out space for classes. (Nothing wrong with rented spaces. Just trying to explain how my school works.)
The letting go and catching a spear is to simulate the idea of being able to re-catch your weapon if you lost control of it during combat. The doing it behind your neck? Yeah, not very practical. I am going to ask my instructor about application next lesson. But it is in the standard form. There is one spin at the end traditionally. The others were added for the exhibition version. Aside from the idea of "distracting" your opponent, which really isn't smart during actual combat, I think flowers are really about just building up dexterity and control. I think I need a refresher on this and will be chatting with my instructor about this overall next lesson. What does your instructor(s) say about the flowers (spins) in the form you are learning? All right, remember you ASKED me to geek out on my school! Well, he was active before Covid hit. He can't travel out of China now. Honestly, China is probably safer with Covid than here in the USA. He is in his early 70's. He used to travel to various schools in his Federation all over the world to do advanced level testing and Seminars. We students have wondered if, having a taste of retired life, if he will ever return to that after Covid. Or will return to doing that, but at a slower pace? Much is unknown. I know that he still talks with and is consulted with questions brought up by Sifu's and advanced level instructors. Our Tai-Sigung is pretty much the most advanced Student in the Federation. The title Ta-Sigung had to be created to reflect that. He is the only one in the Federation. (It really is just organizational titles to run the Federation. As far as teaching goes, they are all Sifu's.) Tai Sigung has been given permission to run advanced tests without GM Wong because of Covid restricting his travel. I don't know if anyone else in the Federation has been given this. I would guess yes, so that students can advance during Covid, but I don't know. I wonder about other schools and systems that used to have high level Sifu's/ Sensei's/ etc. travel to do advanced testing. How they have made adaptions for Covid? Tai Sifu runs our location. He teaches some classes, some students, and most of the instructors. We also have a Chief Instructor, who is basically a Sifu in training. Although at this point, he is pretty experienced. They co-run the school. Our Chief instructor happens to be my Tai Chi Chuan instructor. We don't have advanced students teaching classes like many schools. All the instructors go through instructor training and are paid staff. Certain instructor's are unofficially recognized as Senior level instructors. My school is set up with a system where you have private lessons in addition to group classes and various other classes. Your individual instructor guides you not only through the curriculum, but handles the individual challenges and needs of their students. Example of how this can tailor an individual. I really wanted to learn the script language - that is the Chinese terminology in depth. Most students do not want to learn this beyond a cursory knowledge. Both my instructors have helped me develop this skill. Mind you, the instructors have a multitude of students they teach privately. (Group classes offered before Covid that you could go to. Some on hiatus with Covid. Group and group kicking classes 6 days a week Kids group classes- not sure how often. Want to say 3 or 4 days a week? TCC group classes 4 days a week. Then sparring, push hands and moving step, grappling, stick fighting, stretching classes ,weapons form class, and Advanced classes for certain levels and age groups.) The instructor will call in and ask for guidance from our Sifu when he deems it necessary. Most often, calling in the Sifu (in our case Tai-Sifu) for test observations. I have the membership where I get two private lessons a week. One in CLF and another in TCC. Most students do one private lesson a week. Students can of course, when training or in classes, ask for help from any instructor, not just their personal one. Since our school is not just open for classes, but one can just go work out there, it is nice to be able to find an instructor and ask for help if stuck while practicing on your own. Instructors may walk by and offer advice. But if another instructor says something different than your instructor, you ask your personal instructor and defer to them. They have their own system where they work out discrepancies. We have our Tai Sifu and Chief instructor. We have one full time instructor. And then a lot of part time instructors. I can think of 11 right now, but I think I am missing a couple? Every instructor has to study both CLF and TCC, but our school has many more CLF students than TCC. So, not all of them have TCC students. I would say that honestly, not all the instructors are equally eager to do the TCC. And the students quickly figure out who the instructors are that really truly in their hearts do both arts. I don't know exact stats, but roughly the school has around 200 to 250 students. Lots of kids at our location. There is a much smaller group of long time more serious students. It is a full time school open with full time hours. Not a rented out space for classes. (Nothing wrong with rented spaces. Just trying to explain how my school works.)
I see, thanks for the explanation. If you learn something interesting from your instructor, I'll be interested as well I haven't asked about the meaning of the flowers, either Or, well, I think I had, when I just started learning, but I think only another student who was teaching me the basics and I don't think I got a proper answer. I'll try asking next time - probably when it comes to practicing the spear, though, which may take some time. I remember it surprised me there were spins like that in the form. I learned one staff (bo) kata in kobudo before and while we did practice various spinnings, it was more ofr fun and for learning the work with the staff, I don't think it is a part of any kata. I am prepared for the consequences Oh, so he lives in China, I see. Early 70's is still, well, let's say less than I expected. Aha, I thought the "Tai" in sugung was given to all the chiefs of those schools. So it seems your school may indeed be the main one in the federation? Are all schools there full-time ones and similarly large? We don't grade in taiji, but as for my karate school, although we could be graded by our sensei in theiry till I think 3rd or 4th dan, we have a custom that all the black belt gradings would be done at international seminars - or simply by senior instructors of the large world-wide federation we are a part of - IOGKF. So it is 7th dan and above teachers. Not all countries do this, though, we just do cause we want to, but from what I saw on the social media, the senior senseis would do some gradings online during the pandemic - both for students of their own country and I think even internationally. Although me and Sett could also already grade in theory, we don't plan to do this. We'd wait for when a normal grading is possible (another thig is that we haven't trained the stuff for our curriculum for quite a while, though, parly because due to circumstances we taught the classes more than attended for the past year, so... we mostly only practiced basics). Ah, thank you for the explanation. There seem to be a lot of levels or titles for sifus, instructors etc. But I think that's understandable if your school and federation has so many instructors who are paid staff and have probably quite varying levels of experience. Oh, right, I now remember you mentioning it before, that the private classes are a part of the program and not paid separately for. That's nice That is a huge variety of classes, too! Wow. If the thing with instructors is like that, it means everyone has their personal instructor, right? Do you choose which instructor you'd like to work with? Or are students simply paired with an instructor based on time schedule and to balance the number of students each instructor has? It makes sense that Taiji students would flock to those who seem interested in teaching the art. That's a lot! Wow. Is it common in the states for martial arts schools to be this big? I suppose not, but still, America is quite different in some things, so I wouldn't know. I get that. It didn't have a negative connotation. The Taiji school I go to is also a full-time school, quite big, but well, not this big. I suppose there should be over a hundred students, but that is a rough estimation. The classes are only 4 days a week, though. We have two main teachers and 9 instructors (6 teaching or helping with adult classes and 3 for children classes), most of whom only help with 1-2 classes a week. Our school doesn't use the term "sifu" so we refer to the teachers normally, without a title, usually by a name and in a familiar way if you get to know them a bit (explanation below). The teacher said that the only sifu is the most senior teacher - in this case our teacher's sifu - master Zhu Tiancai. So basically as long as the sifu is alive, there's no other sifu and also our teacher doesn't care about titles, so we have not such a complex system. It is simply divided into teachers and instructors (who are, of course, of varying experience). I wanted to explain what I meant by familiar speach, but ended up writing a whole rant about it - also, skip if you aren't interested in explanations: By familiar way, or informal way, I mean that Czech, like many other languages, is a bit more tricky in this way - we talk with (well adult or from certain age) strangers in a plural basically, unless the woman/older person/higher ranking one - like a teacher or a boss for example - doesn't offer to the other person to refer to them in a familiar way. I kind of love how English is simple in this regard and you say "you" to everyone you meet In Czech, if you meet a young person or one of a similar age when you're not that old, or when at an informal place like a bar or a gym sometimes, or in social media when it feels ok, it is tolerable to use informal speach, but you have to figure out when it's appropriate. It's also incredibly frustrating if you see an older acquintace and don't remember how to refer to them. Or if you know someone quite well, but aren't in a position to ask them to switch to informal speach etc. Basically you have to rack your brain all the time I kind of swindled this a little when it comes to both my Taiji teachers so I could refer to them informally. Or rather, because of all these conventions and the teachers not going by the book that well, either, it had gotten me into a rather awkward situation with both of them. In the end I solved it equally awkwardly, but once and for all, at least... I honestly envy this to English-speaking people.
Likewise, let me know what answer you get when you ask. No, there are a handful of Tai-Sifu's in the Plum Blossom Federation. Two in my school system. Now, to be confusing, Tai Sigung was a title created when he was the first student of our GM to have a student of his raised to the Level of Tai Sifu. That would be my Sifu. Before that, only GM Wong had taught people that met the criteria for that. It's a weird title, that gets confused and interchanged with the title with the title "Master." GM wrote an article to clarify, but it still gets interchangeably used. It is basically different levels of seniority within the federation. Doesn't matter outside the Federation. But you asked. LOL! Do Not Misuse Tai-Sifu Title - Plum Blossom International Federation No, there is a huge variety of school arrangements and set ups in the USA. Most schools don't grade in TCC. Thanks. I have wondered how others handled the Pandemic. Beginning students do not choose. They don't know enough to choose. When one has been around a while, and their instructor leaves, then that student will often request a specific instructor. It isn't guaranteed, as the instructors schedule may be full. But usually the person will get their requested choice. At the time my former instructor stopped teaching me TCC, there was only one instructor besides Tai Sifu that was at the level to teach me, so he got stuck with me! . When my former instructor left completely, I chose my CLF instructor. It was between my current instructor and my TCC instructor. Basically, I liked having two different instructors. So I wouldn't be as traumatized if one left! There is a wide variety. I would say my school is one of the bigger ones in my City for sure. They are still only local though. The rest of your post was interesting. Thanks for the various explanations. I just don't have any questions about it, you did such a good job explaining it.
Saturday, January 15 ,2022 - Rest day Been taking an at home Covid test every other day. Still negative. Pretty dang sure I don't have it! Yay! Still waiting on PCR test result. They are backed up. 2022 -Week 3 = 6 Hours & 40 Minutes 2022 Total Hours = 22 Hours & 24 Minutes Sunday, January 16, 2022 - (at home) Sundays used to be mostly a day off. I tend to keep them light. Usually a Tai Chi only day. Started off with my Tai Chi Chuan test format. In the more advanced tests, forms can be called in any order, so I try to keep it random. Except at home, I start with the seated form inside, then move outside for the rest of my workout. In this order - Kwan-Yin Seated, 5 Element Yin-Yang Palm, 5 Element Broadsword, Dragon & Tiger double cudgels & Kwan-Dao. I only messed up the sequence of the Kwan-Yin. Other than that, felt like it was pretty much on par for test level. There are always things I want to improve, but pretty happy with it overall. Then Plum Blossom Gim, 108 Long Form. Had to go look at my manual twice. Fajing form. Part of Small Circle Fast form. I am stuck at one part and keep forgetting to ask an instructor to remind me how it goes. Lohan Taming Tiger. 1 hour and 5 minutes (Estimate)
Ah, I somehow got lost in those titles, indeed Sure, thanks for explanation Most schools don't grade in TCC. Thanks. I have wondered how others handled the Pandemic. It would indeed be difficult for new students to choose, so I wondered how it's handled if the instructor isn't the best match for you of something. That is an interesting strategy! A good one in this sense I hope neither of your instructor leaves. At least not anytime soon No need to have questions As I wrote, it just turned into a rant as I was typing...
Students always have the right to request to switch instructors too. If they aren't happy with their current one. It happens occasionally. Sometimes it is just not the best match. Sometimes the student is being dumb. But it is their right. I have heard of new students who request to have a male instructor. Sexism rears its head. Whatever. My previous long term instructor told me it happened to her. That student's loss. At the time, she was highly regarded as one of the most senior and top instructors. I also remember a fellow student changing her sons instructor because the instructor seemed too young and too junior level an instructor. Thing is, the instructor she switched to graduated from the same group of instructors! She didn't know better. She made biased judgements on physical age. I didn't tell her her error. She went on and on about how the new instructor had more experience. He didn't. I get people choosing personality match ups that suit them. There is a certain style of teaching that the school imparts. Certain standard things all instructors do. For example: they teach a certain positivity in how they impart critiques. No Cobra Kai style teaching! LOL! But within that standard, there are definitely stylistic differences and priorities. I know I didn't need to ask anything. I just wanted you to know I appreciated your information/ rant!
Thanks for the explanation, those are rather interesting stories! As for the male/female thing, I do that on average, male and female teachers might give a different vibe, but that certainly isn't universal and I would be careful to judge especially with martial arts teachers! To request a male teacher right away... well, it's their choice, but.. yeah, quite sad. And indeed it's the student's loss. Oh, that's funny That's just... (sigh). I guess an older isntructor may have better authority over younger students or children, but on the other hand, a younger one would connect with them easier, I'd say. And the experience she talked about, yeah, pretty prejudiced. In our school there are three instructors who are younger then me, the youngest is 20, I think and they are three of the 4 instructors currently in their 20s. They all teach the children/teen classes, but all of them are actually the most senior instructors since they basically grew up in that school, practicing Taiji. So age can be very misleading.
Monday, January 17, 2022 - MLK day holiday, so no work. I have had 3 at home tests that are negative, still no word on the results from the PCR test. I am quite sure I don't/ didn't have covid at this point. I stayed home for 5 days just in case, but I am taking myself out of self imposed quarantine. Went to my school to work out. Was going to warm up with my TCC test format and then mostly do some CLF, but it started raining! Then stopped, then started again. There was a 6% chance of rain. After doing a bit here and there between rain, the rain got more consistent. I gave up and went home. TCC format - 5 Element Yin-Yang form, Kwan-Dao, Dragon and Tiger double cudgels, Kwan-Yin seated and Broadsword. 30 Minutes Tuesday, January 18, 2022 - Day off. Wednesday, January 19, 2022 - 6:30 - CLF Test format with Ms. R and Ms. M. Ng Lun Ma & Ng Lun Choi, Formal Exercise, Hand Breaking Fan, Hung Sing Stick, Chau Sot Staff, Throat Locking Spear, Moi Fa Broadsword, Bot Gwa Butterfly knives, 3-section staff, Sup Ji Jit Fu, Siu Moi Fa, Shaolin 5 Animal, Small 5 Animal. Sup Ji Kau Da- I had this mental block. I know the form, but I got convinced doing it that I missed a chunk. I got stuck. Went over the first part and realized I had NOT missed a chunk. I am having weird mental blocks with sequence sometimes. I know the forms, but I sort of psyche myself out. It is a frustrating mental block I need to overcome. 9 Star (solo), Wall bag and Wooden Dummy (in the air), Both Sides of Golden Leopard vs Tiger (solo). They did Ping Kuen before I could get there. (I get off work a bit later and miss the beginning.). End of format. Ms. R and I did some two person practice afterwards. We can't do hand forms, due to Covid protocols. We did both sides of Broadsword vs Spear a few times. The end part where there is normally hand combat, we did distant but facing each other. Then one side of two person staff. Bit of a break talking to a friend at the school. Then TCC format. Broadsword, Dragon and Tiger double cudgels, 5 Element Yin-Yang Palm, Kwan-Dao, and Kwan-Yin Seated.. Left at 9:40. With the break in there..... This is a video clip of the full Ping Kuen form. This is the shortest of the three forms I have dubbed the monster forms. But I would say it is the hardest/ most complex of the three. Nicknamed that because they are monstrously long! Some of the details in this are not the way I have been taught, but it is a clip that shows the entire form, not an edited version. So, to give you an idea........... 2 Hours and 30 Minutes
I am glad youre negative! Thanks for the video, it's interesting to see! This style looks very exotic to me. It seems to have very different flavour compared to Karate and Taiji that I know!
Interesting clip. That is comparable in length to our longest form. When done quickly and with intent, it is exhausting, like sprinting a half mile race.
Sup Ji Kau Da is about 100 moves longer, about 250 moves! But not a complicated. Sup Ji Kau Da is around the longest that CLF forms get- in that range. There are a few forms around equal length. I sort of started a saying around the school "everything is short after Sup Ji Kau Da."
Honestly I don’t even know how to count moves, as they happen sort of simultaneously and can often blend from one into the next. But I was judging length based on the length of the video clip. If I work through mine quickly, it takes something over 2 minutes to complete, maybe about 2 1/4 or so.
Judging on length of clips is a good way! I usually base the # of moves on the number listed in the scripts. For the scripts I do not have, Instructors have told me. Yeah, the way they are counted is a little fuzzy. Like how some moves are combined and counted as one, while other moves similar are counted separately. It isn't a perfect system, but it gives a rough frame of reference.
Thursday, January 20, 2022 - 6:30 - Solo practice. This would normally be a time I go to the last half of TCC group class. But I have been skipping it in lieu of running through my TCC test format lately. And that is what I did tonight. Kwan-Yin Seated. 5 element Yin-Yang palm, Broadsword, double Cudgels and Kwan-Dao. 7:00 - Tai Sifu CLF class. Tonight Tai Sifu spent the whole class on super ultra detailing out Siu Moi Fa. It was awesome! Keep in mind, when he details out one form, many of those details apply to other forms as well. 8:00 - Spent about 10 minutes going over the beginning of the Double Fan Tai Chi Chuan form with Ms. M. She is just learning it. Only knows the beginning so far. I am pretty experienced in it. 8:10ish - Started my TCC private lesson early. Test format. Same forms as listed earlier today. I am going to be doing this ad nauseum until I test. It went very well! My instructor had said 4 good formats in a row and he will deem me ready to test. Tonight was 1. After that, some solo TCC practice - just going over the couple of corrections I received during my private lesson. I injured my foot out of the blue last night. So, hopefully, this won't turn into a thing that lasts. Left school at 9:10 2 hours and 40 minutes p.s. My PCR test results finally came in this morning. As expected, negative. But nice to get the confirmation. Still, 5 days is too long for test results. Doesn't do a lot of good to find out that long after getting it.
Friday, January 21, 2022 - 6:30- Advanced TCC class with Tai Sifu. The new class! We went over the two person saber. Then the 48 combination. Glad to be getting the 48 combination back. It is one of my favorites, but also sadly, one of my weaker forms. 7:30 - Two person practice with Ms. B and Ms. M. Since we can't do contact hand forms, we switched to Broadsword vs spear. Ms. M already tested in it. I have known it awhile. Ms. B is just learning to do it with contact. Although we have all been practicing it solo through most of the pandemic. We ended with solo style golden leopard vs Tiger. After Ms. B left. Ms. M and I did TCC two person saber. And then some two person staff. I finished up with working on the Kwan-Yin seated form. I really messed up part of my foot last week. It is limiting some things I can do in my workouts. Ended at 9:18. 2 hours and 48 Minutes.
Saturday, January 22, 2022 - 10:00 - TCC practice with Ms. S. Kwan-Dao and what she knows of Lohan Taming Tiger. Lots of conversation mixed in. She goes at a slower pace than I do for workout intensity. She is over 80. In amazing shape for that age, but still. Due to her age, and other circumstances, she is even more cautious than I am with regards to working out at the school, so I consider it an honor that she trusts me enough to work out with me. I take extra cautions around her due to this. I wear a KN 95 working out with her, even though we are socially distant and outside. Well, you HAVE to be far apart when swining around Kwan-Dao's anyways! Then Solo practice. Butterfly swords ( I need to start to call them that instead of knives really). Then a couple of other things, I can't remember what though. I admit I am getting used to working out outside in the sun. I am not a big fan of being out in the sun. When I used to go on Saturdays, I stayed indoors. But now that I am starting up again being here on Saturdays that I don't work, I am outside due to Covid. I did take off the KN95 once Ms. S left. 1:00 - 1 hour CLF private lesson. Used a make up lesson to make it a full hour. Went over butterfly swords, Ping Kuen, Small 5 Animal. My main issue is cleaning up some footwork. Also, I seem to have gotten in the very bad habit of pivoting on my heels instead of the balls of my foot. Considering the weight is usually on the right leg, AND my main knee issue is my right knee............could be a correlation. I also take cheating steps instead of wider longer steps. My straight strikes have good energy. but I need to sharpen up my circular strikes. Too much what I call "boing-oing." Like the cartoons where there is that sound and a lot of bouncing after a strike? I need to go through and back, but not have my circular strikes bounce multiple times. I don't know if I am explaining that properly. Anyways, these are the two main themes of my corrections right now. Overall, my details are good other than that. Of course, lower stances, ALWAYS lower stances. But my knee is getting in the way of that. My instructor is going to set up my first Tai Sifu observation for CLF for testing. I would estimate my total workout time to be........... 2 hours and 30 minutes. 2022 -Week 4 = 10 Hours & 52 Minutes 2022 Total Hours = 33 Hours & 16 Minutes
Note: starting this log up again, I am noticing I am not putting in quite as many hours as before the pandemic. I spend more time socializing at the school. But this is a lesson from the pandemic. To appreciate the friendships I have with people at the school and be ok with prioritizing that over workouts sometimes. I mean, I did appreciate them before, but I would prioritize my workout more over chatting. It isn't an either or, it is a matter of degrees in this. Another example is that there were times during the pandemic where friends would call while I was at the school. Now I always would have prioritized them if they said it was urgent, but otherwise I would wait to contact them until after my workout. But I will now interrupt my workout if I have my phone with me and notice a call. Even if not urgent. Because these are the times we live in. A friend may not say it is urgent, but mental health is so important during this crisis. If a friend calls, I am going to make extra sure they are ok right away.
Sunday, January 23, 2022 - (at home) Usual light Sunday. I wanted to do some CLF. Haven't been doing enough CLF lately. But my foot injury had me only doing TCC to give it a chance to heal up. I guess at least I have one art to fall back on when injury prevents me from doing CLF. I can walk just fine, jumping hurts! Having it twist certain ways huts. TCC format - Kwan-Yin seated, 5 Element broadsword, Dragon & Tiger double cudgels, 5 Element Yin-Yang Palm and Kwan-Dao. Kwan-Yin was the one form I felt I didn't perform to test standards. Still little hiccups in it. Then, Plum Blossom Gim, Lohan Taming Tiger. Again, I taught myself these, so I know the rough sequence, but need instructor input to know if I am doing them ok. Getting a jump start on my next level curriculum. 108 Long Form. Light run through of 48 combination. Very rough. Not sure I did it all correctly at all. 1 Hour
Monday, January 24, 2022 - Short workout due to evening shift at work. I ran through the Kwan-Yin seated form in the morning at home. This is the form the most needing some work that would hold me back from testing, so I just need to really focus on it. 8:25 p.m. Monday nights are primarily focused on CLF. Having to take some moves easy due to my ankle, but it went ok despite that. The only TCC I did was a quick run through of a couple of forms. My main work and focus was the CLF. I was really focusing in on the corrections in my last CLF lesson. CLF - Bot Gwa Butterfly knives, Small 5 Animal, Ping Kuen, 3 section staff, Throat Locking Spear, TCC - Kwan-Yin Seated, 5 Element Yin-Yang Palm, Fajing form. Ended at 9:40 Main corrections is cleaning up some footwork. I have developed a bad habit of doing some larger turn around pivots partially on my heels. Probably part of why my knee has issues. I need to clean up the energy on my circular strikes - too much bouncing after the strike. Some details that are hard to describe with the butterfly knives. 1 hour and 20 minutes
