So, the way my school is set up is that we have a personal instructor. We get private lessons each week from that instructor and s/he guides our progress and mostly decides when we test. But at advanced levels, our instructor will have our Sifu have an observation of our stuff. So that he can help assess where we are at in our training and to -ideally- give extra advanced details and corrections. I have only had a few observations over the years. My instructor is one of the most advanced at the school, so she doesn't call in Sifu as often as some other instructors. But I am preparing for my Black Fringe in Tai Chi Chuan. I will be her first Tai Chi Black Fringe (she has lots of CLF black sashes). So, I am in the midst of a whole bunch of observations. In the past, my few observatons have gone very well, but not last night. Sifu was observing my long Gim form (54). He kept giving me corrections that she has given me and I should have fixed by now. Sigh. I felt like I let her down. So, we had a talk afterwards and I have decided I need to focus on my Tai Chi right now. So I am cutting my CLF practice down to a bare minimum the next couple of months to really focus the vast majority of my training time on my TCC. I will still spar, stick fight, do two person sets to meet my commitments with my partners, but pretty much drop everything else. I will take my CLF lesson and have extra private lesson time for TCC. I was really trying to keep up on both, but the curriculum for black in both is just too much! (My next tests in both are for black.) Both are extensive and I have to accept that to truly exel in my test, I need to devote most of my training time to it. Black fringe tests are the last TCC test we have. Most of our tests are done by our Sifu, but this one is in front of our Sifu, the head of our schools, AND our Grand Master (Doc Fai Wong) who comes from out of town twice a year for advanced level tests in both CLF and TCC, I know people here are big on cross training. And I think doing both CLF and TCC usually helps my overall development. But there are times one needs to focus on one art. Isn't there? Like for advanced testing? I feel both disappointed in myself and relieved at the same time. I am feeling rather emotional over the whole thing. Just needing to share with people who might understand the significance of making training decisions that are hard............
From what I've gathered on your posting, you also have your own job, a relationship, and a full life outside of martial arts training. If you're at a point in training to get into the upper echelon of two different martial arts, there's certainly no shame in trying to focus on a specific martial art! When I was balancing 5 courses, home life (I took care of cleaning/errands), and lots of boxing training there was no way in hell I would have been able to take on another martial art and learn it adequately! I would say regardless of your feelings, you're doing pretty damned well. I think you're making a smart move, and that you shouldn't feel disappointed at all. :dunno: Anyways, good luck and I wish you the best!
Lol, well partly true. Yes to the full time job. Not in a relationship now, and that is by choice. Most of my spare time is spent doing MA- also by choice. Right now, my full life outside of training and working is that I am moving into a nice little granny flat. And moving is taking a lot of time and effort! I have a lot of books - like twenty boxes or so worth of them. I love books- that is why I work in a library I suppose! But moving them is not fun. Thanks for the words of encouragement. I really needed them right now. I can see now why this stage is where a lot of people quit. I have always wondered why so many people quit when so close to black Sash/ Fringe. It seems so close, but it is such a critical juncture in training. It is emotionally hard to push through the lows- like last night. I won't quit of course. It just makes me more determined than ever. But I am starting to get why others quit rather than push through this stage of training. It's hard emotionally, not just phsyically. But then again, it should be right? It isn't supposed to be easy or it wouldn't be worth achieving. And I don't want to GET a black Fringe, I want to BE a black fringe.
keep your head up, aaradia, it happens to the best of us, and i need but point you towards your own signature. this is why we have instructors who correct us, so that we can know when we need to switch priorities and focus on something else. no shame in putting up a little extra effort to shore up weaknesses. much to the contrary, the problem would be if you DIDN'T do so and pretended the issues weren't there! also, here's a kung fu kitty to cheer you up:
I think it's important to remember that training is supposed to be fun, first and foremost. If you think that prioritising TCC over CLF is going to diminish the enjoyment of your training, then you shouldn't do it. Maybe that slows your progress in TCC and you have to delay your next test, but fun is the ultimate goal, right?
It is a valid point and one that has spurred me to keep doing both to this point. I personally am not in a hurry to test. but my instructor wants me pushing myself to this goal. I trust her. She has gotten me this far. And she has three students who have made black sash in CLF under her instruction- which is a LOT by my schools standards. She knows what it takes. She has honored my goal of not giving one up until now. Until that not so good observation. And she is still leaving it up to me, but she made it very clear that she thinks now is the time to focus on my TCC. Mind you, I am trying for a test date this October. So, if I make that, it will only be a couple of months. If I don't make it, the next date is in spring. And I will add back more CLF -focused on our tournament next May, but still cutting down some to focus on TCC. I would refuse if it was a matter of years- due to what you say. I have seen other students give up one for years. I won't do that. Because I love both so much. But that was aonther thing to consider. The other students who are black in one or the other and study both, have ALL stopped one for some period of time to get that black sash/ fringe. I talked to one yesterday. he basically reinforced what my instructor said about needing to really focus on one while preparing to test. My instructor thinks that to prepare for a black level test, one needs to focus on it and only it. That it takes a singular focus to get to that level. She insists that the young ones she is preparing do NOT do any other sport or club in school. One last thing, since my last post here. Yesterday, my Sifu had me watch an instructor doing the form during that instructors private lesson. He was very encouraging, pointing out things he had told me during my observation. But he said I needed to prioritize. He basically said what my instructor said, but hadn't known I had talked to my instructor abuout the same thing. He said even he will focus on one art when he has prepared for his tests. And he is one of the highest ranking people in our worldwide organization. So, if I had any doubts, his basically saying the same thing my instructor said sealed it for me. I have to admit, I practiced for 3 hours after sparring yesterday. It was weird not splitting my time, but I had a REALLY good session of Tai Chi. I spent over an hour focusing on those corrections I was given on the Gim and felt I made great progress. So, I am feeling better about the whole thing now............. Like Dan Bian said - I know what I have to do and am doing it. I have a lifetime of doing both. I realized that a few months of mostly doing one isn't that long.
I think you are doing the right thing aaradia. You know what to improve, and it sounds like you have excellent instructors guiding you in your school. In the grand scheme of things, the only real test you should consider is: will you be doing this for the rest of your life? Ranks will not define you, but your training and confidence will. I personally think you are going in the right direction. Good luck on your tests!!
If there are times when it is necessary to concentrate your attention primarily on either your TCC or your CLF, then provided that the other one can keep ticking over and not suffer too much while it takes a back seat, then I don't see any harm. It isn't like you are having to give CLF up completely in favour of TCC. It's obviously a decision which you would rather not have to make, but it sounds like it's what you need to do. After you've passed your TCC test, you could always concentrate a bit more on the CLF for a few months, to 'balance things out'! Just as a matter of interest, what does your TCC test consist of? I'd guess an assesment of your forms, and your 'pushing hands'.
