Fight, Not Flight
24 September 2013
Dear Diary,
"So basically," Aman summarized, "you don't have a fight response."
I knew this wasn't going to go well for me.
We had just finished talking about my lack of love of bugs ("Do you kill them?" Um, no. I make someone else kill them. Except for mosquitoes, I'll kill those.), shutting my eyes and huddling into a ball when things are coming at me (baseballs, basketballs, soft balls, car keys), and running away in general. Yes, I would qualify all that as the flight response. When faced with a fight or flight physical situation, I will flee nearly every time. I will not flee when it comes to my daughter. But yes. Basically, I don't have a fight response.
We had just finished warm ups but before we moved into wushu, I got the pleasure (ABSOLUTE TERROR) to dodge punches without closing my eyes and without moving the wrong way and without leaning backwards. "Stay loose," he says. "Once you accept that you're in a fight and you're going to be hit, it's easy." But I'm still fighting a lifelong reaction of flinching and fleeing. I'm going to have to set specific goals to work on throughout the week with my sister so I can feel like I'm progressing.
GOAL: Don't die.
Last week, we did punches, palms, and kicks as individual things. This week, we combined them together. Well, we did some separate like outside kicks (from last week) and inside kicks (new this week). And then combinations. Punch and kick. It's harder than you'd think. Bring the knee up and snap the foot out (pointed toe) while punching with the opposite hand. This is kicking in the groin and punching in the chest. That way you have a visual of how close your hand and foot need to be to each other. Palm and kick is a little harder only because palms are not as natural to me yet as punching. And the kick is supposed to be higher. You're aiming for the chest for the foot and the collarbone for the palm. Both my kicks are just about knee kicks right now. Or a very short person's groin.
GOAL: Only fight short people.
I balanced like a drunk sparrow.
GOAL: Remain on two feet at all times.
We started jumps! Run, jump, run. Turn around and repeat. Land softly. Keep running. I'd pretty much end up in a hospital after a fight because after jumping, I'm "done". Nope, gotta keep moving. Then jump on the right land while driving the left knee into the air. Only the right leg. Wushu isn't one of those things you do equally on both sides. Sometimes yes, most times no.
GOAL: Jump high, run farther.
Stance time! (Goodness, I hope I'm not forgetting anything we did yesterday... otherwise, it won't be practiced...) We also took a few minutes to record/photograph some moves and stances as proof of my terribleness now so I can see improvement later. Horse stance: check. Bow stance: check. Drop stance: ouch. By now my legs were struggling. And drop stance is pretty much legs doing all the work. Down and up five times. Stay down and hold on the fifth time. 10 seconds then shake it out. Repeat down and up into drop stance except hold it for 15 seconds. I expect you increase the time beyond then because 15 seconds isn't really that long. Unless your legs are wanting to give out. But 15 seconds by this point was hard enough!
GOAL: Get messy, make mistakes, take a field trip. (Bonus points if you know the Frizz!)
During the final stretches, Aman told me how to go deeper into the standing splits. You go down as far as you go and you hold for a few seconds before squeezing tight for five seconds. Your feet press against the floor and your legs and glutes are just squeezing to "push" yourself away from the floor. That's how it feels anyway. Once you release the squeeze, you sink deeper towards the ground. If you think it's impossible, try it. I didn't go down far but I did a little. Then I squeezed for ten seconds before sinking down deeper. That time I barely moved and my hips said "no way, girlfriend!"
The rule of stretching is--if you used it, stretch it and then stretch it some more. Stretch every day. Stretching my hips even when they were super sore wasn't fun but I don't doubt that it helped.
Well, I won't say today's lesson was easier than last week. I get the feeling that each lesson will make me feel like such a beginner. Not that that is a bad thing. I mean, two lessons of martial arts in my life definitely counts as a beginner!! But I'll practice this week, get better (hopefully), and then next week, we'll do different things, more combinations, harder and new ways to move and I'll feel like a beginner all over again. And I have to deal with this run and hide response I've got. It hasn't caused me problems yet (some family members would doubtless laugh at that) but you know, it's worked for me. It will take a lot of practice for me to overcome it. Am I up for the challenge?
25 September 2013
Rejoice with me, Diary!! I'm not anywhere near as sore as I was last week! I'm about... Saturday sore. That was post-workout by four days. Soon Kimmi and I will go to the park, let the kiddos run around, and practice wushu. And take pictures--the ones from yesterday did not have great lighting.
26 September 2013
Dear Diary,
More sore today than yesterday. It was them kicks I practiced. I did some stance work today too. Horse, bow, and I barely made it through 10 seconds of drop stance. I did it twice though and still barely made it through 10 seconds. I have a real Practice List too.
Stretch every day.
Maintain my workout schedule.
Fit in a minimum of two wushu practices.
Focus on making things snap.
And if I ever want to feel pained (Aman says inspired), I have a youtube video to watch: here and here.
28 September 2013
Dear Diary,
Two types of soreness going on. I did a non-wushu workout on Thursday (not unusual for me) and it was my first day at a new level of pull ups. Reverse pull ups and chin ups. Yes. I'm sore. My biceps and upper back especially. I did a wushu workout today anyway. I just had to keep shaking out my arms! The punch and kicks (and palm and kicks) are feeling much more natural to me. I don't have much of the snap down yet but it's getting better. I've also focused on my stretch kicks becoming faster. Each individual kick needs to be faster, not "do more kicks in the same amount of time". It takes a lot of core muscle.
Dear Diary,
"So basically," Aman summarized, "you don't have a fight response."
I knew this wasn't going to go well for me.
We had just finished talking about my lack of love of bugs ("Do you kill them?" Um, no. I make someone else kill them. Except for mosquitoes, I'll kill those.), shutting my eyes and huddling into a ball when things are coming at me (baseballs, basketballs, soft balls, car keys), and running away in general. Yes, I would qualify all that as the flight response. When faced with a fight or flight physical situation, I will flee nearly every time. I will not flee when it comes to my daughter. But yes. Basically, I don't have a fight response.
We had just finished warm ups but before we moved into wushu, I got the pleasure (ABSOLUTE TERROR) to dodge punches without closing my eyes and without moving the wrong way and without leaning backwards. "Stay loose," he says. "Once you accept that you're in a fight and you're going to be hit, it's easy." But I'm still fighting a lifelong reaction of flinching and fleeing. I'm going to have to set specific goals to work on throughout the week with my sister so I can feel like I'm progressing.
GOAL: Don't die.
Last week, we did punches, palms, and kicks as individual things. This week, we combined them together. Well, we did some separate like outside kicks (from last week) and inside kicks (new this week). And then combinations. Punch and kick. It's harder than you'd think. Bring the knee up and snap the foot out (pointed toe) while punching with the opposite hand. This is kicking in the groin and punching in the chest. That way you have a visual of how close your hand and foot need to be to each other. Palm and kick is a little harder only because palms are not as natural to me yet as punching. And the kick is supposed to be higher. You're aiming for the chest for the foot and the collarbone for the palm. Both my kicks are just about knee kicks right now. Or a very short person's groin.
GOAL: Only fight short people.
I balanced like a drunk sparrow.
GOAL: Remain on two feet at all times.
We started jumps! Run, jump, run. Turn around and repeat. Land softly. Keep running. I'd pretty much end up in a hospital after a fight because after jumping, I'm "done". Nope, gotta keep moving. Then jump on the right land while driving the left knee into the air. Only the right leg. Wushu isn't one of those things you do equally on both sides. Sometimes yes, most times no.
GOAL: Jump high, run farther.
Stance time! (Goodness, I hope I'm not forgetting anything we did yesterday... otherwise, it won't be practiced...) We also took a few minutes to record/photograph some moves and stances as proof of my terribleness now so I can see improvement later. Horse stance: check. Bow stance: check. Drop stance: ouch. By now my legs were struggling. And drop stance is pretty much legs doing all the work. Down and up five times. Stay down and hold on the fifth time. 10 seconds then shake it out. Repeat down and up into drop stance except hold it for 15 seconds. I expect you increase the time beyond then because 15 seconds isn't really that long. Unless your legs are wanting to give out. But 15 seconds by this point was hard enough!
GOAL: Get messy, make mistakes, take a field trip. (Bonus points if you know the Frizz!)
During the final stretches, Aman told me how to go deeper into the standing splits. You go down as far as you go and you hold for a few seconds before squeezing tight for five seconds. Your feet press against the floor and your legs and glutes are just squeezing to "push" yourself away from the floor. That's how it feels anyway. Once you release the squeeze, you sink deeper towards the ground. If you think it's impossible, try it. I didn't go down far but I did a little. Then I squeezed for ten seconds before sinking down deeper. That time I barely moved and my hips said "no way, girlfriend!"
The rule of stretching is--if you used it, stretch it and then stretch it some more. Stretch every day. Stretching my hips even when they were super sore wasn't fun but I don't doubt that it helped.
Well, I won't say today's lesson was easier than last week. I get the feeling that each lesson will make me feel like such a beginner. Not that that is a bad thing. I mean, two lessons of martial arts in my life definitely counts as a beginner!! But I'll practice this week, get better (hopefully), and then next week, we'll do different things, more combinations, harder and new ways to move and I'll feel like a beginner all over again. And I have to deal with this run and hide response I've got. It hasn't caused me problems yet (some family members would doubtless laugh at that) but you know, it's worked for me. It will take a lot of practice for me to overcome it. Am I up for the challenge?
25 September 2013
Rejoice with me, Diary!! I'm not anywhere near as sore as I was last week! I'm about... Saturday sore. That was post-workout by four days. Soon Kimmi and I will go to the park, let the kiddos run around, and practice wushu. And take pictures--the ones from yesterday did not have great lighting.
26 September 2013
Dear Diary,
More sore today than yesterday. It was them kicks I practiced. I did some stance work today too. Horse, bow, and I barely made it through 10 seconds of drop stance. I did it twice though and still barely made it through 10 seconds. I have a real Practice List too.
Stretch every day.
Maintain my workout schedule.
Fit in a minimum of two wushu practices.
Focus on making things snap.
And if I ever want to feel pained (Aman says inspired), I have a youtube video to watch: here and here.
28 September 2013
Dear Diary,
Two types of soreness going on. I did a non-wushu workout on Thursday (not unusual for me) and it was my first day at a new level of pull ups. Reverse pull ups and chin ups. Yes. I'm sore. My biceps and upper back especially. I did a wushu workout today anyway. I just had to keep shaking out my arms! The punch and kicks (and palm and kicks) are feeling much more natural to me. I don't have much of the snap down yet but it's getting better. I've also focused on my stretch kicks becoming faster. Each individual kick needs to be faster, not "do more kicks in the same amount of time". It takes a lot of core muscle.
No comments have been added yet.
