Stucture: Triangles, circles, straight lines and other things..

 In Wing Chun you will hear a lot about the triangle. It is a strong shape and can be found in your stance, body, stepping and hand positioning.
Another concept is the the straight line, most Wing chun movements travel on a straight line and the center line is the path on which the movements typically originate.
In my particular lineage I have not heard any discussion about circular movements that are present in Wing Chun. The way I see it is that these 3 shapes work in unison.
The circle shape can be found in many instances for example: when practicing Siu Lim Tao I will use mental imagery of compressing and letting go a ball when doing Wu Sao and Fuk Sao or holding the ball in Tan Sao or compressing the ball with gum and then expanding with Tai. When in the positon of Bong Sao it is easy to see the circular path of bong and the circular space between your body and arm. Of course circles are found in footwork as well.  If you shift with Tan until you reach the point where you have to circle step back into a balance stance from a rear stance and continue until you go 360 degrees you will notice that when you keep your postioning in relation to your shifting that your wrist follows a circular path. This easily demonstrates one of your fighting zone ranges and the same could be said if you did the same with kicking, or elbows. or knees etc. etc.
The last instance in which is see the circle in play is in shifting to me this should be the smallest circle and is shown in the tight rotation of the body. When you combine all these ideas and principles and solidify them into a cohesive whole I think that's when you start seeing amazing things in your Kung Fu. Here is my own Wing Chun Maxim..as far as know maybe someone has said it before in better words. The triangle is strong, the straight line cuts, and the circle redirects or creates a barrier or a cushion.



 On a mostly unrelated topic, I found a great way to create a Moi Fa for stepping and balancing. I had some bed risers sitting in my closet that I have not used for a long time. I was thinking about the Moi Fa Jong and it dawned on me that I could use the bed risers. They are actually quite sturdy and have a 300 lb weight limit and can be used for other people because the can be repositioned to match their stance. They only cost about 13.00 for 4 and are stackable and easy to store. So, if you are like me and have limited space but want to mix up your training the bed risers do the job. I was concerned that they would move all over the place but the stayed right in place on my carpet. If you have tile it probably would be super easy to put a rubber coating on the bottom. Even if you wanted to affix them to something it would be easy to do that as well. The only downside is the top part that has a bit of a recess it didn't affect what I was doing at all but if you were worried about shoe tread grabbing you could put a wooden square to fill that spot or some type of filler, maybe resin or cement.

Random Thoughts

I have been thinking about a lot of things recently; like whenever I try to make things happen in life, I inevitably realize that no matter what I do I have no control over the ultimate outcome. I can try and do my best and make things happen, but there are to many outside forces that I can't control. Whenever I let go and realize that what will be, will be, things tend to go a lot better. Eventually, good things will come if you do things with an honest and sincere heart.

I am also glad that I can find wonder in the world. So many people forget that. No matter where you go there is always something that is intriguing and captivating if you just look. There are at least 3 things that I can think of that were inspiring to me this week. I went with Marc to the university library. I got a Spouse Pass so I can check out books. It was amazing to me how many books there were. I felt like a giddy kid in the candy store. One, it is awe inspiring to think of how much time it would take to read all those books. I think I could spend every waking moment in the library and never come close to reading everything there. I wondered how many hours were spent in creating all of those books and then how many hours people have spent reading them. I am sure there are some lonely books waiting to be checked out. If I could have a power it would be the ability to instantly absorb knowledge from a book. Like in Phenomenon......but without the tumor in my brain.

The other thing that was captivating was Hiyao Miyazakis' Ponyo. If you haven't seen a Miyazaki film you should. He has the greatest imagination. It is a gift when people share there talents with the world and I am glad Miyazaki does. I have loved every animation he has created. He brings such a unique and magical perspective to animation. I hate to sound cheesy and I know it is cliche but....he makes such spellbinding masterpieces. I can watch a Miyazaki film over and over and never get bored with it.

Lastly, and I'll keep this short. I am so interested by Chinese characters and how they have evolved. A lot of characters don't just represent a word. They give a peek into the mind, culture and heritage of the Chinese people.




 

Responsibility

Did I mention that I love Ving Tsun? Well, I do! I feel like Ving Tsun has all of the right ingredients. When people don't understand those ingredients they can really mess up the recipe. Then people go out and teach a whole ton of people the wrong recipe. The principles still work but without a full understanding the art becomes a shadow of the true potential of Ving Tsun. It is a sad thing to me. I have watched a wide range of Ving Tsun videos online and there are a very few that I have ever been impressed by. Why is this? Maybe the people who have good Ving Tsun, are busy practicing rather than making videos. I am not saying that making a video is bad. If people felt a responsibility to Ving Tsun they might think twice before they posted something. If I was an outsider and didn't practice Ving Tsun I would have a low opinion based off of what is available online.As I have gone along in my training I have realized that I will never be satisfied with where I am at. I will never say I am done because you cannot stop learning. If I ever say this I will be in need of an ass kicking. With that being said if you are learning any martial art and have any respect for it, don't be irresponsible. Be respectful of what you have been given and don't treat it like a party trick.

Creaky & Cranky

I had some friends when I woke up this morning, creaky & cranky. My body did not want to do anything I was making it do. It's normal when your eyes sleepy, but it's another thing when your limbs are sleepy. That is a strange sensation. It's almost like what I wrote about yesterday was prophetic. My mind must have seen the crash coming. It's a good that I gave myself a reminder or I don't think that I would have done anything at all today.

Momentum & Integration

I was thinking about how it is important to continually practice. Even if I don't have any sort of realization during my practice. Even if I am just going through the motions sometimes this will eventually allow me to reach a greater understanding. It's like adding a grain of sand to the ground each time I practice. Soon enough it will become a mound, then a hill, then a dune, then a beach. Gaining momentum is the hard part, maintaining it is easy.

I read the following in a book by Deng Ming-Dao called 365 Tao. The subject is about integration and I wanted to relay what it said here.

--
Be still to know the absolute.
Be active to know the outer.
The two spring from the same source,
All of life is one whole.

In stillness, one seeks the absolute Tao. There is neither beauty nor ugliness in it. Because it has no opposites, it called absolute . By contrast , nothing in this world is absolute, because all things we experience are relative.

Seeking the absolute may be among the greatest goals, but you cannot remain on your meditation cushion forever. You must go out and explore life as well. This is the investigation of the outer Tao that flows through all existence. You must not fail to explore anything that interests you. Any skill you want to master should be learned. Any subject that arouses curiosity should be examined. Every question should be answered. If you do not do this, then you cannot freely flow with the outer Tao: Every one of your uncertainties will be an obstacle.

Initially, it will seem as if there is no connection between your time meditating and the outer things in your life. After all, the masters constantly stress the difference between the spiritual and the social. But eventually, you will reach a point where the quiescence of contemplation and the activeness of living are integrated. Then there is no anxiety about whether one is living a spiritual life or not. You realize that it is all part of the same seamless whole.
--

Wow, I really like this. It so nicely sums up so many of the thoughts I've had floating around in my head awhile. I think this can be translated nicely into so many different aspects of life. I think we all would be better off if we tried to integrate this mode of thought into our lives.

Day 3 the Three-ening

So, I am going to try an experiment. I am going to find as many silly training ideas from Kung Fu movies and do them. Yeah, I am going to fill a bucket with water using a teeny tiny tea cup while hanging on a pole. Then I will empty the said bucket I just filled into another bucket. Oh, snap! Pure genius..... This is what I do to keep my sanity. I am convinced that I suffer from crippling A.D.D.....ooooooooOOOOooooo shiny.

Well, the getting up early thing is going well, for me that is. Ha ha my husband, the one who mocked me, seems to be the one that is suffering from the 5:30 wake up.

Stay tuned for some pictures....

A good Start

I actually managed to wake up at 5:30 this morning. This is a miracle since I didn't fall asleep until about 1:30 am. I went through all of the forms I know 3 times Siu Lim Tao (Little Idea Form), Chum Kiu (Seeking the Bridge), Biu Gee (Thrusting Fingers), Mook Yan Jong (The Wooden Dummy) and what I know of the Look Dim Boon Kwan (6.5 Point Pole). After that I did some Yoga and then went for a mile run. This all took about 2 hrs. It was a great start to my day.

I completely and utterly passed out around 1:30 today and  didn't wake up until 4:30. I am wondering how this is going to work out during the work week. I think it my go a little like this; "Thank you for calling zzzzzzz snort ahzoooo."

My basic workout during the week will be cut down to 1 of each of the forms. With some cross training thrown in.

In addition to exercising I am being a lot more conscious of what I eat. I had some really healthy yummy food today, banana oatmeal in the morning, a chicken and roast beef sandwich with spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes and a wee bit o' cheese for lunch and lowfat cottage cheese with peaches for a snack and for dinner crackers with tuna and plenty of water throughout the day.

My starting weight is 132 with a Body Fat Percentage of 26%......this is sad. I have become squishy and weak. I guess I am not to surprised since I have been sitting at a desk all day for 2 yrs now. It's been 3 years since I had my daughter and I think it's time to get off my butt and stop eating cheezy poofs.

This should be a test of my willpower. One day is easy but 1yr. is going to be quite the challenge.