Insanely sanda
Well everyone, today is another day, well in fact I have been here a week. A strange one. From the panic of the beginning to the now where I am writing this on the usual Thursday morning off.
I asked for more Tai chi and got it. Well, only one extra class yesterday nstead of a Kung fu class. The original plan was to have a secong\d class yesterday as well replacing the dreaded sanda class. Things didn’t go quite to plan due to a mix-up and I had my 3rd sanda class. Great! Not much changed, well I felt it was worse. On reflection, quite outrageous and amusing. But on serious consideration, outrageous and terrible.
The class started as usual with the customery running in big circles outside, blah, blah, blah. We then did some unbelieveably lop-sided stretching. Sanda, by nature is unbalanced. The left-leg has to be flexible and the right solid. Combinations next with the obligatory shouting. The teacher doesn’t seem to understand that the louder he shouts the more incomprehensible he is and therefore the more annoyed he gets because we can’t understand what he is saying. I also loked the extra touch of the flexible small whipping branch he weilded and whipped for that power-look. Nice.
After a breather, we unbelieveably went out of the school front gates and crossed the behemoth of a main road to a deserted gas station. We stood in lines practicing the special sanda kicks, about 300 of them actually. We kicked above a waist-high hedge-row. If we accidently kicked too low due exhaustiona and kicked a leaf on the bush, we had to stand before sanda shifu, arms to the sky and receive a lovely whip. It was not hard, hardly felt, but I guess something to do with humiliation and no-doubt reflective of the shifu’s unbalaced past. The crowd of bewildered passers-by added extra comedy value. The slack-jawed (well, fly-catching mouth wide open) simple Zhengzhou folk joined me in their dis-belief of the situation. The kung-fu master-wannabe drunk was the exception who proceeded to whisper teaching tips in the shifu’s ear.
After this ‘training’ joke we crossed back over and did some more running races, followed by everybody hold hands in a chain frog-jumps, followed by carry you partner like a bride across the thresh-hold running and topped off with couple of final sprints. The promise of the next 2 classes being souly power-training made it for me.
Last night I promptly talked to my Shifu (Ciao Shifu- a veritable saint in comparison, mild-mannered and big on the nice-front) explaining my dis-like of sanda and how it is not what I want from martial arts or why I came to China. So from next week, I no longer join the pain-parade. Wish me luck for my last sanda-samba tomorrow. Hooray!
Tai chi is going well. I have been promised that if I stay next month then I can do solely Tai chi and learn Tai chi sword form as well. I must say this is quite tempting and Tai chi Shifu is quite a character, especially cosidering his ripe-old-age of 20! It’s something to consider, and I will be mulling it seriously… any input would be appreciated, so leave me a message.
The day before yesterday, I also got my uniform! All the new-boys look splendid in red and black. Photos to follow at some point.
While in the office building, awaiting my fitting I also discovered the origin of part of the school’s name. Xiao Long was a child progidy and a Martial Art movie-star to boot.
Food is looking up. Since all the cooks are back from holiday, the food is fresh and non-recylcled and the variety is not too shabby. I have become rather partial to the moon cakes of a multitude of various fillings (green paste, orange paste, brown paste – sounds nasty but actually sweet and tasty).
May add some more as the day goes on as there is time to spare today.
x
Tags: Zhengzhou Yo!
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Tom
That Sanda sounds awful.
If I were in your shoes I would take the opportunity to do more Tai Chi. I mean, where better than China for that? Plus, you have gone all that way, you may as well milk the country for all it can give you. A solid month of Tai Chi is a great chance to really deepen youir practice. Good luck whatever you decide.
My two cents’ worth
oh tom!
oh dear what a drill! i guess there are those van damme wanabees who would feel good about boasting with withstanding this sort of drill and define the hardcore discipline and punishment as an essential aspect of martial arts. but i can understand your dissapointment about the spiritual shallowness of the whole thing. follow your heart about the tai chi- by when will you have to decide? take your time to decide and whatever you choose to do in the end will be the right thing. but i guess it is not only dependend on tai chi or not, is it? take into consideration all the circumstances you are finding yourself in, since they will be there for another month too!
really enjoy reading your blog- keep going- makes me feel like i am there a little bit- at least in spirit…
x
kathi
Tom
Can’t you get a piccy of you all doing Sanda and Tai Chi?
Hey Tom, incredible! Really really wish i was there. Fantastic pics of the wall and temples. That part of the world is next on my list! Get all those massages in while you can, im sooo jealous. Hows the knee by the way? Love louise xx
Hi Tom
Only just received the link to your blog this weekend so had a lot of catching up to do! Will keep Granny and Grandad up to date. The photos are amazing – so clear. Glad the Tai Chi is going well but don’t like the sound of that sanda. Have you cleaned the toilet yet? Hope so. Looking forward to seeing your uniform and hearing of your adventures. Take care – we all miss you
Love Annie, Andy, Ben, Matt and Adam xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx