End of semester 2

My second semester has now finished at Maurys Kung Fu marking 6 months of training for me and there is the sash ceromony to look forward to tomorrow. There has been testing during this week's classes and they have stepped up the intensity of the training which has lead to greater feelings of achievement at the end of the classes and there has been a very intense bond growing in the team.

We talked about what we have learned this semester and the thing that has stood out for me is the teamwork. My 11 years of TaeKwon-Do training seemed to be very focused on the development of the individual where as this Kung Fu school has a strong focus on the team. The team demonstration is a great example of this; eveyone is working together in harmony, giving their all and working like a well oiled machine. It is a beautiful thing to be a part of a gives me enormous satisfaction. The teammates are so encouraging and inspiring and are able to bring me to pushing myself much harder than I would push myself otherwise.

It was great to hear how other people in the team have responded to the training. A woman in the team appreciated how much respect she received from everyone in the team. She was used to being made to feel a little inferior for being female in a very physical environment like this and has only experienced complete respect here. The school does a great job of that. Anyone who comes in is greeted by everyone and made to feel welcome no matter who they are and what age. We will bow in respect to and give a polite "good evening ma'am" to a 5 year old girl that is in the school.

Next semester I want to improve my sparring. I want to be relentlessly in pursuit of my opponent, not giving them an inch of breathing room and work on combinations of 6 or 7 attacks rather than 2 or 3. I want to go in search of that 'mindless' sparring mental state and stay as relaxed and aware as I was in the 'sticky hands' drill.

Nick
White sash