quarterly summary - Q2, 2007

okay, so this is a little late. about a month, to be exact. but things have been a little busy this summer. but in keeping with the previous quarterly summary written in march (reference: quarterly summary - Q1, 2007), i'll post this quarterly summary for the usual April-June (inclusive) period.

original goals

following the "objectives for the future" given in the previous quarterly summary, the objectives for this quarter were:

• continue attending class
• continue practicing during the week outside of class
• increase 2-person and multi-person drills and sparring (to improve combat application of techniques and concepts)
• learn the more fundamental components of the curriculum
• learn more about martial arts in general
• acquire reference materials

summary of events

with respect to the curriculum, this is what has been covered--or at least, what i've picked up:

• tantui (refinement of lines 1-5)
• single-person hand drills (stationary & moving)
• two-person hand drills (stationary)
• kicks (low kicks)
• sparring
• bagua principles in combat
• 64 palms: palm changes 1-8 (side A), 1-5 (side B)
• 64 palms: A v B, palm changes 1-5
  
• walking the circle: palm changes 1-8 (side A), 1-5 (side B)
• bagua zhang qi-gong: level 3, qi projecting
• reference materials (Adam Hsu's videos on bagua & tai chi)

other things that have been covered that were not necessarily within the curriculum:

• taoist and buddhist philosophy--particularly taoist and buddhist thought relating to martial arts practice
• Chinese martial arts history--ancient, traditional, modern
• Chinese martial arts styles--i'm learning more about Chinese martial arts styles and their relative distinctions from each other, such as the distinctions between Wudan and Shaolin, Northern versus Southern, external versus internal (although this appears to be under debate), ancient versus modern
  
• traditional Asian medicine--i've gotten more about bagua qi-gong, as well as awareness that there are other forms of qi-gong
  

evaluation

i think i've managed to reach most of the goals for this quarter:

1. continue attending class: this was pretty straightforward. now that it's summer, i have a much lower demand on my time from school activities, clearing up much more time for classes
   
2. continue practicing during the week outside of class: this was made easier because of summer--see above
   
3. increase drills and sparring to improve combat applications: i definitely got more of this, with lei tai training escalating to light sparring and then full-contact sparring in pads. in addition, we started getting a lot of 2-person drills involving bagua applications in combat. both of these elements significantly helped in getting a better understanding of bagua in terms of fighting
   
4. learn the more fundamental components of the curriculum: since there is another new student (Jay) who is just starting, i've been able to work in with his lessons and get a lot more of the basics that i'd missed before. in addition, the 2 of us have been practicing together, and so i've been following the traditional learning curve for most bagua students. this has given me a much better sense of how bagua techniques are really extensions of fundamental bagua movements
   
5. learn more about martial arts in general: this has been successful. i've uncovered quite a bit of material on the internet, as well in videos on YouTube, and this has let me see the distinctions between various martial arts styles
   
6. acquire reference materials: i picked up DVDs from Adam Hsu's school (Adam Hsu is a colleague of my Sifu, and from the same lineage), which i have found useful in terms of getting perspective on traditional Chinese martial arts
   
7. figure out a long-term plan in terms of learning bagua and proceeding to other styles: i had a conversation with Sifu Jason about this. we talked about options, particularly in light of the fact that i may have to leave LA after i graduate next May. he recommended that in the time until then that i learn long fist, since that it actually a base pre-requisite for so much of what is taught in the Wutan curriculum, and then decide what other styles i want to learn from there.
   
8. figure out just how i should go about progressing in bagua in relation to everything else in life: the story is still the same. this is something you can't ever really plan for. you just kind of set a direction and endeavor to head towards it.
   

i think progress has been good this quarter. i hope to keep it up.

observations

my comments can probably be summarized as follows:

• combat applications: this quarter has been heavy with combat applications, largely as a result of the lei tai training, which has given an opportunity for sparring. this has really opened my eyes on the nature of fighting and the use of martial arts in fighting. i am starting to see how bagua is supposed to work, and how it differs from other styles as a close-in, hands-on, free-form, lateral-moving, non-direct fighting art. i am also starting to see what Sifu has been describing in class about fighting: in a fight, you don't have time to think about your moves or techniques, you only have time to react and engage. this means that a practitioner has to have a deep enough understanding of the techniques and their principles that they can apply them without having to recall or think about them, and then either modify them or replace them without hesitation or fear. Sifu said it best: the only way to learn how to use a martial art effectively in a fight is to go use it in a fight...a lot...and the closest thing to a fight while still being safe is sparring. meaning you have to spar a lot with kung fu if you expect to use kung fu to defend yourself.
  
• qi-gong (or chi-kung): we've gotten more of this, having gotten to level 3 qi-gong (out of the 3 levels in bagua). however, whether i am feeling or sensing qi the same way others are is something that is a mystery to me. i'm actually a little concerned about this, since i don't feel any advancement in feeling or developing qi--much less manipulating it. granted, this quarter has been more about fighting, and my understanding is that qi and qi-gong are things that take time, so this maybe a longer-term project that will need continued practice.
• 2-person practice: i have gotten a LOT more of this. with the extra time this summer, i've been having practice sessions with Kieun and John Eagles, and then additional practice sessions with Jay. this makes 2 sessions per week outside of class that i am involved in 2-person practice. most of my practice time is now with others, with only 1 or 2 solo sessions a week to go with the 2 weekly sessions with partners. this is making quite a difference, since it allows work on 2-person drills, which i see are important in terms of developing reflexes, spacing, understanding of techniques, improvement of basics, and sensitivity to opponent movements necessary to apply bagua effectively as a combat-applicable martial art.
  
• fundamentals: i've gotten a lot more of the fundamentals with Jay. we've managed to schedule personal sessions with Sifu to cover the basics that i missed. i can see it makes a difference, because there are concepts and movements that are fundamental and which form the foundation for which everything else in bagua (techniques, philosophy, tactics, etc.) are based. i'm happy to be getting this, because i think it's giving me a stronger grasp as to the nature and manner of bagua as a martial art.
• building: Kieun once mentioned to me that everything Jason teaches is built upon each other, and that as a result, it becomes easier to learn things the further you go into the curriculum. i'm starting to see what he meant. i notice that this quarter was a lot more intensive than previous quarters, with more classes and more lessons (advanced and basic). but i could sense that things were accelerating because everything was being built upon previous material--and that the more material was learned the more material could be added. learning the basics and getting started took the longest and seemed the slowest, but as things have gone on i've been able to learn more things. it's kind of like a house: it takes awhile to lay the foundation, but once it is set, it becomes easier to build upon it, and the more rooms and walls are built, the easier it is to add more rooms and walls to them. it seems to be an exponential curve in terms of material...i just hope i'm getting everything down good enough to keep adding stuff onto them.
  

objectives for the future

the objective is the same: continue making progress. this means:

• continue attending class
• continue practicing during the week outside of class
• continue 2-person and multi-person drills and sparring (to improve combat application of techniques and concepts)
• learn the more fundamental components of the curriculum

the new objectives, however, reflect the conversations i've had with Sifu regarding my future, as well as my own curiousity:

• improve qi-gong
• begin learning long fist (beginning by finishing tantui)
  
• consider other styles to learn for the future
  

that's pretty much it for this quarter. it's been very straightforward, but very intensive relative to before. i'll try to keep things moving along for the next quarter, after which i have to begin training for Ironman New Zealand and so will have to re-shuffle my priorities between kung fu and triathlon training.