Don't call me Sifu
Apr. 15th, 2010 11:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
batskeetsYesterday was the longest day I've had in a long time. Not in a bad way, though... just long. Up at 6:00am, which y'all know I don't dig, to get ready for the drive to Eugene. Shooting the conference went fine, though, and afterwards, I got to buy a futurephone, have yummy indian food with friends, and hit up UO Wushu to visit and practice.
I even coached some of the new beginners for a bit on their empty hand forms, to give Nathan a much-needed break from coaching duties, and lord, I've missed that. They had only a couple months' practice under their belts, so they mainly needed more practice for consistency, but I gave them some flavor tips and gave them some stance corrections that'll hopefully save them from the wonderful world of knee problems in the future. I'm glad that I've accumulated as much knowledge about training methods and injury prevention as I have: even if I'm not always motivated enough to use it for my own gains, using that knowledge to help other people is AWESOME.
I really do need to find a way to give back to the wushu community in that way, because teaching people wushu (well, people over the age of 10, anyway) is something I'd probably never get tired of. And, unfortunately, the wushu school is not the place for me to do that; the kind of community I function best in as a teacher is one where I can be more of a Helpful Friend than an Authoritarian. I'm not a wise old Sifu, and I'm more interested in creating a solid understanding than in demanding ultimate respect at all times.
Anyhoo, I finally got home and got to sleep around 2am, and then of *course* I wake up before the alarm this morning, because my body apparently hates me. Go go gadget 5 hours of sleep. :p
I'm going to have an epic sleep on the plane to LA tomorrow morning. I hope.
I even coached some of the new beginners for a bit on their empty hand forms, to give Nathan a much-needed break from coaching duties, and lord, I've missed that. They had only a couple months' practice under their belts, so they mainly needed more practice for consistency, but I gave them some flavor tips and gave them some stance corrections that'll hopefully save them from the wonderful world of knee problems in the future. I'm glad that I've accumulated as much knowledge about training methods and injury prevention as I have: even if I'm not always motivated enough to use it for my own gains, using that knowledge to help other people is AWESOME.
I really do need to find a way to give back to the wushu community in that way, because teaching people wushu (well, people over the age of 10, anyway) is something I'd probably never get tired of. And, unfortunately, the wushu school is not the place for me to do that; the kind of community I function best in as a teacher is one where I can be more of a Helpful Friend than an Authoritarian. I'm not a wise old Sifu, and I'm more interested in creating a solid understanding than in demanding ultimate respect at all times.
Anyhoo, I finally got home and got to sleep around 2am, and then of *course* I wake up before the alarm this morning, because my body apparently hates me. Go go gadget 5 hours of sleep. :p
I'm going to have an epic sleep on the plane to LA tomorrow morning. I hope.
