(un)tangled thoughts

Yesterday’s breakathon felt like a milestone for me. For the first time, I broke ten wooden boards. I was definitely worried, as I knew this meant no wiggle room in terms of difficulty level.  But I did it and it showed me in the most tangible way how much I have grown. Compared to previous years, the difference was significant, and it felt really good to finally see progress that sometimes seems invisible to me.  Before heading to class last night, I wanted to feel a bit more prepared. I decided to test one break at home even though we are usually told not to practice on wooden boards. I had been working on a four-technique combination, which I knew was way over my head but I was curious. Out of those four moves, the knife hand worried me the most and I wanted to see if I could break the board without the pressure of an audience. So I set it up with Leon, took one clean shot with my weaker left hand, and to my surprise, the board just broke. That moment had an enormous effect...

I’ve been practicing with an invisible opponent more often lately, and a few really cool things started happening.   First, when I picture someone actually in front of me, my heart rate seems to kick up a notch, almost like a mini adrenaline rush. And that in turn appears to create more snap in my strikes and I get the sense of some extra speed in my forms.   Second, I had a lightbulb moment with my distancing. In Da mu Hsing 4, I realized my ridge hand was way too close to my shoulder. Imagineing to impact an opponent’s neck forced me to reach further, and suddenly the strike made sense. Without my invisible partner, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it at all.   And third, directions! Blocking or striking while actually picturing where the attack is coming from makes me look, line up, and commit in a way I just don’t do when I’m „just“ going through the motions.   It’s funny how even „nobody“ makes a great trainings partner and mentor!