Adult Student’s Corner
by Sifu D’arcy Langois
In our Spring newsletter, we explored Focus Point #1: “Is this the very best that I can do?” With an Adult gradings freshly behind us, now is the perfect time to think about the next Focus Point in line. While all our Focus Points require significant introspection regarding our training, the second Focus Point calls us to observe what our fellow classmates are up to. So with that, let’s take a look at Focus Point #2: The Concept of Healthy Competition—with yourself.
Despite what the title says, this point is not intended to pit your level of skill against that of your fellow classmates. The idea is not to look around and say “Gee, Tiger’s sidekicks are so much better than mine!”, that’s not constructive. We all have our strengths and weaknesses when it comes to technique in Kung Fu (as in life generally speaking), so comparing yourself to others in this manner isn’t helpful. Instead, consider the following question, “Is anybody trying harder than me?”
This is the point where I will reiterate that it is not about how smooth your forms are, or how high your kicks are, not even how fast you perform in class. We are a diverse academy, with folks from many different walks of life, different ages, and levels of fitness prior to beginning their Kung Fu journeys. Those factors all come into play when performing the techniques, and forms that we learn, and so, how skillful you are at doing something should be ignored when considering this Focus Point: just think about how hard you are trying.
With that idea, you can look down the floor at anyone, of any rank, at any time and consider your level of effort during a class compared to theirs. You can look around during a period of intense technique combinations and see if you are taking breaks, when someone else isn’t. When you break to work on your current forms, do you see your fellow classmates drilling their new moves while you stand around and wait to be seen by an instructor? Putting in the maximum amount of effort during your training is a quick way to make gains along your Kung Fu journey.
Early Training Session
To do this properly, you’ll need to really analyze how much effort you are putting in throughout a class, and decide if that is the best you can muster. At the same time, it trains you to be aware of your surroundings and the actions of others around you (a useful tool for self defence applications).
Next time you are in the Kwoon training, I encourage you to take a look down the floor and pick a few of your classmates. Choose someone of a higher rank, a lower rank, and the same rank, and over the course of the class do your best to match, or even exceed the effort level they are putting out. You’ll find you get more out of the class, and the Spirit of Healthy Competition will help elevate your training.
Explore all of our Kung-Fu Focus Points.