Adult Student’s Corner
by Sifu D’arcy Langois
It was a cold and blustery evening in December. Snow was falling, but it was a perfect night for indoor volleyball. He was ready for a nice, relaxing game that night, after all it was just a recreational league. Everything was going swell until that one step. Just. One. Step. He hit the ground and looked around to see who had taken his leg out only to find… it was no one.
That was the night I ruptured my Achilles tendon. I felt I was in the best shape of my life. I felt that I had been doing a good job of staying loose, and flexible, but it still happened. That one single step has led to a very tough three months and, it galls me to say, it hasn’t stopped being tough, even today. But life happens… whether you are ready for it or not, life finds a way to be…life.
The bright side of the story is that throughout it all, the Kung Fu community has been there when I needed them. From talking to Sigung (who has been through this injury), to Zoom classes allowing me to be a part of the action (even when I couldn’t really walk) and the friends I’ve been able to connect with, and just chat like it’s the old times. It’s important to remember that, even when life happens (be it a change to your work schedule, or an Achilles tendon tear) the Kung Fu community is always there.
Footnote: by Sibok Lloyd
Don’t forget to use Kung Fu skills in other physical aspects of your life; especially stretching! We spend a great deal of time stretching at the start of every Kung Fu class so that our muscles and tendons are loose and ready to perform the tasks ahead.
What do we do when we are playing other sports, laying sod, shoveling dirt, going on a strenuous hike, shoveling snow, or moving furniture? Most of us probably don’t think about stretching at all, or at best take about a minute to do a few quick stretches. Stretching is very important prior to any strenuous activity, especially one that we don’t do on a regular basis. It helps the ligaments become more pliable, makes tendons more elastic, and elongates the muscles so they are more relaxed.
I have seen a lot of injuries throughout my years at WKFA, but the most serious injuries that I have seen students incur come from activities outside of Kung Fu, and most were avoidable. Incorporate a proper stretching regimen into your day-to-day life whenever you confront a strenuous, unique, or new activity. It will help prevent a long-term Kung Fu layoff.