Brutal Yesterday

[shanmonster]

As an experiment, I'm going to try cross-posting a few entries from my main page. I'm curious to see if the comment feature will actually stir up more relevant conversation than Smash Your Head Against the Cage.

Three workouts in one day. Is it any wonder I'm a bit wobbly today? I started off with cardio-box, moved on to weight-lifting, and then, finished the day with my first kung fu class of the year. As usual, the first kung fu class was a bit extra brutal. I think the sifu does this to scare away people who aren't very serious. Well, even if that isn't his intention, it is the result. The first class of the term is free, and is filled with people. It's not unusual to have about forty or fifty people in the first class. The second class is also free, and it's usually weeded down to about thirty or forty wanna-be martial artists. By the time the term is half-way over, there are less than twenty people who have stuck around.

No matter how many women may have been there at the beginning, no more than three (myself included) continue.

Some of the guys wondered why this was, and I answered, "Most girls are wusses."

And, lamentably enough, it's true. The class is not easy. Low stances hurt, and fill muscles with a dull burning which flares up into a full-bore fire by the time two minutes or more have elapsed. It's not like an aerobics class. There is no music to give it a beat. It's brutal, hard work. Kicking and punching drills also fill the body with a burning ache, leaving muscles weak and wobbly for hours. And if you're not really in shape, you won't just feel this for hours but for several days. It's not just the women who don't come back.

The wussiness of most women especially shows when it comes to sparring. I'd love to be proven wrong, but so far, the numbers prove me right. Personally, I find sparring exhilarating. Even among the women who continue training in kung fu, few will really get right in there and spar. As a result, barring one other woman who I know will give me a good fight, I'm always disappointed when I'm paired up other women. They don't attack, and their defense is pitiable, consisting of full-body flinches and half-hearted blocks. Squinting up your eyes and making a don't-hit-me face just won't cut it. Sigh....



I find the classes very challenging, and I'm determined to do better every time I go. This doesn't always work, of course, but I keep trying. I thoroughly mucked up my fook fu form, but I did go on to do a few good things. At the end of the class, when I was good and limber, while standing upright, I grabbed my foot and hauled it up by my head. I may not have had it up as well as in the picture, but I did have my foot about twelve or fourteen inches away from my head. I'm getting there, by gum!

Also, while I was stretching out on the barre, I saw one of the other students doing a form with two butterfly swords. I had never seen this form before, and it looked really neat. When he was through, I went up to him and asked about it. He gave me a brief explanation, told me he'd fucked up part of the form (I really hadn't noticed), and handed the swords to me.



Now, I've held a butterfly sword before. In fact, I used one while learning a sword form. It was the wrong weapon, because it's a broadsword form I'm learning, but it was the only weapon available. However, this was the first time I'd ever held two swords at once. I gave them a couple of swishes in the air, gauging their weight and size, and then I began to move in earnest. I started using dance moves--in particular, candle arms. The swords flew around my body, almost of their own volition. I felt like Shiva! Then, without pausing, I tried using some upper area karate blocks and some double strikes. The swords dashed forward, piercing an invisible opponent.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see some of the other students stepping back to watch. I tried changing my body elevation and continued with the flurry of movements. Then, when my overworked body told me to call it quits, I handed the swords back to the student.

Until I saw the look in his eyes, I guess I hadn't realized just how it had all looked.

In retrospect, it was like something out of a bad chop sokky flick. The novice is handed a brand new weapon, and after a couple of appraising swings, becomes a master. Well, I'm hardly a master, but I think I may have inadvertently discovered I have an affinity for double sword.

Already, I want to incorporate it into a dance routine. In the meantime, however, I need to recover from yesterday's workouts.

Comments

probably digging myself a hole, but...

[longpig.livejournal.com]

"Most girls are wusses."

I found this statement somewhat irksome.

I don't think I'm a 'wuss', just because I don't feel the need to train myself to exhaustion in martial arts or weightlifting. I have other interests which I pursue with avidity and dedication. There are other kinds of strength.

Would a wuss dredge herself through weeks or months of mental and emotional torment for the chance to maybe - just maybe - make a difference in the way people think through her work?

Would she endure years of radiation and chemotherapy in an ongoing battle with breast cancer, having her body so altered by chemistry and surgery that she can barely recognize herself?

Would she go through the nine months of discomfort and violent physical changes that accompany pregnancy, the hours of excruciating labour pains, and years of dedication and effort in raising a child?

I don't think so.

I am not a 'wuss,' just because my particular passions and efforts are not physical. Neither is my mother. Neither are millions and millions of other women dealing with challenges in their lives.

The implication of the statement, "most girls are wusses," in the context of your above post seems to be (I acknowledge that it was perhaps not intended) that the most valid kind of strength is physical strength, physical ability, to rival and possibly exceed that of men.

This, obviously, bothers me.

Of course there are other kinds of strength

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Perhaps I need to qualify my statement. What I'm referring to as wussiness is strictly in the physical sense, and relates to those who back off from a physical activity when they realize that it requires a huge expenditure of effort.

Yes, it takes great fortitude to persevere at mental, emotional, and artistic pursuits. It was never my intention to denigrate such activities.

Nevertheless, not everyone has strength, whether physical or mental. I would go so far as to say most first-year university and college students (regardless of gender) are wusses, too, and that's why so many flunk out: they don't want to do the work. Yes, there are extenuating circumstances for many, but ultimately, there is a pervasive laziness which dominates an awful lot of people.

It's just a lot easier to go home and watch Friends than it is to actually do something productive.

Re: Of course there are other kinds of strength

[longpig.livejournal.com]

Yes, people, in general, certainly are lazy. Just one of many reasons why I hate them.

Re: probably digging myself a hole, but...

[krimon.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, maybe this wussiness is a trait of women who casually attends a martial arts classes. To paint with a broad brush, they're likely looking for a workout but not a challenge. On the other hand, the real physically non-wussy girls are all lieutenants in the air force or cross-training for the iron woman decathlon--or playing water polo at the college level. Yikes!