shanmonster | Everybody Wing Chun Tonight

In order to get a provincial health card in Ontario, you need proof of residency. One of the proofs is a drivers' license.

In order to get a drivers' license, you do not need proof of residency.

That's wackadoo.

So hi. How ya doin'?

I feel like I haven't posted much lately. I've been very busy with dance, teaching, modelling, working out, and the like. Tonight I teach again, and then I'm off to wing chun. I have no real expectations from it. It could be good. It could suck. The only way I'll know is by going.

But damn, I sure wish I could find a mantis school around here. That's the style I really like.

Last night, in dance class, I was asked to demonstrate my "fanciest" dance move. I couldn't think of what that would be, but then I figured it's probably my staggered backbend. So at the end of the class, when I was good and warmed up, I knelt on the floor and demonstrated a basic backbend to the floor and back up again. And then I did one of my staggered ones down.

It was easy. EASY.

So I figured I'd stagger it back up again, which is always a killer.

Piece of cake.

Normally, that move is a serious quad slayer. Now it's not. For a moment, I thought I must have cheated or something, so I did it again. Nope. It was still a cinch. I must have levelled up since my performance in Toronto last week.

And just in case you're looking for some good hints on backbends, look what I found: The Gripping Truth. It's an interesting article on the correct way of engaging your glutes during back bends. Good stuff!

I think that today I shall write more on how to teach dance technique, isolations, stretches, and strength-building. So far, I've covered basic posture, psoas isolation, and quad-strengthening for floorwork. Do you have any special requests?

I believe I'm better at writing up isolation exercises which you can use as building blocks for moves/combinations than I am at writing up combinations. That's probably because it's what I'm more interested in. I think you need to have an understanding of the isolations required for a dance move before you can start layering and combining it with other movements effectively. Why would I teach a horizontal rib circle with a shoulder shimmy overlay if the student can't even do a rib slide?

This is one of my main problems with choreography-based beginners' classes. But I digress....

It shall soon be time for me to go to the gym and pump iron, anyhow.