That's What Friends Are For

Last night I managed to practice some of the techniques I have been working on from the kata Wanshu--- while I was walking my dog. How I did that is a testament to the patience of our pets :-).


Tonight, when I actually had time to concentrate on my workout, I decided to continue working on my Bo Swing and spend more time on Wanshu. 


I was going to work out alone but, fortunately, one of my students decided to join me. It turned out to be a wonderful reminder of some of the advantages of working out with others whenever possible:


1) Another set of eyes and ears: As many times as I have gone through the video I have been using to sharpen my performance of Wanshu, I don't see all the details or retain all the details. What a pleasure it is to have another set of eyes and ears picking up on details that have alluded me!


2) Another memory bank: When I brought up the issue of adding Poking Power to my Bo swing and showed my student what I was working on, he recalled a lesson with visiting Kishaba Juku practitioner Chris Walton in which Chris had him working on keeping his elbows bent in and closer to his center. Viola! Just the ticket to getting the extra juice I need to add the poke without losing momentum from the swing! When I think of how long it might have taken me to figure that out by myself...


So, in case this hasn't been clear from the start, I don't romanticize working out alone. It does have some advantages and, knowing you can continue to advance on your own, is important to staying in practice even when the vicissitudes of life make attending classes difficult or impossible. And, yes, sometimes figuring things out on your own makes a deeper, more lasting impression than learning them from someone else.


But, over and above time efficiency (amen!), there is a special joy in sharing this particular obsession with others, a joy that has probably been part of the warrior experience since the beginning. A joy and a reassurance that, if this be insanity, at least I'll have company in the asylum.


And then, of course, it's always nice to have someone else to hit.