Nan Quan: Step

Ahhh...well. I started practising nan quan quite a few months ago. Currently, I'm the slowest among my fellow nan quan wushu mates. Somehow, I'm quite particular about many things of nan quan.

I started out training under a lady instructor. I find that she's quite good at it, and I enjoyed training under her. However, the trainings were shifted to Friday, which I was unable to attend due to some family business, so I tried to make up for it by going to sunday's lessons. That's when all my troubles came...I started getting a bunch of instructors, teaching me different things, (because the lady instructor wasn't around). Or rather, it's the same thing ,but in different styles. When I learned the routine (nan quan itself is a routine; a set of moves, that is), I ended up following a bit of the instructor's style (Because they wanted it that way, so I'll have to do it their way...). But somehow, along the way, I missed out several important things.

I got confused with the direction and the correct way of executing the punches and kicks. What I've learnt was merely kick and punches that has literally 'nothing' inside. It's just like dancing a traditional dance and not knowing the story behind the dance...But I learnt another important thing.

While I was training under the 5 different instructors, I realise the difference between their goals. The first one (the lady) was trying her best to teach me all she knew about nan quan. She told me all the important things of nan quan, and focused on the li4 required. However, she isn't really good at teaching, and she cannot catch my weak points very well, other than the lack of power in my punches. Maybe she just wanted to finish coaching me nan quan? Ah well... The next two instructors (male) made me frowned a bit.

"Do this, it looks nicer."

Now that isn't what I wish to hear....Since the day I entered the wushu club, I never heard them say that sentence before. Somehow, that sparked off my problems. They told me to do the moves in the way that it looks presentable, and I did as I was told (if not, I'll be delaying the training again.....). When I went for Sunday training, I heard the same thing again from another male instructor.....but this time, this instructor tried to correct all my wrong moves. Somehow, I guess he was quite impatient, because he tried to do that 'nan quan crash course' thingy again, and I didn't learn anything from that 'crash course', except my corrected moves.

The last instructor is the one I most probably look up to. He started 'coaching' me a few weeks ago, telling me right away after looking at my practice "Your lower body is not stable." And he carried on pointing out the places I went wrong. (Most of the notes I took down in my previous post was the feedback from him)

"No extra moves. You'll lose out if you do that. Move fast. Stable. This routine is about strength in your punches, your rooting blah blah blah....This jump is supposed to be like this so that your energy goes into the ground and not back to you etc...And that punch, it's not exactly a punch. You have to make use of your qiao2, and it goes like this...Go build up your muscle lah. Do pumping, carry rice sack, and do some jogging for your stamina...."

Anyways, he's the type of instructor who'll make you do the same stuff over and over again until satisfactory. I remember doing that knee jump for many times....and he does not seem eager to finish the entire routine, but sort of looks out for perfection (not just in stance, but also in strength, stability, control etc) And that motivated me to continue learning nan quan and also, building up my muscles for the routine. Unfortunately, due to the fact that he's supposed to be teaching some other students weaponary for the coming competition (and maybe I was quite dependent on his analysis for nan quan), I was told to sought out other instructors to finish learning the routine. I got a feeling that I might end up in the competition too....But anyways, I don't really want to compete when all I've got was some '3-legged-kitty-moves'. Besides, studio project is coming and the assignment due dates are near. I've even asked my school instructor whether I can just back out of the com, but he's not very happy when he heard it and told me to be a bit more confident. "Whether it's win or lose, just go for the experience..."

Guess he didn't get me...the thing is that I don't want to practise nan quan just for the competition. I want to perfect this routine, and not just practise (half not knowing what is going on) it for the sake of a short termed goal. Maybe this was what I was really aiming for when I started learning nan quan. Maybe it was a selfish thought (not an equivalent trade, eh?) But this is zhong hua wushu, not zhong hua wudao. That's what I believe.