I FINALLY FOUND IT!
I finally found gung fu in China! I went back to the warehouse where they practice Lion & Dragon Dancing. I arrived at 8pm when its supposed to start, but apparently thats when they open up the doors. About 15-20 minutes later the coach arrived. So, I spent about 15-20 minutes watching people practice and a couple people trying to ask me if I was here to practice. They didnt know much English, but what they said was good, and I know they could have understood if they just tried. So i hung out for a few minutes and then the coach's wife took me over to the area where the new guys are practicing the Lion Dance basics. She said something to the basics coach, which I think was, "Take this round-eye and teach him the stretches and show him some San Da". Why she said San Da in there and why he kept saying it as well elludes me since there was no practice throughout the whole night in San Da...thankfully because San Da is crap. "Lessons in brutality" I call it.
But anyway, this guy took me over to the stretching area and kept talking to me in Guangdongwah. I kept telling him mmmsec-tang. (I don't understand). I motioned that I will watch him and he nodded. I know how frustrating this can be, so I tried my best to follow his lead. However, for some stupid reason, all chinese like to bounce in their stretches, even the Shaolin Monks. I have no clue as to why. Its one of the most dangerous things you can do when you stretch. I was stretching and he grabbed my body and tried to force me to bounce. Whenever he tried to bounce me in my stretch, i told him, "bu hou" (no good) or just "bu". I think this confused him. I tried to illustrate why..I stretched normally, said "hou". I stretched with the bounch and said "bu hou". He proceeded to say some more stuff in Cantonese to help my stretch, I was like, "mmmsec-tang". He got frustrated and grabbed the nearest kid and told him to help me stretch.
This kid, prolly freshman in highschool, tried to get me to bounce as well. "CUT IT OUT! DO YOU WANT ME TO TEAR MY MUSCLES!" I did the same to him and this prolly frustrated him as well. When you bounce in a stretch and feel pain, thats not a good thing. Retards. The way I see it, Bouncing in your stretch started as a bastardization of a real good method of stretch which is stretching to your limit, holding for about 3 seconds then releasing and then stretching just a bit beyond that last limit. You gain flexibility this way. However, you need time for the muscle to warm and loosen up, bouncing just forces it. Bouncing is based on the idea that muscles are like elastic. Not true.
Anywho, enuff of that. I prolly just made no sense and Kineseaology Majors will correct me. Bring it on, Gym Teachers!
Back to my story. This kid got frustrated and was able to snag a girl that knew some English. She asked, "Do you want to learn Chinese Gung Fu?" I said, "No. I want to continue. I have been learning for 4 years. I just want to watch." She said a couple things then left. This freshman kid then snagged another kid much younger than him. This kid was one of the Lion Head dancers. He was small and he was wearing the pants. A Lion Tail needs to be big to pick up the head person. You have got to see some of the stuff they are doing on pedestals. Its really kool. The freshman kid told the Lion Head kid that I don't speak any Guangdongwah, I caught that much, and the Lion Head kid said, "WHAAAA!"
So this younger kid starts doing some stretches with me...its the same damn stretch. And he tried to get me to do the bouncing. CUT IT OUT! Do something different. About this time, the head coach showed up to show me some form work, get me started on Hong Quan and the Hung Gar Hard Style Qi Gong.
I dunno if the head coach was just playing along and placating me or if he was really impressed with me. He would show me a move or part of a form and I would do it right away. He sure looked surprised. I told you guys I knew what I was doing. I aint just any old goofy looking roundeye. Thats what you get for assuming...You made an "ASS" out of "U" and...MING "The Merciless".
So, this head coach taught me all of the Hung Gar Qi Gong and he seemed impressed. I have done this one before. Started doing it the summer after I started martial arts and I also practiced a bit of it with the Shaolin Monk in Las Vegas. So, I just needed a refresher. He also had me practice a couple bits of what I think was Hong Quan. Again, he seemed surprised. I continued to practice this stuff for the whole time. He would watch and correct some things and showed me things. He didnt speak much, but he didnt have to. I just watched. And so did all the chinese kids in the Lion Dance Basics....they were all, "WHAAAAA!?!?! Gweilo doing gung fu. Amazing. I will not stop staring because I am close minded."
So, I practiced this for awhile. And at the end of class the head coach was trying to tell me something. I believe he was trying to tell me to, "Maintain class". So, I said, "Lei-ah", pointing at the floor of the gym. And he said, "Hai, hai." Yes Yes. He wants me to keep coming. I think he is impressed.
I am gonna go tomorrow nite if I am free and I am not in pain. My hands were sore from doing the bridge hand all nite during the Qi Gong. Oh well.
I hoped on the bike and headed home. I got back and now I am typing this up. Good nite all.
Oh, more about my day. My students today were terrible. I had my usual morning 4th graders that are usually really good, but today, no one was listening and I had to yell at them a couple times. It really pissed me off. I went to the gym and had a good work out. Then headed back to the school to catch a ride to the Primary School English Play competitions. There were some really kool plays and some disturbing plays, like the one about Angel Wings - this kid was getting picked on in the locker room because he had 2 long scars on his back, the teacher explained that this is where his Angel wings will come out of in the future. Um.....what? I guess you had to be there.
There was some kids dressed up as Gogo, the character used in the books to teach English. It was adorable. And a bunch of other stuff. There was, "Little Red Hood", not Little Red Riding Hood, but Little Red Hood. Go figure.
I took my camera to video tape our play, but I had to go to kindergarten before my students went on. Damn. Luckily the computer teacher was there to video tape it as well. I need ot borrow the tape.
Well good nite.