Shape Shifting

I've been practicing in the playground a lot this week. And I have returned to my older ways of practicing. n other words, to warm up, I will do a lot of free style, and again I have been revisiting my 10 animal form. Basically it is the adult version of the wheels on the Kung Fu bus. Recently I do it more internally and with more Gung, sometimes hard and sometimes soft. The more I do it I feel it is a pretty cool form. I saw some guys watching me and doing their work out and then they started shadow boxing each other. I'm not sure if they were making comparisons or thinking that what I was doing was useless or too complicated. My free style form probably looks crazier and less smooth than my regular forms... like I'm making it up... Oh wait I did make it up.

But actually it does have more of that fighter's feel to it in that I am using sparring moves. Not tht a form does not have sparring moves, but to do it in the classical sense may be different than the street application.

On another note, when I ran through my traditional forms... and made those forms seem more freestyle as well. I just feel like in a playground situation, the free style makes more sense, because you never know when you might have to turn to watch you kid or change position or whatever.


Anyway I did run through some traditional forms but I warmed up with my Wheels on the Kung Fu bus 10 animal form instead of Mein Lei jum and basics. I don't now, it was something about the day that made me not really want to commit to do doing repetitive motions. But I did get a work out done.

The way the Wheels on the Kung Fu bus works (the adult version) is I start doing cloud hands, internal then that changes to fists and from there I do a punch of circular pucnhes. (I call it the Peter's family punch because it is featured in several of my Mom's and Uncle Francis's stories about themselves and my Grandfather. It look similar to a Wing Chun punch, except for the stance, and it is more circular. Systema has a similar punch too, but in the end, it has become my own thing. Actually this time I added a free style of the opening, which has many elbow strikes and bound hand or two hand together type stuff. The Wheels punches go into all sorts of Kuen Faht (fist techniques)

Then you go down the line in your mind.. Dragon Snake, Tiger, Leopard, Crane, Lion, Elephant, Monkey, Horse, Ape

I have developed specific styles and, I would almost say personalities, for each animal.

The craziest looking ones are probably the last three. Monkey Horse and Ape. This is ironic because monkeys and apes are our closest relatives. But I guess I am not that light, so when I move like a monkey perhaps it look awkward.... crazy. My horse, was taken from a movement jab concept and flying knees to the head or chin and may be unrecognizable as horse to anyone watching, and Ape, looks open and insane.. but is probably the most effective. If they were making fun of me... it was for these last three. But to tell the truth the last two animals were all techniques sort of used in MMA. Monkey steal the peach is completely illegal and frowned upon even in a street fight with any ritualistic machismo, but nobody can argue it is ineffective.

I even did my stick form but I stopped after just doing a few. I felt lazy, or perhaps just in a good mood enjoying the day. I guess it is more important to enjoy your practice and continue it daily, than to push and maybe even hurt yourself.