Amanda Takes Off...

Tonight's class consisted of 고려 work with Master.

"연습해야 해요." I must practice. (I was really happy to use that form with Master, because I just learned that verb form today.)

We only got through step 8 (of 30) together.

While trying to teach me the new ready stance, he started going on about 기 (ki/qi/chi depending on your language of choice). He said that 기 is there in the tae guek series but that it's not emphasized, that it's often hidden, because tae guek is a beginner series.

He was using 기 and forces interchangeably. I shook my head and said, "Master, not the same thing. I don't think. And in America, we don't usually have 기." I'm sure he understood what I meant. While Western martial arts may talk about 기 (usually at higher levels in the martial arts), it's not something that's part of the Western mindset.

He was showing me how to hold my hands in ready stance, making me grab his fingers to feel the strength of them. Then he told me to do five fingertip push-ups.

I stared at him.

"OK, one."

I can do regular, palm-flat push-ups (no knees on the ground, of course), but I've never even done fisted push-ups. So I did one. And it hurt. He told me to start practicing until I can do fisted pushups, then fingertip ones down to one finger.

I looked at him, raised an eyebrow, grinned and said, "How many women do you know who do one finger push-ups?" While I'm sure they're out there, I'm also sure I'm not one of them. He cocked his head and said he didn't know any and that he could do three fingers himself.

It was such an interesting conversation. I love it when he gets going on philosophy of the martial arts. I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to "get that" from him due to the languages, and yet every time we work it out.

I was doing and redoing and redoing the same steps. Master said, "어려워요, you know, Amanda?"

"네. 어려—어려워—어려워요. 알아요." Yes. 'It's difficult.' I know.

At the end of the session I said, "Brain, 뇌?" He nodded and I said, "뇌가 아파요." My brain hurts.

"모리가 아파요?" Your head hurts?

I shook my head. "아니에요. 뇌가 아파요." No. My brain hurts.

He smiled. "화이팅!"

Through our lesson, Master kept repeating the first 10 steps in front of me. Emphasizing different points. Showing me the moves with and without 기. His body looked both tense and utterly relaxed at the same time. The power. The snap. The fluidity. And the focus in his eyes.

I sort of gaped at him. I couldn't keep my eyes off of what he was doing.

His 고려 was a thing of beauty.

Difficult beauty.