As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I graduated from the Swimming Dragon Form. That simply means that I taught myself all the movements in the form. Have I mastered them? No. Am I confident that I will be able to reproduce them faithfully tomorrow? Also no. I mean, up until the last five or six movements, yes. But the ones I’ve learned in this last week? Those might take a bit longer to stick in my brain.
It’s funny. I videotaped my teacher in October of last year doing the whole form. At the time, I had eight movements left to learn. Or maybe ten. I quickly taught myself a few more until I only had a half-dozen left. I stopped because the next movement looked so intimidating. Plus, I got distracted by other stuff. I also was sort of waiting for my teacher to teach me. But we kept getting distracted.A few weeks ago, I decided to finish it and then my teacher could help me figure out the kinks later.
Much to my surprise, it was easier than I thought it would be from watching it six months prior. I am pretty sure it’s because I’ve been practicing every day, and you know what they say about practice. I don’t think it makes perfect, but it definitely makes you better. I mean, it makes sense, right? If you do the thing several times every day, then it becomes muscle memory and a habit.
I’ve been doing bagua for…maybe close to a year now? No, not quite. Probably more like eight months. I’m getting better at keeping my weight back, but it still doesn’t feel quite natural to me. I’m so used to keeping it forward for Taiji that it feels almost sacriligious to keep it back for Bagua.
I think that’s one of the main issues I have with Bagua–or rather, the main difficulties. It’s not Taiji. I have been practicing Taiji for over fifteen years on its own. In that time, I’ve done a bit of other martial arts, but not on a regular or constant basis. My teacher showed me how to walk the cirlce with Deerhorn Knives over a decade ago, and I was hooked. I did it every day (without the knives as well as with, alternating), and it’s one non-Taiji thing I’ve done for the last decade.
I don’t know why I decided about a year ago that Bagua was somtehing I wanted to do seriously. Oh, wait. Yes, I do. It’s because I love the Deerhorn Knives so much, and my teacher insisted that I had to learn the Swimming Dragon Form first. It made sense because that form is the basis for the whole martial art, much like the Solo (Long) Form is the basis for Taiji.
I struggled learning the Solo (Long) Form, but I love the Swimming Dragon Form. Like, a lot. I am fine with the Solo (Long) Form in Taiji now, but it’ll never be my favorite. I’m fine with that, and so is my teacher. Even though she prefers hands-only Taiji to the weapons, she doesn’t begrudge me my love of weapons.
I would like to find a teacher who is into weapons. That might be her teacher because he is exceptional with the weapons. Also, he loves them the way I love them. I’m just not sure I want to cross those streams. I don’t mind watching his videos–in fact I really appreciate tthem. Except he tends to go really fast, so I have taken to slowing down the speed. I sympathize with that, though, because I tend to go fast as well.
In addition, I need to focus on one or two forms at a time. Three at the most. I think I’m going to separate it into three categories. One is clean-up (which will be the Double Saber Form once I’m sure I’ve cleaned up the Cane Form and the Cane Form with the saber). Two is another form. Right now, that’s the Swimming Dragon Form. Once I’m sure it’s in my brain, then I can move on. Hm. I think the first categegory of refinement can have more than one form. I still have the Fan form in there along with the Cane Form and the Cane Form with the saber. That can be where all the forms go to get nurtured.
In the second category, that’s where the Bagua Deerhorn Knives will go at some point. In two weeks, ideally. I have nincluded the video in this post. I cannot wait because I love the Deerhorn Knives so much. They might be my favorite weapon. I cannot say for sure because I have not used them yet. At least not for anything other than walking the circle (which is at the beginning of the video).
It’s exciting to me that Sifu included that in the form. I guess it’s a way to warm up before getting into the meat of the form. It’s funny. Walking the circle takes a minute in the video. It’s eight different postures with eight steps each, so you would think it would take longer, but it really doesn’t. It’s pretty mind-boggling how short all the weapon forms are, really. I don’t think any are longer than three minutes. I don’t know for sure because I haven’t timed them, but the only form I know that is longer than ten minutes is the Solo (Long) Form. It’s seventeen minutes.
The third category is the for fun forms. In other words, the ones I’m just messing with. For now, that’s the Fan/Karambit Form I’m noodling with. It’s not ofifcial and it’s not real, but it’s just fun to do. I think if I ever try a Double Axe Form, I would put it in this category to begin with at first. The ‘fun’ category. I need that category so I don’t get too tense about shit. Or too intense about shit. Either way.
More weapon forms all the time. I love them so much. It’s my entire life right now, and I am not mad about it. I’m hoping to clean it up during my next private lesson (Swimming Dragon Form), and then I can put it in the done column. It feels really good. My first Bagua form, but hopefully, not the last.