Am I Your Daddy?

    This picture is a classic. Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers of all time. He knew how to impose his will on someone. 

   Fast, strong, confident, and that was just his mind. Read his quotes, he was a true champion. 

  

   In last weeks classes, Master Brinker was talking about how we where imposing our will on each other and how he liked it, a lot. It made me step back and reflect on my will. Now maybe it wasn't directed at me specifically but EVERYTHING that is said in class is important and must be reflected on. So I will reflect.

   What was my will during both the wrist escapes and choke defenses. I obviously wasn't trying to actually hurt my partners, but I easily could have. One wrong move, one slip and someone could have got hurt. That is the thin line that worries me the most. Too aggressive and I may hurt my partner, not aggressive enough and the rep doesn't count. So maybe I should look at it from the perspective of assertive not aggressive. I have never considered myself an aggressive person so I usually lean towards the side of caution, but as my Kung Fu progresses I find I can actually be more assertive without being dangerous. More "who's your Daddy?' than "where's my Mommy?". 

   We also discussed the importance of footwork, this is usually make or break in an application. To far away, no leverage, to close, get jammed up. Thankfully I had two great partners is class, and that made a big difference. I found I was concentrating on my upper body a little too much and forgetting about my footwork, forcing me to adjust as I progressed through the move. My partners worked with me and that made all the difference.