Board Break or Break-a-thon. October 26, 2022. Both success and failure. Yes I broke all my boards (yahh!), twice (whohoo!!), but.....the first attempt was chunky and awkward. The second attempt was better but still needs work. It is amazing what I see in my mind versus the reality of, well, reality.
On the first attempt I paused in between strikes, making it 4 individual breaks, no flow at all. The pause felt minuscule to me, like the blink of an eye or less, but it was enough that there was no flow in between moves. I had to use muscle and not technique to do the breaks, and I felt it painfully in my hands and feet. The boards felt like bricks and my limbs felt like marshmallows. Four days later and I can still feel my first attempt like painful little balls of spite reminding me what not to do.
My second attempt fared better. By adjusting my strike points to allow for more rotation and space, I was able to flow from one move to the next with greater ease. While it was no Cassius Clay, it felt measurably better. The extra flow/rotation allowed me to do the strikes with much less effort. I found myself able to just allowing the strike to do what they does naturally. I went from using the "Hulk Smash" mindset to the "Flow like Water" mindset. Amazing feeling. It was like the boards weren't even there. Incredibly satisfying and humbling all at the same time.
When I reflect on the two attempts I see two different ways of approaching my Kung Fu.
The first attempt was all about Ego. I felt stronger that these puny boards, I didn't need flow I thought, I was just going to crush them into kindling. And while I did accomplish just that, it hurt both my body and my mind. What, it wasn't supposed to hurt! How dare the board fight back! This doesn't make sense, I am big strong hulk, you puny board, why you hurt Hulk?? Why, because there was very little Kung Fu involved in this attempt, it was all muscle and no technique.This is the wrong way.
The second attempt felt good. It felt like a stream of water, flowing from one point to the next, never really stopping, just flowing. And pain free. There were no boards, just points on my Chi stream to look at, release, then move on. It was one of those "Aha" moments for sure. It leaves me to ponder the depth of my stream. Am I a lily pad floating on the surface of this river or a coral reef, deeply in symbiosis with the currents, flowing like a force with and through me. Sorry, getting a little Jedi here.
P.S. A big shout out to my board holder crew, Deb, Kody, Nigel, Lucy, you all made this easier by being awesome holders. I knew I could count on you all to be invisible but indispensable, you guys allowed me to focus on the boards and that allowed me to succeed. Thank you.
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