Visiting the Rabbit Hole. Again!

Questions can be tricky and lead you to unexpected places.

The answer to a question I had asked in Monday's class has led me down the rabbit hole. Again. Now, sometimes the rabbit hole can take a fair bit of time to climb back out of, but I feel that I am getting better at recognizing when this is happening and applying some brakes. These journeys have provided some great insights and discoveries along the way. I just have to apply a bit of self control and know when to climb back out and when to delve a bit deeper.

After numerous repetitions of the technique we were working on and making corrections as they were pointed out to the class, I had what I thought was a little aha moment. The technique was starting to feel pretty good with what I thought was a correct discovery, but I wanted to make sure that I was on the right path in my thinking and execution. 

I am at a point in my training where I genuinely want to know the answer and if necessary make a course correction based on the question asked and the answer provided. An aha moment is no good if it is incorrect and left alone to develop bad habits. I've had a few of these over the years that could have steered me off course if I hadn't asked the question.

My questions are not always posed in the best way possible. This is something that I am working on and developing when and how to ask good questions. Even though my thinking was not right during Monday's class, I am happy with the answer given as it provided me guidance and a better understanding of where my initial intent should be, and of the technique and its possibilities. 

Technique:

Left lead, guards up, project and penetrate with the right hand

Question asked:

Would I be correct in thinking that the left hand is moving out of the way to allow for the penetrating strike/block? And then the left hand also has the added bonus of being able to provide a block as needed?

Thoughts:

Technique - If I think about moving the left hand out of the way, I still feel that my intent is on the penetrating hand with an awareness of the left hand. 

Observations through repetition 

• When focusing on penetration as the intent, I feel my body moving slightly to the side to partially slip past the left hand. Hmmm....
• When thinking about moving the left hand creating space for the penetration, my trajectory is more straight forward. Hmmm....

Intent vs awareness in Kung Fu - similarities and differences between the two?

Specific focus - So if my intent is on the penetration and not the other hand, I see this as narrowing my focus. Yet at the same time I know there has to be a certain level of awareness to keep my options open and have the ability to broaden my focus and adjust my intent.

On a deeper level I see aspects of specific focus and broader focus are co-existing at the same time, thus allowing intent to adapt and change as needed. 

Namaste