Big Change, Sooner Than Expected

I have known for some time that my Sifu is planning to retire, meaning that he will no longer hold regular morning classes, and instead will teach private lessons out of his home. But the last I heard was that he had contracted with the dance studio where he has taught for many years through November, meaning that our regular Wednesday through Friday 5:30 to 7:30 am class would continue through then. But last week announced that he had gotten out of his contract with the studio and would no longer teach morning classes effective at the start of May. So, I knew that this change was coming, but now it is happening sooner than expected.

First off, I am delighted for my Sifu that he feels able to retire from his regular teaching schedule. Still, it is a big change and one which will demand that I make adjustments, hopefully in a smart and beneficial way. At the most basic level, the regular morning class provided six hours of training time. I need to make sure that I continue to devote an equivalent amount of time to my training. It will be mighty tempting to hit the snooze button in instead of getting up to practice on my own. It is just human nature that you are more likely to show up and do what you know you should if someone is there waiting for you. Still, I have managed to have a steady morning practice on my own in the past, so I must simply get back to that mind-set. And, given that I will be saving some commute time to the dance studio, I may sleep in a little bit because practicing on six and a half hours of sleep (as I have been) is often rough.

But, of course, it is not just a matter of putting in an equivalent amount of time. Practicing this stuff is not like punching a time clock. The quality, not merely the quantity, of your practice matters greatly. When I am practicing under the watchful eye of my Sifu, I put forth the best effort that I am capable of on a given day. Now I will need to hold myself to the same standard, and resist the temptation to ease up in terms of movement quality and intensity.

The other significant change is that my practice will now be more self-directed. For some time, I have felt the need to develop a training schedule which will allow me to review material that I have learned on a regular basis in order to retain it, but also to select certain material to work on more in depth. The need to develop such a schedule is all the more important now. I also hope that the training diary that I have begun on this website will help with all of this by keeping me accountable and focused. Also, practicing on your own, especially with full effort, is when a lot of significant discoveries can take place in terms of finding out your true capabilities. I am excited for that.

So there is significant potential for good things to come from this change. That said, I will be sad to see the morning classes end. It has been amazing to have so much time to train with Sifu on a regular basis. I will miss that. And I will miss the feeling of rigor and dedication derived from getting myself where I most need to be, even at an uncomfortable hour, day-in and day-out, week after week. Nevertheless, ready or not, it is time to move on.