Making more adjustments

         I'm not sure when it happened, but I went from having an issue of having my upper body arrive before my lower body, to now having my lower body planted before my upper body arrives, instead of them finishing at the same time.  At its core, it is still a harmonies issue, and something I imagine will be a constant struggle for me.  I see this issue in my forms, in some places it is obvious, in others it is much more subtle.  Sifu Rybak discussed the difference between a white belt and a black belt a few classes ago, the difference being, how many times a black belt adjusts between the beginning and end of a technique.  I recognize that my start and finishing point of my technique looks good, looks pretty close to what it should; however, I am noticing I definitely use speed to mask what is going on in the middle.  A big issue that has been identified, again, sometimes it was obvious to me, other times I needed someone else to point it out, was my centre lifting during my transitions.  

        Since starting Kung Fu 5-6 years ago, it was blaringly obvious how much work I had to do with my lower half: mobility, flexibility, lowering my centre, etc..  I've been working on it constantly, to the point I feel too grounded in my footwork at times.  Part of the reason I like the Karambit as my weapon form, is because of the nature of the short weapon, it forces me to be quicker on my feet, while still maintaining my centre.  Now I know my lower body is not the only thing I have to think about when doing my forms, there is a lot to consider with the upper body: what my hands are doing, where my eyes are looking, expanding, contracting, etc..  Sometimes I have too much to think about that I get way too into my own head and start fumbling with my form.  I know it is important for me to just let my body do the movement.  Bit of a paradigm there, on the one hand I want to be mindful about my form so that I can improve, on the other, I need to not overanalyze and let the movement happen.

        As of now, I only have a few checkpoints between the start of a technique and the end, and I am working on adding in more.  It's important to try not to fix everything at once, because a) frustration happens, b) you lose all flow and are no longer in the moment, and c) not everything has to be fixed all at once to make progress.  My intent with my forms is to better feel my lower body and upper body work together, and really feel my centre stay low.  I'm going to look really chunky in my forms at times, but I know it will be necessary n the long run.  Slowing things down will also be key for me, so that I don't rely on speed to "smooth" things out.