Lion Dancing

         Admittedly at first, I wasn't fond of lion dancing.  I felt really awkward in the head, felt like it didn't rest on me very well.  Although I felt more comfortable in the tail, I wasn't sure how this was supposed to help my Kung Fu.  The more I've worked at it the more comfortable I'm feeling.  Weird right?  Just like the rest of my Kung Fu, I sucked at something and felt awkward until I sucked less at it and got more confident.

       Having practiced it more, and being involved as the tail a few times now, I can see the benefit it has in my training.  Strengthening my legs is an obvious one, as I try to stay grounded in my stances, and cardio/endurance/mental endurance when in the heat under fabric that doesn't breath.  There's the attention to detail, that makes the lion look alive, and the dragon for that matter, which that eye for detail helps us improve across the board.  Working with a partner, or more in a dragon, really calls to my mind Hsieh Chien, that unity with vigor.  It also aids in partner work when working on techniques, because it is making you more aware of the other person, and also forces you to use your peripherals more.  It also draws parallels to weapons training, for the lion or dragon is an extension of me.

        I know we've talked about training in a silo before, and I was definitely guilty of that, especially when it came to Lion dancing.  The realization that all of these parts are feeding into one another has helped my training, also knowing that when I am working on something like lion dancing I am supporting my forms training, my weapons training, my techniques, and sparring.

Numbers:

Km's- 1511

AOK- 520

PU/SU's- 21,684

DMH- 306

Monk Spade- 310

Sparring- 427