Some days, during class, I feel completely plugged in, in tune, in sync. I am precisely where I want to be with respect to hearing Ma'am's instructions and executing them. That's not to claim that my execution is perfect. I mean only that my brain and my body are working well together.
Then there are the other days: the days when I hear Ma'am's instructions clearly, but the signals between my brain and my body are not flowing smoothly. Those are the days when it feels like someone has recently attached my limbs to my body and I'm still learning how to use them. "Shuffle front kick," for example. I know all of those words and what they mean. I can even envision them together and their execution. However, today, getting my body and my legs to work in synchronicity was a challenge nearly beyond my grasp.
Good thing I have a sense of humor. I can laugh at my Frankenstein attempts to "shuffle, knee, roundhouse kick."
Even better than being able to laugh at myself is having the higher belts as models and patient partners. It's all part of what I love about KMA: the sense of support that is garnered is equally as important as the forms, the protocol and the matriculation. Unfailingly, I have had partners who, even when I'm scoffing at my own attempts to "jab, cross, hook, pause, cross then roundhouse," will smile at my misgivings and encourage me to try again and keep going.
Jeannette, a blue belt, was one of my partners today. Her form was beautiful. Even the simplest things like her guard. I appreciate having the higher belts as partners because they offer great reminders about the basics and much needed encouragement to progress.
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