Training with Professionals

Leah C.

February 1, 2010 - 7:00 PM

My right knee has two large bruises from hitting the floor on back sweeps and the back of my hand is bruised with small purple and red dots. Wushu is battering me up, but at the same time I feel a lot stronger. Every day, I get a little bit faster. I'm catching up with all the other beginners now which is great! The practices are long and the training is hard. Even the routine warm-ups are tiring. All the things we do require a lot of flexibility and strength.

This weekend we had a special training session with two members of the US Wushu team, Phillip and Petter Dang. Phillip attended the University of Oregon. He was a coach and founder of the "Thriller" flash dance performed every Halloween at the U of O. It was an intense and serious training. No talk or laughter was tolerated during the first day. Those who didn't pay attention did pushups. There was a sense of unease/determination in the room as we tried to nail down the forms correctly. If we did something wrong we had to repeat the moves over and over until we got it right.

This morning I really didn't want to go, I was so tired and sore from yesterday's training; but in the end, I'm really glad I did. I am considering entering the beginner's collegiate tournament in March, and training with professionals was a good decision. I got a lot of good pointers and tips, not only physically, but mentally as well. We'll see how I do for the next three weeks. If I have confidence in myself, I'll register. For now, I must prepare for my midterms and papers this week.