Day 1 - Where's the rigour?

Day 1 
 

Master Si told me to arrive at 8:30, though I would not train until 9. It is 8:45 and the gate to his pavilion is locked. Tourists begin to fill the temple grounds. A caretaker sweeps the patio.

Now one monk unlocks the gate. We begin with 10 laps around the pagoda. One lap takes about 60 short strides. After that, and a few minutes of leg stretches, we begin with leg kicks. Standing in line, we all wait our turn. One after the other, we traverse the ten meters with about four or five kicks, now towards the front, then towards the side. Then we are on to frog leaps. Or jumping, lifting knees to chest. Or roundhouse kicks, but always with the right foot. Why not alternate?

While the master is preoccupied with a visitor, the pupils cheat on their exercises, skipping a kick or two, doing them with less enthusiasm, or even hiding behind one of the many stellae in the courtyard. Dao-yi punishes that boy with dozens of squats with hands behind the head. But kids will be kids, and the desire to play while the cat is away reminds me of my childhood. Perfectly understandable, but the standard of the temple training I had imagined quickly fades.

Master disappears after 30 minutes, leaving Dao-yi to instruct me. He is 17 years old and by far the best athlete. He shows me the first steps of the Shao Hang Chuan routine, or small red boxing. Watching him perform some kicks is a real pleasure. One movement is from a sidewards position, bringing the forward leg high, foot reaching behind the head, arms snapping from straight out to folding over the head as the foot rises. Then snapping back again. In a flash, Dao-yi’s leg snaps up and back to earth. Amazing.

As the afternoon wears on, the boys gain a bit of confidence around me and begin saying simple things in English: Go! What time is it? Where you from? When I answer America, no one seems to understand. USA. Still no sign of understanding. LA. Nope. I look in my phrasebook. Meiguo. Ah, yes!

The afternoon session officially runs from 2:30 to 5 pm. But some friends of the master come at 3:30 and so that pretty much releases us from doing the exercises. The kids spend the rest of the time fooling with their halbards. I practice the few steps I know.