Today I finally understood why I’ve been practicing the supermen pose in the gym all these years. It’s a day off from Kung Fu, which means I’m either in the swimming pool or in one of the many coffee places Pai has to offer. Since I’m melting just walking outside the air-conditioned bedroom, I choose the swimming pool. It’s a small pool that’s part of a secluded hotel, so normally it’s fairly quiet. Today however, a freakishly large family with at least 10 kids has landed. They have taken over the pool.
I brave the screaming children, skillfully avoiding the toys that are being thrown around, and quickly dive into the water. After a short swim I return to my sunbed which I’ve secured earlier and claimed as my own by putting my towel on it. I find myself on one knee and one hand resting on the sunbed, reaching out with the other hand for my chocolate shake. That’s when it hits me: I’m in a perfect superman pose! All those years of training, sweating and building core strength and it finally paid off. In the “moment suprême” I manage to get my shake without spilling a single drop. Supremely satisfied with myself, I lay down on my sunbed, slurping on my chocolate shake.
This got me thinking about how I use kung fu in my life…
Why do I do it?
What do I learn from it?
A question I’ve had many times. Kung Fu, like most martial arts, has a somewhat aggressive reputation unfortunately. A lot of people react surprised when I tell them I do Kung Fu, sometimes followed by the remark: ‘But you’re such a sweet person…’. This violent reputation is partly to blame on the Hollywood martial arts movie industry. Movies must be fast, furious and explosive to keep our short attention span from wandering to our phones. That means a lot of acrobatics, jumping kicks, flips and plenty of props being smashed. Those spectacular moves are mostly for the movies though. The biggest part of Kung Fu training is rarely shown. The endless repetition of a single technique, standing in your horse-riding stance for 15 minutes, practicing your walking meditation or even the philosophical discussions we have during teatime. Those parts are not exciting enough for the big screen, so people don’t know about it. Which is a shame, because martial arts are so much more than fighting.
How do I utilize the skills I learn from Kung Fu in daily life?
Somehow, I haven’t found myself facing off with three masked opponents with samurai swords in their hands. Which is a shame because then I could showcase my Kung Fu skills. But modern life has its own challenges, many of which are related to the mind. Thinking about the superman pose, one clear example comes to mind: confidence.
Kung Fu can give us confidence. In the very beginning, you often find out that you can do more than you thought you could. I’ve seen so many students come to the retreat and they have no idea about the strength they have in their body, or how to use it. When they kick the pads, they almost send their partner flying across the training area, unaware of the power they have. Or they are scared to kick the pad, so they need to first work through a mental blockage. But once they do so, they are often surprised by the power they can generate. The more you train the stronger you’ll get. Consistent training can also help with building discipline, perseverance. Every training session you are proving to yourself you can do it. Every morning you show up is a victory. Should you train consistently for a longer time, you may even notice a change in your posture. I have seen this happen, both with karate and Kung Fu. When I used to train karate a fellow student, who used to have poor posture, after one year of training was standing more upright and confidently. It was amazing to see! The knowledge that you can handle yourself in a challenging situation if one should arise, or that you can achieve the goals you set for yourself, gives you confidence and peace of mind. I know it does for me.
Gaining confidence, discipline and better posture – just a few examples that show why I think Kung Fu is an amazing art to practice. And let’s be honest, rolling around the mat armed with two swords is also just a ton of fun (until you cut the mat or almost de-ankle a fellow student). Anyway, what I’ve learned from today is to never question the value and importance of sport exercises: get in that pose, pretend you’re superman, and reach for that imaginary chocolate shake. One day it will pay off, I’m confident about it.
