Posted by
Carla U.
I never thought I'd say this, but I really like Kung fu movies.
My husband has been studying all kinds of martial arts for 15 years now, and I did about 6 months' training in American Karate. I was never any good at fighting, since we never practiced sparring and I'm pretty much as pacifist anyway; I really just joined the bunch for social reasons and to get some exercise. In fact, we all went to a tournament and I took second place (out of two) in sparring. I got creamed. (point! point! point! what happened?). I took a tai chi class for a few weeks and finally quit because i was so bored... I went to a Van Damme movie in the 90s with my karate group and thought it was the biggest waste of film yet. So that was my experience with the martial arts.
Then along came Jackie Chan. Talented, funny, using slapstick and doing all his own stunts. Rush hour 1 and 2, shanghai noon- great films! Then I bought "kung fu hustle" (steven chow) in the thrift shop as a joke for my hubby- well it was *fabulous*! Now I just saw Jet Li's "fearless" which was also incredible. I mean not just the king fu, but the acting, the story, the characters, the message.
Add this to how much I love the Rocky series (minus Rocky IV) and ability to burp and command, and well, you'd never believe my name translates as "feminine."
Anyway, the thing my husband told me that changed my mind entirely about kung fu is that it means "time and effort." You discover yourself and master yourself (and therefore, your world) through the deep study of... almost anything. Music, art, sport. Probably not TV...
So I realized that songwriting and performing are my kung fu. I learn about myself through songwriting and learning to confidently be in front of people, make them laugh, communicate to and entertain diverse audiences. Not everyone has a job that is their kung fu, but you can learn kung fu principles and bring them to your work. I don't know enough to give you examples on this, just sharing some thoughts. Even after my intense 6 months of training in 1992, studying the films of numerous kung fu masters (including hong kong phooey) and my 2nd place plastic trophy, I am still humble enough to admit that I don't know everything about martial arts.
Posted by Carla U.
I never thought I'd say this, but I really like Kung fu movies.
My husband has been studying all kinds of martial arts for 15 years now, and I did about 6 months' training in American Karate. I was never any good at fighting, since we never practiced sparring and I'm pretty much as pacifist anyway; I really just joined the bunch for social reasons and to get some exercise. In fact, we all went to a tournament and I took second place (out of two) in sparring. I got creamed. (point! point! point! what happened?). I took a tai chi class for a few weeks and finally quit because i was so bored... I went to a Van Damme movie in the 90s with my karate group and thought it was the biggest waste of film yet. So that was my experience with the martial arts.
Then along came Jackie Chan. Talented, funny, using slapstick and doing all his own stunts. Rush hour 1 and 2, shanghai noon- great films! Then I bought "kung fu hustle" (steven chow) in the thrift shop as a joke for my hubby- well it was *fabulous*! Now I just saw Jet Li's "fearless" which was also incredible. I mean not just the king fu, but the acting, the story, the characters, the message.
Add this to how much I love the Rocky series (minus Rocky IV) and ability to burp and command, and well, you'd never believe my name translates as "feminine."
Anyway, the thing my husband told me that changed my mind entirely about kung fu is that it means "time and effort." You discover yourself and master yourself (and therefore, your world) through the deep study of... almost anything. Music, art, sport. Probably not TV...
So I realized that songwriting and performing are my kung fu. I learn about myself through songwriting and learning to confidently be in front of people, make them laugh, communicate to and entertain diverse audiences. Not everyone has a job that is their kung fu, but you can learn kung fu principles and bring them to your work. I don't know enough to give you examples on this, just sharing some thoughts. Even after my intense 6 months of training in 1992, studying the films of numerous kung fu masters (including hong kong phooey) and my 2nd place plastic trophy, I am still humble enough to admit that I don't know everything about martial arts.