Sifu will be out of town for the month of June, which means no one else will be at training besides me. I don’t mind, though. It gives me more time to focus on the sets I’m currently learning.
Sifu wants me to concentrate on Chinese Stick Fighting, so today I spent most of my training session working on the six-foot stick (staff) set. I managed to learn all 36 movements. Now it’s simply a matter of practicing it a few times each day until the movements become second nature.
During this morning’s solo session, I played music while I trained. For a while, I had the theme from Ip Man on repeat. I recently rewatched all four films in the series. What I appreciate most about those movies is Ip Man’s relationship with his wife. I had actually forgotten that he dies in the fourth installment. Part of me was still waiting for an Ip Man 5.
Listening to the Ip Man theme reminded me of another film and soundtrack that I thoroughly enjoyed: Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. It was one of those rare Hollywood films in which an Asian American actor took the lead role. Even now, I find it remarkable that the film was made. Asian American representation in Hollywood has always been limited, and what representation does exist isn’t always the best.
Now that I’m actually practicing kung fu and have learned more about Wing Chun, I can appreciate just how much research the filmmakers put into Dragon. It wasn’t something hastily assembled to make a quick profit. They took the subject seriously, and I think the film benefited because of it. In my opinion, it remains the best Bruce Lee biopic ever made.
Sometimes I wonder whether my own Sifu ever experienced the same resistance Bruce Lee faced when he wanted to teach martial arts to non-Chinese students. Perhaps the Central Valley was different from San Francisco, and he never encountered that sort of racial gatekeeping. I’ll have to ask him someday.
Thinking about Dragon also led me to another idea: maybe it’s time to get into the best shape I can, much like Bruce Lee sought to do. Not exactly like Bruce Lee, of course, but the best shape possible for my 44-year-old self.
Fight-fit by 50.
I’ve had that thought before, but I lacked the discipline to follow through. The question now is whether I’ll have the discipline this time. I’ll be 45 in October. Let’s see how much progress I can make.
My Musha Shugyo - 私の武者修行 