WushuKicks Exclusive Interview with Alfred Hsing World Wushu Championships Gold Medalist

Original post at: http://www.wushukicks.com/chinese-martial-arts/wushukicks-exclusive-interview-with-alfred-hsing-world-wushu-championships-gold-medalist/

alfred hsing gold medalist at world wushu championships

These are the full responses to interview questions for Alfred Hsing (First US Wushu Taolu Gold Medalist at the 10th World Wushu Championships in Toronto, Canada) posed by Kung Fu Magazine in Q & A form exclusive at WushuKicks.com

Let’s start the Q&A –

How did you train for competition?

It was actually very tough to train for this competition. I think a

lot of other US wushu team members would agree that after the US Team

Trial competition you feel a little burnt out from training. I trained

as intense as I possibly could to ensure I could make the US team

because making the US wushu team has been a lifelong dream of mine.

After 3-4 months of rigorous training when you make the team, you

realize you have to keep it up for another 4-5 months. Imagine running

a 26.2 mile marathon but right when you approach the finish line, you

are told you have to run another 26.2 miles non stop. That’s how I

felt.

Training for this competition became more of a mental challenge than a

physical struggle. I was already at the peak of my physical skill

level in terms of being able to perform the difficulty moves like 540

outsides, butterfly twist to tornado kick, and so on. Also, at the

time I was training for worlds I had a full time job, my own side

business, and classes to teach so it was very tiring getting myself to

practice.

I usually train by myself and it gets very boring sometimes. Something

that helped me the most was training with people who are excited about

wushu as well. When others are excited it helps to keep you motivated.

Also training with people who are at an elite level is also motivating

and it pushes you to want to do better.

In training for the World Championships I knew that there would be no

room for mistakes so I practiced focusing on perfection. Perfect

speed, perfect difficulty moves, perfect stances, everything. I did

not hit everything all the time, but whenever I would mess up on a

jump or spin or kick I wouldn’t let myself go until I re-did it and

did a clean successful one. Every time I practiced a full form, I

would pretend it was the real thing – that this was the ONE that

counted. We train so many hours and years just for that 1 minute and

20 seconds on the carpet which is why it is so important to over train

your abilities to the point where you could do all the moves 10 times

perfectly in your sleep.

**What was it like to win the medal? What do you think of your performance at

the medal-winning event? What feelings did you have before, during, and

after the event?**

Winning the medal was everything I dreamed it would be. It was also a

little unreal that such a big dream became a reality so fast. It’s a

little bittersweet that I don’t get to wake up chasing that big dream

anymore, but it just means I have to set bigger goals.

I am absolutely proud of my performance in my medal winning event. In

fact I am happy with all of my events. The day of my events I did not

think about medals or places. I just wanted to give my best possible

performance and enjoy the moment and I did that so I have no regrets.

A lot of people said it would be impossible to win a gold medal at the

World Wushu Championships, but the few people who didn’t know much

about wushu that said “go for the gold” made me think that it was

possible. I adjusted my mindset a few weeks before the competition and

felt that it was achievable. When you don’t believe you can do it of

course you won’t be able to.

Before my actual event I was relatively calm. I put in my time

training and I was prepared. I came to do my best and wasn’t competing

with anyone else there except myself so there was nothing else to do

but wait for my turn. After I finished my form I felt really good. I

knew I nailed everything. My score came out on the monitor and it said

9.72 and tentatively I was in first place after only four other

competitors. There were still many competitors behind me. It was

actually more nerve racking after my performance because each score

after mine could have potentially bumped me down. After all the

competitors had gone, “Alfred Hsing” was still 1st on the monitor. I

was relieved and excited that I had accomplished it. After

accomplishing such a goal, I realize what the saying “It’s not the

destination, it’s the journey” means.

**You were selected to the C team in 2007. Do you feel that anything changed

(your training, your attitude, etc.) between then and now to enable you to

progress to the point where you could win a gold medal at the worlds?**

Not too much really changed with how I train. It was more about

preparedness. I tried out in 2003 and did not make the team and after

that I almost gave up. Also I became really busy with college and

work. I basically stopped training and competing until 2006 when I

noticed a lot of people I knew continued to advance in wushu. My

hunger to make the US team and compete at worlds never died. I trained

really hard from 2006-2007 which allowed me to catch back up to a top

level US standard, but still it wasn’t enough. I was at a crossroads-

get back to reality and focus on my career or risk my corporate job

and focus on wushu for another 2 years. I chose wushu. Instead of

giving up, my hunger to make the team only grew. Failing to make the

“A” team in 2007 infuriated me to the point that I vowed I would be so

much better that there would be no doubt I would make the A team at

the next team trials. I went to a lot more competitions, got more

experience, and made sure to fix all my mistakes from 2007. By the

time 2009 rolled around I was a lot more confident because I prepared

off the competition carpet. I think since I wasn’t willing to settle

and I made a point in my practices to not make a single mistake that

the training carried over to my results at worlds games as well.

**What memories do you have of the championships? The city? The rest of the

team (other athletes, officials)? The organizers? The venue?**

I am going to have great memories of my trip to Toronto, Canada for

the 10th World Wushu Championships, not just because of the victory in

my competition but because of all the interlaced positive memories I

have had in the city. It just so happened that along with bringing

home a good score, I also had great teammates that all got along, a

good roommate on the trip, a venue in Toronto that was close enough

for my parents and friends to come watch, and so on. I was very

honored that I had the fortune of having my parents there witnessing

such an important moment in my life. I also met great people from

around the world and ran into international friends that I had trained

with from abroad. I have not been to past World Championships so I can

not compare, but the organizing committee aimed to be as professional

and organized as possible. I want to thank everyone who was involved

in the event, my US wushu teammates for being awesome, my parents for

all their help and support, and all coaches far and near who have

given me advice and help whether it was for a day or for many years.

Thanks again everyone for your support!

-Alfred Hsing

*you can see more clips of alfred at his personal website www.alfredrocks.com