The Most Senior Wushu West Student

After 15 months since his last visit, it's nice to have Mark back at Wushu West, visiting the Bay Area while on his way to Seattle for his sister's wedding.  After his flight from Hong Kong he came to Wushu West from the airport, bags still in hand, and with not much sleep helped out with class, teaching Pierre a first section for his new individual nanquan form. 

James, Mark, Pierre and Jinzi

I was impressed that he was able to come up with a form for Pierre so quickly and it speaks to his many years of experience with wushu and nanquan.  After 13 years he still is dedicated to helping others who are studying wushu and the students seemed to appreciate his time and effort.

On Sunday I asked him to lead class and he put everyone through their paces.  There was a lot of focus on basics and fundamentals and he also introduced some good nanquan basics to the routine.  Different combinations emphasizing different fundamentals from the experience he's picked up in his 3 years in China and Hong Kong with different wushu teams, athletes and coaches.  It's great that he is able to come back and share his knowledge and understanding with his old classmates at Wushu West. 

The students seemed to enjoy the workout.  Again he taught Pierre another section of his individual nanquan form.  It is difficult to create a form for someone and keep in mind the specific requirements and needs of that student, but he's done a good job creating a form for Pierre.

I must say that, even though he's my student, I think he is one of the top nanquan people in the U.S.  He has a deep understanding of the style that a lot of other students don't pick up, and certainly being involved in wushu for 13 years is a big part of that.  Many other athletes have long since lost their fire for wushu by 10 years, but he is still very passionate about it and I think that is admirable.

We also had a good time hanging out outside of class.  We took a trip to Fenton's for ice cream and ate way too much!  Right now I have a girl named Jinzi staying with me for 3 weeks of intensive wushu training.  Everyday we are training and during the first week she was very sore, but now she has done a good job dealing with the pressure and now is acclimating to the situation.  We are focusing on lots of basics, double broadsword and eagle claw.

Jinzi, Mark and Me

Even though June is a very busy month, it is very enjoyable to have students, both old and new, visiting me and showing their dedication to wushu.  Over the years I've been lucky to have so many students who take their training seriously, but also are good people on the inside.  As an instructor and coach it makes me very proud to see my students doing well.  It makes me proud of what I have been able to do, and proud of them to see what they have accomplished.