I've got you...you bastard!

You know when you're training and you're having issues with a particular concept, technique, or manoeuvre? You've been told what to do, how to do it and WHY to do it. You've been practicing for ages...and it doesn't work right. It's frustrating. Its downright despicable and you start to fret that you'll never get it, or that there's something physical/psychological wrong with you which is inhibiting you from doing this thing correct?
Bong Sao is my bane. Its had me questioning my ability, my sanity, and more importantly...my ability to understand instructions. Its been difficult and its been a roller-coaster.

To paraphrase Hillary, "I've knocked the bastard off it!!"
Only, in this case, the "bastard" is the veneer of mystery in understanding how to do Bong Sao effectively. And I've knocked the bastard off of Bong Sao.
The mystery is gone. All that remains difficulty, maintenance, practice and perseverance. There are probably other things to list there but I've just arrived at work and I'm nesting through my morning Moccachino (I can't deal with full strength coffee, so back up coffee snobs...I'm a kung fu mang!).

Last night at training there were only 4 of us, what I'd call the more senior of the bunch...merely meaning that we'd all been training together longer than others.And considering its winter, it was a pretty good turnout.
Senior-student-teacher guy and I are heading to Melbourne for a WSL meet'n'greet. Lots of WSL folk, including Chan Kim Man, will be attending. Because of this, Senior-student-teacher guy is motivating us all to spend more time rolling.
Sure I still don't have many entries into Chi Sao. However, my rolling was good, I disrupted my partners structure, and I was always able to shut them down and maintain control of My centre.

Most importantly is that I was able to roll for MINUTES without my rotator-cuffs screaming. If I put aside the WC specific improvements, merely experiencing chi sao without shoulder pain is phenomenally good. It's annoyance factor was huge. Think...you're wearing tight shoes, and there's a sharp stone in your shoe...its digging into the softest, most sensitive part of your foot. Now make that stone half an inch tall. THAT is what my shoulders feel like normally.

To be honest I'm feeling a little euphoric, and almost religious, about the whole thing.

So the point of this entry is simple.

Stick at it.
Sure, it may seem unachievable, if not merely difficult. But its not. You're body is awaiting an alignment of purpose and understanding. A congruent connection between mind and muscle without any attempts to micro-manage each manoeuvre. 
Additionally, I believe, we have to be thinking about WC every day. Not all the time of course, that's a little obsessive and creepy.
Consider what it is that you could be doing to improve your <insert concept/technique/manoeuvre> in the context of what you're trying to achieve.

- For me vs Bong Sao, my issue is pain in my shoulder caused by an increased load in a non-linear fashion.
- To fix this I've been told to work on my elbow moving in a linear motion perpendicular to my body, from down to up, rather than arcing out away from the body and then back in. (I think I'd been doing it this way from fear I'd miss a punch that went wide, not realising that I have other tools in my arsenal to deal with this strkies).
- My thoughts have been of using this motion. Repeating this motion. Aligning this idea with the 'rules-of-engagement' for Bong Sao. My intention is always aimed at my opponents centre. Keeping a strong structure, not having my weight too much in any particular direction (ie. no leaning in, no weighing down on my partner). Keeping the lines of force-transferal from my Bong connected to either my heel, my hip, or both (this means I'm no longer using my shoulder to lift weight, or as a lever). Disrupt my opponents structure by up-rooting them (by having my 'force' coming up from the ground, and thus from under my partners limbs, I'm able to keep a forward intention without being too heavy-handed and i undermine their structure. The force coming up on an angle redirects the resultant forces back into my feet, thus the ground. Keeping my bong motion perpendicular to my body allows me to bring my elbow into the centre at the end of the motion without creating a force that moves across the body. As I understand it, though I'm open to correction, Kwan Sao is the only one that moves across the body, thus this motion is to be avoided otherwise.
So this bong motion allows control of the centre and convinces (or at least it did last night) the partner otherwise, and they over commit.

Funny though, when I thought too much about my Bong Sao mid-Chi sao, either it would fall apart or my Jaam Sao would. Good times. And so much to work on!

Happy training everyone, about time I got back to work!