The Transition - from Karate to Kung Fu

I've been doing Kung Fu for 3 or 4 weeks now. While I still enjoy it, I must admit I miss being an "advanced student" like I was in karate. It's not just about being able to do the advanced forms, techniques, etc., which are more fun. It's about being good at what you do. In karate, I could walk into class with confidence and feel good about my performance at end of the class. I can focus on such things as speed, power, and fine tuning since I have the fundamentals down. In Kung Fu, however, I'm a clueless nobody (they call us "novices") stumbling around trying to master a single stance. Looking at myself, I almost can't believe I actually have a black belt.

Kung Fu is very different from karate. Even between karate schools there are usually some slight variations in techniques. However, none have been so significant. With Kung Fu, my body has to forget a lot of what became muscle memory. From pivoting on my heel, to the positioning of blocks and strikes, to the fluidity of forms - my prior experience in another style actually hinders me as I have to retrain my muscles. About the only thing that seemed to carry over is my flexibility and ability to kick. Even then, wearing shoes during training takes a bit of getting used to.

It's been a long time since I was a beginner in karate, but it seems like there's more to learn as a novice in Kung Fu. In karate, there are 13 ranks, or kyus, until you reach black belt. Generally you learn an average of 1 form per rank, amongst other things. Here, I haven't even been going for a month and I've already learned 7 forms. Sure, they are probably the most basic of forms, but as a novice Kung Fu fighter, it's a lot to take in. There's doing the form, and then there's doing the form right. Placement of every part of your body from your finger tips to your toes has to be precise. To complicate matters, each form looks almost completely different from the rest. At the moment I barely have the movements memorized. I still have to think through most of it. I am wondering how long it will be before it all becomes second nature.

At the moment I'm only going twice a week since my weekends have been booked with visitors. Clearly, this isn't going to cut it. Even the beginners who wear a gold sash (novices wear white) look like they've been training for years. As soon as I can clear out my schedule, I'm going to have to bump this up to 3 or 4 times a week. Still, for the forseeable future, I have to be patient, keep working on the fundamentals, and look at the more advanced students with envy and awe.