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Oct. 23rd, 2004 06:47 pmSpike runs. Once around the lake.
Twice around the lake.
A third time around the lake and he stops because he should be winded but he isn't yet. The bar might be softening him in some respects, but a lifetime of training doesn't disappear that quickly, and he's been doing this since he was a kid. Running. Sprinting. Relay. Seventeen years, started when he was ten.
Martial arts came a little later, but not much. Took his first class when he was twelve, never stopped, never looked back.
At thirteen, put a sparring partner in the hospital. For three months. He didn't mean to, but the other kid wasn't paying attention. He should have gotten out of the way -- Spike would have -- but his opponent didn't, and the kid paid by not walking after that. He should have stepped aside. That's all he had to do, get out of the way of the kick. I felt like shit for that. Felt like shit for a good couple years.
(His teacher matched him more carefully after that. It wasn't Spike's fault: they didn't know. Everyone assumes their own responsibility when they step up to spar, to practice, to fight. Everyone, even the students.)
He scratches his head, slouches as he stands. That slacker pose is nothing but a lie: looking befuddled and unconcerned is an unbelievably powerful weapon. Staying loose is imperative. There's a stance called the bai-jong stance and when you're in it, you're ready for anything. On guard. Technically you're supposed to have your hands up in a defensive stance like a boxer, but he can be on guard even when he looks like he's asleep. He's done it before, lots of times. Second nature.
They say no two people ever teach Jeet Kune Do the same way. That's because you can teach the concepts better than you can teach the technique. There's not much formality in it and that's by design, and it's what Spike likes best about it. It's fluid. It changes. Never ever static, no pre-set forms because in a save-your-ass situation no one's going to go by some book. You have to be prepared for everything.
About the only thing this doesn't prepare you for is falling for a girl.
Yeah, that's about it.
Twice around the lake.
A third time around the lake and he stops because he should be winded but he isn't yet. The bar might be softening him in some respects, but a lifetime of training doesn't disappear that quickly, and he's been doing this since he was a kid. Running. Sprinting. Relay. Seventeen years, started when he was ten.
Martial arts came a little later, but not much. Took his first class when he was twelve, never stopped, never looked back.
At thirteen, put a sparring partner in the hospital. For three months. He didn't mean to, but the other kid wasn't paying attention. He should have gotten out of the way -- Spike would have -- but his opponent didn't, and the kid paid by not walking after that. He should have stepped aside. That's all he had to do, get out of the way of the kick. I felt like shit for that. Felt like shit for a good couple years.
(His teacher matched him more carefully after that. It wasn't Spike's fault: they didn't know. Everyone assumes their own responsibility when they step up to spar, to practice, to fight. Everyone, even the students.)
He scratches his head, slouches as he stands. That slacker pose is nothing but a lie: looking befuddled and unconcerned is an unbelievably powerful weapon. Staying loose is imperative. There's a stance called the bai-jong stance and when you're in it, you're ready for anything. On guard. Technically you're supposed to have your hands up in a defensive stance like a boxer, but he can be on guard even when he looks like he's asleep. He's done it before, lots of times. Second nature.
They say no two people ever teach Jeet Kune Do the same way. That's because you can teach the concepts better than you can teach the technique. There's not much formality in it and that's by design, and it's what Spike likes best about it. It's fluid. It changes. Never ever static, no pre-set forms because in a save-your-ass situation no one's going to go by some book. You have to be prepared for everything.
About the only thing this doesn't prepare you for is falling for a girl.
Yeah, that's about it.
