9/14/09

Stage Combat: Friday we started learning shoulder rolls, we also had to do those killer frog-jump things and then my legs were stiff and hurt all weekend. At one point I had to have my friend Ben help me up off my couch. It's better now, but if this is the way it's gonna be I better have the most amazing legs you've ever seen by the end of this! Hahaha anywho, started learning the great combination today. It's really hard to get the reaction for the slap and make it still look like a natural part of the fight. After the shove they're not really ready to defend the slap so it always takes a while to get their attention and make sure they're ready and it slows the progress of the fight and makes it look kinda hokey. I also find that when I'm getting kicked in the face I tend to move my hands together when I see the other person's foot move, so the nap never comes when it should. I think that's why it's so hard to stay in distance when someone is coming in for the hit, because when you see someone moving toward you you have an instinct to move away. This makes it super important (I think) to practice it in slow motion, so you can get used to trusting your partner, because you know exactly what they're gonna do.