9 Weeks to the City To Surf & I’m Not Doing Any Running

Image by Clemson via Flickr

It is now nine weeks to go until this year’s City To Surf is being run and for the first time ever I am going to be lacing up my sneakers and joining over 70,000 people running the 14km route. However, at the moment, I am not doing any running, not because I am extremely fit and can run this distance easily, in fact, I am at the completely opposite end of the scale. The reason why I am not doing any running is that in just 10 days time I will be grading for my brown belt (1st belt) in Kung Fu and thus I am spending all my normal workout time practising all I need to know to pass.
To pass I need to be able to perform the following:

Stance

The feet to be apart by one shoulder width
1. Slow-reverse punch from the hip under tension
2. Fast punching open handed block from the centre line
3. Punch mid-section, backfist strike face
4. Elbow block mid-section
5. Elbow block mid-section, backfist strike face
6. Open handed outer block, palm heel strike face
7. Elbow block mid-section, backfist strike to the face, vertical fist
8. Rising elbow block to the side of the head, upper cut, elbow strike
9. Snap kick to groin

Horse stance
1. Single punch to the mid-section
2. Three punches – upper, middle, lower
3. Stepping sideways in horse stance
4. Step, arrow fist, backfist strike
5. Horse stance, cat stance while punching 45 degree towards centre

Side forward stance
1. Punch, rising block, palm heel strike
2. Double dragon punch
3. Upper cut
4. Short upper cut

Dragon Stance
1. Punch

Forward stance
1. Move forward straight punch to mid-section
2. Move backward straight punch to mid-section
3. Punch, backfist – moving
4. Elbow block, backfist – moving
5. Elbow block, backfist, vertical punch – moving
6. Reverse punch to the face then to the mid-section
7. Kick and chop, backfist strike

Kicks
1. Front kick

Kata
Kata 1 – by number & in own timing

Self Defence
Set responses to:
1. Front choke
2. Front double wrist grab
3. Rear double wrist grab
4. Swing punch

I know all the moves but now I have to get them technically correct.  According to the higher grade students, I am doing really well for a beginner and should have no problems passing, but my ultra competitive side doesn’t want to just pass, I want to do really well.  We get graded on each individual move from an A to a C, with a B- being a passing grade.  I would love to get all As,  so I am practising every day to improve all my moves.  Running is taking a back seat until my grading is over with and then I will be pounding the pavement once again.