how do you protect yourself?

[stonecrusher69]

Something more than "keep your hands up" would help a lot too. (That's what I hear from my partners, although they seem to get more hits in than I do.

kung fu is a long road of hard training and learning.Right now ,I would not be overly concerned of getting hit to much when you spar.You learn from your mistakes not by what you do right.Ask your sifu what your doing wrong and work on what you need to do to correct it.I dont think anyone here can give you a simple answer because you could be doing a thousand mistakes.Workon your basics and in time you'll do better.

[Goju_boi]

well said.It would also help us if he said what exactly he practices so that someone of that style an give some pointers.

[raven91]

well said.It would also help us if he said what exactly he practices so that someone of that style an give some pointers.

I'm actually a girl

Once again, I truly apologise for not being specific about the style i practice... I guess it comes with being a Newbie. Thank you very much for your advice - both stonecrusher69 and goju_boi.

This is the website of my Kwoon:

http://www.shaolincenter.com/

Thanks again! I hope I didn't make a bad impression.

[Goju_boi]

you didn't make a bad impression don't worry about that.Youre a begginer,we have all been there,I'm still kind of there too.as for your school it says shaolin , but it doesn't specify what type.I'm guessing it's a northern shaolin school by the looks of it.then again the website said that it was mixed with other kung fu styles, so I guess you should ask.

[giang_hu]

I've said this in a previous post but it also applies here: Whatever you learn, take it and understand why you are training what you are training. Without trust in your style, your time at your kwoon will be useless because your reflexes during a fight will not be what you have learned.

[raven91]

I agree with you. Sometimes I don't feel confident at all, especially when I am sparring with a higher rank such a second degree belt. My Kwoon is composed mainly of guys (maybe five women total) and all of them are really tall and muscular. It can be rather intimidating sometimes to fight them, even though I know that my moves (even if less perfected) are still just as effective.

Confidence is a major issue I suppose.

[Goju_boi]

youre fighting grown men?how old are you?Also don't worry about the ratio of women to men,it's like that in most schools.I've even seen classes where theres only one girl.Also your school uses the belt system?I always see kung fu people with no ranking system or a sash system.Unless it's a kempo school.

[giang_hu]

Having a black belt in kung fu is equivalent to passing a special education class.

[raven91]

youre fighting grown men?how old are you?Also don't worry about the ratio of women to men,it's like that in most schools.I've even seen classes where theres only one girl.Also your school uses the belt system?I always see kung fu people with no ranking system or a sash system.Unless it's a kempo school.

I am 18 years old. I do fight grown men - although they try to go easy on me.

We do indeed have a belt system and a sash system, but sashes are for internal arts.

[stonecrusher69]

are you practing Tai Chi?