The second day of the Inosanto seminar went better than the first day for me. The pace was slightly less frenetic, and I felt more in tune with what was going on. Perhaps it's just a simple resignation on my part that I wasn't meant to get everything at once all the time, but instead to take whatever I can and run with it.
Having my friend as a drill partner helped a lot throughout the second day... he pointed out one or two things I didn't know or understand, and I pointed out one or two things he didn't know or understand... and it was done, and I guess we both got a common benefit from the seminar as a result. As it should be.
Guro Nick Sacoulas was super-helpful throughout the day, helping out all his students whenever he wasn't working out with one of the other instructors at the seminar. There will be plenty to work on once we're all back in PMAA for training.
One thing I wanted to share is my observation that Guro Inosanto, despite his legendary status and skills, is also quite a warm, humble human being. Most instructors do the demonstrations on their students, lending the aura of invincibility to themselves, the appearance of being nearly untouchable. Guro Inosanto, on the other hand, let his chief assistant do all the crazy super techniques and disarms on him, often explaining the technique as the assistant continued to "finish him off" with a rapid swirl of sinawali. This is not to say Inosanto didn't have a counter, as every once in a while somebody would ask "how to counter?" and he'd just go, "Oh, like this", and the audience would "ooh and aah" as he'd dismantle the once-invincible assistant in equally impressive fashion. Like I said in my previous post, he moves much faster and is much stronger than you'd imagine a 70 year old man to be. His willingness to have his assistant do all the techniques on him for demonstration shows tremendous humility and non-concern for such archaic Chinese and Japanese need to show "face", almost as if he was saying "He's kicking ass because I taught him to do that, and I'm proud of him and sure of myself.".
A Kali demonstration can get awfully hazardous whenever there is disarms involved. Sometimes during the demonstrations the sticks and training knives get ejected so forcefully the dislodged weapons just go flying into the audience... it was a miracle nobody got hurt!
After the seminar ended, there was a brief ceremony when they handed out certificates to those who attended both days of the seminar. Everybody got to shake Guro Inosanto's hand, and it was a great honor. I'm probably going to laminate or frame the certificate to preserve it.
Afterwards, like a masochist, I went for an hour of kung fu training. I don't know why I push my body to such extremes now, but I'm liking it. And looking for more.
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