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 At the end of last year Mike Chen
from California State University interviewed Lu Yan for his Recreation and Leisure Studies Master’s project.
Mike wanted to ask Lu Yan about her experiences training Wushu when she was with the Beijing Team, and what she felt now were the most important
aspects of teaching and training Wushu.
Mike has very kindly given
us his interview for the website which we have presented here. It holds a lot of insights into the training process which would be useful for Wushu
practitioners and coaches alike. We hope you enjoy reading it!
If you would like to train with Mike at his school in Sacramento then go check out his website which we’ve added to the
links page here.
Due to the size of the interview it has been split over 4 pages thus:
- Part 1: Advice for students and Coaches
- Part 2: How to improve your Wushu
- Part 3: The Beijing and other international teams
- Part 4: Compulsory forms and other interest
On this first page of the interview Mike asks Lu Yan for her suggestions about what makes Wushu enjoyable, and she provides an insight into what she feels are
the most important challenges that a student and coach mush overcome.
Mike: What’s the most enjoyable part of training in Wushu? What’s the least enjoyable?
Lu Yan: I don't think it's especially hard. I think there's more fun than hardship.
Training in Wushu is not limited to just the benefits that come with learning new things and improving one’s ability. It includes the experience of transitioning
from not being able to, to being proficient at Wushu, which comes with a satisfying feeling.
In the process to train well, you improve on your moves. You start with one form such as basic Chang Quan, and then you move on to harder forms and weapons.
This is fun. Also, for me, living together with teammates, learning together, and eating together like family every day was fun. When I was little, I didn't
have any noticeable bitter/hardship feeling.
Mike: For your students, what is most enjoyable about training in Wushu? What is least enjoyable?
Lu Yan: As an instructor, you must make students endure hardship. Stretching pains and getting tired are all short-term “hardships.”
As an instructor you must give students a sense of interest and use your brain to figure out how to motivate each student.
Every day is different in terms of mental state and physical state. A student may have had a bad day, have other things on their minds from home, or pressures
from school. They bring their mood to the training hall. The instructor has to try to notice these things and understand students. You cannot fix everyone's personal
lives but you can adjust the workout to take their minds off of their woes prior to the workout. This is very important. Don't view the process of teaching as hardship
or tedious work.
Also you can't just give all of your attention to your favorite students or your most skilled students while leaving everyone else behind. You must teach them all.
In turn, as a teacher, seeing them improve is rewarding and fun. Making sure all students improve is rewarding and is the instructor's mission. I do this.
If a particular student has a physical limitation such as being physically unable to handle high jumps or deep stretches, then have that person concentrate on
something else. You must make everyone feel important, with a sense of worth. This makes the student willing to train and in turn the teacher can enjoy training
the student.
Mike: What is most important when practicing/training in Wushu?
Lu Yan: Follow the instructor thoroughly, fully, with complete faith. Don't have doubts about your instructor compared to other instructors.
Believe that your instructor can help you. Only then can you listen well and take to heart what the instructor says.
A smart student would take to heart what the instructor says about a move, for example, and work on that move accordingly not only by itself, but in other forms and
new situations as well. When that move or a similar move is used in the future, even if used in a different form, this student would remember what the instructor
said and adjust accordingly.
What's important is to use your head. Believe in your instructor and his/her methods. Understand your instructor.
You must have smart methodology. It’s not all about training hard everyday, doing more reps, and more hard work. Hard work is important but it's also about using
your head, thinking about what the instructor said and meant. Ask yourself, "Did I fix the moves that the instructor told me to work on?" Also pay attention to
those things you notice that the instructor didn't specifically tell you about. You can watch other athletes to see how they do things and learn a lot from
watching them. If you see a move done well, you can learn from it. Don’t just learn from your instructor and leave it at that.
Like when we at the Beijing Team trained alongside another team, we were able to learn from watching them. It was a good educational exchange experience.
A student must also ask questions. Be proactive. Ask why your moves aren't right or aren't where you think they should be. Have your instructor help you to
solve these problems. Do not train silently with mistakes day after day and let it linger.
You must use your brain in order to improve.
Mike: What is most important when teaching Wushu?
Lu Yan: When teaching Wushu, the same applies (as above). Use your head. Enable students to act on their own. When you learn something new,
you need a period of time for self-reflection, experimentation, and to try the moves yourself. Only then can you truly succeed. In this way, whether or not the student
attains a high expert level in the sport or becomes a champion depends greatly on the student's self. This teaching process is hard. Teaching students to reflect and
improve on their own outside of the instructor's direct supervision is harder than teaching them the moves.
It is very important for instructors to enable students to think on their own.
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Want to learn more about Lu Yan's Wushu Career? Visit the
Wushu Career pages
Want to learn more about training with Lu Yan? Visit the
Train with Lu Yan pages
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