Summers in America can be kind of boring when you are a kid, so you have to get creative in finding activities to keep yourself occupied. One summer afternoon while watching an old kung-fu movie on TV, I decided I wanted to learn this mysterious form of combat. I thought that being able to punch, jump and kick like the guys in the movies would make me look really cool.
Lucky for me, I had a neighbor who was Chinese, and I figured in stereotypical American fashion that all Chinese knew how to do kung-fu. So, I approached the aging Mr. Chiu while he was working in his garden and asked him if he would be willing to teach me. With a bit of reluctance, he agreed to pass on what he knew from his younger days in China. I was told to come back the next day. |
With great anticipation, I showed up bright and early the next morning with hot kung-fu moves on the brain. Mr. Chiu greeted me with a kind smile, and then he proceeded to tell me to stand in a slight squatting position. It didn’t seem very exciting to me, but I acquiesced. Next, he helped me place my arms properly at my side with fists lightly clenched and facing towards the sky. His instructions after this were almost too simple to comprehend: “Stand in this position for about twenty minutes. You can go home and practice this and come back tomorrow.”
To cut a long story short, there was no tomorrow for me. While trying to maintain that stance for just a few minutes, my thighs were burning and my knees trembling. It was then and there that I learned two things. First, I wanted to become a director of kung-fu movies instead of a performer of this most ancient of martial arts. Second, I realized that Mr. Chiu was a truly wise man.
To cut a long story short, there was no tomorrow for me. While trying to maintain that stance for just a few minutes, my thighs were burning and my knees trembling. It was then and there that I learned two things. First, I wanted to become a director of kung-fu movies instead of a performer of this most ancient of martial arts. Second, I realized that Mr. Chiu was a truly wise man.
*The details above are true and took place around 1984 or 85. I'm sure The Karate Kid movie had nothing to do with these events. Unfortunately, my movie directing aspirations didn't work out.