Chop the chicken, not the chopping board!
TweetA long time ago, when I was preparing a lunch for my kung fu instructor Dennis and other students, I was on the receiving end of what Man. Utd players affectionately call 'the hairdryer' treatment.
"Chop the chicken, not the chopping board!" he screamed at me. I was using one of the big traditional meat cleavers, and wildly smacking away at the chicken trying to cut it into little pieces.
I was reminded of this watching (of all things) the recent Ip Man 3 film - in it, one of the characters repeats a principle of our martial arts: 留力，不留手 (liu li, bu liu shou). It means "leave your force behind, not your hand", and the idea is that when you punch your opponent, you shouldn't leave your hand hanging out there ready to be grabbed or struck.
As I get older, life tends to teach me to forget about posturing and 'looking good', and concentrate on achieving an outcome. When Dennis shouted at me to cut the chicken correctly, it was another reminder that your every action should have a distinct outcome - when your outcomes are mixed up (ie. hitting the wood and not the chicken) then something is wrong.
I guess, if anything, this is why intensive study of martial arts or any other demanding physical discipline is so beneficial for many people - the lessons you learn affect your whole life and as you grow, your study grows with you.