Bando

Our group for Bando (a type of Myanmar martial arts) has undergone some small changes and we are now with more people. We all enjoy it even though we all get different things out of it.

Our teacher is the coolest guy ever. He is in his late fifties and we all think he is great. He speaks virtually no English and often skips a number when counting out loud. Apart from counting, his English extends to ‘teacher, ok?’ , a question he often asks if he wants to check if we can handle something more. He seems to go at just the right pace, faster when we are ready for it, slower when we seem more tired or need some revision.

Two of the group have now done the complete 63 steps of the basic poses. I have gotten as far as 55 and have done the routine once completely but without further explanation about the last steps.

I enjoy it tremendously. Much more than I thought I would. Last weekend I was even terribly disappointed when I suddenly realized that we had a holiday on Tuesday and therefore wouldn’t have Bando classes.

We have now also started on some other techniques. I haven’t figured out yet how I have to integrate these new ‘actions’ in the Bando scheme of things but I’m confident that it will all fall into place in the next couple of years. Apparently, it takes a while to clear the beginner stage….