learning kuntao

When I was learning KunTao in 1971 in a forested area beside a broken down building the other students, 6 of them - 5 were police officers & they all mentioned 'dao' often. They were speaking in Chinese of course & I was trying to copy what to do. My training partner was a garage mechanic with basic English. The teacher gave me a note in Chinese & a sketch map with the park & Farrer Roadwith the number of the tailor. I knew Farrer Road because that's where I was based as a Specialist Music teacher @ the ECA centre. So I went to the tailor & got measured up for a pair of black training pants with ties on the ankles. I still have those pants, sturdy but somewhat faded now. And I collected a wide long black band. The next lesson the students gathered around while I stood with my hands pointed to the sky, belly in & the teacher instructing - 2 of my classmates tied the band around me VERY firmly. Then I was back with my partner to slapping, punching, poking the huge sandbags that were suspended from the old rafters. For 15 minutes after an hour or so of that we crouched beside an large pot that people in the west use for planting shrubs sometimes & soaked our arms in 'herbal soup' medicine. Our teacher was an acupuncturist. I didn't find out about that for a couple of months. When he inserted acupuncture needles he used a solution that smelled exactly like the one we soaked in. I went home every night smelling of the stuff & was instructed on to wash until the morning. The amazing thing I thought at the time was that the training didn't affect the flexibilty of my fingers & I was able to play piano as well if not better than ever. One evening the teacher looked at me & said something. I asked my training partner, a garage mechanic with basic English what shensin was saying. He said, 'like a bear but very fast.'  In 1972 Ah Keng taught me a basic Taijiquan loosening exercise. Many years later I found out that the name of that pattern is called 'constant bear.'