11 Seconds

I have eleven seconds for my portion of the demo. That’s it.

In those eleven seconds, I find myself fighting two instincts.

The first is to rush. If I move fast enough, maybe I can squeeze in more than two techniques. But the faster I go, the more my technique starts to fall apart. Stances get shallow, transitions get sloppy, and the movement stops looking like Kung Fu. I know better. Technique always comes first, and speed should grow out of correct movement—not replace it.

The second instinct is to modify the form. When space, timing, and audience position come into play, suddenly the form isn’t the form anymore. Angles change. Movements get adjusted. And yes, sometimes that’s just to avoid showing my butt to the audience. These are the compromises that come with performing instead of training.

So what do you do with eleven seconds?

You can’t show everything. You can’t tell the whole story. All you can do is make the best use of the time you’re given. For me, that means choosing clarity over quantity, and solid technique over rushed movement.

Eleven seconds isn’t much—but it’s enough to show what matters.