House of Flying Pucks

Snow falls softly on ground of ice. There is burning cold when wind blow through courtyard. The snail, he only emerge in folly. Wise man say, "When goalkeepers train, there is martial beauty in clumsiness." The snail stays. He frozen.

In House of Flying Pucks, shifu squats tall in front of class. He ready. Behind mask; his eyes ready. Class squat in courtyard; this frog stance. Thirty trainees, full padding; warm in cold. Snowflakes collect on tree branch. When they fall, class begin.

Shifu can feel the snowflake, the last one, falling from sky. He knows. He feel it drift down from the heavens. It comes closer to branch. It whips in wind, closer still. Wise man say (I think he same guy), "When you know how powder fly, it never startle when in face." He wise.

Snowflake tickles branch; then snow fall! Suddenly, all in unison; Broken-leg horse manoeuvre, into split-trouser gymnast! Thrusting knee, to twisted-ankle shrew begs-in-market! Elephant's-trunk leap, basic roly-poly, shift into monkey-falls-from-tree flailing-limb attack! Twisting matrix-catch, sliding gator-save, into baby-sits-on-ice!

Shifu pulls hockey stick from back-strapped scabbard. Shing! It shines, reflects sun through clouds. Then, hits pucks at trainees, Puck! Puck! Puck! Puck! Each one adopts stance to catch puck: Cowering beaver face-catch! Twisted-snake-on-oil dive! Gasping- fish thrusting-pelvis! Shifu pleased.

Now – for 10 minutes – all punch each other in face.

It inspires to see from clumsiness, flowers such beauty.