Labion
Member
Due to the whole Covid situation, any and all none essential businesses are closed. Including regular gyms, fight gyms, and martial arts schools. Right now it is a difficult time for athletes. BUT just because thing is hard does NOT mean it is impossible. Even for those with only a little bit of space, training is still possible.
Some things i want to point out:
As martial artists, we spend more time in our regular lives not fighting and not doing our arts. In a day there are 24 hours, and a majority of it is spent with daily tasks, sleep, work, general maintenance, etc. When you train especially during this time, train with FOCUS and INTENT. I cannot stress this enough. Know and accept no matter if you have a partner, equipment, bags/dummies, that any and all training you do will drastically and greatly improve your advancement in whatever art you do in a positive and beneficial way.
If possible try getting equipment. Do what you can at this time. Dont buy anything unnecessary like a century Bob. Prioritize bare basic training equipment. Nothing flashy or "modernized" which usually is triple the cost and ineffective.
Equipment:
Standard mma gloves or boxing gloves , gel hand wraps, hand wraps, finger tape and shin guards
For striking combat sports, the standard heavy bag and speed bag are just fine. If those are not possible a freestanding bag can be a temporary substitute. However i strongly recommend the standard bags. Free standing bags tend to move a lot, make a lot of noise in some cases, and easily tip over. Another thing is the height isnt very good for taller people. It becomes easier to knock down the higher you adjust it.
For kung fu try to get a dummy. There is really no alternative for dummy training or dummy forms. If a dummy is not possible other equipment you can use are speed ball, and wall bag.
Free standing bag is debatable. It may be ok in some instances. Though the problems mentioned above are still an issue, the free standing bag uses foam rather than sand or water. It is a better material to use on kung fu hand positions. Use it more for some basic technique purposes. I still highly recommend avoiding it if possible.
STAY AWAY FROM SPRING LOADED EQUIPMENT.
Spring loaded dummies are bs. They in no way shape or form help growth in kung fu. They can actually damage your abilities. For wing chun, those spring dummies are made specifically for lineages who do chi sao as something based on sensativity. Do not do drills that you need a partner for without a partner. Chi sao needs live resistance and active awareness of another person to respond to the actions. The springs are no substitute for a person.
Dummy wall attachments are not the same as regular dummies either. Again, there is no way to do a dummy form without an actual dummy unless you hold back power and skill, which can damage your overall ability.
For grapplers it may be a bit harder since those arts really as independent when it comes to training. I know there is no real substitute for a person. Grappling dummies, inflatable free standing striking dummies, and a body ball(mostly for wrestlers)
Overall exercise:
Satanic yoga:
Flexibility is important for any art. Stiffness can cause problems in the spine. Stretching will make sure your muscles will not become too adapted or grow in a way to prevent action in different positions.
Regular stretching: Stretching aids flexibility. Remember to stretch the core and waist. That is where power is stored. If the hips are too stiff you cannot turn. If the core is too stiff it limits movements as well. Obviously other areas are important but not a lot of people remember the entire body works as a unit. Without the center of your body you cannot punch or kick. Everything works together.
Horse stance:
The human body naturally has natural limitations and control on power. Again, we spend most of our day not fighting or training. Some people spend their entire lives not discovering their bodys true potential. Same happens in martial arts. The reason why traditionally martial artists dont need to be buff or shredded is because we work to undo that mental blockage of strength when training. That explains the vast amounts of focus on conditioning, forms, and drills. For instance when we are emotional or under pressure, adrenaline unlocks more of the bodys potential. BUT this is only by a small percentage. The human body is pretty strong on its own but there will be a different topic in the near future that will go further into detail on that. The horse stance works to undo the brains limitation on the legs. We arent used to bending down and staying down. In fact, when we bend down we are expecting to eventually stand back up. So the brain knows the legs dont need to use much power in those instances. This stance puts more pressure on the legs and isolates the lower body from upper body. Meaning there is no way to cheat the stance without breaking it. It also works on developing power and duration for low stances. The better you are at low stances the more power youre able to generate. Always try to go as low as possible.
Push ups, sit ups, squats, jumping jacks, speed rope, planks, etc. Any exercise you can think of that does not require a machine or external source.
If you have weights, i recommend light free weights. About 5-15 pounds. Again we don't need to be buff. We just need to be able to access our full potential in the most natural way possible. But keep in mind no amount of bicep curls can train a punch. Only a punch trains a punch. If you intent to use weights on hands or feet, remember your body fights resistance. Newtons third law of motion, every action is met with an equal or opposite reaction. The weights weigh you down. So when you punch with a weight, rather than going completely straight, your energy is dispersed between forward(to accomplish the punch) and upwards(to resist the weight). To lift something up and to strike are completely different actions and should not be treated as one or the same.
Shadow boxing: shadow boxing is great if there is no partner. And it helps workout your mind too. It shows how quick you can think of moves, combination, angles, how fluid you can be, etc. When you train try to go all out sometimes to increase endurance. Slow and steady for technique, fast and forceful for power and endurance. Both are extremely important.
Forms: always do the traditional art forms, whether it is kung fu, karate, taekwondo, etc. The forms are the guidelines to the system. They show you what body mechanics to use and work on.
Remember to keep a healthy diet. Try to make healthy choices if possible. It helps maintain your body.
Last thing is keep record of everything you learn. Have a notebook and write down what you learned about your system. Its easy to forget things like meaning of forms, purpose of certain mechanics, reasoning of certain movements, etc. Who knows how long this whole covid thing will last. Its a good idea to start writing everything you know and keep training. To be good at a system you need to expose yourself to it physically and mentally. Surround yourself with its influence and you will receive a true understanding of it and its principles.
I am also currently working on a pdf file which will go into a lot of detail regarding the reason why traditional arts are failing and why there is no kung fu in mma. It will be extremely descriptive and full of detail. So it may take a while before i finish it. But it will indeed be finished and posted on here when it is.
Hail Satan
Some things i want to point out:
As martial artists, we spend more time in our regular lives not fighting and not doing our arts. In a day there are 24 hours, and a majority of it is spent with daily tasks, sleep, work, general maintenance, etc. When you train especially during this time, train with FOCUS and INTENT. I cannot stress this enough. Know and accept no matter if you have a partner, equipment, bags/dummies, that any and all training you do will drastically and greatly improve your advancement in whatever art you do in a positive and beneficial way.
If possible try getting equipment. Do what you can at this time. Dont buy anything unnecessary like a century Bob. Prioritize bare basic training equipment. Nothing flashy or "modernized" which usually is triple the cost and ineffective.
Equipment:
Standard mma gloves or boxing gloves , gel hand wraps, hand wraps, finger tape and shin guards
For striking combat sports, the standard heavy bag and speed bag are just fine. If those are not possible a freestanding bag can be a temporary substitute. However i strongly recommend the standard bags. Free standing bags tend to move a lot, make a lot of noise in some cases, and easily tip over. Another thing is the height isnt very good for taller people. It becomes easier to knock down the higher you adjust it.
For kung fu try to get a dummy. There is really no alternative for dummy training or dummy forms. If a dummy is not possible other equipment you can use are speed ball, and wall bag.
Free standing bag is debatable. It may be ok in some instances. Though the problems mentioned above are still an issue, the free standing bag uses foam rather than sand or water. It is a better material to use on kung fu hand positions. Use it more for some basic technique purposes. I still highly recommend avoiding it if possible.
STAY AWAY FROM SPRING LOADED EQUIPMENT.
Spring loaded dummies are bs. They in no way shape or form help growth in kung fu. They can actually damage your abilities. For wing chun, those spring dummies are made specifically for lineages who do chi sao as something based on sensativity. Do not do drills that you need a partner for without a partner. Chi sao needs live resistance and active awareness of another person to respond to the actions. The springs are no substitute for a person.
Dummy wall attachments are not the same as regular dummies either. Again, there is no way to do a dummy form without an actual dummy unless you hold back power and skill, which can damage your overall ability.
For grapplers it may be a bit harder since those arts really as independent when it comes to training. I know there is no real substitute for a person. Grappling dummies, inflatable free standing striking dummies, and a body ball(mostly for wrestlers)
Overall exercise:
Satanic yoga:
Flexibility is important for any art. Stiffness can cause problems in the spine. Stretching will make sure your muscles will not become too adapted or grow in a way to prevent action in different positions.
Regular stretching: Stretching aids flexibility. Remember to stretch the core and waist. That is where power is stored. If the hips are too stiff you cannot turn. If the core is too stiff it limits movements as well. Obviously other areas are important but not a lot of people remember the entire body works as a unit. Without the center of your body you cannot punch or kick. Everything works together.
Horse stance:
The human body naturally has natural limitations and control on power. Again, we spend most of our day not fighting or training. Some people spend their entire lives not discovering their bodys true potential. Same happens in martial arts. The reason why traditionally martial artists dont need to be buff or shredded is because we work to undo that mental blockage of strength when training. That explains the vast amounts of focus on conditioning, forms, and drills. For instance when we are emotional or under pressure, adrenaline unlocks more of the bodys potential. BUT this is only by a small percentage. The human body is pretty strong on its own but there will be a different topic in the near future that will go further into detail on that. The horse stance works to undo the brains limitation on the legs. We arent used to bending down and staying down. In fact, when we bend down we are expecting to eventually stand back up. So the brain knows the legs dont need to use much power in those instances. This stance puts more pressure on the legs and isolates the lower body from upper body. Meaning there is no way to cheat the stance without breaking it. It also works on developing power and duration for low stances. The better you are at low stances the more power youre able to generate. Always try to go as low as possible.
Push ups, sit ups, squats, jumping jacks, speed rope, planks, etc. Any exercise you can think of that does not require a machine or external source.
If you have weights, i recommend light free weights. About 5-15 pounds. Again we don't need to be buff. We just need to be able to access our full potential in the most natural way possible. But keep in mind no amount of bicep curls can train a punch. Only a punch trains a punch. If you intent to use weights on hands or feet, remember your body fights resistance. Newtons third law of motion, every action is met with an equal or opposite reaction. The weights weigh you down. So when you punch with a weight, rather than going completely straight, your energy is dispersed between forward(to accomplish the punch) and upwards(to resist the weight). To lift something up and to strike are completely different actions and should not be treated as one or the same.
Shadow boxing: shadow boxing is great if there is no partner. And it helps workout your mind too. It shows how quick you can think of moves, combination, angles, how fluid you can be, etc. When you train try to go all out sometimes to increase endurance. Slow and steady for technique, fast and forceful for power and endurance. Both are extremely important.
Forms: always do the traditional art forms, whether it is kung fu, karate, taekwondo, etc. The forms are the guidelines to the system. They show you what body mechanics to use and work on.
Remember to keep a healthy diet. Try to make healthy choices if possible. It helps maintain your body.
Last thing is keep record of everything you learn. Have a notebook and write down what you learned about your system. Its easy to forget things like meaning of forms, purpose of certain mechanics, reasoning of certain movements, etc. Who knows how long this whole covid thing will last. Its a good idea to start writing everything you know and keep training. To be good at a system you need to expose yourself to it physically and mentally. Surround yourself with its influence and you will receive a true understanding of it and its principles.
I am also currently working on a pdf file which will go into a lot of detail regarding the reason why traditional arts are failing and why there is no kung fu in mma. It will be extremely descriptive and full of detail. So it may take a while before i finish it. But it will indeed be finished and posted on here when it is.
Hail Satan
