Going it alone
Sun, Aug 15 2010 11:44
| gym, martial arts, weightlifting, training, exercise, Wing Tsun Kung fu, basic, martial arts Altrincham, fitness
| Permalink
Quite often students are faced with a real quandary – what can I do at home and away from training to improve? Some people become confused, anxious and demotivated by the prospect of training by themselves or away from class without my best shouting voice and direction to guide them. In all seriousness, it can be a make or break area for some people. So how can you solve it?
Basics, basics, basics! Spend a few spare minutes practising the following:
1.Stance: Open and close IRAS stance a few times and get used to standing in it. Don't look at your feet, keep your head up and look to be relaxed and smooth in your movements
2.Footwork: Run through all 8 basic steps in turn. Once happy you can execute all of them look to link them together in sequences of your choosing. Then see if you can switch between all of them without hesitating or stopping to think.
3.Hand-shapes: See how many of the 8 basics hand-shapes you can remember (without looking at the list further down the page!). Drill them front on without turns. Once satisfied run through them with turns. Always check your weight is on the right foot, your shapes are correct and in line with your centre, make sure punches are pointed towards your imaginary attacker!
4.Form: This is the thing that most people get worried about. 'What if I training things wrong? What if I'm developing bad habits?” is the most common form of protest. I always advise students that if they are turning up to training regularly it is my job as their teacher to pick up on 'mistakes' in anything they do. I'd much rather correct students who have worked hard on their form than those or shy away from practice – just in case!
Remember no one is ever going to chastise you for practising and going the extra mile. If anything it's dedication like this I admire and earns students respect from teachers and peers alike as it really shows when someone is hard at it, paying their dues.
A few things that can help training at home include, using a mirror now and again to check your work. This comes with a note of caution though. Don't rely on your glassy friend, the mirror can sometimes distort and mislead your movements at high speed so using it sparingly rather than as a crutch.
When you're waiting for the kettle to boil or the dinner to be ready then instead of standing idle practice any of the above. Please be aware if it's your turn to make the tea at work chucking out your Siu Num Tau in the canteen can get mixed reactions so be prepared for all comers and their reactions!
If you're not sure about going it alone – don't! Talk to your buddies at class and arrange to get together somewhere and practice together. Work on your weaknesses and go over what you did in class that week. See if your partner can offer you insights and advice and vice versa. Sometimes word gets around you can be finding a whole group of you are in the park doing your homework from class regularly! I've known it to happen.
Get fitter, get leaner and get meaner! I love to exercise, not many people do but anything that gets me sweaty, red and panting (diseases aside) are fine by me. Work on your all round fitness when you get the chance. Try to find functional exercises that will improve your WT. I've given you ideas elsewhere in the blog but take some time to consider these questions:
What are my aims? What am I good at? What do I need to work on?
If you're strong as an ox is it useful to bench press day in day out? Why not see how far you can run, how fast, how often? Interval runs are the best for fighters of any background. Jog for 3 minutes and then sprint for 30 seconds. Do this for 10-15 minutes and that's a kick-ass cardio workout right there. Increase the speeds and resistance on the treadmill or find a hill in your local park if it's too easy.
Calisthenics are your friend! Squat, push up and sit up your way to a stronger smarter body! Find out why the warriors of old put so much stock in these take anywhere essentials. I doubt the Spartans worried about how they looked in a vest or what swiss ball matched their sandals!
Try some iron! See what you can do with a few free weights or machines. Pick up some exercises that relate to your movements in WT. Beef up jut saus with your lat pull down bar. Grab a bench and a dumbell and pull up a few kgs with bent over rows as if freeing your arms from a ground-fight! The choices are endless and limitless really. Pick things that are areas of particular concern and weakness and try and even them out. If you're not sure ask the staff at your gym, ask you teacher, even google it!
Either way the main thing is to be excited and interested in what you do. If you're not feeling it don't train it. If you're getting lost ask teacher! I'm not sure about over schools but I'm not on a meter and always happy to answer questions and discuss the art I love. Hopefully you've got a teacher you can approach when you need it – I would say though always make sure you've tried something before seeking help. If you've not given it a go there's little anyone can do to improve it for you. All in all just do it as the people of Nike like to say. What have you got to lose after all?
Basics, basics, basics! Spend a few spare minutes practising the following:
1.Stance: Open and close IRAS stance a few times and get used to standing in it. Don't look at your feet, keep your head up and look to be relaxed and smooth in your movements
2.Footwork: Run through all 8 basic steps in turn. Once happy you can execute all of them look to link them together in sequences of your choosing. Then see if you can switch between all of them without hesitating or stopping to think.
3.Hand-shapes: See how many of the 8 basics hand-shapes you can remember (without looking at the list further down the page!). Drill them front on without turns. Once satisfied run through them with turns. Always check your weight is on the right foot, your shapes are correct and in line with your centre, make sure punches are pointed towards your imaginary attacker!
4.Form: This is the thing that most people get worried about. 'What if I training things wrong? What if I'm developing bad habits?” is the most common form of protest. I always advise students that if they are turning up to training regularly it is my job as their teacher to pick up on 'mistakes' in anything they do. I'd much rather correct students who have worked hard on their form than those or shy away from practice – just in case!
Remember no one is ever going to chastise you for practising and going the extra mile. If anything it's dedication like this I admire and earns students respect from teachers and peers alike as it really shows when someone is hard at it, paying their dues.
A few things that can help training at home include, using a mirror now and again to check your work. This comes with a note of caution though. Don't rely on your glassy friend, the mirror can sometimes distort and mislead your movements at high speed so using it sparingly rather than as a crutch.
When you're waiting for the kettle to boil or the dinner to be ready then instead of standing idle practice any of the above. Please be aware if it's your turn to make the tea at work chucking out your Siu Num Tau in the canteen can get mixed reactions so be prepared for all comers and their reactions!
If you're not sure about going it alone – don't! Talk to your buddies at class and arrange to get together somewhere and practice together. Work on your weaknesses and go over what you did in class that week. See if your partner can offer you insights and advice and vice versa. Sometimes word gets around you can be finding a whole group of you are in the park doing your homework from class regularly! I've known it to happen.
Get fitter, get leaner and get meaner! I love to exercise, not many people do but anything that gets me sweaty, red and panting (diseases aside) are fine by me. Work on your all round fitness when you get the chance. Try to find functional exercises that will improve your WT. I've given you ideas elsewhere in the blog but take some time to consider these questions:
What are my aims? What am I good at? What do I need to work on?
If you're strong as an ox is it useful to bench press day in day out? Why not see how far you can run, how fast, how often? Interval runs are the best for fighters of any background. Jog for 3 minutes and then sprint for 30 seconds. Do this for 10-15 minutes and that's a kick-ass cardio workout right there. Increase the speeds and resistance on the treadmill or find a hill in your local park if it's too easy.
Calisthenics are your friend! Squat, push up and sit up your way to a stronger smarter body! Find out why the warriors of old put so much stock in these take anywhere essentials. I doubt the Spartans worried about how they looked in a vest or what swiss ball matched their sandals!
Try some iron! See what you can do with a few free weights or machines. Pick up some exercises that relate to your movements in WT. Beef up jut saus with your lat pull down bar. Grab a bench and a dumbell and pull up a few kgs with bent over rows as if freeing your arms from a ground-fight! The choices are endless and limitless really. Pick things that are areas of particular concern and weakness and try and even them out. If you're not sure ask the staff at your gym, ask you teacher, even google it!
Either way the main thing is to be excited and interested in what you do. If you're not feeling it don't train it. If you're getting lost ask teacher! I'm not sure about over schools but I'm not on a meter and always happy to answer questions and discuss the art I love. Hopefully you've got a teacher you can approach when you need it – I would say though always make sure you've tried something before seeking help. If you've not given it a go there's little anyone can do to improve it for you. All in all just do it as the people of Nike like to say. What have you got to lose after all?