Substance over style: decisions in a split second
Tue, Sep 11 2012 05:37
| training, form, fighting, www.amaclub.org.uk, street fight, Wing Tsun Kung fu, jackie chan, EWTO, martial arts Altrincham, siu num tao
| Permalink
Wing Tsun is a simple martial art. It’s just not very easy to do. It’s not easy to choose the easiest path for many people either. As a teacher it is a constant source contention for people I see time and again. I was just like my students once, and as someone who considers himself very much still a student, I hope that I still am. The greatest difficulty one can often have when teaching is to demonstrate the best method, using the correct concept.
This isn’t due to a lack of skill or disposition for hesitancy on my part. I know not to ask my students to do something I cannot. The greatest problem is the nature of people. We all want the newest, shiniest, smartest toy on the shelf. Our inner child and our id conspire against us as students all too often. We focus on doing the coolesttechnique when the smartest concept is a better option.
I was always a pain in the arse to train with (yes Barry I still am, I know) even from my formative years of learning Tsun. I liked smacking people in the most flourish-filled ways possible. A straight punch was “boring” pretty soon. I now see the same mentality in people I teach, at the same point I was back then.
This isn’t due to a lack of skill or disposition for hesitancy on my part. I know not to ask my students to do something I cannot. The greatest problem is the nature of people. We all want the newest, shiniest, smartest toy on the shelf. Our inner child and our id conspire against us as students all too often. We focus on doing the coolesttechnique when the smartest concept is a better option.
I was always a pain in the arse to train with (yes Barry I still am, I know) even from my formative years of learning Tsun. I liked smacking people in the most flourish-filled ways possible. A straight punch was “boring” pretty soon. I now see the same mentality in people I teach, at the same point I was back then.
However as teachers we often assume the role of parent to our students’ child. Pleading, cajoling, bribing them not do fancy right then and there. The problem being when we ourselves feel like indulging them and ourselves! ‘You can do fancy later when you’ve mastered simple’ is an idea I find myself saying and hearing from my teachers all too often. It’s not hypocrisy but like a parent I want those following me to learn from my mistakes. To fast forward past the hours of bad training I wasted my time on, and cut straight to the “good stuff”.
A good example comes from boxing. A jab, cross will make or break your fighting style and ability to grind out a win. That’s not just my opinion but one shared by plenty of people. I’ve read Andre Ward’s coach talking about it being all you need in the amateurs – the pro game being where you require more variation and options. Presumably, he tells us this because to deal with tough more experienced opponents you need more options. I can’t comment too much as someone who loves to box merely as a hobbyist.
The reason I raise this is because it speaks to me about my own views on the fundamentals in any fighting style – more crucially in any fight. You don’t win points for style in a street fight. No one is going to watch the CCTV and rate your knock out punch (maverick lawyers aside). It’s a common source of feuds within styles, arts, lineages etc. Which form, what form, why do form at all when it comes to transmitting the basics?
I’m not here to debate the merits of who has the nicest Siu Num Tao merely that you need to start somewhere and there is a reason for centuries students began here. Dogma is bad, common sense is not. The problems occur when after years of common sense we let dogma take over. This conflicts with our desire as students to “move on” – the next technique, shinier technique, the more devastating one, usually from the next (read better) form is a ghost we all chase at some time.
I’m not here to debate the merits of who has the nicest Siu Num Tao merely that you need to start somewhere and there is a reason for centuries students began here. Dogma is bad, common sense is not. The problems occur when after years of common sense we let dogma take over. This conflicts with our desire as students to “move on” – the next technique, shinier technique, the more devastating one, usually from the next (read better) form is a ghost we all chase at some time.
Ask yourself this, when you train and when you fight hard – whether it’s sparring, rolling, retzev, lat sao whatever your art and predilection may be; do you train smart? I try to, but can fall prey to ego too. If you can honestly say you take the right option every time without fail, then I take my hat off to you. It’s that skill I am talking about.
I watch a lot of people fall into “monkey kung fu” as I call it. Dicking about, with flim flam actions and trying unrealistic attacks/defences instead of training what they are asked to. I recognise it because I used to do it. Why punch a guy in the face when you can drive a spinning elbow through his neck with a little more effort and determination right?
How about safety? How about ease? How about the day you have to use it for real and then deal with his mates who might be noticing your fight unfold on a dark, wet Manchester night? It’s much better to end a fight quickly and make it look easy than bust out your Jackie Chan moves to impress the ladies nearby. Therefore I think you should take stock and ask yourself, honestly, do I train like that?
One of the reasons I love Wing Tsun so much is it’s willingness to discard the sacred cows, to hold on to what works. Only MMA has a similar ethos in my experience. Regardless, if you’re lucky enough to do an art, or have a teacher that does the same – all power to you!
Just ask yourself this, when I train do I take the simplest path to the victory or the one I like the look of more?
How about safety? How about ease? How about the day you have to use it for real and then deal with his mates who might be noticing your fight unfold on a dark, wet Manchester night? It’s much better to end a fight quickly and make it look easy than bust out your Jackie Chan moves to impress the ladies nearby. Therefore I think you should take stock and ask yourself, honestly, do I train like that?
One of the reasons I love Wing Tsun so much is it’s willingness to discard the sacred cows, to hold on to what works. Only MMA has a similar ethos in my experience. Regardless, if you’re lucky enough to do an art, or have a teacher that does the same – all power to you!
Just ask yourself this, when I train do I take the simplest path to the victory or the one I like the look of more?
Tabata: Japanese for fat loss?
Thu, Jul 26 2012 02:14
| fat loss, kettlebells, cardio, stamina, weightlifting, training, keep fit, exercise, fitness, conditioning
| Permalink
This summer I’ve dropped about 4kgs in standing weight. That doesn’t include fluctuations in water weight, but does include the extra muscle mass I’ve gained too. At the centre of that have been Tabata circuits, a system of training devised to train Japanese athletes in a short amount of time. They’ve been around for a while and reasonably popular for a few years now.
The basic principle is one of short bursts of high intensity activity cycled with brief periods of rest. The standard model is 8 repetitions of 20 seconds at high intensity and 10 seconds of rest per each cycle. This is followed by a minutes rest. A ratio of 2:1 intensity over rest seems to work perfectly although lengthening the times will make it hard to keep the pace up.
You can pick one exercise per circuit, or two, although personally I like to do four after a circuit of purely skipping to get warmed up.
How you structure your circuits will depend on what equipment you have, your goals and where you train. I like to keep mine very simple and use a skipping rope, 16kg Kettlebell and a 3kg medicine ball. With just those three things I can run through dozens of exercises. If you have the equipment though there’s no reason you can’t set out a whole gym with any number of stations!
The important factor to plan is the order of exercises and what they are targeting. For example, you might want to structure a circuit as follows:
Kettlebell swings – Med ball squats – Clean and Press – Skipping
This allows you to work the cardiovascular system and target the largest muscle groups. Building lean muscle and burning fat for longer.
You can also choose to make the circuit harder by focussing on one side of the body at a time e.g. left handed Kettlebell exercises on the first time and then do the same on the right hand side as four stations means two reps of each exercise.
Alternatively you can add in extra exercises as long as you have 8 of them to complete each circuit. Classic bodyweight stuff such as press ups, core work, shadowboxing, burpees are all excellent ways to burn more calories. Likewise a medicine ball can be thrown, pressed, rotated in many different ways to challenge muscle groups and flexibility. Perhaps add in four core exercises if you are strengthening your midsection or save them for a circuit of their own.
How you structure your circuits will depend on what equipment you have, your goals and where you train. I like to keep mine very simple and use a skipping rope, 16kg Kettlebell and a 3kg medicine ball. With just those three things I can run through dozens of exercises. If you have the equipment though there’s no reason you can’t set out a whole gym with any number of stations!
The important factor to plan is the order of exercises and what they are targeting. For example, you might want to structure a circuit as follows:
Kettlebell swings – Med ball squats – Clean and Press – Skipping
This allows you to work the cardiovascular system and target the largest muscle groups. Building lean muscle and burning fat for longer.
You can also choose to make the circuit harder by focussing on one side of the body at a time e.g. left handed Kettlebell exercises on the first time and then do the same on the right hand side as four stations means two reps of each exercise.
Alternatively you can add in extra exercises as long as you have 8 of them to complete each circuit. Classic bodyweight stuff such as press ups, core work, shadowboxing, burpees are all excellent ways to burn more calories. Likewise a medicine ball can be thrown, pressed, rotated in many different ways to challenge muscle groups and flexibility. Perhaps add in four core exercises if you are strengthening your midsection or save them for a circuit of their own.
This might give a circuit that looks like this:
Set 1 | Kettlebell swings | Rest 10 seconds |
Set 2 | Sit ups | Rest 10 seconds |
Set 3 | Med Ball Squats | Rest 10 seconds |
Set 4 | Leg raises | Rest 10 seconds |
Set 5 | Clean and Press | Rest 10 seconds |
Set 6 | Wrestler’s Bridges | Rest 10 seconds |
Set 7 | Skipping | Rest 10 seconds |
Set 8 | Jab Cross Sit ups | Rest 10 seconds |
The principles of Tabata are important. If you spend that 20 seconds ambling through bicep curls, there’s little point. If however you are going so hard and fast you can’t talk you’re doing it right. The beauty is you can then do as many circuits as you like. I tend to do a minimum of 6 if I’m short of time and up to 10. You want to work intensely so any more than that and you might need to up the resistance with bigger weights.
You can also change the exercises each circuit to stop you getting bored or work more areas. The choice is really up to you. Even the skipping rope allows you to perform a multitude of variations, unless like me you’re still mastering the basics!
There’s no reason why you can’t train with a partner and then add in partner exercises such as padwork, wrestling drills, partner lifts (piggybacks, wheelbarrows etc). You also get the added benefits of motivation and support.
Afterwards a warm down of stretching, yoga or a foam roller workout is a good way to break down lactic acid and make sure you’re not too stiff the day after. You’ll find out how much you can do and how quickly you improve your fitness. Two of these circuits a week alongside regular training will definitely give you results when done correctly. Just remember diet and rest will have the biggest influence on your progress alongside these exercises.
Sandbags: An expert's opinion - by Josh Henkin
Tue, Jan 3 2012 11:10
| wrestling, martial arts, training, www.amaclub.org.uk, sandbag, strength, martial arts Altrincham, fitness, Josh Henkin, conditioning
| Permalink
Fads or trends? Cynics or innovators? It can definitely be difficult to distinguish at times. Especially true when you consider the constant bombardment of marketing and information that comes through the fitness and performance industry. Possibly no implement and training system has come under more debate than sandbag training.
It seems to be a polarizing discussion whether or not sandbag training is a valid form of fitness and performance. Even though sandbag training has possibly the longest history of any form of strength training (being traced back to Egyptian times), it still has a tendency to be looked up as a fad or an outdated form of training.
Trust me, just because something is old does not make it good or valid. We have to question if sandbag training does have such a long history why has it never seemed to be a staple of fitness programs over the centuries and especially now why is it necessary, especially for combative sports?
Having been a strength coach for over 15 years I constantly find myself trying to write better programs and develop better solutions for my clients. I was so intrigued by sandbag training because first and foremost it wasn’t “like something else”. Sandbag training itself is very unique from the movement of the weight itself to the drills that could be created. I was also intrigued by the possibilities of sandbag training after reading John Jesse’s landmark book, Encyclopedia of Wrestling Conditioning, where he didn’t just show your standard cleans and squats. No Mr. Jesse was far more innovative and opened my mind to the true functionality and possible benefits of sandbag training.
“The use of heavy sandbags and their large circumference forces the lifter to do his lifting with a round back instead of the traditional straight back lifting with a barbell. It is this type of lifting that truly develops a strong back. It develops the back and side muscles in movements that are identical to the lifting and pulling movements of wrestling.”
These comments didn’t make me want to jump into just doing “rounded back” lifting, but that we could make sandbag training so much more. With our homemade sandbags we could do some good things, but it wasn’t long till I started to find out why sandbag training never really caught on. Besides the obvious of being messy, homemade sandbags lacked true versatility, progression, and lacked the ability to address some key variables that are specific to sandbag training such as controlling the role of dimension. Any GOOD training implement must possess these abilities.
Once we address these issues we can then create training programs that truly address the needs of the combative athlete. For example, most coaches will perform sandbag training exercises such as cleans and shouldering for “power”. While these exercises are great for developing general qualities they lack the recognition that most combative athletes generate power from compromised stances or postures. Sandbag training allows us to transform standard weight room exercises like cleans and shouldering into more specific movements by integrating staggered stance, rotational, and combination movements that train the combative athlete in more functional positions.
Sandbag training allows us to move in new positions and postures, but also allows us to learn how to resist movement as well. In the last few years Strength Coaches have talked a great deal about the ability to resist movements in order to perform at high levels. This is due to the fact that many muscles have a dual purpose in supporting joints by resisting forces imposed by the body and/or opponent. For example the rectus abdominis is typically trained to perform trunk flexion. Yet, this muscle may more important resist trunk extension and help protect the spine.
How does sandbag training accomplish this goal? We can first manipulate holding positions of the sandbag. With most training implements, there are up to four ways to hold a weight to change the perceived weight and stability. In Ultimate Sandbag™ Training we have up to TWELVE options to change stability and perceived load by altering holding positions. If we look at squatting patterns we can use a Zercher squat (which challenges anti-flexion similar to a front plank position) or move to a Shoulder squat which far more greatly challenges the lateral stability system of the body that is crucial for dealing with the unpredictability of combative sports.
When you combine changing the holding position as well as body position you can create some very powerful drills. One of the favorite drills in our Ultimate Sandbag™ system is the Rotational Lunge. Instead of just having the lunge be a dominant Sagittal plane exercise we can create a multi-planar exercise that will address all the needs of the combative athlete from strength, stability, power, to endurance! While the athlete lunge backwards (which is a single leg pulling motion) and will rotate the sandbag from side to side during the lunging motion. So while the athlete is moving in the Sagittal plane the sandbag is moving in frontal and transverse planes.
When you start seeing a system of training with sandbags they become not an optional training tool, but a necessary training tool for great results.
Josh Henkin, CSCS is the Creator of the Ultimate Sandbag™ Training System. His Ultimate Sandbag™ System has become a highly sought after program in the realm of functional fitness by having Coach Henkin present to over ten countries and numerous US National Conferences. Coach Henkin has worked with SWAT Teams, US Army Special Forces Recruiting Battalion, Professional Athletes, and many fitness enthusiasts. Find out more at http://www.dvrtfitness.com/
It is with great pride I welcome Josh as our first expert and coach bold enough to offer us all his opinions and experience. I hope that like me you found the above article inspiring and thought provoking. If you are or know an expert in any given field related to fitness and martial arts, please feel free to share with the world your thoughts.
Again my thanks to Josh and all of you for reading this blog.
It seems to be a polarizing discussion whether or not sandbag training is a valid form of fitness and performance. Even though sandbag training has possibly the longest history of any form of strength training (being traced back to Egyptian times), it still has a tendency to be looked up as a fad or an outdated form of training.
Trust me, just because something is old does not make it good or valid. We have to question if sandbag training does have such a long history why has it never seemed to be a staple of fitness programs over the centuries and especially now why is it necessary, especially for combative sports?
Having been a strength coach for over 15 years I constantly find myself trying to write better programs and develop better solutions for my clients. I was so intrigued by sandbag training because first and foremost it wasn’t “like something else”. Sandbag training itself is very unique from the movement of the weight itself to the drills that could be created. I was also intrigued by the possibilities of sandbag training after reading John Jesse’s landmark book, Encyclopedia of Wrestling Conditioning, where he didn’t just show your standard cleans and squats. No Mr. Jesse was far more innovative and opened my mind to the true functionality and possible benefits of sandbag training.
“The use of heavy sandbags and their large circumference forces the lifter to do his lifting with a round back instead of the traditional straight back lifting with a barbell. It is this type of lifting that truly develops a strong back. It develops the back and side muscles in movements that are identical to the lifting and pulling movements of wrestling.”
These comments didn’t make me want to jump into just doing “rounded back” lifting, but that we could make sandbag training so much more. With our homemade sandbags we could do some good things, but it wasn’t long till I started to find out why sandbag training never really caught on. Besides the obvious of being messy, homemade sandbags lacked true versatility, progression, and lacked the ability to address some key variables that are specific to sandbag training such as controlling the role of dimension. Any GOOD training implement must possess these abilities.
Once we address these issues we can then create training programs that truly address the needs of the combative athlete. For example, most coaches will perform sandbag training exercises such as cleans and shouldering for “power”. While these exercises are great for developing general qualities they lack the recognition that most combative athletes generate power from compromised stances or postures. Sandbag training allows us to transform standard weight room exercises like cleans and shouldering into more specific movements by integrating staggered stance, rotational, and combination movements that train the combative athlete in more functional positions.
Sandbag training allows us to move in new positions and postures, but also allows us to learn how to resist movement as well. In the last few years Strength Coaches have talked a great deal about the ability to resist movements in order to perform at high levels. This is due to the fact that many muscles have a dual purpose in supporting joints by resisting forces imposed by the body and/or opponent. For example the rectus abdominis is typically trained to perform trunk flexion. Yet, this muscle may more important resist trunk extension and help protect the spine.
How does sandbag training accomplish this goal? We can first manipulate holding positions of the sandbag. With most training implements, there are up to four ways to hold a weight to change the perceived weight and stability. In Ultimate Sandbag™ Training we have up to TWELVE options to change stability and perceived load by altering holding positions. If we look at squatting patterns we can use a Zercher squat (which challenges anti-flexion similar to a front plank position) or move to a Shoulder squat which far more greatly challenges the lateral stability system of the body that is crucial for dealing with the unpredictability of combative sports.
When you combine changing the holding position as well as body position you can create some very powerful drills. One of the favorite drills in our Ultimate Sandbag™ system is the Rotational Lunge. Instead of just having the lunge be a dominant Sagittal plane exercise we can create a multi-planar exercise that will address all the needs of the combative athlete from strength, stability, power, to endurance! While the athlete lunge backwards (which is a single leg pulling motion) and will rotate the sandbag from side to side during the lunging motion. So while the athlete is moving in the Sagittal plane the sandbag is moving in frontal and transverse planes.
When you start seeing a system of training with sandbags they become not an optional training tool, but a necessary training tool for great results.
Josh Henkin, CSCS is the Creator of the Ultimate Sandbag™ Training System. His Ultimate Sandbag™ System has become a highly sought after program in the realm of functional fitness by having Coach Henkin present to over ten countries and numerous US National Conferences. Coach Henkin has worked with SWAT Teams, US Army Special Forces Recruiting Battalion, Professional Athletes, and many fitness enthusiasts. Find out more at http://www.dvrtfitness.com/
It is with great pride I welcome Josh as our first expert and coach bold enough to offer us all his opinions and experience. I hope that like me you found the above article inspiring and thought provoking. If you are or know an expert in any given field related to fitness and martial arts, please feel free to share with the world your thoughts.
Again my thanks to Josh and all of you for reading this blog.
AMAC Needs You!
Sun, Sep 11 2011 03:05
| martial arts, free, training, martial arts Altrincham, kids martial arts
| Permalink
AMAC is constantly growing. Reaching new students of all ages with fun, effective and enjoyable martial arts classes is the reason we run the school.
With this in mind we're offering you all the chance to get as many free lessons as you can get your hands on! That's right unlimited FREE lessons! What's the catch?
For the club to grow we need more members filling each class. Particularly the beginner's and kids classes. To do this we need everybody pulling together and spreading the word.
To claim your free lesson all you need to do is recommend five people to the club. When they turn up for a complimentary taster class, you get your next one us. If they join there and then you get one whole month of training FREE!
That's right, not only do they pay nothing - but you won't either! So get your friends, family, neighbours, colleagues and class mates down to AMAC and everyone benefits.
With this in mind we're offering you all the chance to get as many free lessons as you can get your hands on! That's right unlimited FREE lessons! What's the catch?
For the club to grow we need more members filling each class. Particularly the beginner's and kids classes. To do this we need everybody pulling together and spreading the word.
To claim your free lesson all you need to do is recommend five people to the club. When they turn up for a complimentary taster class, you get your next one us. If they join there and then you get one whole month of training FREE!
That's right, not only do they pay nothing - but you won't either! So get your friends, family, neighbours, colleagues and class mates down to AMAC and everyone benefits.
The Holy Trinity
Tue, Aug 30 2011 10:30
| stamina, training, exercise, strength, martial arts Altrincham, flexibility, fitness, stretching, conditioning
| Permalink
There are three main exercises I highly recommend anyone who does martial arts to explore. The first one is the Hindu press up. As the name suggests it's of Indian origin and used by wrestlers for centuries to build upper body strength, co-ordination and flexibility.
Done correctly these press-ups help develop and condition the upper body with stunning effectiveness. By helping the joints and muscles stretch gradually you can develop greater mobility in the shoulders which is ideal for Wing Tsun and other arts. Similarly the use of the core and lower back throughout the movement builds core strength as well as stamina.
Here's a great example of Steve Maxwell performing Hindu press-ups expertly. As you can see the movements employ a large range of motion and all of the major muscle groups making it holistic as well as functional.
The next movement I want to talk about is the Hindu squat. From the same roots as the press up these squats are designed to must the same but for the lower body. A deep movement that employs the quads and recruits the knee and ankle joints it offers you a way develop your muscles and learn how to balance effectively.
As you can see from another example by Steve Maxwell this movement requires some practise. Unlike the press-up you are balancing on two points instead of four and to add to the challenge you are raising your heels at the bottom of the movement!
I would advise caution when first trying to learn this movement. Too much too soon can place unwanted strain on your joints and lead to injury. Go slowly and build up the reps as you feel comfortable - there's no rush.
The last movement I'd like to look at is the Cross Arm sit up. By folding your arms across your chest you add weight and resistance to the movement and by holding onto the shoulders you can cheat with momentum like many fancy core exercises you may come across. This means your muscles do all the work and you build up general and impressive abdominal strength.
What I like about this version is it's simplicity. Also if at first you find it difficult you can make it easier by holding the arms straight out in front of you. If that become too difficult you can place them on your thighs and slide them up and down. Eventually when you build up the strength you can go back to holding your arms on your chest.
You'll notice these three exercises cover all the main areas of the body. They are also compound movements (well the press-ups and squats are) which recruit all the major muscle groups and supporting muscles at once. This means you can exercises efficiently and effectively. Combining all three in a work out is an excellent way to get into shape!
There are all kinds of combinations you can use 3 sets of 25 reps of each exercises is a fantastic workout to get started with. If that proves too much lower the reps to 10 or 15.
Likewise if you want to build up muscle mass and stamina a 10 x 10 workout is a killer! Try it some time and see what you think. However I would caution you to make sure you learn the movements first. Ensure you are strong enough to perform each movement with perfect form and avoid injury.
The best thing about these exercises is that they can be done anywhere with space at any time and as much or as little as you see fit. There are tales of athletes performing rep after rep for hours on end. I dropped in 100 squats to my workout yesterday with relative ease and it felt great! So give them a go, see what you think and let me know how you get on!
Happy training!
New Era at AMAC
Wed, May 4 2011 01:08
| martial arts, training, exercise, Wing Tsun Kung fu, martial arts Altrincham, kids martial arts
| Permalink
I'd like to take this opportunity to show you our new and improved website at http://www.amaclub.org.uk/, thanks to the hard work of Pete and Martin; we now have this fantastic new opportunity to reach the community.
If you are interested in Wing Tsun Kung Fu either as a traditional martial arts pursuit, or to intergrate it into our Self Defence Programs for you, your family or place of work then this is the way to get in touch with us at Altrincham Martial Arts Club.
Also we have just unveiled our plans for our brand new Kid's Club. A chance to introduce your child to exciting, innovative and fun ways to inspire them through a mix of martial arts, exercise and gameplay. Starting in June, the classes will take place every Monday night at the Broomwood Centre, Mainwood Rd, Timperley - training schedule.
Whether you've always fancied trying a martial art and never gotten around to it or you're an experienced black belt looking for something new and effective; your first class is always free and membership is simple and affordable for all.
For more information or to sign up to our upcoming newsletters to keep up to date with events, seminars and special offers Sign up here and see what you're missing out on here at AMAC.
If you are interested in Wing Tsun Kung Fu either as a traditional martial arts pursuit, or to intergrate it into our Self Defence Programs for you, your family or place of work then this is the way to get in touch with us at Altrincham Martial Arts Club.
Also we have just unveiled our plans for our brand new Kid's Club. A chance to introduce your child to exciting, innovative and fun ways to inspire them through a mix of martial arts, exercise and gameplay. Starting in June, the classes will take place every Monday night at the Broomwood Centre, Mainwood Rd, Timperley - training schedule.
Whether you've always fancied trying a martial art and never gotten around to it or you're an experienced black belt looking for something new and effective; your first class is always free and membership is simple and affordable for all.
For more information or to sign up to our upcoming newsletters to keep up to date with events, seminars and special offers Sign up here and see what you're missing out on here at AMAC.
Dogma is your enemy
Wed, Apr 20 2011 08:15
| MMA, bjj, martial arts, boxing, tkd, training, practice, martial arts Altrincham, escrima
| Permalink
When I was fairly 'young' in terms of my Wing Tsun learning I acquired and read GM Kernspchet's amazing book – On Single Combat. Written as a thesis that was turned into a book it is a work I've yet to see bettered (please let me know if you can think of any works that do!). Moreover some of the philosophy and approaches the book proposed really made up my mind to dedicate myself to WT.
The book talked of WT not being scared to “slay sacred cows” in order to produce better results. To train what works not what worked for someone else, somewhere else in another time just “because”. GM Kernspecht has clearly adhered to this all of his life and is continuing to do so. However the same can not be said for those of us lower down the chain.
A mix of fear and arrogance meant that often I encountered those unwilling to take risks, to try something else or accept that Wing Tsun is merely one “path up the mountain” and not the be all and all of everything martial arts related. It is in fact a well rounded system but other more exclusive arts specialise and therefore can surpass WT in it's given field.
While TKD might well be considered useless beyond kicking it is a kicking art and thus far it's worth noting this when trying to learn to deal with, or even use kicks of all shapes and sizes. Likewise with BJJ on the floor, or Escrima when it comes to facing an armed attacker. What does this all mean?
Really it means that while we can't and shouldn't train every art intensely and exclusively to avoid missing some secret or hidden gem. It is important to understand that all arts have survived for one reason or another and presumably it is because for certain people they have worked – at least in a sense to make it worth saving.
Often I hear very average students and fighters dismiss out of ignorance or fear one art or another, I've done it myself enough. However until you've taken the time and courtesy to train it then you really have no right or business denigrating the efforts and beliefs or others. Your teacher should not need you getting offended on his behalf at the arts and endeavours of others. No matter what you may think or understand of them. Nor should you need to comfort yourself and your choices with such sentiments.
When a student comes from another art or even another Wing Chun lineage I never try to compete with their art or their old teacher. It's not necessary. I am happy to answer their questions, give my own thoughts on technique XYZ or explain our approach at Altrincham. I shouldn't need to trick or confuse the student with making negative and unflattering comparisons between myself and where they've been before.
Likewise I like to train other arts and rarely do I try to tell people already there that I've done other arts and training. It's nice when after a session or two they acknowledge I have some idea/training but often it leads to them wanting to hurt me (albeit good naturedly) with overenthusiastic demonstrations and conversations on why I've finally “found the right place” etc. It is polite but more importantly better for you to “empty your cup” as the Chinese say or adopt a white belt mentality. You're in their class, their world with their rules and etiquette. I find you learn and earn more respect with ease if you do as your told.
What this really brings me back around to is the underlying fear amongst WT practitioners who never get to test themselves in competition and develop all sorts of angst about it. Simply put they can often disappear into hiding themselves in increasingly narrow minded ways of thinking and practising - often searching for how the old masters did things. Ironically Kernspecht presents many theories and evidence that WT has and was always a mixture of other arts and styles that stretch back centuries and possibly millennia!
Likewise there is an eagerness to poo-poo the methods and techniques of other arts or try to add disclaimers and caveats such as “well I'd never let them get that in, in the first place” etc. Simply put this type of thing no longer interests me. I look forward to meeting people who are keen and eager to learn and practise martial arts no matter what it is. I like to share ideas and experiences and I want to unpick their know-how to use it for myself.
Going forward I intend to try and pick and choose as many arts and training methods as I can. No matter where it comes from. It's only by doing we can learn. A thousand books on martial arts aren't worth a thousand seconds of training. It's about time we all tried to embrace this.
If you teach or train in other martial arts and would like to come down to AMAC feel free! We'd love to have you, whether it's to share knowledge, try something new or introduce us to what you do. Please let us know!
The book talked of WT not being scared to “slay sacred cows” in order to produce better results. To train what works not what worked for someone else, somewhere else in another time just “because”. GM Kernspecht has clearly adhered to this all of his life and is continuing to do so. However the same can not be said for those of us lower down the chain.
A mix of fear and arrogance meant that often I encountered those unwilling to take risks, to try something else or accept that Wing Tsun is merely one “path up the mountain” and not the be all and all of everything martial arts related. It is in fact a well rounded system but other more exclusive arts specialise and therefore can surpass WT in it's given field.
While TKD might well be considered useless beyond kicking it is a kicking art and thus far it's worth noting this when trying to learn to deal with, or even use kicks of all shapes and sizes. Likewise with BJJ on the floor, or Escrima when it comes to facing an armed attacker. What does this all mean?
Really it means that while we can't and shouldn't train every art intensely and exclusively to avoid missing some secret or hidden gem. It is important to understand that all arts have survived for one reason or another and presumably it is because for certain people they have worked – at least in a sense to make it worth saving.
Often I hear very average students and fighters dismiss out of ignorance or fear one art or another, I've done it myself enough. However until you've taken the time and courtesy to train it then you really have no right or business denigrating the efforts and beliefs or others. Your teacher should not need you getting offended on his behalf at the arts and endeavours of others. No matter what you may think or understand of them. Nor should you need to comfort yourself and your choices with such sentiments.
When a student comes from another art or even another Wing Chun lineage I never try to compete with their art or their old teacher. It's not necessary. I am happy to answer their questions, give my own thoughts on technique XYZ or explain our approach at Altrincham. I shouldn't need to trick or confuse the student with making negative and unflattering comparisons between myself and where they've been before.
Likewise I like to train other arts and rarely do I try to tell people already there that I've done other arts and training. It's nice when after a session or two they acknowledge I have some idea/training but often it leads to them wanting to hurt me (albeit good naturedly) with overenthusiastic demonstrations and conversations on why I've finally “found the right place” etc. It is polite but more importantly better for you to “empty your cup” as the Chinese say or adopt a white belt mentality. You're in their class, their world with their rules and etiquette. I find you learn and earn more respect with ease if you do as your told.
What this really brings me back around to is the underlying fear amongst WT practitioners who never get to test themselves in competition and develop all sorts of angst about it. Simply put they can often disappear into hiding themselves in increasingly narrow minded ways of thinking and practising - often searching for how the old masters did things. Ironically Kernspecht presents many theories and evidence that WT has and was always a mixture of other arts and styles that stretch back centuries and possibly millennia!
Likewise there is an eagerness to poo-poo the methods and techniques of other arts or try to add disclaimers and caveats such as “well I'd never let them get that in, in the first place” etc. Simply put this type of thing no longer interests me. I look forward to meeting people who are keen and eager to learn and practise martial arts no matter what it is. I like to share ideas and experiences and I want to unpick their know-how to use it for myself.
Going forward I intend to try and pick and choose as many arts and training methods as I can. No matter where it comes from. It's only by doing we can learn. A thousand books on martial arts aren't worth a thousand seconds of training. It's about time we all tried to embrace this.
If you teach or train in other martial arts and would like to come down to AMAC feel free! We'd love to have you, whether it's to share knowledge, try something new or introduce us to what you do. Please let us know!
While I've been away
Sun, Mar 27 2011 12:31
| free, offers, training, Wing Tsun Kung fu, martial arts Altrincham, self defence
| Permalink
Some of you may have noticed we've been rather quiet of late. Well it's because we've been launching a whole new club for the benefit of the Altrincham community.
The press release below will tell you all you need to know.
Altrincham Martial Arts Club (AMAC) Announces Free Open Sessions for Local Residents
27th March 2011 – A New Martial Arts Club has launched in Altrincham and is offering a free open session for local people wishing to try out this exciting form of martial arts. Practised by many celebrities over the years including Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Cameron Diaz, Robert Downey jr and even Peter Andre have all studied the art to varying levels.
The open session will be held on Monday 4th April at the Broomwood Centre in Timperley, 6.30-8.30pm. The club is open to all ages and whether it's traditional martial arts know-how, basic self defence or getting fitter alongside dedicated and like-minded people, AMAC has something to offer everyone. Even better than that, for the whole of April and May you can get one week of free training. You can also claim 10 lessons for the price of 7 - saving you £30.
Altricham Martial Arts Club (AMAC) uses a form of martial arts called Wing Tsun Kung Fu, an extremely effective and sophisticated art from China. Wing Tsun's specialty is in close contact combat, it doesn’t involve throws, breakfalls, high kicks or hard contact punches and yet remains a practical and highly effective fighting style.
Head instructor Matt Townsend says “One of the great things about Wing Tsun is its accessibility: it’s suitable for men, women, young and old. We’re really keen to encourage people from the local community to come down and try out this exciting form of martial arts and that’s why we’re offering this free session”
He goes onto say “We’re also keen to work with local community groups in the area, previously we’ve run a self-defence course for a girls school in Withington, a women’s refuge in Chorlton and a youth scheme in Collyhurst. We would love to build up relationships in the Altrincham area and ask for any interested parties to get in touch.”
AMAC was established in 2008 and has gone from strength to strength, becoming a permanent fixture in Altrincham. Lead Instructor Matthew has studied Wing Tsun Kung Fu and other styles all over the world, including New Zealand and the USA, bringing years of experience and dedication to hundreds of people in Altrincham.
AMAC training sessions take place on Monday nights 18:30 – 20:30 at the Broomwood Centre,
Mainwood Road, Timperley, WA15 7JU and on Thursday nights 18:30 – 20:30 at the Town Hall, Market Street, Altrincham, WA14 1PG.
For more information on Altrincham Martial Arts Club (AMAC), training sessions and community work contact Matthew Townsend on 07853 530886 or email matttownsend85@hotmail.com or visit www.amaclub.org.uk
Established in 2008 by Head Instructor Matt Townsend (1TG). Altrincham Martial Arts Club (AMAC) has been a permanent fixture ever since.
AMAC teaches Wing Tsun Kung Fu, an extremely effective and sophisticated art from China. Wing Tsun's specialty is in close contact combat: it doesn’t involve throws, breakfalls, high kicks or hard contact punches and yet remains a practical and highly effective fighting style. Wing Tsun is suitable for men and women, young and old.
Legend talks of two women who learned and systemised “Wing Chun” as a way for one of them to defeat a local bully. The focus has therefore always been on using an opponent’s strength and aggression against them, no matter how much bigger or stronger they are than you.
www.amaclub.org.uk
For More Information please contact –
Matthew Townsend
Head Instructor
http://www.amaclub.org.uk/
info@amaclub.org.uk
T: 07853 530886
The press release below will tell you all you need to know.
Altrincham Martial Arts Club Kick Starts into Action!
Altrincham Martial Arts Club (AMAC) Announces Free Open Sessions for Local Residents
27th March 2011 – A New Martial Arts Club has launched in Altrincham and is offering a free open session for local people wishing to try out this exciting form of martial arts. Practised by many celebrities over the years including Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Cameron Diaz, Robert Downey jr and even Peter Andre have all studied the art to varying levels.
The open session will be held on Monday 4th April at the Broomwood Centre in Timperley, 6.30-8.30pm. The club is open to all ages and whether it's traditional martial arts know-how, basic self defence or getting fitter alongside dedicated and like-minded people, AMAC has something to offer everyone. Even better than that, for the whole of April and May you can get one week of free training. You can also claim 10 lessons for the price of 7 - saving you £30.
Altricham Martial Arts Club (AMAC) uses a form of martial arts called Wing Tsun Kung Fu, an extremely effective and sophisticated art from China. Wing Tsun's specialty is in close contact combat, it doesn’t involve throws, breakfalls, high kicks or hard contact punches and yet remains a practical and highly effective fighting style.
Head instructor Matt Townsend says “One of the great things about Wing Tsun is its accessibility: it’s suitable for men, women, young and old. We’re really keen to encourage people from the local community to come down and try out this exciting form of martial arts and that’s why we’re offering this free session”
He goes onto say “We’re also keen to work with local community groups in the area, previously we’ve run a self-defence course for a girls school in Withington, a women’s refuge in Chorlton and a youth scheme in Collyhurst. We would love to build up relationships in the Altrincham area and ask for any interested parties to get in touch.”
AMAC was established in 2008 and has gone from strength to strength, becoming a permanent fixture in Altrincham. Lead Instructor Matthew has studied Wing Tsun Kung Fu and other styles all over the world, including New Zealand and the USA, bringing years of experience and dedication to hundreds of people in Altrincham.
AMAC training sessions take place on Monday nights 18:30 – 20:30 at the Broomwood Centre,
Mainwood Road, Timperley, WA15 7JU and on Thursday nights 18:30 – 20:30 at the Town Hall, Market Street, Altrincham, WA14 1PG.
For more information on Altrincham Martial Arts Club (AMAC), training sessions and community work contact Matthew Townsend on 07853 530886 or email matttownsend85@hotmail.com or visit www.amaclub.org.uk
About Altrincham Martial Arts Club (AMAC)
Established in 2008 by Head Instructor Matt Townsend (1TG). Altrincham Martial Arts Club (AMAC) has been a permanent fixture ever since.
AMAC teaches Wing Tsun Kung Fu, an extremely effective and sophisticated art from China. Wing Tsun's specialty is in close contact combat: it doesn’t involve throws, breakfalls, high kicks or hard contact punches and yet remains a practical and highly effective fighting style. Wing Tsun is suitable for men and women, young and old.
Legend talks of two women who learned and systemised “Wing Chun” as a way for one of them to defeat a local bully. The focus has therefore always been on using an opponent’s strength and aggression against them, no matter how much bigger or stronger they are than you.
www.amaclub.org.uk
For More Information please contact –
Matthew Townsend
Head Instructor
http://www.amaclub.org.uk/
info@amaclub.org.uk
T: 07853 530886
What do you expect from your club?
Sun, Feb 13 2011 01:23
| training, martial arts Altrincham
| Permalink
This one is all in the title really. We need your ideas, your feedback, your questions and queries in the comments section below.
Whether you're a veteran with belt upon belt or someone who has never set foot inside a martial arts club - what are your expectations? What would you like to see, to do, to achieve? Please let us know in simple terms or long rambling essay form below. We're looking to see how we can be of service to you all.
Thanks in advance
Matt
Whether you're a veteran with belt upon belt or someone who has never set foot inside a martial arts club - what are your expectations? What would you like to see, to do, to achieve? Please let us know in simple terms or long rambling essay form below. We're looking to see how we can be of service to you all.
Thanks in advance
Matt
I do like Mondays
Sat, Feb 5 2011 08:37
| martial arts, training, Wing Tsun Kung fu, martial arts Altrincham, self defence
| Permalink
In fact I like them a so much that we're opening up another whole night of training for the people of Altrincham and surrounding areas. Based at the magnificent facilities in the Broomwood Centre, Timperley (Broomwood Centre Map) we'll be running 2 hours of martial arts suitable for anyone and everyone.
For those who haven't popped down to see us yet there's no time like the present and no excuse! Whether it's one hour or four per week, every bit of training helps! For those who know us well then you can expect more of the same excellent Wing Tsun and self defence as well as the chance for more detail, better conditioning and a flexibility to your training schedule we've not had since the end of last year!
If you'd like more information please drop me or line or simply turn up on the night. Remember we still train every Thursday as always at the Town Hall on Market St. in Altrincham. Training is once again 6:30 - 8:30pm. We've also made training even cheaper allowing people to train from £2.80 per hour*!
Training costs (concessions in brackets):
2hrs per week - (£30) £40
4hrs per week - (£45) £55
PAYG - £5 per hour
There really is no excuse and no time like the present - spread the word!
For those who haven't popped down to see us yet there's no time like the present and no excuse! Whether it's one hour or four per week, every bit of training helps! For those who know us well then you can expect more of the same excellent Wing Tsun and self defence as well as the chance for more detail, better conditioning and a flexibility to your training schedule we've not had since the end of last year!
If you'd like more information please drop me or line or simply turn up on the night. Remember we still train every Thursday as always at the Town Hall on Market St. in Altrincham. Training is once again 6:30 - 8:30pm. We've also made training even cheaper allowing people to train from £2.80 per hour*!
Training costs (concessions in brackets):
2hrs per week - (£30) £40
4hrs per week - (£45) £55
PAYG - £5 per hour
There really is no excuse and no time like the present - spread the word!
*cost relates to a concessionary rate at 4hrs per week for four weeks in one calendar month (e.g. February)
2011 - What do you want to do?
Tue, Jan 18 2011 11:20
| calisthenics, rowing, martial arts, cardio, training, keep fit, exercise, martial arts Altrincham, fitness, running, conditioning
| Permalink
The new year is here and as always the gym is full of people with good intentions and the ability to take up space. It must mean that the new year's resolutions are fully in swing and as such it got me thinking about what mine could, or at least should be. I've never made one, not least one that lasted five minutes.
This year however I've decided to make a very simple one "practice what I preach". I'm going to get fitter, not skip exercise, rest when I need to, eat better and all the other things you'll find on this blog, in my classes etc. Throughout the year I'll be measuring my "fitness" in an all round (and slightly vain) way by recording some simple data.
First off body measurements to see how my physique changes thorughout the year. Secondly a record of cardiovascular fitness - this will be done by comparing times and distances for running, rowing, swimming etc. Lastly I will record increases in strength and output - weights lifted and volume of sets and reps.
Part of the plan will be following Martin Rooney's Ultimate Warrior Workouts (reviewed here http://martialstatus.blogspot.com/2010/09/review-ultimate-warrior-workouts-by.html) for the resistance and conditioning aspects of my regimen. CV fitness will be increased by incorporating military guidance on fitness such as taking their PT tests and varying my workouts with rowing, swimming, cross-training and other such activites.
This is really a complicated way of saying I'm going to take a dedicated approach to being fitter, leaner, meaner and better!
So the question is now what do you want to achieve this year? I'd love it if you'd share your aims for 2011 in the comments section below. Happy 2011!
This year however I've decided to make a very simple one "practice what I preach". I'm going to get fitter, not skip exercise, rest when I need to, eat better and all the other things you'll find on this blog, in my classes etc. Throughout the year I'll be measuring my "fitness" in an all round (and slightly vain) way by recording some simple data.
First off body measurements to see how my physique changes thorughout the year. Secondly a record of cardiovascular fitness - this will be done by comparing times and distances for running, rowing, swimming etc. Lastly I will record increases in strength and output - weights lifted and volume of sets and reps.
Part of the plan will be following Martin Rooney's Ultimate Warrior Workouts (reviewed here http://martialstatus.blogspot.com/2010/09/review-ultimate-warrior-workouts-by.html) for the resistance and conditioning aspects of my regimen. CV fitness will be increased by incorporating military guidance on fitness such as taking their PT tests and varying my workouts with rowing, swimming, cross-training and other such activites.
This is really a complicated way of saying I'm going to take a dedicated approach to being fitter, leaner, meaner and better!
So the question is now what do you want to achieve this year? I'd love it if you'd share your aims for 2011 in the comments section below. Happy 2011!
Review: Dynamic Stretching – Mark Kovacs
Sat, Jan 15 2011 11:11
| martial arts, training, exercise, martial arts Altrincham, fitness, stretching
| Permalink
I'm not going to lie I HATE stretching, passionately. It always feels like a preamble designed to kill time and give instructors time to think up what they are actually going to do in a session. This misthinking has haunted me for years and the injuries and plasticine muscles I've accrued are testament to how much we all could do with a good stretch.
I've never liked static stretches (stop and hold for 30 seconds) they're boring and seem to do little. This book agrees with me in a far more informed and scientific way – they have their place but they neither prevent or more pertinently cause injury in most cases. A better way of moving is needed and this book aims to offer it. A large array of exercises in varying degrees of 'odd' fill this book, before being combined into many (overlapping) sports specific routines that can be built up into whole training sessions. There are probably 3 or 4 routines completely relevant to the martial artist the wrestling and gymnastics ones being the essential two in my opinion.
One criticism some people level at this book is the focus on the bottom half of the body. This makes little sense to me as the knees and ankles are the most injured joints I come across in people and the hips as well makes up the holy trinity of load bearing joints in the body. It seems reasonable they need the most protection as they take the most punishment and stress in sport, especially martial arts.
In all honesty you might feel a bit silly at first when you try some of these out, particularly in the gym but I say – don't worry. After one week of using the ideas and programs in this book I felt almost instant improvements to my flexibility and more importantly recovery times. I was actually training harder and easier than before. No bull, no buy in, I have no idea who Mark Kovacs is but he's assembled a nice little arsenal here for anyone to benefit from.
The archaic and unhelpful version of stretching most of us have acquired or adapted simply doesn't cut it and here I think I've found one of the few books to blow it out of the water. The science here isn't baffling nor is it a completely different way of doing things. For anyone who's done yoga many of these movements will feel familiar and for those willing to give them a shot the rewards are great.
So what is dynamic stretching? For me the critical difference is moving in a clearly defined way that recruits specific muscles and joints in a gentle and incremental stretch. Moving as you do each stretch rather than holding or forcing your body into positions it supports the natural range of each muscle and helps you push it on further at your own pace and need. Some of it might seem like it's taken from the Ministry of Silly Walks but in all honesty – do you really care if it works? I certainly don't and am convinced it does!
I've never liked static stretches (stop and hold for 30 seconds) they're boring and seem to do little. This book agrees with me in a far more informed and scientific way – they have their place but they neither prevent or more pertinently cause injury in most cases. A better way of moving is needed and this book aims to offer it. A large array of exercises in varying degrees of 'odd' fill this book, before being combined into many (overlapping) sports specific routines that can be built up into whole training sessions. There are probably 3 or 4 routines completely relevant to the martial artist the wrestling and gymnastics ones being the essential two in my opinion.
One criticism some people level at this book is the focus on the bottom half of the body. This makes little sense to me as the knees and ankles are the most injured joints I come across in people and the hips as well makes up the holy trinity of load bearing joints in the body. It seems reasonable they need the most protection as they take the most punishment and stress in sport, especially martial arts.
In all honesty you might feel a bit silly at first when you try some of these out, particularly in the gym but I say – don't worry. After one week of using the ideas and programs in this book I felt almost instant improvements to my flexibility and more importantly recovery times. I was actually training harder and easier than before. No bull, no buy in, I have no idea who Mark Kovacs is but he's assembled a nice little arsenal here for anyone to benefit from.
The archaic and unhelpful version of stretching most of us have acquired or adapted simply doesn't cut it and here I think I've found one of the few books to blow it out of the water. The science here isn't baffling nor is it a completely different way of doing things. For anyone who's done yoga many of these movements will feel familiar and for those willing to give them a shot the rewards are great.
So what is dynamic stretching? For me the critical difference is moving in a clearly defined way that recruits specific muscles and joints in a gentle and incremental stretch. Moving as you do each stretch rather than holding or forcing your body into positions it supports the natural range of each muscle and helps you push it on further at your own pace and need. Some of it might seem like it's taken from the Ministry of Silly Walks but in all honesty – do you really care if it works? I certainly don't and am convinced it does!
Happy stretching!
Review: The Spartan Warrior Workout – Dave Randolph
Sat, Jan 15 2011 09:31
| kettlebells, martial arts, training, keep fit, exercise, martial arts Altrincham, fitness, conditioning
| Permalink
Some people will automatically write this book off. The front cover features a menacingly ripped topless bloke with a blank expression and two racked kettlebells lit and lettered very much in the style of the film it's inspired by. We all know about 300 and the controversy of the “real” and CGI physiques displayed so vividly and how they whipped up a frenzy amongst the fitness and fight industries alike. Secondly the title hints and the inner sleeve confirms that Dave Randolph didn't work on the film at all – he is in fact a disciple of the Russian guru and PR maverick Pavel Tsatsouline. A hard as nails Russian expert who brought the old and secret training of strength, conditioning and martial prowess out from under the iron curtain and made a mint in the process.
Gymrats may have toyed with kettlebells as a fad in the last five years or so. But typically being difficult and low-tech they have been forgotten about. While they may be slightly marginalised by this book the influence of Randolph's mentor is there to see for those who have read the brilliant yet expensive books Pavel offers the world. Simple exercises, challenging and nigh on gutwrenching variations and a basic no bullshit approach is the foundation of this book. The simple fact is that those with pretensions of a “superhero” physique and the attributes to use it will cost a super amount of work and discipline. Adherence to dietary abstinence and precise form in the gym are a must here.
The real shame about this book is the way in which the simplicity of the prose and the plan are muddied by complex charts and annotations. I fear this will put off many and dishearten some. The advice and philosophy on hand are excellent especially about the mental challenge of the workouts and how to meet and overcome obstacles. The section General Physical Preparedness (GPP to those in the know) is excellent as far as introductions to the concept go. Although the book loses itself here in its eagerness for a USP (I know, I know) to introduce the casual reader to sledgehammers and tyre flips taking itself squarely out of the realms of most exercise enthusiasts and perhaps the realms of practicality too.
The mix of compound movements, explosive movements and endocrine torturing intensity is brilliant as it is cautionary. The lack of rest periods recommended or indeed encouraged worries me slightly. In terms of inspiration the book is excellent and informative. However I fear it is a set of routines for icing your cake as it were.
Once a strong and solid foundation of fitness is well in place this has the potential to turn people onto that next edge we all crave. For those slovenly spare-tyre carriers like me it is perhaps dangerous to promote this as a starting point. The risk of injury, over-training and damage is potentially much higher if this book is taken at face value. The offer of preparation and pre-hab is good but feels like an afterthought at the back of the book. Logically it should precede the guts of the workout.
Gymrats may have toyed with kettlebells as a fad in the last five years or so. But typically being difficult and low-tech they have been forgotten about. While they may be slightly marginalised by this book the influence of Randolph's mentor is there to see for those who have read the brilliant yet expensive books Pavel offers the world. Simple exercises, challenging and nigh on gutwrenching variations and a basic no bullshit approach is the foundation of this book. The simple fact is that those with pretensions of a “superhero” physique and the attributes to use it will cost a super amount of work and discipline. Adherence to dietary abstinence and precise form in the gym are a must here.
The real shame about this book is the way in which the simplicity of the prose and the plan are muddied by complex charts and annotations. I fear this will put off many and dishearten some. The advice and philosophy on hand are excellent especially about the mental challenge of the workouts and how to meet and overcome obstacles. The section General Physical Preparedness (GPP to those in the know) is excellent as far as introductions to the concept go. Although the book loses itself here in its eagerness for a USP (I know, I know) to introduce the casual reader to sledgehammers and tyre flips taking itself squarely out of the realms of most exercise enthusiasts and perhaps the realms of practicality too.
The mix of compound movements, explosive movements and endocrine torturing intensity is brilliant as it is cautionary. The lack of rest periods recommended or indeed encouraged worries me slightly. In terms of inspiration the book is excellent and informative. However I fear it is a set of routines for icing your cake as it were.
Once a strong and solid foundation of fitness is well in place this has the potential to turn people onto that next edge we all crave. For those slovenly spare-tyre carriers like me it is perhaps dangerous to promote this as a starting point. The risk of injury, over-training and damage is potentially much higher if this book is taken at face value. The offer of preparation and pre-hab is good but feels like an afterthought at the back of the book. Logically it should precede the guts of the workout.
As a source of inspiration and even exercise fetishism this book is fantastic and can teach us all plenty however it's ordering is haphazard. I recommend it for anyone with an open mind and determination of steel, to try, try and try again until they get where they want to be.
Grade 2 and beyond
Sun, Nov 28 2010 02:20
| kung fu, martial arts, training, Wing Tsun Kung fu, martial arts Altrincham
| Permalink
Here is a brief overview of what I expect you to be able to do, in order to achieve grade 2. This is not an official syllabus per se but a few scenarios anyone should be able to deal with fairly comfortably.
Straight punch palm side -> Pak punch (chain punch)
Straight punch knuckle side - > Tan punch (Pak and chain punch)
Jab cross palm side then knuckle side -> Pak to Tan punch
Jab cross knuckle then palm side -> Tan to pak punch
Guard Lifted and punch underneath - > Gan sau, Gum sau and chain punch
Guard lifted and pushed back to punch underneath -> Step one foot backwards, Gan sau, gum sau and chain punch
Straight punch palm side -> Pak punch (chain punch)
Straight punch knuckle side - > Tan punch (Pak and chain punch)
Jab cross palm side then knuckle side -> Pak to Tan punch
Jab cross knuckle then palm side -> Tan to pak punch
Guard Lifted and punch underneath - > Gan sau, Gum sau and chain punch
Guard lifted and pushed back to punch underneath -> Step one foot backwards, Gan sau, gum sau and chain punch
Sections 5 and 6 SNT
Sat, Oct 16 2010 03:13
| martial arts, training, form, Wing Tsun Kung fu, practice, martial arts Altrincham, siu num tao
| Permalink
Section 5
This concludes section 5. A very short section it teaches us a new strike in chen sau and highlights the importance of keeping within the shoulder line and attacking on the diagonals. Chen Sau is always applied with a shift to deliver maximum effectiveness.
Section 6
This section is always considered rather “fiddly” by beginners and it can be quite confusing. The arm jumps around from side to side and changes in height and relation to the body. The centre line is no longer the marker for all the moves as Section 6 uses the outside edge of the body and varying heights too.
It is therefore important to be aware of your whole body – not to let the shoulders come forward or backwards and not to let the arm drift away from the body. The most obvious application is using the tok sau onwards to deal with a high kick to the body or head. Scooping the kicker's leg up and slamming them down on the floor.
- Left Pak Sau (slapping hand) across to the shoulder line. This is the same as the Pak Sau in Section 3 and throughout Wing Tsun
- Drop the hand back onto the centre line, rotate the thumb back and down maintaining an angle. The hand should be 'bent backwards' to form a triangle with the wrist. This stretch across the fingers and wrist helps power the strike
- Strike down the centre line using the blade of the little finger keeping the hand in the same position. This is called Chen Sau (spade palm) This strike is particularly effective to the throat or eye socket and can also be used lower down into the floating ribs.
- Huen Sau back into Sau Chong
- Repeat for both sides
This concludes section 5. A very short section it teaches us a new strike in chen sau and highlights the importance of keeping within the shoulder line and attacking on the diagonals. Chen Sau is always applied with a shift to deliver maximum effectiveness.
Section 6
- Tan Sau (upward facing palm) then Jum Sau (sinking arm) onto the centre line. Drop the arm down and Gwat Sau (sweeping arm) out and down to the outside edge of the thigh.
- Rotate the hand so it faces upwards and the thumb points outwards. Lift the hand up using Tok Sau (lifting hand) to the height of the shoulder line. The elbow should be bent and the hand pointing out diagonally from the body.
- Perform a “half” Huen Sau so that the tips of the fingers are pointing away and the heel of the hand is in line with your shoulder. Palm strike down and across to the opposite hip. The heel of the hand now in line with your hip NOT your centre line.
- A complete Huen Sau here and return the arm to Sau Chong
- Repeat for the other arm to complete the section.
This section is always considered rather “fiddly” by beginners and it can be quite confusing. The arm jumps around from side to side and changes in height and relation to the body. The centre line is no longer the marker for all the moves as Section 6 uses the outside edge of the body and varying heights too.
It is therefore important to be aware of your whole body – not to let the shoulders come forward or backwards and not to let the arm drift away from the body. The most obvious application is using the tok sau onwards to deal with a high kick to the body or head. Scooping the kicker's leg up and slamming them down on the floor.
The Daily Grind
Wed, Sep 8 2010 12:01
| martial arts, training, fighting, Wing Tsun Kung fu, practice, martial arts Altrincham, fitness
| Permalink
Food, Water, Air – what have they all got in common? Without a good dose of each everyday you'd be in trouble and in once case dead! As martial artists or even anyone who is vaguely athletic there is one more thing you should add to the list – practice! Too often I hear students complain they don't pick up things in training and when I ask how often they practice they usually go all shy.
It's tough finding the time and even I have days off – I get ill, and sometimes go on holiday. Life can get in the way. But what often happens is an excuse becomes a reason which becomes a habit and then a person finds themselves justifying not practising at all between sessions. But really it comes down to expectations. Yours and mine. I have come across people who presume that all of their training and learning must come in the window that is a training session.
At two hours long our sessions are as long as I can make them to accommodate as much training as possible. To incorporate the physical elements of Wing Tsun training isn't always easy just as learning it is a challenge so is ensuring people are nourished with all the elements of Chi Sau, Lat Sau and Form as well as the basics can be confusing for some people. So what can they do to answer any questions they have?
Well the first thing is ensure they can't answer it themselves first. Often after demoing something, there will be someone who doubts a specific idea or piece of information I've just given the class. But without trying it a few times first how do they know if I'm wrong or not? They don't obviously.
The same applies at the end of a session. If you are brimming with questions ensure the most important one isn't displaced by lots of lesser ones.
Often just 15 minutes per day of practising foot steps or hand-shapes as well as form can solve many problems or give you an informed idea of things you are unsure about. This is especially important if you only train once a week. The time between two sessions is vast and you can easily forget the problem you were trying to solve in the first place! A little bit of practice everyday can keep ideas fresh in your head as well as improve your knowledge, fine motor skills and understanding of your own body and its capabilities.
Of course if you're really dedicated you can stretch it to half an hour or even a full hour as often as possible! The choice is yours.
It's tough finding the time and even I have days off – I get ill, and sometimes go on holiday. Life can get in the way. But what often happens is an excuse becomes a reason which becomes a habit and then a person finds themselves justifying not practising at all between sessions. But really it comes down to expectations. Yours and mine. I have come across people who presume that all of their training and learning must come in the window that is a training session.
At two hours long our sessions are as long as I can make them to accommodate as much training as possible. To incorporate the physical elements of Wing Tsun training isn't always easy just as learning it is a challenge so is ensuring people are nourished with all the elements of Chi Sau, Lat Sau and Form as well as the basics can be confusing for some people. So what can they do to answer any questions they have?
Well the first thing is ensure they can't answer it themselves first. Often after demoing something, there will be someone who doubts a specific idea or piece of information I've just given the class. But without trying it a few times first how do they know if I'm wrong or not? They don't obviously.
The same applies at the end of a session. If you are brimming with questions ensure the most important one isn't displaced by lots of lesser ones.
Often just 15 minutes per day of practising foot steps or hand-shapes as well as form can solve many problems or give you an informed idea of things you are unsure about. This is especially important if you only train once a week. The time between two sessions is vast and you can easily forget the problem you were trying to solve in the first place! A little bit of practice everyday can keep ideas fresh in your head as well as improve your knowledge, fine motor skills and understanding of your own body and its capabilities.
Of course if you're really dedicated you can stretch it to half an hour or even a full hour as often as possible! The choice is yours.
One to One Action
Wed, Sep 1 2010 03:34
| private lessons, martial arts, pricing, training, Wing Tsun Kung fu, practice, martial arts Altrincham
| Permalink
Whenever I've joined or worked with a martial arts class be it my own, another WT group or even other arts and styles you see the same thing every time amongst the students. You see the guy who is always late or skipping sessions with flimsy excuses, the guy who never listens and always practices his interpretation of the exercise set. There's also the fella who questions every detail or idea before trying it first alongside the guy who seems to pick everything up after one demonstration.
You might recognise yourself or more likely a buddy in amongst those caricatures with a laugh or wry smile. I can tell you that at one point or another I've felt like every single one of those guys and more. But it's the last fella I want to talk about here. The guy who always seems to know what's going on in class, what each exercise is roughly about and where it fits in to the rest of his training. Some dismiss it as natural talent - “he's just got the knack and doesn't need to work at it” but I would honestly say it's one in a thousand who naturally pick everything up with little reference or coaching and that's being generous.
Look at what this guy does in training – I bet you any money he turns up early every session. I bet you he phones his instructor when he's too sick and gives a week's notice when he's going away etc. so he never misses a thing and reminds his instructor when he's missed a lesson or exercise. When the teacher calls you round to demonstrate does this guy get picked out to demonstrate on or is he almost pushing forward to get as close to the demo as possible? Of course he is.
To really excel it takes it hard work, dedication and patience. You have to accept that some days aren't your days, that plateaus will come and go and these are not points at which to give up. I don't mind admitting I've contemplated packing up WT and martial arts altogether now and again. I've heard some rather pathetic excuses from quitters in passing “I didn't have the time” can be complimented by “I didn't understand it” or the ludicrous such as “I didn't like X in the club”. You'll notice that these people always look to others and external factors as being responsible for their failures. That there is no talk of what they did to fix these problems first.
The guy who walks away from my class because he “didn't understand” was also the guy that never once asked a question, or accepted help. He never acknowledged emails or asked about what he could do at home. These aren't cardinal sins but look at them as choices. How does he expect to understand something he doesn't engage in? Turning up for an hour or two a week is a great start but to achieve more you have to do more. What does our friend from earlier do when he finds himself no longer understanding?
Usually he'll pull me aside during practice time or at the end of the lesson and run his questions or thoughts by me. In some cases we might not have the time or scope to fix it there and then. Often we then look at scheduling some extra time in the form of a private lesson. “Privates” as we call them at my club are usually an hour long lesson booked at the students convenience and basically they get the use of myself to work on ideas, topics and material they feel they are lacking in or I feel will steer them in the right direction. The time spent one to one is usually like a month's worth of classes in one shot for a lot less money and time.
Before gradings I get lots of requests for my time but students requiring extra time and attention can call on me at any time. These types of lessons were a resource I used successfully with my teachers. Even when I was a student and struggling for cash I always found a way. A private once a month, a seminar, a week long course were all paid for because my training was priority number one. That's not the case for everyone. You need to to sit down and think about how much it's worth to you before embarking on private lessons.
In privates all your mistakes are analysed they can be spotted and usually fixed there and then. Or alternative ways of training can be laid out. You can get a chance to feel how every impulse and exercise is intended to be as your instructor is the person feeding you everything you need as many times as you need it. Many students arrive for a private lesson and then have no idea what they want or need to cover in the hour. Trust me, your teacher will know what you need.
The benefit of privates are numerous. You can get a feel for gaps in your knowledge, you can also get a much deeper understanding of a topic so when it pops up in class you're one step ahead. You also find it promotes a respect and trust between you and your teacher. If you spend more time and money seeking out your teacher this is not only a compliment to them but it shows a desire to learn and achieve. Something highly valued in students by instructors.
Some people will book sessions in an ad hoc fashion, some will have one session and not feel the need to have another for months some students book one every week almost always in the same time slot. It's a personal choice. In my club I offer discounts for regular bookings. The money is less important than encouraging students to train more and seek more input into their WT. A one off session costs £23 and a regular booking or a block of ten are priced at £20 per hour respectively. Compared to music lessons, or personal trainers we tend to be cheaper not because WT is worth less but because very often students are already spending money on regular class sessions and I like to focus on getting more sweat, dedication and questions out of my students than their pin numbers.
Now ask yourself, whereabouts the guy at the front of the class always watching, always asking questions in his own time fits in? How many private lessons does he take to get ahead? It doesn't really matter does it? The question is what are you doing and prepared to do to learn more? How much effort are you happy with to feel like you are progressing?
The answers across a class will vary wildly and so they should. Not everyone can excel and not everyone will. But what everyone can do is fulfil their potential. To do that they must be prepared to push on a little bit – to go to that extra session, to accept the opportunities presented to them when they can. Otherwise you're wasting my time and even worse you're wasting your own.
You might recognise yourself or more likely a buddy in amongst those caricatures with a laugh or wry smile. I can tell you that at one point or another I've felt like every single one of those guys and more. But it's the last fella I want to talk about here. The guy who always seems to know what's going on in class, what each exercise is roughly about and where it fits in to the rest of his training. Some dismiss it as natural talent - “he's just got the knack and doesn't need to work at it” but I would honestly say it's one in a thousand who naturally pick everything up with little reference or coaching and that's being generous.
Look at what this guy does in training – I bet you any money he turns up early every session. I bet you he phones his instructor when he's too sick and gives a week's notice when he's going away etc. so he never misses a thing and reminds his instructor when he's missed a lesson or exercise. When the teacher calls you round to demonstrate does this guy get picked out to demonstrate on or is he almost pushing forward to get as close to the demo as possible? Of course he is.
To really excel it takes it hard work, dedication and patience. You have to accept that some days aren't your days, that plateaus will come and go and these are not points at which to give up. I don't mind admitting I've contemplated packing up WT and martial arts altogether now and again. I've heard some rather pathetic excuses from quitters in passing “I didn't have the time” can be complimented by “I didn't understand it” or the ludicrous such as “I didn't like X in the club”. You'll notice that these people always look to others and external factors as being responsible for their failures. That there is no talk of what they did to fix these problems first.
The guy who walks away from my class because he “didn't understand” was also the guy that never once asked a question, or accepted help. He never acknowledged emails or asked about what he could do at home. These aren't cardinal sins but look at them as choices. How does he expect to understand something he doesn't engage in? Turning up for an hour or two a week is a great start but to achieve more you have to do more. What does our friend from earlier do when he finds himself no longer understanding?
Usually he'll pull me aside during practice time or at the end of the lesson and run his questions or thoughts by me. In some cases we might not have the time or scope to fix it there and then. Often we then look at scheduling some extra time in the form of a private lesson. “Privates” as we call them at my club are usually an hour long lesson booked at the students convenience and basically they get the use of myself to work on ideas, topics and material they feel they are lacking in or I feel will steer them in the right direction. The time spent one to one is usually like a month's worth of classes in one shot for a lot less money and time.
Before gradings I get lots of requests for my time but students requiring extra time and attention can call on me at any time. These types of lessons were a resource I used successfully with my teachers. Even when I was a student and struggling for cash I always found a way. A private once a month, a seminar, a week long course were all paid for because my training was priority number one. That's not the case for everyone. You need to to sit down and think about how much it's worth to you before embarking on private lessons.
In privates all your mistakes are analysed they can be spotted and usually fixed there and then. Or alternative ways of training can be laid out. You can get a chance to feel how every impulse and exercise is intended to be as your instructor is the person feeding you everything you need as many times as you need it. Many students arrive for a private lesson and then have no idea what they want or need to cover in the hour. Trust me, your teacher will know what you need.
The benefit of privates are numerous. You can get a feel for gaps in your knowledge, you can also get a much deeper understanding of a topic so when it pops up in class you're one step ahead. You also find it promotes a respect and trust between you and your teacher. If you spend more time and money seeking out your teacher this is not only a compliment to them but it shows a desire to learn and achieve. Something highly valued in students by instructors.
Some people will book sessions in an ad hoc fashion, some will have one session and not feel the need to have another for months some students book one every week almost always in the same time slot. It's a personal choice. In my club I offer discounts for regular bookings. The money is less important than encouraging students to train more and seek more input into their WT. A one off session costs £23 and a regular booking or a block of ten are priced at £20 per hour respectively. Compared to music lessons, or personal trainers we tend to be cheaper not because WT is worth less but because very often students are already spending money on regular class sessions and I like to focus on getting more sweat, dedication and questions out of my students than their pin numbers.
Now ask yourself, whereabouts the guy at the front of the class always watching, always asking questions in his own time fits in? How many private lessons does he take to get ahead? It doesn't really matter does it? The question is what are you doing and prepared to do to learn more? How much effort are you happy with to feel like you are progressing?
The answers across a class will vary wildly and so they should. Not everyone can excel and not everyone will. But what everyone can do is fulfil their potential. To do that they must be prepared to push on a little bit – to go to that extra session, to accept the opportunities presented to them when they can. Otherwise you're wasting my time and even worse you're wasting your own.
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?
Here's the Kicker
Sat, Aug 7 2010 04:25
| MMA, martial arts, training, muay thai, fighting, technique, Wing Tsun Kung fu, martial arts Altrincham, kickboxing, self defence
| Permalink
Ask anyone what they associate with martial arts and it won't take long for them to say, describe or even act out a roundhouse kick to the head! It is the iconic and most loved image from any chop sockey movie for most people. It's also the one attack students seem to fear or at least be the most wary of and for good reason. Anyone who can lift, aim and put power into a kick over 5ft off the floor has some skills. The main problem with it, is that anyone who knows what they are doing will probably never use it outside of competition.
It is something I can almost guarantee you won't be likely to face in a confrontation outside of training. The reason being is as a manoeuvre it is very risky, requires a lot of room and perfect timing to pull off well. As an opening gambit your opponent would have to be pretty brave, reckless or phenomenally good to try this one on you. In terms of shock and awe it can be a brilliant tactic and if it connects you're going to knock down and probably knock out your victim with it. The main disadvantage of it is that it relies on momentum and your assailant to barely move in the time it take to lift your foot off the floor and turn it in arc whilst raising it to the desired height. While this may be a matter of a second or two, ask yourself what you can do in a second or two to the opponent with his weight on one leg, his groin exposed and head often turned away from you – you'd be surprised.
This is often the main problem I face as a teacher. The lack of faith and belief in the art and their own skills often makes students reluctant to even try and stand up to a decent kick(er). My main principle in teaching kick defence is to demonstrate the need for range awareness. Kicks are long range attacks, the foot is the striking part of the attack and is pushed out to an extreme range of motion. The first port of call for a defender is to close the distance and to do that they must go forward – as the motto dictates 'when the way is clear, go forward!'.
This makes sense on two counts. Firstly the kicker is generating power in a circular motion this is a longer path than the straight line taken by the Wing Tsun exponent who moves towards the his attacker and tries to dominate the space yielded by the 'opening up' of the kicker. Secondly the force generated by the kicker whilst considerable is concentrated in the foot and lower limb. The closer the attacker moves to the source of the power (the kickers torso and standing leg) the easier they can dissipate the force which is simultaneously being sent 'past' them towards the kicker's foot. This is exactly the same as swing defence when you think about it.
The arrow step forward also ensures the WT student moves quickly, powerfully and with a low centre of gravity. Tipping and extenuating the spin of the kicking action dumping the kicker on his head on the floor. I always encourage students to master stepping in, dominating the kicker's balance and doing nothing more refined than using their hands to barge and push the kicker over. This allows the student to focus on using good tactics and concepts to beat the kicker and not fixate on specific techniques or the kicking leg which is rendered useless if the remaining 3/4s of the kicker's body is attacked well.
Once someone is confident with ploughing forward in the face of such an attack it is then we can introduce variations and techniques. Generally speaking if the kick is delivered above the waist (high kicks) then you should use your hands to deal with the kicking leg if necessary. If it is below the waist (low kicks) then legs should be used.
A high kick can be beaten taking a movement from section six of SNT. Sweeping the leg aside with a gwat sau, lifting it with a tok sau and stepping in and under the opponent, flips them onto their head and drives them into the floor. As an aside Muay Thai uses an almost identical move to slam the back of a boxers head onto the ropes to try and knock them out. Obviously with no ropes the impact of concrete from a much greater fall is one you might like to consider when dishing this technique out on your kicking assailant.
A low kick should be dealt with using your legs. As the motto says 'every step is a kick and every kick is a step'. Therefore the front foot stepping into the opponent can be used to attack not just their stance but their legs too with a kick. A stop kick to the standing leg will see the attacker crumple and buckle as all of their weight is taken from under them. Alternatively the thigh of the kicking leg can be stamped on using the stop kick. Both options require aggression, timing and accurate footwork to work but with a little practice they can be achievable. They are also highly effective due to the short and impacting way in which they attack a kicker. From here a falling attacker can easily be picked apart with follow ups either using strikes or kicks and stamps as the situation dictates.
Kicks are fairly high up in the syllabus because they require decent impulses from confident training partners. The students must also have a decent understanding and ability in WT to successfully pull off the defences and avoid injury for themselves and their partner. They are also not a pressing concern for those who are looking to learn self defence due to their rarity in street fights – for that reason I believe it is also a topic pushed higher up more for technical interest than necessity.
It is something I can almost guarantee you won't be likely to face in a confrontation outside of training. The reason being is as a manoeuvre it is very risky, requires a lot of room and perfect timing to pull off well. As an opening gambit your opponent would have to be pretty brave, reckless or phenomenally good to try this one on you. In terms of shock and awe it can be a brilliant tactic and if it connects you're going to knock down and probably knock out your victim with it. The main disadvantage of it is that it relies on momentum and your assailant to barely move in the time it take to lift your foot off the floor and turn it in arc whilst raising it to the desired height. While this may be a matter of a second or two, ask yourself what you can do in a second or two to the opponent with his weight on one leg, his groin exposed and head often turned away from you – you'd be surprised.
This is often the main problem I face as a teacher. The lack of faith and belief in the art and their own skills often makes students reluctant to even try and stand up to a decent kick(er). My main principle in teaching kick defence is to demonstrate the need for range awareness. Kicks are long range attacks, the foot is the striking part of the attack and is pushed out to an extreme range of motion. The first port of call for a defender is to close the distance and to do that they must go forward – as the motto dictates 'when the way is clear, go forward!'.
This makes sense on two counts. Firstly the kicker is generating power in a circular motion this is a longer path than the straight line taken by the Wing Tsun exponent who moves towards the his attacker and tries to dominate the space yielded by the 'opening up' of the kicker. Secondly the force generated by the kicker whilst considerable is concentrated in the foot and lower limb. The closer the attacker moves to the source of the power (the kickers torso and standing leg) the easier they can dissipate the force which is simultaneously being sent 'past' them towards the kicker's foot. This is exactly the same as swing defence when you think about it.
The arrow step forward also ensures the WT student moves quickly, powerfully and with a low centre of gravity. Tipping and extenuating the spin of the kicking action dumping the kicker on his head on the floor. I always encourage students to master stepping in, dominating the kicker's balance and doing nothing more refined than using their hands to barge and push the kicker over. This allows the student to focus on using good tactics and concepts to beat the kicker and not fixate on specific techniques or the kicking leg which is rendered useless if the remaining 3/4s of the kicker's body is attacked well.
Once someone is confident with ploughing forward in the face of such an attack it is then we can introduce variations and techniques. Generally speaking if the kick is delivered above the waist (high kicks) then you should use your hands to deal with the kicking leg if necessary. If it is below the waist (low kicks) then legs should be used.
A high kick can be beaten taking a movement from section six of SNT. Sweeping the leg aside with a gwat sau, lifting it with a tok sau and stepping in and under the opponent, flips them onto their head and drives them into the floor. As an aside Muay Thai uses an almost identical move to slam the back of a boxers head onto the ropes to try and knock them out. Obviously with no ropes the impact of concrete from a much greater fall is one you might like to consider when dishing this technique out on your kicking assailant.
A low kick should be dealt with using your legs. As the motto says 'every step is a kick and every kick is a step'. Therefore the front foot stepping into the opponent can be used to attack not just their stance but their legs too with a kick. A stop kick to the standing leg will see the attacker crumple and buckle as all of their weight is taken from under them. Alternatively the thigh of the kicking leg can be stamped on using the stop kick. Both options require aggression, timing and accurate footwork to work but with a little practice they can be achievable. They are also highly effective due to the short and impacting way in which they attack a kicker. From here a falling attacker can easily be picked apart with follow ups either using strikes or kicks and stamps as the situation dictates.
Kicks are fairly high up in the syllabus because they require decent impulses from confident training partners. The students must also have a decent understanding and ability in WT to successfully pull off the defences and avoid injury for themselves and their partner. They are also not a pressing concern for those who are looking to learn self defence due to their rarity in street fights – for that reason I believe it is also a topic pushed higher up more for technical interest than necessity.
A Sporting Chance
Wed, Dec 30 2009 02:22
| kung fu, martial arts, boxing, training, street fight, martial arts Altrincham, kickboxing, self defence
| Permalink
If you ask our old friend Joe Public to name a martial art you tend to receive a narrow set of answers. Karate, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu (a coverall for hundreds if not thousands of styles), perhaps even boxing or wrestling or global brands such as UFC might all get the nod.
So what? You might ask. The common thread is that by and large all of those are sports. They have rules, referees, specific types of strikes/ranges and weight classes etc they are not practiced, designed for or implemented on the most important arena of all – the street.
However if you talk to our friend Joe Public they will not see the difference and nor should we expect them to. What is even more worrying is when students or even worse instructors of these styles cannot differentiate the gulf between these two contexts.
I do not seek to defame any one of these pursuits or criticise them as styles of combat. However it does bother me that from a cultural point of view there is a complicit willingness to mislead or simply avoid the gap between the mat and the pavement.
It is not to say that the skills and techniques from any of these sports cannot be used for self defence but in my humble experience it is often a case that a certain amount of adaptation and understanding is needed to make this work.
How often do you hear stories of martial arts enthusiasts suffering horrific injuries and humiliation at the hands of thugs and criminals? What can possibly cause this? How does the highly trained exponent of a fighting style fall foul of the untrained?
The answer can be complex but generally speaking there is a combination of the following factors often enough:
· An overinflated confidence of the individuals own strength and skills
· A lack of exposure to self defence/street fights
· A fundamental flaw in understanding their styles strengths and weaknesses
· A basic lack of conditioning to physical, psychological and verbal assaults from unprovoked opponents
· An assumption that an attacker may fight fair or within a consensual set of rules/code
Violent and criminal acts are often borne out of base desires or instincts the perpetrators often utilise the deepest and most animalistic of methods and traits. Regularly these acts are malicious, opportunistic, instinctive and cruel in nature. In essence they go against every cornerstone of the sporting world and culture no matter how violent or barbaric a sport may seem to outside world (see much of the moral debate over boxing and increasingly MMA bouts).
It is this dichotomy that in my opinion often leads to confusion amongst the martial arts community as to the validity and more importantly relevance of various styles to practical street defence. In martial sports their design and motivation is to achieve as much parity between contestants as possible. Fighters are seeded, compete in weight classes and receive medical care and attention as well as the grace and attention of referees to protect their health as much as possible.
On the street there is no code, no starting bell, no one to separate pugilists and there is no reason for an attacker to stop maliciously beating a stricken foe and inflicting severe damage and even death using any strike, weapon or method they choose.
At this point you may be thinking I am seeking to dismiss and undermine martial sports as a glorified side show and spectacle. Far from it! I love to box and kick-box and would hate to trade blows with any well trained exponent of Muay Thai, MMA, wrestling etc
My participation in those pursuits however, isn’t designed to improve my effectiveness but to improve my basic martial skills. The test of stamina, fitness, muscle, coordination and balance I gain from kick-boxing all provide ample reason enough to train it. Most importantly though I simply enjoy it!
My underlining point is that often instructors fail their students by not differentiating between the dojo and the alley way. I have seen instructors of various martial sports claim an in depth knowledge of self defence and for it to be an area they teach extensively in their class without a hint of embarrassment of self-denial.
Often this is simply a marketing ploy as the instructor knows full well a novice will not be able to discern the difference or the fact and fiction of what they are told until many hours of training have been undertaken. The martial arts which are well renowned amongst experts and enthusiasts for a high level of usability are also linked to various military and police bodies. These arts include Wing Tsun, Krav Maga, Systema, Sambo and Eskrima amongst others.
This is no coincidence. The military and police deal with dangerous and deadly encounters as a matter of course. They need and rely on techniques not only to do their job but to stay alive as they have no margin for error.
My question to you is does your training cater for what you need over what you want? It is easy to dismiss one art or one teacher over another. However it is fundamental that you not only find a teacher you enjoy training with, but you find a teacher who can deliver what you require.
So what? You might ask. The common thread is that by and large all of those are sports. They have rules, referees, specific types of strikes/ranges and weight classes etc they are not practiced, designed for or implemented on the most important arena of all – the street.
However if you talk to our friend Joe Public they will not see the difference and nor should we expect them to. What is even more worrying is when students or even worse instructors of these styles cannot differentiate the gulf between these two contexts.
I do not seek to defame any one of these pursuits or criticise them as styles of combat. However it does bother me that from a cultural point of view there is a complicit willingness to mislead or simply avoid the gap between the mat and the pavement.
It is not to say that the skills and techniques from any of these sports cannot be used for self defence but in my humble experience it is often a case that a certain amount of adaptation and understanding is needed to make this work.
How often do you hear stories of martial arts enthusiasts suffering horrific injuries and humiliation at the hands of thugs and criminals? What can possibly cause this? How does the highly trained exponent of a fighting style fall foul of the untrained?
The answer can be complex but generally speaking there is a combination of the following factors often enough:
· An overinflated confidence of the individuals own strength and skills
· A lack of exposure to self defence/street fights
· A fundamental flaw in understanding their styles strengths and weaknesses
· A basic lack of conditioning to physical, psychological and verbal assaults from unprovoked opponents
· An assumption that an attacker may fight fair or within a consensual set of rules/code
Violent and criminal acts are often borne out of base desires or instincts the perpetrators often utilise the deepest and most animalistic of methods and traits. Regularly these acts are malicious, opportunistic, instinctive and cruel in nature. In essence they go against every cornerstone of the sporting world and culture no matter how violent or barbaric a sport may seem to outside world (see much of the moral debate over boxing and increasingly MMA bouts).
It is this dichotomy that in my opinion often leads to confusion amongst the martial arts community as to the validity and more importantly relevance of various styles to practical street defence. In martial sports their design and motivation is to achieve as much parity between contestants as possible. Fighters are seeded, compete in weight classes and receive medical care and attention as well as the grace and attention of referees to protect their health as much as possible.
On the street there is no code, no starting bell, no one to separate pugilists and there is no reason for an attacker to stop maliciously beating a stricken foe and inflicting severe damage and even death using any strike, weapon or method they choose.
At this point you may be thinking I am seeking to dismiss and undermine martial sports as a glorified side show and spectacle. Far from it! I love to box and kick-box and would hate to trade blows with any well trained exponent of Muay Thai, MMA, wrestling etc
My participation in those pursuits however, isn’t designed to improve my effectiveness but to improve my basic martial skills. The test of stamina, fitness, muscle, coordination and balance I gain from kick-boxing all provide ample reason enough to train it. Most importantly though I simply enjoy it!
My underlining point is that often instructors fail their students by not differentiating between the dojo and the alley way. I have seen instructors of various martial sports claim an in depth knowledge of self defence and for it to be an area they teach extensively in their class without a hint of embarrassment of self-denial.
Often this is simply a marketing ploy as the instructor knows full well a novice will not be able to discern the difference or the fact and fiction of what they are told until many hours of training have been undertaken. The martial arts which are well renowned amongst experts and enthusiasts for a high level of usability are also linked to various military and police bodies. These arts include Wing Tsun, Krav Maga, Systema, Sambo and Eskrima amongst others.
This is no coincidence. The military and police deal with dangerous and deadly encounters as a matter of course. They need and rely on techniques not only to do their job but to stay alive as they have no margin for error.
My question to you is does your training cater for what you need over what you want? It is easy to dismiss one art or one teacher over another. However it is fundamental that you not only find a teacher you enjoy training with, but you find a teacher who can deliver what you require.
Why do we train?
Sat, Dec 19 2009 04:30
| 2010, training, exercise, Wing Tsun Kung fu, change, martial arts Altrincham
| Permalink
I've started all of this blogging stuff at the tail end of 2009 and as an end of year, reflective kinda mood takes hold it all seems more than appropriate.
The last 12 months have been turbulent in all areas of my life for a million reasons. But I still turned up for training day in day out. I still went down in the dungeon and flung a kettlebell about, picked up a bar or got down on my knees for all sorts of calisthenics.
One of the reasons is my belief in the "Use it or lose it!" principle. A belief that if you stop doing what you do for just a fraction too long it'll be a long road getting it back. Another is the habit. Exercise, training and the stresses and strains of it relase different chemicals and hormones in the body, in short: it makes me happy.
The other reason to keep going is necessity. As someone entrusted to teach and help others it is my duty to maintain my trianing at all times, how can I expect my students to practice if I don't?!?!
Please be aware the reasons I train now are in some ways a million miles away from why I started. The journey we all go on in martial arts is (hopefully) a long one, but if years later you are still trying to perfect the simplest and humblest of goals that you started with; I would suggest something has gone wrong.
The ability to change and adapt isn't something that applys just to the classroom it should be something you have when approaching all aspects of training. Evolving your mindset and needs to meet ever increasing challenges is the key to success.
Appraising myself, my abilities and my outlook has been painful this year but necessary. In 2010 be prepared to do something new and different everyday, that's my advice for what it's worth. If you can't even consider changing your approach you'll never be able to do it and it's the area I'll be working on most......even more than giving up the sugar and getting that six pack!
So, why do you train? Whether it's exercise, martial arts, a hobby or a skill, why do you do what you do?
The last 12 months have been turbulent in all areas of my life for a million reasons. But I still turned up for training day in day out. I still went down in the dungeon and flung a kettlebell about, picked up a bar or got down on my knees for all sorts of calisthenics.
One of the reasons is my belief in the "Use it or lose it!" principle. A belief that if you stop doing what you do for just a fraction too long it'll be a long road getting it back. Another is the habit. Exercise, training and the stresses and strains of it relase different chemicals and hormones in the body, in short: it makes me happy.
The other reason to keep going is necessity. As someone entrusted to teach and help others it is my duty to maintain my trianing at all times, how can I expect my students to practice if I don't?!?!
Please be aware the reasons I train now are in some ways a million miles away from why I started. The journey we all go on in martial arts is (hopefully) a long one, but if years later you are still trying to perfect the simplest and humblest of goals that you started with; I would suggest something has gone wrong.
The ability to change and adapt isn't something that applys just to the classroom it should be something you have when approaching all aspects of training. Evolving your mindset and needs to meet ever increasing challenges is the key to success.
Appraising myself, my abilities and my outlook has been painful this year but necessary. In 2010 be prepared to do something new and different everyday, that's my advice for what it's worth. If you can't even consider changing your approach you'll never be able to do it and it's the area I'll be working on most......even more than giving up the sugar and getting that six pack!
So, why do you train? Whether it's exercise, martial arts, a hobby or a skill, why do you do what you do?