Distance Training Kung Fu & Tai Chi

[Drake]

Ok, so here I am, an eager and fit DL student ready to tackle everything the world of CLF has to offer. I have studied the tapes, and can perform the movements. So I finish my regular workout and head upstairs to a solitary area of the gym to work on some CLF training. I perform the basic stance and hand forms, pausing to check my technique, sometimes doing them over if I feel I didn't do them correctly. I then work on some kicking drills, hand strikes, and some flexibility work. By the time I leave the gym, I am a sweaty and exhausted mess...but one thing lingers in my mind. Am I training properly? Is this the way they'd do it at a school?

So it occured that I should have a schedule instead of haphazardly working on different things. That being said, where is a good place to find a decent one hour schedule? I can't really go over that time, because I still have my weightlifting, running, and abdominal work to do.

[nospam]

Any time is a good time to train. If you are not attending a school under a teacher's watchful eye and proper guidance, then training when you do for as long as you do is what you are willing to put into it. As far as you know, you are training well and hard...or are you?

It's a rare breed of person to be able to keep proper consistent and productive training going on their own. You need to set goals that cover many areas of training, from a good 10-20 minutes of basics and advanced basics to drilling patterns and performing patterns to bag work if you do not have a training partner.

It also depends on your MA goals. Although some may debate this, you can not improve your fighting if you train alone and do not practise fighting on an interactive partner. Period.

If you feel your training is haphazzard, then you are not training effectively and to your maximum benefit. Perhaps it is time for a change.

nospam
:cool:

[Drake]

Thanks for the guidance, but being military, I am used to having my training broken down by the minute. For example... here's a sample PT routine.

10 mins - Stretching/rotations/calesthenics
40 mins - 4 mile slow run
10 mins - Cool down stretching

I was looking for a way to apply that to CLF training.

I'm a structured little monster.

[nospam]

First thing in the morning. Get up an hour early and just do it.

nospam
:cool:

[Drake]

First thing in the morning. Get up an hour early and just do it.

nospam
:cool:

We do organized PT first thing in the morning. This morning, for example, we ran 5 miles with sprints up hills and little mini-races throughout. I hit the gym after work to improve my scores on the PT test.

[Jeong]

Since you already have a warm-up and cool-down, I'd suggest perhaps the following:

10 min form: take it slow, focus on correct structure and technique.
15 min basic pad/bag work: Practice power generation with basic techniques.
10 min advanced pad/bag work
15 min drills/applications
10 min form: go full speed and power. Try to stay relaxed and loose, but the goal is a cardio workout to finish it off.

That really doesn't allot a whole lot of time for any given chunk, so really keep the pace up and don't waste any time. Depending on how often you train you might want to give and take a little on the schedule. Maybe one day do more pad/bag work, the other more application work, or whatever.

Also I think nospam is exactly right; if combat is your goal, you need to find someone to practice fighting with.

[Freebird]

Greetings, I am looking for a non hyped up marketing scheme site that trains kung fu & tai chi at home via video. Programs are fine, like one that plumblossom.net gives, but im looking for more styles and variations of your favorites so i will have many to choose from. The only thing available near me is Shaolin Do, i went for a viewing 2 times before i decided it was not for me. I just did not like the styles and the mixture of kids and adults. I dont mind the kids being there, just the ones i seen both times were a bit rambunctious and well careless to say the least. Not all but a few. I am also wanting to know is it logical to train both Kung Fu and tai Chi forms at the same time?
Any help would be great

Thanks in advance,


Freebird

[ginosifu]

I am putting together a distance program for my monkey system. If you are interested please email me:

ginosifu@shaolininstitute.com

or visit my web:

http://www.shaolininstitute.com

Ginosifu :p

[KFNOOB]

Can you learn effectively this way or must you have significant experience in other arts as a base?

[Freebird]

Not sure, but i assume it would be like distance classes for school.. Just not hands on in a class.. When you really dont have an option it could be the only way. Driving jars me up something aweful, i hate riding in a car for an hour, stiffens me up can barely move afterwards. I gotta keep moving around. and the only school available is not what i want, its settling with a wish sandwhich when you want a steak sandwhich ya know? Hopefully i can get some good links added in here from others. Like to see the styles and what they have to offer. I dont know what im looking at, but im sure ill know what i want to train when i see it. Tai Chi maybe is the best as others have said since i do have back problems, but i want a full course as if i am being taught in person one one by the sifu / teacher.

[ginosifu]

Can you learn effectively this way or must you have significant experience in other arts as a base?

Can you effectively learn thru distance only, "NO"

You would have to combine distance with visiting the teacher in a seminar or private lesson. I have had student s come on monthly basis / some quarterly. You need instruction from the teacher and you also need a partner for Reaction / Timing drills and sparring.

Forms alone are just exercise.

Ginosifu :p

[Egg fu young]

As most will be able to tell from my video sig, I learned my 24 form from DVD. It's unrefined at best but It's a base. I just found a sifu who's teaching 24 form once a week and guess what! I have bad habits I need to fix. I leave my ego at the door, except his knowledge, focus on what he's telling me and do my best to practice correct 24 form all week until next class. I hope to post another video in I'd say 6 months with noticable inprovement.

[Freebird]

Yeah going in once in a while to test and get viewed on your achievments isnt so bad, even going to a different state isnt either. I have family who live in ohio and in Alabama, just not sure what i wanna do, I can always visit them while testing and getting my progress reports lol.. Again i dont know much about what goes on in the schools really, this is my assumption. Im sure there are alot more reasons to go to a school rather than distance training, but if nothing is available to you that you want to do then the only other option is to move... Im not moving i just bought this house last yr so that is a no go.

Im still looking for distance training links. Anymore will be appreciated. styles and Forms do not matter, as long as it is CMA only.

[KFNOOB]

plumblossom.net

[Freebird]

*nods* i stated that site in my first post of this thread, ive been debating it. Might be the best choice thus far.

[Drake]

Go to plumblossom.net, and find the link for GM Doc Fai Wong's e-mail. He'll answer your questions.

[Freebird]

I have emailed him and received a email this morning thanks.

[KFNOOB]

Any update?

[Freebird]

he has sent me the email, Im just waiting on my check to reach him, its only $50 1 time fee, then you have to buy the videos from the producers, Once you are his student he will then tell you which videos to start with and you will record yourself when it comes time for him to grade you and send to him with a small fee for his critics. Sounds pretty solid. He also said that what else is available for me if i ever get any vacation time i could come in for private lessons and corrections.

So im gonna do it. Plumblossome.net one anyway.


- Freebird

[Drake]

Some of us have careers that lead us all over the place, and those places are usually nowhere near a good CLF teacher. For a long time I simply learned from whoever was teaching on the post gym. The usual offerings are karate in some form, krav maga, and for a while I was learning from a Praying Mantis instructor.

It seems nowadays that distance learning is more attainable, but I still feel that many IT resources are not being tapped for this. While your videos of your techniques and forms are able to be reviewed well within 24 hours, with feedback coming shortly after, I also feel that maybe virtual sessions are possible via webcam, along with forums so correspondence students might compare and make recommendations to one another. Even a virtual training log/schedule might be in order.

Looking to the future, maybe someday we could implement biometric tracking of movement during reviews, allowing the teacher to see things he/she might not be able to see on the video. Virtual reality is another option, but it seems that with the exception of the medical field, it isn't really going anywhere as a tech.

In the Army, VTCs are very common downrange. We also have computers tracking our bullet trajectories on the range, and numerous forms of collecting training data. I wonder how we could add that to CLF training for those who aren't fortunate enough to live in CA, FL, China, HK, or Australia.

[ninetoes]

Hi all,

I am looking at a distance learning course for qi gong theory, anyone have any opinions on these courses? i am up in sunny northumberland and i am really struggling to find a qi gong class most are usually tai chi with a little qi gong insight anyone with any info i would be grateful.

[Sal Canzonieri]

Well, that's pretty hard to find.

Al Simon has a great distance learning Qigong course, it is part of his tai chi training, but you will get a lot out of it anyways.

[Al S.]

Thanks for mentioning me, Sal.

Ninetoes, if you are looking for theory, I'm not certain my stuff would be right for you. We are mostly a Chi Development course (rather than strictly a Qigong or Tai Chi course) which might fit what you want, but we're mostly focused on practice rather than theory, which doesn't fit. And we mostly work with the "average person" who wants to learn Chi Development, rather than the die-hard practitioners and martial artists.

But you are welcome to check it out. There's enough free stuff the first few weeks on the list to give you an idea of what we're about.

Thanks,
Al

[Sal Canzonieri]

Even though I have been practicing, learning, etc Qigong since 1980 and teaching for over a decade, I got a LOT out of your course anyways.

I knew all the theory, what it helped me with was organizing the material better (which helped me teach beginners better) and double checking that all the physical details are being done correctly (what to make sure my students are doing so that I don't do monkey see monkey do teaching).

[Sal Canzonieri]

If you just want theory, then you are better off with a book.

"Zen Body Mind Being" is an amazing book by Peter Ralston.
He has a newer book that is 5 inches thick, but also amazing.

Bruce Frantzis has a great book out called "The Great Stillness" that I would recommend.

There are other great books out as well. You'd have to be more clear about what exactly you want.
Qigong theory starting from scratch?

Also, I'm pretty sure that Bruce Frantzis does indeed have a qigong theory distance learning thing set up. It concentrates on meditation.

[Al S.]

Even though I have been practicing, learning, etc Qigong since 1980 and teaching for over a decade, I got a LOT out of your course anyways.

I knew all the theory, what it helped me with was organizing the material better (which helped me teach beginners better) and double checking that all the physical details are being done correctly (what to make sure my students are doing so that I don't do monkey see monkey do teaching).

Thanks, Sal. I appreciate your comments and your support.

Books are a good suggestion. You mentioned some good books. My favorite theory book is The Root of Chinese Qigong by Yang Jwing-ming. Though it does promote mostly his teachings, there's some good general info and it reads a lot like a Qigong "textbook".

Best wishes,
Al

[Dr.Rob]

http://www.scribd.com/doc/48083739/Chi-Kung-Correspondence-Course-Chinese-National-Chi-Kung-Institute

you may choose to find a torrent but that is a copy right issue. But you could search the title enjoy

[GeneChing]

Kung fu Master Helps Students Kick the Blues (http://www.womenofchina.cn/womenofchina/html1/people/Crowd/20102/5845-1.htm)
ByChang Jun　October 27, 2020
http://www.womenofchina.cn/res/womenofchina/2010/b82647ff4a302e4963dbb206f83bfc5e.jpeg
Lu Xiaohong puts students through their paces in an online class in California on Saturday. During the past six months, she has taught 3,000 students martial arts. [For China Daily]

Lu Xiaohong, a kung fu master in the San Francisco Bay Area, could never have imagined just how much she is cheering up people in a pandemic with her teaching of the Chinese martial art.

Offering free online lessons every Wednesday since early April, the 40-year-old aims to empower her students — more than 3,000 so far and coming from all backgrounds — by not only helping them improve their physiques but instilling in them the wisdom of kung fu. After 30 years of practice, Lu has much knowledge to impart via the one-hour lessons on the Zoom platform.

One of the tenets Lu has taught her students is: "Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes."

And, with the coronavirus pandemic still raging in the United States, she tells them: "A strong will plus optimism will eventually overpower panic, loss and frustrations. We will win."

In mid-March, California announced a stay-at-home order to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, which led to the temporary closure of the martial arts studio where Lu teaches.

"I told my students at our last in-person gathering that we have to pause for a while," she said. "We thought this shutdown was not going to be long."

With no timetable for a reopening in California, many students sought advice from Lu on how to stay upbeat and fit.

"I knew it was the time to give back to the community," Lu said. "The first idea coming into my mind was to teach martial arts online."

After she shared the Zoom link through social media platforms, Lu said she was "thrilled to see how quickly the slots filled up."

"I felt there is a need for an outlet, a channel that everyone could utilize to alleviate anxiety and resume strength," she said.

A national martial arts champion in China in the categories of long fist and staff, with her first award in 2001, Lu moved to the US two years ago.

She hoped her expertise could help bolster cross-cultural, people-to-people exchanges.

Settling down in Silicon Valley in 2018, she accepted an offer to work as a leading coach at a martial arts studio. Soon after, kung fu lovers in the Bay Area created a word-of-mouth buzz about "a new woman master from China "who knows how to teach.

"My students are made up of a mix of races, cultures and backgrounds," said Lu. "You hear them talking with distinctive accents-Latino, Indian, Chinese, African American, Korean and Japanese. They're a very diverse group."

Lu considers each student a unique individual who will benefit from the balanced approach and the discipline required of martial arts — the external training of the hands, eyes, posture and stance, as well as the internal training of the spirit, the mind and inner peace.

Skanda, 7, had been a student of Lu's for two years. A shy boy at first, he tried to avoid Lu's gaze and couldn't perform the basic movements. To ignite his enthusiasm, Lu "played video clips starring Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, and told students anecdotes associated with the two iconic masters."

"Of course, I emphasize why self-confidence and self-challenging can transform a person," Lu said.

It worked. Skanda gradually opened up after four to five classes — he kicks, punches, sweeps and jumps. He talks loudly and clearly.

"One day, he told me that he wanted to be a kung fu master," Lu said. "His parents reported that the boy spends hours and hours practicing routines."

Beginning of the Journey

Lu wouldn't have embarked on her long, arduous martial arts journey without her father's resolve. Born in a small town in Shandong Province in East China, Lu was often sick as a child. To improve her health, her father sent her to a martial arts training center when she turned six.

"The daily routine was like I needed to get up at 5:30 am, finish two hours of morning drills before I could have breakfast," she said. "Day in, day out, it's not uncommon that I had bruises, injuries, blisters often."

There were many times she wanted to quit. "It was too much for a kid," she said.

However, her father would borrow philosophy from martial arts to inspire Lu to continue. "For example, 'the last leg of a journey marks the halfway point', so 'to persevere means victory'."

Those efforts yielded fruit.

THREADS
Distance-Training-Kung-Fu-amp-Tai-Chi (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?50864-Distance-Training-Kung-Fu-amp-Tai-Chi)
covid (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71666-Coronavirus-(COVID-19)-Wuhan-Pneumonia)

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

Since you already have a warm-up and cool-down, I'd suggest perhaps the following:

10 min form: take it slow, focus on correct structure and technique.
15 min basic pad/bag work: Practice power generation with basic techniques.
10 min advanced pad/bag work
15 min drills/applications
10 min form: go full speed and power. Try to stay relaxed and loose, but the goal is a cardio workout to finish it off.

That really doesn't allot a whole lot of time for any given chunk, so really keep the pace up and don't waste any time. Depending on how often you train you might want to give and take a little on the schedule. Maybe one day do more pad/bag work, the other more application work, or whatever.

Also I think nospam is exactly right; if combat is your goal, you need to find someone to practice fighting with.

... could also lengthen the blocks and create splits through the week. some days focus more on power, basically striking in sprints with active rest HIIT style, always staying fairly fresh. other days focus more on constant movement without worrying as much about power. i dunno. just spitballin here.