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zen_celt
04-02-2001, 02:29 AM
Hey guys. I know that there are a few other people on this site that have a problem or two with balance. While my balance is fairly good, I am very aware of the fact that it can be greatly improved. If you guys have any techniques or drills to help improve my balance, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance.
Peace,
Zen_celt

joedoe
04-02-2001, 03:43 AM
Try holding your stances while standing on bricks. Start with them flat, then move up to having them on-end. Then try moving from one stance to another on the bricks.

Guns don't kill people, I kill people

Robinf
04-02-2001, 03:31 PM
ABandit,
I like that one.

Also, try holding out kicks for a time, then coil them in and snap them out for a count of ten or twenty. First use the wall for support, then away from the wall. This will build up strength, technique, and balance.

Surrender yourself to nature and be all that you are.

JWTAYLOR
04-02-2001, 04:52 PM
D@mn, Robin beat me to that one. Also, practice full force punches and hand strikes while standing on one leg.

JWT

If you pr!ck us, do we not bleed? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that the villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. MOV

dave the dragon
04-02-2001, 06:10 PM
i always find that balancing for progressive lengths of times helps build up a gradual ability
eg 5 mins , 10 mins, 15 mins etc. also when balancing on one leg find a spot at eye level and concentrate on it dont let your eye wonder and balancing becomes automatic.
also focus on the dan tien (2 inches beneath the naval ) for that is your centre of gravity .

Robinf
04-02-2001, 06:31 PM
JWT,

I guess you took a little while to recover from the b@tch slap I handed you on the street fighting forum :D

Robin

Surrender yourself to nature and be all that you are.

zen_celt
04-03-2001, 01:28 AM
thanks for the helps guys. I've tried a few of them already, I'll see how it goes in the long(er) run. I like the ideas so far so please, if there are any more keep 'em coming.
Abandit- how big are the bricks? I have a few but they are so small I can barely put 1/2 my foot on them.

Peace
Zen_celt

joedoe
04-03-2001, 02:40 AM
I don't know what size a house brick is where you are, but in Oz the 'standard' house brick is probably about 12"x6"x4" or something like that.

Depending on your foot size, I guess you should be able to fit most of your foot on one lying flat. When it is on-end. you should only be able to fit maybe your toes and down just past the ball of your foot.

Guns don't kill people, I kill people

Radhnoti
04-03-2001, 07:14 AM
We do something interesting in my class. We lift one foot to about mid-shin level. Next we start tipping our heads back until we're looking at the ceiling, some folks lose their balance here...but most don't. Finally, we close our eyes. Our teacher points out that our suddenly losing our balance is "100% mental" and we're supposed to imagine the last thing we were focused on. "Nothing has changed, the ceiling IS STILL THERE. Why are you falling? Your perspective has changed, but it's something you CAN control.", he says.

-Radhnoti

8stepsifu
04-03-2001, 05:44 PM
stand on one leg for excrusiating amounts of time. Like Robin said, hold a leg out to strenthen your kicking as well. Work on flexebility and Tai Chi will also improve your balance.

I know white crane folks will meditate in a single leg stance. Sounds like a good idea.


What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's all about?

share kung fu vids....www.imesh.com

premier
04-03-2001, 10:32 PM
You should learn to keep your balance eyes closed and without any concentration points on the walls.

When you close your eyes or concentrate on some point in your own body instead of the things around you, you depend fully on your sense of balance and train it effectively.

Qi gong and especially the luohan 18 hands form from Luohan qigong system is a great way to develope your sense of balance.

A Simple Artist
04-08-2001, 11:57 PM
Hi,

I was always taught to develop good balance you need to concentrate on a certain object in a room while standing on one leg or bricks. I heard it takes your mind of beeing unbalanced. :)

"Learn to hold your fire until you can hit your opponent." ---Bruce Leehttp://members.aol.com/sportscardlink/lee.gif

joedoe
04-09-2001, 04:06 AM
Also, relax :)

Guns don't kill people, I kill people

bearpaw
04-10-2001, 10:14 AM
I have a concrete wall between my patio and my garden. I garden standing on the wall. I have felt my balance increase rapidly. The top of the wall is rounded and it helps stregthen my arches.

jade_lotus
04-10-2001, 09:06 PM
In my school, we use coffee cans filled with concrete. You start off with commercial sized cans and move to progressively smaller ones as your balance improves. You can use one or two for kicks standing on one leg, pushups, etc, to a number of cans in a pattern to work on stances. It's required training for more advanced students (I'm a neonate as far as CMA are concerned).

Check out my sifu's article on the subject in Inside Kung Fu from last year... it came out at Thanksgiving, which means it must have been January 2001... the Bruce Lee anniversary issue.

***
The best way to win a fight is not to be there in the first place.

premier
04-10-2001, 10:40 PM
And with the cans you.... ?

joedoe
04-11-2001, 05:58 AM
I am assuming you stand on them like you do the bricks. Really, all of these exercises are much like the plum blossom posts.

Guns don't kill people, I kill people

dmsdc
04-12-2001, 10:03 PM
I'd trained for a couple years on one leg with the other leg up in front (crane) with eyes closed. Could do that for several minutes at a time.

Last month I met a guy who suggested I stand with one foot hooked behind the knee of the other. Now close eyes.

Now I wobble & shake & fall like a newbie.

little change = big change.

Dana