Age, Forms, Focus

[MightyB]

Do any of you find that your interest and selection of techniques and forms change as you age both physically and within the system?

I'm 7* and now I find that I'm naturally gravitating to Dou Gong and Ha Fu Gou Cha, and I'm approaching them almost as "soft" forms. I used to focus on the big watch-me-now forms like Tong Long Chit Don (mantis exits cave) and Sie Fu Yan (Small Tigers and Wild Geese Boxing).

Dou Gong techniques are appealing to me more as I age - the strong right lead and chon toi / lead push kick, the small elbow wrap - the deflection and avoidance... etc.

Anyone else finding a similar shift?

[sanjuro_ronin]

Do any of you find that your interest and selection of techniques and forms change as you age both physically and within the system?

I'm 7* and now I find that I'm naturally gravitating to Dou Gong and Ha Fu Gou Cha, and I'm approaching them almost as "soft" forms. I used to focus on the big watch-me-now forms like Tong Long Chit Don (mantis exits cave) and Sie Fu Yan (Small Tigers and Wild Geese Boxing).

Dou Gong techniques are appealing to me more as I age - the strong right lead and chon toi / lead push kick, the small elbow wrap - the deflection and avoidance... etc.

Anyone else finding a similar shift?

Well, age doesn't mean as much as the "mileage on the engine".
Due to the very nature of a "contact filled" youth in the MA, I myself have a bit of injuries that wont go away.
As such I have had to modify my training accordingly or issues would keep coming back as these things tend to do.
Gone are "ballistic and explosive" moves done in the air, they are now done smooth and with control, leaving the "bam" for the bag.
Focus on the "development' forms like Sanjian and Tid sid kuen.
Because of the issue of "over use" in the shoulder and hip area I do LESS punches and kicks but make them "count for more".

[David Jamieson]

Regularly practice 2 empty hand forms.
Occasionally practice another 10 or so for posterity.
Spend time with sword work.
Spend time with staff work.
Spend time with double bladed and short blade work.
I have and use a pell for force cutting and weapon retention.
I do heavybag work, pad and mitt work and lift regularly.
I hit the tready and do my road work there because I'm an old puzzy and don't like running outside anymore. (I'm 48 and I shame guys 10 years youngerthan me :) )
Drills regularly every session and sparring once or twice a month.

The 2 empty hand forms i practice steady.
1. Hark Fu Gung Lik Kuen - dynamic tension set.
2. Hark Fu Da Kuen - speed and agility set, lot's of footwork, most of the styles attacks and defenses are contained here.

[sanjuro_ronin]

I've been thinking of getting a treadmill myself.

[David Jamieson]

I've been thinking of getting a treadmill myself.

You'll love it.

great for cheap cardio gains, not so hard on the body impact wise and your shoes don't wear out so fast. :)

[sanjuro_ronin]

You'll love it.

great for cheap cardio gains, not so hard on the body impact wise and your shoes don't wear out so fast. :)

You can sprint on them too right?
Was looking to get one and from what I gather I should get one with at least 12 deg incline and 3 CHP motor, yes?

[Pork Chop]

For the last few years I've really wanted a good "development" form to work on.
The closest I've got in the bag is probably competition Taiji 24, but it's not really what I'm looking for.

As far as my fighting - I'm not sure if it's a difference between the gyms I trained at vs where I train now, but I treated it a lot more like "tag" before. I didn't "sit down" on stuff because I didn't want to get countered or thrown. I considered "damage" an overwhelming flurry. I have a couple "go-to"s that I'm pretty confident in these days. Trying to be more confident with my skills and efficient with my energy.

My approach to sparring has been changing recently, even if my opinion's been basically the same over the years. There's nothing worse than when you've put months and months of work in the gym, getting back in shape, aspiring to compete, only to have some knucklehead take advantage of you during a meaningless sparring session and put you out of training for months with an injury, killing any competition hopes. I always used to complain about gym wars and egos, but I would get pulled right back into the same patterns of behavior. The article about taking your ego out of sparring really hit home with me. I'm quick to be vocal now about slowing it down. I'll make it very obvious that we're there to work on stuff, that it's a drill, not a competition. I won't try to beat every punch. I won't fire back if they start hitting hard. I'll communicate. I'll do my best to relieve any tension. Most importantly, I try to have fun.

[-N-]

You can sprint on them too right?
Was looking to get one and from what I gather I should get one with at least 12 deg incline and 3 CHP motor, yes?

15 degree incline. At least 12mph.

Make sure the controls are convenient and fast acting so you can do quick manual changes for sprints and intervals.

Make sure the platform is wide/long enough.

[sanjuro_ronin]

15 degree incline. At least 12mph.

Make sure the controls are convenient and fast acting so you can do quick manual changes for sprints and intervals.

Make sure the platform is wide/long enough.

Cool, thanks.

[Lee Chiang Po]

When you get 65 to 70 all this stuff changes for you. No matter how good a condition you are in, you will not be able to do it like you did when younger, so naturally if you continue to be active in a MA you will have to change just about everything about it or you simply will not be able to do it.

[-N-]

I saw Jiang Hao Quan perform when he was in his late 70's.

At the end of his form, he jumped up and landed in a full split.

He stayed with my teacher for a while. He trained every day, and he would be up really early in the morning to work out.

[YouKnowWho]

When you get 65 to 70 all this stuff changes for you. No matter how good a condition you are in, you will not be able to do it like you did when younger, so naturally if you continue to be active in a MA you will have to change just about everything about it or you simply will not be able to do it.

You may slow down your regular training speed a little bit, but you should never change the way that you train. The problem is if you change your training, you will never be able to change it back for the rest of your life. It's more mental than physical.

The day that you don't want to have sex with your love one, The day that you admit you are truly old. If you don't use it, you will lose it forever.

[-N-]

The problem is if you change your training, you will never be able to change it back. You may slow down your speed a little bit, but you should never change the way that you train. It's more metal than physical. The day that you admit that you are old, you are truly old. If you don't use it, you will lose it forever.

My sihing and I are both in our 50's, and pretty much in agreement with that idea.

[YouKnowWho]

The "tornado kick" is one simple example. When you get old, you no longer be able to jump as high as when you were young. As long as you keep jumping, you may still be able to do your "tornado kick" when you are 100 years old. The day that you stop jumping, you will lose your jumping ability for the rest of your life. That's a very scary feeling. This is why you should never change your training. You will feel harder and harder to do so but that's challenge, and challenge is always "fun".

If you don't admit you are old, you will never be old.

[-N-]

The "tornado kick" is one simple example. When you get old, you no longer be able to jump as high as when you were young. As long as you keep jumping, you may still be able to do your "tornado kick" when you are 100 years old. The day that you stop jumping, you will lose your jumping ability for the rest of your life. That's a very scary feeling. This is why you should never change your training. You will feel harder and harder to do so but that's challenge, and challenge is always "fun".

If you don't admit you are old, you will never be old.

Yep, people give up too easily.

Some of our students (30's and 40's) try to whip out the "getting old" excuse.

We tell them that's bs and proceed to kick their @ss.

[-N-]

I'm off to the gym right now to do sprints on the treadmill. Really.

[mooyingmantis]

Do any of you find that your interest and selection of techniques and forms change as you age both physically and within the system?

I limit the number of forms I personally train and my forms are practiced much softer and much higher (due to spine and knee problems). I save my energy for sparring the young bucks in class. :D
My performance and fighting days are over. Now I just concentrate on transmitting the art as faithfully and efficiently as possible.




I'm 7* and now I find that I'm naturally gravitating to Dou Gong and Ha Fu Gou Cha, and I'm approaching them almost as "soft" forms.

Ha Fu Gou Cha/Hei Hu Jiao Cha is one of my favorite Seven Star forms. So much is in so few moves.

[-N-]

Do any of you find that your interest and selection of techniques and forms change as you age both physically and within the system?

Started bringing an 80lb heavy bag to the park for workout. After my sihing and I turned 51, we figured we needed to step it up for maintaining bone density.

Here's a clip from last year. Warmups, reverse diou, combinations. Not too much Mantis specific in this clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8kEr4nIqf4

[YouKnowWho]

Do any of you find that your interest and selection of techniques and forms change as you age both physically and within the system?

When I get older, I no longer strike into the thin air. I only strike on heavy bag or striking dummy. The reason is simple. The older that I'm, the more that I feel to strike into the thin air is just like "masterbating". It won't give me any satisfaction at all.

One thing that I find out is to do a jump kick may take 3 times energy than to do a non-jump kick. To do a non-jump kick may take 3 times energy than to do a punch. When I get old, should I spend the same amount energy to do

- 1 jump kick?
- 3 non-jump kicks?
- 9 punches?

I still have not made up my mind yet.

[-N-]

When I get older, I no longer strike into the thin air. I only strike on heavy bag or striking dummy.

One thing that I find out is to do a jump kick may take 3 times energy than to do a regular kick. To do a regular kick may take 3 times energy than to do a punch. When I get old, should I spend the same amount energy to do

- 1 jump kick?
- 3 front kicks?
- 9 punches?

I still have not made up my mind yet.

Rotate your training so that you work all of those at different times.

That way you get the benefit of training variety. You can train each more intensely since there is more recovery time before you go back to a particular thing. It's like when you split your weight training into different types of workout days.

Kung fu is about training what is difficult. Don't avoid the stuff that takes more energy.

Suffer when you train, so it will be easy in usage.

Also, the benefits of each type of training complements the others. For example, the kicking can help your hip motion for more punching power. Jump kick improves your endurance.

[YouKnowWho]

Jump kick improves your endurance.

I didn't pay attention on this before until lately. In the following 2 clips, you can see that the tornado kick had been replaced by crescent kick. Old people tried not to jump. I'm not too sure that's a good idea. I have always believed that if I don't use, I will lose it.

At 1.09 of this clip (done by my longfist teacher's teacher Han Ching-Tan), it supposes to be a tornado kick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkWY4joNlUk

At 0.56 of this clip (done by my longfist teacher Li Mao-Ching), it supposes to be a tornado kick too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SycLdjDbvok

[-N-]

Jump kick also trains more explosiveness in legs which helps your attacking footwork for punching.

Explosive hip torque from kicks can help the hip snap in body strikes and throws.

[wiz cool c]

[QUOTE=YouKnowWho;1159921]You may slow down your regular training speed a little bit, but you should never change the way that you train. The problem is if you change your training, you will never be able to change it back for the rest of your life. It's more mental than physical.



how do you know, are you 65 or 70? kind of hard to give advice when you haven't been there yourself,don't you think?

[Robinhood]

There is a reason you don't see any old Gymnast's.

External arts work good when you are young, but that's it.


Cheers

[YouKnowWho]

how do you know, are you 65 or 70? kind of hard to give advice when you haven't been there yourself,don't you think?

Last time when I held my girl's naked legs, my tear started to come out of my eyes. :o

I just got my medicare last year.