Training applications without a training partner

[dharmastudent]

How useful do you guys feel it is to train applications in the air without a partner? How useful is the imagination? Obviously one cannot train chin na but what about blocking and striking type applications?

[msg]

if you dont have a partner you do what you can do its better than nothing

[Water Dragon]

What style do you practice?

[5Animals1Path]

Um.........about as usefull as learning to sew with no thread.

[Sleeping Tiger]

What you are asking can be compared to "shadow boxing".

The power of visualization is a very effective training technique. I agree with msg - if you have no one to practice with, then do what you can.

Joe

[wiz cool c]

I think equipment training is more functional then just shadow boxing. In Shuai Jiao there is a lot of equipment training that will improve your speed and strength and they also mimic the technique. These are all grappling based. For striking how about shadow boxing with weighted gloves, bag work, doing techniques with bricks in your hand and such

[Walter Joyce]

If all you do is practice without a partner it won't get you very far, but it is not completely useless.

The first art I studied was based on working applications with a partner. Yes, we had form work and we did basics and all the other pieces of a good training regime, but it was all geared to applications.

As part of this training you would practice your applications solo to understand where and how to move. It is easier to positioning this with a partner, but you can work on your own posture, the use of angles, the right footwork (footwork can not be over emphasized) and the sequence of movements that are used in the application.

If you stop and think about it, form work, if understood properly, is nothing but practicing applications solo. In external arts this is obvious, but even internals, like Gao ba gua, have similar exercises. In Gao there are eight line, based on the eight palm changes, that each contain eight applications based on the movements of the palm changes. Once these eight lines are understood they are then put together in a 64 movement form.

And for a western example, what do you think shadow boxing is. The skill there is based on the ability to visualize your opponent as you practice your basics. Hitting and kicking the heavy bag is another way to practice applications solo, especially if you swing the bag before you start so as to work on a moving target.

Will you need to find a partner to truly understand the applications? Yes, but in the meantime you can work on the things I listed above.

While I agree equipment training is beneficial, I'd be careful shadow boxing with weighted gloves. Years ago people used to practice their kicks with weights. As long as you move slowly and controlled to perfect the mechanics it was ok, but if you kicked at full speed there was an increased risk of damaging your joints by hyper extension caused by the weights. The same would be true in shadow boxing for different joints.

Keep training,

WTJ

[sanjuro_ronin]

Depending on your level and WHAT you are trying to accomplish, solo training can be great or detrimental.

Drills can be done solo, so can the majority of "attribute" training.

Equipment is the key.
Bag work, dummy work, many types of training can be done alone to build up or maintain certain skills.

If you are quite experienced and don't have access to a partner on a regular basis and have engrained the important points of sparring and fighting, then partner training is not a necessity, though still a good idea at least a few times a month.

There are grappling and throwing dummies that can turn solo training close to partner training, but it is still NOT the same thing.

A fighter or MA MUST train with a partner as much as they can, but if they can't, they have to invest in equipment that will get them as close as possible.

[dharmastudent]

Thanks for the input guys. I appreciate it. I have access to training partners during class but not outside of class. So I do get to do some application stuff with real life people once per week.

btw I study Yang Tai Chi Chuan

[5Animals1Path]

If you're only getting hands on once a week, I'd honestly start talking to some people in your class about getting together outside of it. Either someone who's at your level, or someone who's better but not so much you can't offer them a good working challenge. The worst thing that happens is your double your training time.