how many of you actually train seriously?

[SevenStar]

Tyron and Joe - Awesome programs! That's what I like. I think we may be kindred spirits

A question for you, Scarlet Mantis...I prefer quality over quantity also, but what's wrong with having them both? Stretching, stance training and bag work is by no means a route to a shortcut, it's merely what I do to develop flexibility and power. Our normal class is three hours long, and the hour or so that I stay after, my sifu will make corrections on nights that I am practicing forms and technique drills. I'm not looking for any shortcuts (and no, I'm not saying you accused me of that) I merely like to work hard. Admittedly though, I need to watch the 'hard chi'- like I said in my reply to brian. I now plan to add more relaxation exercises to my regimen.

"Civilize the mind, make savage the body."

[Budokan]

Spending a lot of time training is not necessarily training "seriously". The serious part comes through your psychological outlook, not just exclusively your physical exertion.

I don't regard martial arts as a game or a sport. I'm very serious about it. But,since I don't train 3 hours a day, does that mean I'm still training "seriously"?

You'd better believe it.

K. Mark Hoover

[Brian_CA]

Hey sevenstar,

Actually, there are two types of relaxtion. The feeling a peace one feels after a yoga class or mediation and rest. What I would suggest is 2 days in a row away from any kind of physical activity. Let your body rest and heal, go have a beer (if you are of legal age), sit in the sun and kick back on your butt. Whatever you like to do to lounge around. Something that I found through Yoga is that Hard exertion and extreame relaxtion are the keys to the Kingdom of health. Martial artists are athletes so we should train accordingly to insure long life and good health.

I would however recommend adding Hatha Yoga to you routine. Find a good teacher, question them, find out how long they have been teaching, are the certified, how long was their education. If you here anything less then 1 year walk away and go to the next school.

Hope this helps

Brian
San Francisco, CA

[wall]

....is that too much training can be counterproductive. Having started wushu (traditional styles, modern and sanda) at age 10, by age 13 I was trainin 5-6 days week, some 4+ hours a day. This included basic drills, forms, sparring, bag work and conditioning. As I continued with this routine until age 21, including also weights since age 18, I made great progress but was often feeling a stressed physically and mentally, and at times drained of energy. Furthermore, as I was getting older (20-21-22...) I was becoming gradually more and more injury prone.
Since age 22 and especially in the past few years (27-28) I have adopted, due also to work constraints, the following routine:
Mon: 1h forms and drills, 12h weights, 12h stretch
Tue: rest
Wed: 1h sparring and bag, 12h weights, 12h stretch
Thu: rest
Fri: 1h conditioning (running, jumps, sprints), 12h stretch
Sat: 12h weights, 12h stretch
Sun: rest
I have found that this regime keeps my conditioning and flexibility at just as good a level, allows me to increase muscle mass and power by giving the body growth-producing rest, and allows progress in my techniques. But most importantly eliminates any physical and mental stress (not too many hours and sufficient of rest time for in between), and has not only allowed my body to heal any nagging old injuries, but has not produced any new ones. This is very important as I intend to be in just as good condition at 40-50-60...? and not have to stop at 30 with chronic knee or back or shoulder problems.
Rest is just as important as hard training for a strong body, strong technique and strong mind.

wall

[Kune]

I train 5 days a week. I train at my class during my lunchhour. During this time, I do chikung for 30 minutes, than do for forms for 30 minutes. After work I go directly to my class, do an hour of beginner class, than do heavy bagwork for 30 minutes. Than after that I go one and a half hours of intermediate class. After that I do another 30 minutes of heavy bagwork, than another 30 minutes of forms. Than go home, sleep, and do it all over again the next day. After a few weeks of this, I totally burn myself out, go party like crazy for a week, than do it again.. hehe ;) But on this party week I still go for an hour during my lunchtime regardless! Prob is..my kungfu still sucks hard!!! argh!

[SevenStar]

I'm not by any means saying that you have to train for 3 hours in order to be training seriously - that's just how long my class lasts. I asked how many of you train seriously, and what do you consider serious. I said outside of class, how much do you train, So, my three hours doesn't count anyway. I'm just looking to see what other martial artists consider serious training.

"A wise man speaks because he has something to say; A fool speaks because he has to say something."

[BIU JI]

Well I don't think serious training just means going hard at it every time as you all know there are times you just don't have the energy. Our classes are three hours minumin as we often go over time but my personal training can go as long as two hours depending on time and energy.
Though when training if I don't have the energy for hard training then I spend more time on breaking forms down and looking at techniques . doing forms slowly, finding the powers, body postures, breathing etc. So to me serious training can be doing forms at full pace , bag work, conditioning, break downs, the list goes on. If your mind is focused with intent in what you're doing then it's serious training.
So I believe!

[Drunken Monkey]

I'm new at this, have nobody to spar with, have no master, and am trying to train from books, informative posts, and what ever i can.

But what I do do is stretch out every night, try working out three times a week, do this running exorcise i got from a post, and if i can go out side and practice routines i saw in something.

so, i dont train to seriously either, but i dont know how i could.

[SevenStar]

Of course you can train seriously! You can practice your basics repeatedly and ensure that you have them mastered. You can do cardio, dynamic tension and weight training. I am curious however - how are your forms? With no teacher to point out your faults, I imagine they will be hard to perfect.

"A wise man speaks because he has something to say; A fool speaks because he has to say something."

[BIU JI]

Remember often in books there is missing info in transition between techniques as these have application as well not just the obvious strikes etc, some people who bring out books or videos can leave out important information, not wanting to give out too much. So without guidance I'm personally sceptical about books and videos, unless of course it's a system you're familiar with and am aware of those subtle aspects.

[Budokan]

Drunken Monkey, it sounds to me like you ARE training seriously. Why would you think that you're not? From what you said it's evidently clear that from what you can accomplish now, you take it very seriously. Good job, and keep it up.

K. Mark Hoover

[Drunken Monkey]

I do try to train seriously, but I am awaiting the arrival of a freaken movie so I only have the stuff from magazines, which I do practice. I didnt mean that I didnt try to train hard or seriously, just that I am rellying on this months issue, which has mostly sparring steps.

[Drunken Monkey]

Thanks alot Bukadin for the compliment.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

i was training 3 hours every day a little while back, but at that time my next door neighbor went to class with me and it was alot easier to train longer with a partner.

i also have always used my lunch hour to do chi gung. what's funny is that nobody believes me .. they all insist that i go down to the stream to smoke a joint! i save that for the end of the day jeesh! this takes from 20 - 40 mins.

i have class only two nights a week for 2 hours.

every monday, wednesday, and friday i train at home after work. the first thing i'll do is my breathing exercises if i was unable to do them at work. the rest of my routine starts with 10 mins fu cking around (hitting the bag, practicing animal movements, stance work while smoking a cig, slow kicks, etc.) to warm up my legs. i then stretch my legs for aboutr 15 minutes and upper body for about 5. this is followed by an ab work out, form training (meaning the form behind any punch or kick . . we rarely do sets), power training, specific technique work, and footwork. that kinda sounds like alot but i only spend 5 - 10 mins in each area as i dont get home from work until 9 on these nights. i top it off with 20 mins - half hour of weights a beer and a cigerette and or a joint.

tuesdays and thursdays are breathing exercises of course and class.

i used to train about 4 hours on saturdays and literaly 8 or 9 on sundays as all my friends would come down to my basement to train with me. (my basement is awesome .. . it has a huge pit that we put carpeting down in . . this part of the basement is about 30 feet long, 15 feet wide, 12 feet high. it aint pretty but its huge and functional) but they stopped coming over and i am a pathetic loser with no disipline so a rarely train on weekends anymore. if i were to take any days off as some mentioned before it should be monday and friday as i usualy dread monday nights do to exhuastion and friday nights cause all my friend are upstairs having fun with the start of the weekend while im downstairs busting my balls.

where's my beer?

[This message was edited by GunnedDownAtrocity on 03-30-01 at 04:13 PM.]

[unclaimed effort]

I always wake up at around 5 o clock in the morning to practice my martial arts for a few hours. Do my things, when i'm free i practice some more, but if my friends want to play basketball or play games i don't practice till i come back. Of course at night I find time to look into the stuff in the forums, but most of my free time is found in practicing. Unless at the weekends, I get lazy sometimes, and think of philosophy instead of physically practicing. Also in school, or something else really boring i wander off and think of techniques and philosophy.

I can be like one of those philosophers who hide everything in poems, but instead I can tell you the true secret of martial arts in one word:

PRACTICE!