A suggestion for your daily training

[YouKnowWho]

Try to keep some of your favor techniques handy all the times. In order to do so, no matter what you do daily, you should always try to repeat the following drills.

1. Face north - combo 1,
2. Face east - combo 2,
3. Face south - combo 3,
4. Face west - combo 4.

Just assume that you have to deal with 4 opponents at the same time. Repeat this N-E-S-W pattern at least 20 times daily. After 1 month, you can replace with your next 4 favor combos. A combo can be as simple as

- a groin kick followed by a face punch,
- a jab, cross, hook, hook,
- a shoulder lock followed by an elbow lock,
- a hook punch followed by a hip throw,
- ...

Just assume that you have to either knock down or take down your opponent who stands in front of you. The advantage of this training is you will always have at least 4 of your favor techniques handy if needed.

You thought?

[xinyidizi]

deleted--not related to the topic

[MysteriousPower]

Here is a suggestion for daily non-sport training:
Train with open hand strikes to help prevent against broken hands. Elbow strikes too. And finally i think people should wrestle daily. It is a safe way to have resistance training without getting hurt. Like ykw said before you can wrestle for 50 rounds and not get hurt. You can kickbox for one round and get hurt.

[MightyB]

FOUNDATION:

Give up all but 3 empty hand forms - work on power development daily - do many two person applications and drills - free spar as much as you can with wrestling throwing and light striking.

The above takes years.

After you've internalized the basic concepts and can prove your knowledge of them through actual use in free fighting, then you can ad as many forms as you like because you'll realize that in actuality... forms are just a collection of movements that amount to little more than a rehearsed dance. There's no secret locked in forms that will make you amount to much as a martial artist.

[MysteriousPower]

FOUNDATION:

Give up all but 3 empty hand forms - work on power development daily - do many two person applications and drills - free spar as much as you can with wrestling throwing and light striking.

The above takes years.

After you've internalized the basic concepts and can prove your knowledge of them through actual use in free fighting, then you can ad as many forms as you like because you'll realize that in actuality... forms are just a collection of movements that amount to little more than a rehearsed dance. There's no secret locked in forms that will make you amount to much as a martial artist.

Here are my three empty hand forms: 1.jab
2. Round house.
3. Footwork

[MightyB]

Here are my three empty hand forms: 1.jab
2. Round house.
3. Footwork

IMO that's too basic. You need an elements of shuai, na, ti, da to be well rounded.

[David Jamieson]

My daily routines vary. There is a lot to be done and only so much time to do it.

Qigong is of high importance to me these days. Great stuff to practice and it feels great to feel good!

Lifting/resistance training. This is always a good thing too. Mix it up and don't overdo any single lift. I like it to maintain and build strength, but I avoid going for bulk. NOt into body building or getting huge, just staying strong.

Bag work. In my opinion, this is great cardio work as well and conditions your hands and body somewhat with force feedback etc. This is one I visit frequently because i can get warmed up and sweating a lot faster doing this than I can on the treadmill. Footwork/stepping and striking drills as well with this.

Classical weapons training (sword, staff, double blades)- this is enjoyable and is pretty much only available to the kung fu student. It's fun and a great skill set to develop.

Partner training. I get the opportunity for this once a week and we both take advantage of partner drills , entering strategies, etc. It is nice to have someone to consistently train with on a regular basis. I find that if you aren't in a school, this is hard to find. I am lucky to have found someone who has stuck with it for years.

That is not common. I know a lot of guys who want to train and are enthusiastic, but they don't commit to the regular meetings and sporadic training in my opinion is really useless. It's nice socially, but it's useless. Better to go for beer and shoot the breeze.

Anyway, yes to forms practice daily. It's a quick structured routine that gets the blood and breath going without having to spend a lot of time and it can literally be done anywhere with no special considerations required.

Yoga. I visit this regularly throughout the week with shot and long sessions depending on what time I have available.

Sex! Sexual activity is great for you. If you aren't getting any, poor you, I can't help you.

There's always a little more to be built daily.

[MysteriousPower]

IMO that's too basic. You need an elements of shuai, na, ti, da to be well rounded.

You guys throw these Chinese terms out there like they are special. Shuai and na are grappling. And you cannot grapple without a partner. You cannot practice grappling alone in the air with forms.

[David Jamieson]

shuai = throw yes, you can practice this with a throwing dummy, but yes, a partenr is better!

ti = kicking yes, this can be trained solo and with a partner

da= punches and yes this can be practiced both solo and with a partner

na= grasping/locks this is best worked with a partner

for all these, there is supplemental training as well that can be done without a partner. they each have aspects that can be worked on in a solo format.

If your goal is fighting, then it is paramount that you get a partner and learn to fight.

[MysteriousPower]

shuai = throw yes, you can practice this with a throwing dummy, but yes, a partenr is better!

ti = kicking yes, this can be trained solo and with a partner

da= punches and yes this can be practiced both solo and with a partner

na= grasping/locks this is best worked with a partner

for all these, there is supplemental training as well that can be done without a partner. they each have aspects that can be worked on in a solo format.

If your goal is fighting, then it is paramount that you get a partner and learn to fight.

The supplemental training is getting stronger and more explosive so as to be able to execute. And on thinking I guess you can practice throws in the air but partner is better.

[MightyB]

You guys throw these Chinese terms out there like they are special. Shuai and na are grappling. And you cannot grapple without a partner. You cannot practice grappling alone in the air with forms.

Reading Comprehension isn't your strong point. I advocate a massive reduction is solo practice including forms because good practice requires partners - if you claim to be doing CMA, you should do CMA - that includes understanding the most basic terminology.

---

I believe that after a half dozen forms, you're not getting anything new out of them, just different sequence arrangements. So pursuing forms work is a waste of time if you want to be a master. Your time's better spent learning to apply what you know in a free fighting environment, while constantly working on some type of internal strength / power development. After you've mastered your styles shuai, na, ti, da - then, if just for enjoyments sake or you're a purist at heart - by all means learn more forms.

I say this because I believe a lot of "masters" aren't masters, they're beginners at best because they never learned how to apply their art. Mainly this is due to Ego and "saving face". They never had the courage to lose and that's the true path to mastery.

[YouKnowWho]

They never had the courage to lose and that's the true path to mastery.

I find this to be true if this person is a famous TCMA master's son or relative. With that kind of connection, people expect him to be good by default. The moment he misses that "competation window", there is no way to go back. For the rest of his life, he would always have a question mark in his head, "Can I fight?"

[David Jamieson]

If you enter and attempt to win, you have already show that you have the courage to lose.

You won't regret what you did, you'll regret what you didn't do in the end.

[YouKnowWho]

You won't regret what you did, you'll regret what you didn't do in the end.

When a girl

- put her arm around your arm and you pushed her arm away,
- told you that she forgot her house key and you ignored her,
- asked you for a date and you turn her down,

for the rest of your life, you would always wonder what if you didn't do that.

[daiyoshida]

I find your ending tag confusing. All art that teaches striking also teaches joint techniques and takedowns and visa versa. If anyone teaches you "striking art" or "Grappling art" he's teaching you half an art. (which, in this country doesn't surprise me)