Rank in order from first to worst!!

[Iron_Eagle_76]

Rank the order that you feel these training methods are of importance to the development of a person's Kung Fu training. I omitted sparring/grappling because "most" would agree this is most beneficial. I am curious as to how others view these training methods.

They are: Forms, Shadow Boxing, Line Basics, Stance Training, Heavy Bag Work, Mitt Work, Footwork Drills

Mine are:

1. Mitt Work-Setting up powerful combinations and having a good holder who pushes you is second only to sparring IMO.

2. Shadow Boxing-Puts everything together, and good shadow boxing should work at sparring when you have no one to spar with.

3. Footwork Drills- Clockstepping, weight distribution, working angles, judging distance, all from good footwork. After the novice stage I would trade this with Bag Work.

4. Heavy Bag Work-Builds power and stamina along with other benefits.

5. Line Basics- Good for putting together combos and teaching correct technique.

6. Forms-At the advanced stage, good for referencing techniques and application withing the system of study.

7. Stance Training-Static stance training improves strength and dexterity to a point, transitional stance training can work similar to Footwork Drills. Not at the top but still of importance.

Rank and explain!!

[Faux Newbie]

1) Footwork

2) Line Basics

3) Shadow boxing

4) Mitt Drills

5) Heavy bag work

6) Forms

Stance omitted because I find good footwork combined with good understanding of line basics becomes good stance.

Footwork first because being able to both move fluidly and, from partnered footwork drills, read another's movements, is the primary means of opportunity to enact the skills, to efficiently manifest and use power, and to effectively defend.

Line basics because the techs are what you are trying to use.

Shadowboxing occurs when you have enough basic footwork and a few techs to work, and gives a format to safely work in new techs before contact.

Mitt work phased in to teach that the detail of alignment on the move is important (for your own joint health, among other things).

Heavy bag, for obvious reasons, but not before the others because wailing on the heavy bag is not good training, footwork and techs and responding are essential, and someone who trained paired long enough will already recognize this, so they can get more out of it.

Forms are for people who know the central techniques and principles from the above, and they can pull additional moves and entrain them at will using the above cycle. Important to me to the point that almost no one will get trained in it who can't already apply the core of it.

[Snipsky]

1) Footwork

2) Line Basics

3) Shadow boxing

4) Mitt Drills

5) Heavy bag work

6) Forms

Stance omitted because I find good footwork combined with good understanding of line basics becomes good stance.

Footwork first because being able to both move fluidly and, from partnered footwork drills, read another's movements, is the primary means of opportunity to enact the skills, to efficiently manifest and use power, and to effectively defend.

Line basics because the techs are what you are trying to use.

Shadowboxing occurs when you have enough basic footwork and a few techs to work, and gives a format to safely work in new techs before contact.

Mitt work phased in to teach that the detail of alignment on the move is important (for your own joint health, among other things).

Heavy bag, for obvious reasons, but not before the others because wailing on the heavy bag is not good training, footwork and techs and responding are essential, and someone who trained paired long enough will already recognize this, so they can get more out of it.

Forms are for people who know the central techniques and principles from the above, and they can pull additional moves and entrain them at will using the above cycle.

[David Jamieson]

1. roadwork (cardio/condition/stamina)
2. Heavy bag work (structure/forcefeedback/power)
3. mitts and pads (moving structure/fluidness/ awareness)
4. free style spar (same as mitt work, but with a partner and getting hit)
5. lifting (man needs strength to make stuff work n'hurt)
6. form and structure ( good structure enhances and supports good strength)
7. Being a hippy intellectual going on and on about circulating imaginary energy streams in the body and mind and outwards to move clouds n'stuff.

[Faux Newbie]

7. Being a hippy intellectual going on and on about circulating imaginary energy streams in the body and mind and outwards to move clouds n'stuff.

Heavy, man!

[MightyB]

1) Forms
2) Forms
3) more Forms
4) push hands without force
5) chi sao
6) Forms
7) Smoke Weed
8) Forms on Weed
9) Chi Sao on Weed
10) push hands without force on Weed.

[Faux Newbie]

It's also not traditional if you don't do push hands or chi sao sessions with your students in which you interrupt every twelve seconds to pontificate, then quit for the day the moment a student manages to touch you.

I swear, if someone gets something to work on you, they will use it a hundred times and you will understand it better than if they stop every time it happens and explain it. You'll survive.

[MightyB]

d@mnit - forgot to ad pontificate... on weed of course.

[Iron_Eagle_76]

It's also not traditional if you don't do push hands or chi sao sessions with your students in which you interrupt every twelve seconds to pontificate, then quit for the day the moment a student manages to touch you.

I swear, if someone gets something to work on you, they will use it a hundred times and you will understand it better than if they stop every time it happens and explain it. You'll survive.

LMAO, we wouldn't want the Sifu to be embarassed by being a fat, out of shape slob, they still have the power to tell you everything you did wrong!!

[Faux Newbie]

LMAO, we wouldn't want the Sifu to be embarassed by being a fat, out of shape slob, they still have the power to tell you everything you did wrong!!

Dead giveaway that a teacher has an ego problem is how they deal with that student who wants to be the center of attention. If they're happy that this guy is totally sidetracking what they are supposed to be working on because of the attention, probably means things have become centered on making sensei feel special.

[YouKnowWho]

- You have only looked at this from a "striker" point of view.
- You have missed the most important one and that is "partner training".

Whether you want to develop your striking skill or grappling skill, you still have to "develop" it first before you can "test", "enhance", and "polish" it. The "partner training" is the only way to "develop" your skill.