What would you do when no ones around?

[ginosifu]

What do you guys do when your training partners are gone, sick, retired, quit?
When there is no one around to practice with what do you do?

1. Practice solo single drills / short combos.

2. Practice Forms (any kind any system even SC forms).

3. Practice Chi Gung / Internal stuff.

4. Hit the heavy bag / pad training.

5. Do nothing until partners come back.

6. A combination of Forms and Drills.

7. Something else.

[SJGuy]

Since I train exclusively alone nowadays, here's my break down:

Monday - Friday:Stances, Arms Grabs program (plus a couple of shorter strength sets), shuai jiao drills.

Saturday-Sunday: Stances, Arms Grabs program (plus a couple of shorter strength sets), forms (not shuai jiao), taiji.

[goju]

hit the bag, weight lifting , cardio

[YouKnowWho]

1. Solo combo drills training.

2. Solo posture training.

3. Equipment training.

4. Health maintenance (running, sit up, push up, stretching, ...).

[mooyingmantis]

Weights, cardio, stretching, iron palm, form and combos. Some of each every day.

[ginosifu]

Everyday I do a strength / Chi Gung set, Iron Palm 3 times a day and Forms practice.

ginosifu

[SPJ]

drilling some single moves.

hitting some bags/pads

--

[YouKnowWho]

This thread just remind me a discussion that I had in Judo forum.

Judo_student: What should I do when no ones around?
Judoka: Do nothing. Training at home without your sensei's watching, you will build up bad habit.
YKW: You may try ... and ...
Judoka: If you train in your Dojo, that will be all you need.
YKW: How can you enhance you skill if you do nothing at home?
Judoka: Are you training for Olympic event?
YKW: No!
Judoka: Then training in your Dojo 3 times a week is all you need.
YKW:

Here is one comment from that Judo forum:

- if you're new, don't practice on your own. First, take the thing you want to do on your own to your sensei. He can help you with your technique so that you don't get thousands of incorrect repetitions in. Always easier to start with what's right, then trying to overcome what's learned wrong.

Very strange attitude IMO.

[Syn7]

This thread just remind me a discussion that I had in Judo forum.

Judo_student: What should I do when no ones around?
Judoka: Do nothing. Training at home without your sensei's watching, you will build up bad habit.
YKW: You may try ... and ...
Judoka: If you train in your Dojo, that will be all you need.
YKW: How can you enhance you skill if you do nothing at home?
Judoka: Are you training for Olympic event?
YKW: No!
Judoka: Then training in your Dojo 3 times a week is all you need.
YKW:

Here is one comment from that Judo forum:

- if you're new, don't practice on your own. First, take the thing you want to do on your own to your sensei. He can help you with your technique so that you don't get thousands of incorrect repetitions in. Always easier to start with what's right, then trying to overcome what's learned wrong.

Very strange attitude IMO.

its rigid... but i get it... all you have to do is ask your sensei to give you a home program... that way he knows what youre doing when he isnt around and can work that as part of your overall training... i dont understand why you think thats so strange??? do you think a boxer isnt the same??? or a baseball player??? coach needs to know what your doing with your free time... it matters... surely you see that... but i do feel working at home plus dojo is better than just dojo, aslong as you arent fukcing up your own program...

in cma alot of people do things wrong for long enough that they never get it right... in all athletics, not just MAs...

[SPJ]

just like piano or violin lessons.

you do practice what you learned from previous class,

whatever you do at home

it will be checked and "corrected" by your teacher in the next class.

do nothing at home?

do something alone is part of the learning process.

[ginosifu]

The reason I asked this question is because other the past 20 years I had partners come and go. There have always been times when there was no one around to drill / spar / fight / wrestle with. During those periods I have focused on improving technique thru form and drill work.

Do you think you can become a better Martial Artist just thru forms / drills alone?

ginosifu

[YouKnowWho]

Do you think you can become a better Martial Artist just thru forms / drills alone?

I think solo training can enhance the skill that you have alreadyly developed. It won't help you to develop any new skills. The problem is, if you don't spar/wrestle for 3 days, your arms and legs will no longer be yours. Your brain may give your body an order but your body won't be able to response quickly enough. Your timing will be off and that will be a bad thing. This is why I have never believed that some young guy can go to the mountain and train for 5 years in forms by himself and then come back to become a good fighter.

I had the same problem as you do. When I was in California, I had no training partners. I almost wanted to grab anybody on the street and asked them if they would be interested to spar/wrestle with me. I don't charge much money for my class. I'm more interested in using my students to polish my own skill than just making money out of them.

[David Jamieson]

warm up, bagwork is great for solo training. Good cardio, good force feedback and a good device for correcting structures.

I like to extrapolate from forms as well when solo and as well the forms themselves.

Other things are qigongs, weight work, body work, treadmill and weapons work drills focusing again on structure and retention of the weapon.

...anyway, that's my doings. :-)

[mooyingmantis]

I'm more interested in using my students to polish my own skill than just making money out of them.

Agreed! I teach primarily for my own skill set development.

[Yum Cha]

I train about the same alone as I do with hingdai when I'm alone, minus the two man drills and training, of course.

To my mind, if you don't or can't train alone, you're a sportsman, not an artist.