hansenator

I think this point is key and seems to be the missing component in too many classes. While I agree it's the person that makes an art effective, I think the more important point is that proper training and preparation is what allows a person to do that. You get good at what you practice but you also don't get good at what you don't practice.

How long have you been practicing? I've found that anytime I learn something new - whether it be MA, music, a new exercise - it's always kind of stiff and robotic at first. With time and repetition it becomes more familiar and I'm better able to relax. When you learn something new, the neural pathways involved in the movement strengthen their connections. At the same time, the unneeded neural pathways atrophy and become weaker. As this process continues, the movement becomes more and more efficient but it takes time and countless, correct repetitions.

This may or may not be applicable but in the kali class I used to attend we were told that we don't get to have a preference. It takes too long to reposition the weapon, you have to move from whatever position you happen to be in.

That's what I was wondering. I was thinking of solo practice, if the arts were similar enough. Krav Maga has lots of drills but it's hard to practice the grappling elements without a partner. Since that material is in kata, I was just wondering if it could be useful. Especially if you're looking for an excuse to learn a couple. The next question would have been which ones are most/least compatible?

There is that. I would think the general principles would apply though - Shift weight forward, shift backward, pivot, etc.

My wife's been wearing kung fu pants for years?

This was kind of my thought. When you want to maintain integrity in a certain style, you need some way to define what is that style. Whether that's a governing body or a grandmaster or some type of authority that can say "This is how it's done in this particular style."

I realize krav maga doesn't have forms but I'm thinking it might include throws, some joint locks, escapes, some kind of clinch/standing-grappling type stuff. These kinds of things are found in karate kata and I was wondering if the techniques would be similar enough for the krav maga practicioner to consider learning a couple of katas from the local karate instructor?

So this might be an odd question but I've been wondering: It seems that Karate and Krav Maga have similarities in purpose, that being self-defense. I know almost nothing about Krav Maga but I started wondering if it might have commonalities with karate in the way they function? Which started me wondering if there are karate katas that contain material or movements that are similar to what you find in Krav Maga and would they be useful as a solo training tool for a Krav Maga practitioner? A little off the wall I realize but the idea has been bouncing around in my head for a while. Thanks.

I've seen the opinion that, if you need to stretch before you can do a certain activity, you're not yet flexible enough for that activity. The advice was to improve your flexibility first and the go back to doing that thing. I have a feeling that won't go well in a TKD class though.

I don't think it makes a huge difference with or without the rotation, people have been successful either way. Rotating seems to bring slightly different muscles into play and the body mechanics change in a subtle way so people will probably have a preference for what they're used to.

I really like this idea. I bet you can use it with a lot of things.

I think combining styles can be problematic when each one uses a different type of structure or framework. For example: Karate has a certain way of standing and moving while wing chun has a different way of standing and moving, and you can't do it both ways at the same time. If you look at an art like JKD, they draw from many different styles but everything is performed from a common structure. In a single exchange, they might use kicks from Muay Thai, trapping from Wing Chun, and throwing from Silat. The reason it works is because everything is done from within a common framework or "internal logic" so it blends together seamlessly. This is true of traditional styles as well. The founder might have drawn from several different sources but it all fits together into a particular 'style' with its own specific way of functioning.

I've been experimenting with an exercise I do on the edge of a door where I pull with the fingers and push with the thumb, kind of like when you apply a wrist lock. The idea was to develop strength for wrist locks but it seems to be a good isometric exercise for the thumb in any case. I'm curious what other people think of it?

Wim Demeere wrote an interesting article about the state of kung fu today. http://www.wimsblog.com/2015/05/the-effectiveness-of-traditional-chinese-martial-arts/#more-6237

Has anyone tried wrist pushups? You start at the top in vertical fist pushup position. As you go down you bend the wrists so your weight is being support on the back of the hands. On the way up, return to the fists. I had to really ease into those over a long time but they really work. My wrists have become more resilient and the left wrist, which used to bother me often, never hurts anymore.

Are there any particular types of grip training you think are especially valuable for martial arts? The most important thing that comes to my mind to prevent wrist injuries during those times when your punch doesn't connect quite right. Also grabbing/gripping for locking and grappling. Are there any exercises you feel are particularly valuable? I've been mostly working with the wrist roller and Thor's hammer. Also have started experimenting with fingertip push ups and hanging from a bar for time. Not for any particular reason except those are ones I can think of or I saw them in a book. I see pictures karate guys using the wrist roller a lot so I thought it's probably a good one. Since I don't have any great knowledge of the subject, I'd be interested in what other people's thoughts are.

Thanks for the replies and the concern. I have a pretty good idea what's going on in my back. I've been to numerous doctors and professionals over the years and finally found someone who had an idea what was going on and was able to help. My glutes aren't stabilizing my back the way they should and the stress goes to the si joint. It's much better than it was but becomes a problem when I'm fatigued. There's certain exercises that help keep my back happy but kung fu left me so tired I wasn't keeping up with it. I spent a few years not being able to walk without pain and, as little as a year ago, walking across the parking lot at work felt like an adventure. Add a couple years of depression and I went so far downhill I'm not sure I'll ever be able to fully recover. Seriously, it took a couple of years to regain a level of fitness where I could do normal things again without worrying that I'd over-do or hurt myself. An 8 minute jog would leave me wiped out for the rest of the evening. Anyway, much better than I was and wanted to get back into some MA training. I find that the extended bow stances in kung fu pull my pelvis into anterior pelvic tilt though. Probably due to a lack of hip mobility and maybe the abs/glues aren't stabilizing well enough. That's what makes me concerned about the low stances and positions. I'm thinking of checking out a muay thai class that's in my area. Between the higher positions and the shorter class times, I wonder if it would be more compatible with my issues? There are some other options around here too. I do like the kung fu but I'm not married to it or anything. Just looking for a good class that works for me. More interested in self defense than competition but the compatibility and the quality of instruction is the most important.

I've been working hard in my new Choy Li Fut class and one day my back started really bothering me. I even had to bail out of class early because of it. I've been taking a break for the last couple of weeks and it's starting to feel better but I'm concerned. Maybe I was just doing too much, like maybe fatigue accumulated until something gave. I have a history of back problems and I had been tired and sore since I started the class but I also feel like the low stances don't treat me very well and I'm worried that this will be a recurring problem if I don't change something. Anyway, I'm trying to decide what to do once I feel better. I could simply do less, maybe just go to class once per week for an hour or two with some home practice during the week? I also wonder if a style that uses higher positions might treat me better? I could probably better tolerate something like boxing or muay thai. I would welcome people's thoughts or experiences.

That's the nature of the sport she's competing in. Like it or not, it isn't about self-defense or deep understanding. Kata competitions of that nature are a performance, similar to gymnastics, where you display precision and athletic achievement. I didn't see the video but it sounds like she does it very well. Instead of criticizing, we should applaud her for what she has achieved.

Quick update. It's improving with practice. Not fast yet but getting smoother. It's actually easier when I kick a target like a heavy bag. Maybe because the body knows to expect resistance? The short answer seems to be to keep practicing your kick. Specific conditioning drills might be more useful at an advanced level but I think my kicking muscles are getting enough work just practicing the kick.

Another variable to consider: If someone has been training for 30 years, is that 30 years of training or 5 years done six times? To continue to improve, your practice must be deliberate, purposeful and with the intention to improve in specific ways. If you just keep doing what you're comfortable with and have always done, your progress will stall.

I think it would depend on what needs to be developed. If your technique is good but you lack strength, then strength training would be more of a priority. Try to identify weaknesses and bring them up.

I think some of it might depend on the student's background. If they have a background in athletics or dance, for example, they might learn new movements faster and be more able to handle the physical demands.

I think there's a lot of truth to that. I'm just trying to avoid being one of those people who look good in demos but can't actually use it. Most of us have probably encountered people who would say "Hey, that's not how you're supposed to do it" if your technique doesn't look like it would in forms practice. I think it's more important to understand what the forms are trying to teach and then be able to apply it in a realistic and improvisational manner. I've heard the idea that "This is how you practice it but in a real situation you just do whatever you need to." This is fine in theory but I'm not comfortable with just assuming it will work out that way if I've never actually practiced it that way. In addition to practicing "proper" technique, I think it's also important to practice the way you would actually use it in a real encounter. I think one advantage boxers have is that there's only a handful of fairly basic techniques they need to work on. The art part is all about the application - how well they can use it while under pressure. So I'm trying to learn more about how people approach it from that mindset.