hansenator

I found I can't train stances every day. I've been training them less than that and feel pretty worn out. I suppose it will just take some time to get used to it.

Are there genereal guidlines for how often and how hard to train stances? I recently started at a kung fu class, the shorin ryu class wasn't what I hoped it would be. Anyway, the kung fu instructor really impresses me and works us hard and I'm feeling it today. Would it be counterproductive to train again if I'm still sore from the last workout? In weightlifting they usually recommend not lifting two days in a row but stance training is different in that the intensity (measured as a percentage of 1 rep max) is lower and it's more endurance based so I wasn't sure if the rules would be different. I welcome any advice. Thanks.

In my old JKD class the instructor would sometimes show things that didn't work for him because they did work for other people and he wanted the knowledge to be available for those who could use it. I remember one example he learned from a Silat guy where you lift the hook punch over your head and it sets up a great follow-up. He said he always gets hit when he tries it but he knows people who can do it so he passed it along.

Having been in "impractical" karate classes myself, I take the term to mean that the focus is more on self-defense and usable skills rather than competitions and just going through the motions. I could go on a rant but I think "practical" karate requires a deeper understanding of the history, context, and proper training methods than some people possess.

I think you can learn a lot from DVDs. You have to be very meticulous in checking your form against what's demonstrated. Since there isn't someone there to correct you, you have to be able to correct yourself. Mirrors and videos and can help. Without partner work, you can't develop reactions and practice working with someone but that's less important for fitness purposes. After you're more comfortable with the form, a heavy bag can provide a tremendous workout if one's available. Add some supplementary strength and mobility work and you'll get in great shape.

Pushed too far sounds reasonable. I did the exact same thing earlier in the day, and the previous day, with no problem then tried again later in the day with tired muscles. I guess I avoid it by not pushing tired muscles into something they're not used to.

I was practicing horse stance, a bit deeper than usual, and I felt a sharp pain in an inner thigh muscle. It feels like I pulled something. Now, two days later, it's getting better but I still feel it. I've been avoiding squatting type motions because that makes it feel worse and I'm afraid of delaying recovery. I hope I'm feeling better for class tomorrow. Has anyone else had this happen and what causes something like that? I'd like to avoid that happening again if I could. Are there any tips to speed recovery?

I was searching for "strength training for kung fu" on google and came to the site http://www.shaolintraining.com/strength-and-power-training where it mentions frog jumps and Cossack jumps. I'm not really sure what those are, I've looked online a bit but it seems that everyone does them differently. Does anyone know how the Shaolin guys do those exercises?

That's kind of what I was thinking. If you don't have to stay in a certain weight class, you don't have to worry about becoming too heavy. Dan John has written about "armor building". The idea is to build muscle and toughen up to help protect you during contact sports like football. If you combine strength and explosiveness with solid technique, I think that's a winning combination. The hardest kicker I've come across by far was lean, muscular, athletic, and had great technique. Holding the Thai pads for him was an experience I won't forget.

That's a good point. I was thinking more as a supplement to normal training and preparation. Since it's not a competition, there's no worry about weight classes and the environment and conditions would certainly be different.

Hi all, I'm interested in people's opinions on what fitness qualities would be most important in a self-defense scenario. Running would be on top of my list but what if that's not an option. I suppose more of everything would help but since it's not not easy training for everything, where would you focus your efforts?

This might be kind of silly but I'm curious. I hear and read about how, in the old days, someone might only know 2 or 3 kata. Sometimes a person would spend years on just one but would gain a deep understanding of it. And it's been said that each kata (or series of kata) contains an entire fighting system within it. So I was wondering: If you were stuck on a desert island with only one kata, one which you would understand deeply and rely upon for your self-defense skills, which would it be?

The mechanics are a bit different on heel down punching and it uses the hip muscles differently. Once I started figuring it out I was pretty happy with the power. Allowing the heel to come up does make it easier to rotate the hips. When I punch heel down, I can't do it from the "correct" front stance I was taught. I have the have the foot turned almost all the way to the front or I'm not able to turn my hips to face the front.

Shortening the stance does help to a degree, but it becomes a pretty short stance. I think what I really need is more external rotation at the hip. I suppose enough practice will help but I have to take it easy or it will bother my knee. Can anyone suggest a good stretch or mobility exercise for this?

I've trained in probably three distinctly different punching styles and I can't honestly say that I hit harder one way or another. What I can say is that I don't seem to have the hip mobility for a text book karate reverse punch. To turn my hips to the front requires turning my foot. Since most of my training history has been in JKD, that's what comes most naturally to me but I'm always interested in learning about and trying to understand other approaches. If I ask silly questions, it's because I'm trying to understand better and am trying to relate it to what I'm already familiar with.

I've noticed the above and have experimented with it. It seems to be more true when you pivot on the ball of the foot while keeping the heel down, the stance becomes longer and moves you further from the target. Raising the heel as you pivot seems to work better as you can maintain the same stance length and the weight doesn't move back. I've seen the argument that, with the heel down, you can push harder and therefore punch harder. I don't really agree as I feel punching is more ballistic than pushing against something. When people throw a ball, swing a bat or, or put a shot, it's never done flat footed. Any time people need to generate power or move athletically, they tend to be on the balls of the feet. It does make sense that you need to maintain solid footing when you're at close range with an opponent or when the ground is slippery, which is probably why martial arts are practiced flat footed.

Thanks for the advice. It sounds like it's actually pretty straightforward. I have a tendency to overthink things. When I first started getting back into shape, I was surprised how slow I moved and a lot of that was from a lack of core strength. It's like there was no connection between the upper and lower body. It's getting better as I get fitter but it really made me appreciate the role a strong core plays. Are there any favorite core exercises that have made a difference in your performance?

Thanks for the tips. I'm on a general strength program. Lower body workouts include mostly deadlifts, kettlebell swings and single leg squat progressions. Are there specific speed or power drills for kicking or does that just come from strong muscles and lots of practice? I'm kind of back and forth; Sometimes I practice form, sometimes kick the heavy bag, sometimes specific exercises for different kicks but there's no plan or schedule or anything. Since training time is limited, I'm trying to make it more efficient.

In formal practice it seems that karate keeps the heels on the floor when punching. When I watch sparring though, or even videos of high level karateka punching the makiwara, there's a lot of lifting the heels up. Personally, I don't seem to have the hip flexibility to rotate my hips to the front while maintaining a proper front stance. But I do pretty well with western boxing style punches or certain kung fu punches where you pivot on the ball of the foot, and people have told me that I hit really hard. I was just wondering what people's thoughts are on this? I'm hoping to understand the whole thing a little better. Thanks.

Hello, Are there any guidelines to really work on improving kicks for a while? By that, I mean like setting up a training schedule. I can think of several categories of training that can be addressed but what are your thoughts on what, how much, and how often? For the record, I'm not training for competition or anything. I just want to develop really strong, fast, basic kicks. I'd like to bring them up to a "professional" level. Thanks.

I just looked it up GKR because I haven't heard of it. They say they're a traditional Japanese style but they also say they were founded in 1984 in Australia. How does that work? Even though it's based on traditional Japanese karate, wouldn't it actually be a new, Australian system?

How is the kung fu class going? Did you mention what style of kung fu it is?

I just ran across a podcast from Iaian Abernethy and he had an answer that made sense to me. He kind of echoes some of what other people have already said but I wanted to see what you think. He explained that both hands should be active with either hitting, pulling, holding, or manipulating the opponent. There should never be a "dead' hand. An empty hand pulling back to the hip is certainly a dead hand and is a modern misconception. He also feels that holding your hands in a guard position while at a longer range is a modern influence that he feels is a positive one as long as you don't get stuck with being in your guard position when your hands should be active. This kind of echoes my own thoughts. Since I haven't noticed any increase in punching power from pulling the other hand back to the hip, it makes sense to me to retract the hand when there's a reason to do so but otherwise try to maintain a good defensive position.

One thing I appreciated about my jkd training in the past is they could give you a specific reason for everything they did. They would explain the theory and how it works, and it made sense. Also a heavy emphasis on partner drills which usually involved some level of having to react to what your partner decides to do. The training methods were set up in such a way as to get more repetition in less time. They would also spend time training qualities like distancing, timing, and movement skills. There's really no reason a karate class can't have all those qualities as well and there's no guarantee that every jkd class will be of equal quality so I'd have to echo what others have said about the instructor being the most important element.

It's been my experience that traditional styles often aren't trained very well. There can be whole classes without any partner drills. Kata are barely understood and bunkai rarely trained. No impact training to speak of (how do you reach brown belt and not be able to punch a bag without hurting yourself?). Practical application and how techniques are actually used can be sorely lacking. Not enough repetition to actually learn something. I could go on... It's true that traditional arts are bigger and take longer to learn but it shouldn't take that long to gain some basic self defense skills. After a few months you should be able to generate some power, have some reactions and movement skills, have improved your fitness a bit. Sorry if that turned into a rant but that's what I've seen.