Astrael

It is disgusting and I'm not proud of it either...It's just that your legs get so tired after like a few minutes...I know more experienced martial artists can hold horse stances for ages (I think) so yeah I was wondering whether there's any tip etc for doing so.... I've only been training for a few months....so I guess it's expected for a newbit... Anyway, What leg strengthening expercises would you recommend?

Any advice as to how to hold horse stance for a longer periods of time? I generally can hold horse stance for about 2 minutes....but I'm trying to aim for 5+ minutes...

OMG! You know so much, like wow - amazing post with all these technical martial arts styles and types...I definately could consult you more in all respects...will post some questions etc sometime this week

Look forward to receiving your contact details: meng10leong@yahoo.com

can I get your email addy or msn messenger? I can't send you a PM because the admin won't let me (I think I have under 25 posts which is why)

Anywhere with space - Farms/Fields/Beach....etc etc etc mostly areas where not many people go such as private farms

There's soooo much I want to know about Shaolin martial arts and I've got numerous numerous questions that I want answered but because I'm a new student to "the team" they couldn't disclose much information to me. I don't even know the Master's full name and I don't have the confidence to ask - all I address to him is Sifu...and all I know about him is that he trained in the Shaolin Temple for over 30 years (snake style is his speciality) and he particpated in 2 Bloodsports...They say I probably won't be practicing martial arts for about a good year or two once I've learn't the basics of stength, agility, balance etc etc etc...I train on Saturday and Sundays - 9.00am to 6.00pm. As for my training - I live in New Zealand so we don't have Temples to train (been there for like 4 weeks) particular activities include: * Blindfold running - running to specific targets with blindfold on as fast as you can. Supposedly this is to reduce fear... *Shaolin poles - jumping from pole to pole to pole....self explanatory * Obstacle courses (on farm) - much to do with balance/agility etc * water balloon catching and moving numbers of water balloons from a distance (working as a team) (throwing and catching). * Agility & endurance activities - a frisbee would be thrown on the field and we have to firstly prevent the dog from getting a hold of it and return it to the Master while team members do pushups until it's returned (50 times) * I had to climb like a wall and complete an obstacle jumping from fences to place etc... * Catching arrows on a farm (either shot directly at you from like 60 metres) or in the air from like 200 metres away *deathdrops*. *Shourikin stars - we got to use that * Bow and arrow - we got to use that * Stick fighting - I had to defend myself while a stick (monk sticks whatever you call it) is thrown at me and I have to catch it and defend myself with the stick. * We also learn how to throw the stick too to a teamate either as a javalin or straight on. * There was one time where the master would use some signals and we have to like roll up to create specific shapes to avoid being seen/disguising with our surroundings * Also, we do a lot of planning assignments and stuff.... * Next week, we have to complete an obstacle on the farm, running through a stream, swimming through a lake and climbing up a waterfall as a team... Those are some of the activities that I've done during the 4 weeks...Of course there are more and ummm yeah I heard theres heaps of grades and levels you have to pass and stuff...and wtf's Zen day? Questions: 1) Could you relate most of these activities to what they teach you in Shaolin Temple (such as those activities that teach you agility, stamina, patience, teamwork, planning, balance etc etc etc) 2) Is it logical that I need to complete these activities/pass tests and complete levels (duration one + year) before I am ready to take on Shaolin Martial arts? 3) Supposedly, I've been told I should have my hair shaved and be completely bald. I'm not used to it but I guess it's a must - like a tradition? I guess it's a must in a Shaolin temple too? 4) Shaolin Martial Arts - is there any restrictions on your life. I know you're not supposed to drink and smoke...but are there any food restrictions and finally, more importantly, am I allowed to date other chicks or to be trained as a "Shaolin Monk" I must remain completely single? Look forward to hearing from people with knowledge Thanks.

Well, usually the Master picks a style best suited for me and so he chose the crane style...He's got over 30 years of Shaolin experience so I'm not going to make judgements...He definately is experienced. As for my build, medium - 5"10-5'11 weigh about 80 kg's - could trim down to 74kg's and quite agile... Personally I rather pick my style myself, based on what that particular animal style represents...

I don't know whether there's been a thread on this but I note that there are numerous animal styles/stances in relation to all forms of martial arts. I'm basically wondering what everyone's style is. I had a spa with the Master today and he identified that the Crane style of Shaolin martial arts would suit me best. I tried doing some research on the internet couldn't really find any useful websites that could provide me with more info about animal styles - in particular the Crane style. So yeah just wondering what y'all animal styles are for those of you that do martial arts...

Just wondering whether someone could answer a question in relation to "training to failure". Say, you're on the x number of reps and you could barely do 2 more - that's failure. What if that person can do 4 more reps while taking "extremely limited pauses/breaks" such as doing benchpresses. Is doing the extra 3-4 reps a waste of time? e.g. a 3-0-1 rep, then with the final 3-4 reps he does something like pause for 3-6 seconds before doing another 3-0-1 rep until failure. Or to simplify, once your pattern/motion becomes too inconsistent should you stop because your body has reached the limits to failure, even though you could push the body for an extra few reps with the help of time?

Carolina & Pitsburg

I'm just trying to get some opinions from people as to how they benchpress. I've been going to the gym for a few months now so this is all new to me. I'm 80 kg's and currently benchpressing 60 kgs (because I havn't exactly tested myself over 60kgs) so I don't know whether I'm wasting my time training because you need to stress your body to gain muscle. The problem is that I see a lot of people at the gym after their initial set, they keep adding smaller weight set by set. Me personally, I find this hard to believe because I'm already stressing out at 60kg's and the fact that adding even an extra 5 kg's for my next set and 5kgs more the the next is quite impossible considering how your muscles have deteriorated after the first set. I feel that I am at my strongest at my first set, where usually other people "feel the strongest" after 2-3 more sets because they have the ability to add more weight...Your comments about your regime when it comes to benchpresses would be appreciated and hopefully you can answer my points raised above. Thanks a plenty.