Learning more about Kung Fu

[Whisky147]

Hey everyone,

So i have officially passed the 1 month mark since i started training at my kung fu classes (Hung Gar) and i have well and truly been bitten by the MA bug! I am loving training, the club and look forward to learning more in the future.

Being that i am still very new and getting to know the style, i feel like i have barely scratched the surface with everything Hung gar/Lao Gar/Shaolin entails e.g. The history, philosophy, training etc

So i would quite like to read up about kung fu in my own time to learn a bit of the theory behind it, can anyone recommend any good books worth checking out?

[Alan Armstrong]

Bagua and I-Ching. Anything related to Yin/Yang or Feng Shu.

Chinese medicine is connected to martial arts therefore anything medical is worth reading or investigating. Understanding human anatomy and movement will also be helpful.

The biggest tip I can offer is that everything contains Kung Fu. Every movement of your day can become a part of your training!!!! Thefore every movement could be conditioning; using the A B C method of ALWAYS BE CONDITIONING.

The quality of the food and drink you consume relates to Kung Fu. Efficiency on what or how you do things is Kung Fu.

Being connected with nature is Kung Fu.

Have a profound understanding of Chi and leave the skeptics to ponder in darkness. Chi is more about different types of energy and purity and efficiency.

One person really does stand out above the rest for written literature about Kung Fu, his name is Dr Yang Jwing Ming.

[Whisky147]

Thank you kind sir!

This is very informative and exactly what i was looking for

One thing i am curious about though, how do you condition throughout your normal day? Is it applying training techniques to random everyday events?

[Alan Armstrong]

Conditioning will be different for everyone depending on one's age and daily schedules and commitments; health restrictions could be an issue for some and not others.

From the moment a person wakes up in the morning till closing one's eyes for sleep there are many opportunities for conditioning.

(Personally at my age, I'm not conditioning myself for the Olympics more like beer belly prevention and keeping up some of my martial art skills

Everything is an art especially stretching, learn how to do it the correct way at an early stage and you will benefit from doing it right forever.

(A few tips on the subject: don't cheat your stretching; always keep the small of your back straight. Be determined to become more flexible and never quit reaching past your normal range of motion)

Know when to PNF or Pandiculate or when pulsating or bouncing is the right moment.

Bill Wallace and the Bruce sisters Chloe and Grace have made many tutorials on this subject to help you.

Getting back on track, Bruce Lee was constantly conditioning, seize opportunities during the day to condition different parts of your anatomy.

Waking up in bed might turn in to an opportunity to stretch while there with thera bands. Then sitting on the toilet is another place place for conditioning my fingers and wrists with dynamic tension exercises that are geared for Aikido and Wing Chun also massages to increase flexibility and circulation. The showering great for relaxing stiffness in neck and back muscles; as well as pike position stretching. Toweling dry after the shower is another opportunity to stretch behind my neck and back, increasing my range of motion. Brushing my teeth with on foot on the counter top or simple standing on one foot.

So as you can see from just doing four normal everyday things I need to do, I have had four opportunities to stretch.

Just simply doing housework wearing ankle weights is conditioning. I built up my calves so much so by using ankle weights by going up stair cases alot, that I can only wear two weights on each ankle now because my calves are too big for wearing four.

I would wear ankle weights all day while at work no one noticed.

I do squats or stances in elevators if not I take to use the stairs instead.

Simply walking can be an exercise in posture or moving as fast as possible.

Park benches are mini gyms for me.

The same is true for my living room couch as a mini gym. I am writing this message sitting in the half lotus position, at this very moment.

(Learn about the after burn effect)

Keep as active as possible during the morning afternoon and evening; the best never rest!

Investigate how ballet dancers do there conditioning same holds true to gymnasts and those that do Yoga and Pilates...

Anymore question; happy to give you my two cents worth?

[Whisky147]

Wow thank you!

A lot of top advice to keep me occupied for a while

One of my aims is to improve health and flexibility for not only doing Martial Arts but to ensure i am giving my body the best chance at remaining fit and healthy right into my senior years (a long way off but i feel that if i get into good habits now whilst i can, i will be able to continue for years to come ensuring i will be able to remain active, mobile and able to lead an independent life as a sweet little old kung fu lady! haha)

So your advice on stretching is spot on! I find myself at certain times of the day trying to stretch off a little, usually legs are the worst, so hamstring, groin (you know the 'split' type of stretches).

I'll have to check the Bill Wallace and other tutorials out, sound good!

Thanks for the info!

[Alan Armstrong]

Ok Kung Fu Lady; happy to help. Chloe Bruce and her sister Grace Bruce have many tutorials on YouTube worth watching; no matter the level you are at, including age and or gender.

Bill Wallace has been an American Champion Kickboxer since the 1980's. he gives worth while tutorials also on kicking and stretching also available on YouTube.

Flexibility is very much taken for granted as youngsters, as people get older they tend to neglect it, as the saying goes, us it or lose it.

Flexibility really is related to having a high quality of life. If I live in a mansion in Beverly Hills or living under a bridge in Manhattan, I'll still have a high quality of life because of being flexible and mobile with a higher than average range of body motion.

Here are a few more subjects worth investing

Myofascial release

Spine Activation

Hip Decompression

(I expect a full report on these three subjects on my desk, first thing in the morning) joking of course!