Kung Fu Training Time & Difficulty

[It is Fake]

http://www.bullshido.net/forums/show...42&postcount=6

...he told me that they as a rule do not let people who practice other MA train with them!! What does that supposed to mean? Is that an insecurity of that particular school, or is it a common practice for kung fu?

It's a common practice. If you are learning kung fu, you don't have time for anything else anyway.

I don't know anything about this school and can not intelligently comment further.

http://www.bullshido.net/forums/show...3&postcount=11

That's an interesting statement. Why do you feel that way? Theoretically you can say that about any martial art.

You are right. I think it is especially true of Chinese arts because certain training programs/exercises just take a long time to do. In today's day and age, most people can't dedicate 8 hours a day to training.

Ming Loyalist suggested we start a thread here about these interesting posts by Mr. Mantis.
I think it is a good idea.

[RunningDog]

Well I used to take it for granted, in my kung fu days, that I'd have to keep learning well into old age, and that I wouldn't be seriously badass for a number of years.
However there are 2 problems with this.
The first is that your entire training regime is based on a single article of faith - the faith that one day all these exercises will give you such incredible sensitivity and speed that you'll be undefeatable.
The second is that even if the first was true, this is the real world, we need results a little faster than that, whatever our reasons for training.

[Mr. Mantis]

As we know, the CMAs have many exercise programs that are indicated to be done in a certain way. Some are comprised of certain movements that are done as reps before moving on to the next movement. Some are a set of different movements that just comprise a long sequence of movements. Some exercises should be done many times a day. Though, I have only come across those that require once, twice and three times per day. I've seen exercises that can take from 5 minutes to those that take an hour and a half.

These are what I consider "strength" exercises, whether they are internal or external in primary focus or intent. I would consider the strength portion of a day's workout to be the bare minimum. So, if you did not have the time that day to do a full workout, you should at least do that. I would also suggest working in a weight program as well.

Then you have the other portions of training that should be practiced daily which includes form practice, sparring, working drills, both solo and with a partner all for empty hand and whatever weapon or weapons the person is focusing on at the time.

[CanucKyokushin]

Are you all suggesting that sparring time should be equal to practicing forms and at every class?

[EmetShamash]

Do you think with modern strength and flexibility training techniques, that CMA can be learned somewhat non-traditionally in order to progress a student faster? I am not knowledgeable enough to answer such a question... :P

[It is Fake]

Are you all suggesting that sparring time should be equal to practicing forms and at every class?

Yeah, don't troll here.

[Ming Loyalist]

one thing about TCMA training is that you are expected to do quite a bit of different types of training, especially once you have been practicing for a couple of years seriously.

in my school, we have chi kung training, stancework (both static and moving), line drills, conditioning drills (both partnered and solo), sparring, padwork, bagwork, and both hand forms and weapons forms. oh and lion dance (which is super hard and can help with generation of short range power.)

to train in all of this can be very time consuming, and there are people who excell in certain areas and not in others.

i am hoping that in this thread we can talk about the various types of training and what we feel makes it worthwhile.

we can also discuss weightlifting and roadwork and compare them to TCMA strength and endurance building excercises. those of us who use both can say why.

i don't have time to post a lot right now but will come back with more...

[RunningDog]

I'm of the opinion that forms are unnecessarily long and complex. The order of movements doesn't matter, does it? So why not just break them down, take the parts you think you need to retain the essence of your art, and just integrate those parts into drilling, padwork and sparring?

[It is Fake]

Do you think with modern strength and flexibility training techniques, that CMA can be learned somewhat non-traditionally in order to progress a student faster? I am not knowledgeable enough to answer such a question... :P

IMO yes. My former GM said that weight training is safer now why keep all old methods.

Now, before traditionalists lay into this statement please listen.


Not all methods can be or should be replaced. I personally feel many of the advancement we have made in weight training negate years of stance training and forms endurance. Yet, you need forms (not hundreds) to work on balance and isolated muscles that weight lifting may not affect.

[It is Fake]

I'm of the opinion that forms are unnecessarily long and complex.

In some cases I agree.

The order of movements doesn't matter, does it?

No.

So why not just break them down, take the parts you think you need to retain the essence of your art, and just integrate those parts into drilling, padwork and sparring?

Good school do exactly what you propose.


Tell us what kung fu schools you have seen or practiced. This isn't an insult or challenge.