Practice

With our lives becoming increasingly busier it seems exercise is the last thing on our mind. Nevertheless, it is for that same reason that exercise is so important to fit into our busy schedules. Starting a practice is not easy and maintaining it sometimes even harder. For that reason we thought of a few tips and tricks on practicing, where to start, how to train, and even what to train.

The above grid is an example of a workout framework, it works as follows. Think of it as a gym group class schedule. Conventional training suggests that you do an X amount of repetitions of a certain activity. Say you go sign up at a gym, you’ll get asked what you want to do, cardio or strength. Then on Monday you hit the gym and train a specific muscle group e.g. chest. In a gym group class, you usually join and do whatever the practice requires you to do, whether it is pilates or boxing bag training you generally come out with a sense of having had a complete training session in contrast with a specific muscle (group) on a specific day.

Gong Fu training is kind of like that. Even though cardiovascular and strength training is important, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups and any strength or endurance training is merely a small part of Gong Fu and are considered to be done as supplemental training that supports the whole.

For example, the above grid contains all aspects of Tai Chi Chuan training, taolu, tuishou, sanshou, neigong, and qigong. The focus is here to alternate between these disciplines to have a complete training schedule in regards to Tai Chi Chuan.

For example, Taolu is the execution of a form and focuses on slow movements but trains strength as much as balance and flexibility. Sanshou is more vigorous and is a great cardiovascular workout that asks for endurance, agility and technique. Sensitivity and yielding to an opponents force are trained in Push Hands and breathing is at the center of Qi Gong and Taoyin even though both are known to train flexibility and strength as well. In short, any of these practices is complete in itself and even in isolation provides a great healthy routine.

In any given week I try to at least do any of the six practices listed above once. If I have more time I do them more than once and nowadays I even add other forms to spice it up. You know what they say, ‘Variety is the spice of life’.

See the below example of a day:

In my case, in the above schedule, you’ll notice that some of the evening trainings are 60 minutes long because I do them extensively in a training setting with a master. However, the schedule demonstrates that with the exception of Sanshou and Qin Na/Tuishou you essentially should be able to squeeze in at least one solo session of 15 minutes anywhere between morning and evening. The grid and frequency is there just as a suggestion. Regularity is more important than the intensity. Try to do something each day. I sometimes do something during my lunch break when I can if I don’t have any other timeslot during the day to do it.

Before we can practice though, it is helpful to know where to start and how to train. There’s two pages that cover those topics. We’re not going to explain the exercises on this page. Each activity mentioned will have a separate page on this website with all the theory and how to do it.

For example, Tai Chi Chuan is difficult to get into without a master guiding you, Sanshou usually requires an opponent as does Tuishou, and Daoyin and Qi Gong are a lot easier when you get initiated by an instructor even though they are generally practices you can perform solo. But, don’t despair!

We fortunately live in a world where everything has become more accessible if you know what you’re looking for. Think of masters posting videos on YouTube, publishing books and websites, and even offering online classes. The trick is to not lose yourself in the chaos, but embrace it and find your way in the middle. Training martial arts seems daunting at first because it is comprised of so many elements and has so many facets. However, the trick is to simply start small and work yourself up to a level where you can slowly start adding more, more difficult, and more vigorous forms, postures, and activities.