Brea Shaolin Kung Fu Martial Arts
“Most people view martial arts from a very limited standpoint and see martial arts training as a way of fighting only. Do not be deceived – martial arts is much more than simply training in fighting techniques. In fact, the physical aspect is the least of the goals. Those who view martial arts this way are far from enlightenment.”
Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645), founder of Niten-ryū style of swordsmanship. The Book of Five Rings Trans. D.E. Tarver
Brea Shaolin Kung Fu
First, carefully consider the question. We are not selling you a product, but rather giving you an opportunity through good training to develop yourselves mentally and physically in a multitude of ways. Martial arts training improves:
Each student will come in with his or her own strengths and weaknesses. The training we offer is focused on making our students’ weaknesses strong and their strengths even stronger. Nothing is ever attained without effort and a student will surely find his or her training both mentally and physically challenging, but then if you are seriously invested in good training, isn’t this what you are looking for?
It’s test day. Hopefully, over the prior few weeks you have practiced and re-practiced all that you will be tested on. On test day, however, there are a few things for you to do and know to help you have a successful test:
Do your best and enjoy the experience.
Brea Shaolin Kung Fu
All classes at our school are scaled – beginners learn and practice what is appropriate for beginners and more advanced students learn and practice what is appropriate for their rank. Besides the obvious reason of this is how it was done traditionally, there are a number of reasons for this progression.
First, it certainly does not make sense for students in their first week at the school to do the same level of work as the most senior students who have been training for years. The new students would become overwhelmed and exhausted – perhaps question why they signed up in the first place. By the same token, if the more advanced students had the same workload as the new students they wouldn’t be pressed enough to fully develop their bodies and skills. Thus, students can expect to be pushed more with less rest and more intensity after each rank is attained.
Second, there is another purpose for the lower rank resting (besides catching their breath). It is important for them to watch class and observe what the higher rank is doing. They will clearly be able to see the different speeds, powers, balance, etc. between the various ranks and hopefully learn and be inspired to advance themselves.. Movements, forms, and techniques they will soon be learning will be done before them and will help in their learning if they choose to pay attention.
Third, like most things in life, the basics are the foundation that all advanced skills are built on and without a sound foundation of basics the more difficult aspects of kung fu won’t come. Therefore, new students must put in a good deal of practice in the basics to develop competency. Once they have demonstrated ability to properly execute what they’ve been taught, then the student can move on and learn other techniques that may seem more awkward and demanding. Should students learn too much, too fast there is a chance that they can forget details of the movements taught or even the entire movement. There is even a chance of injury. This is why there is a natural progression of learning and development at our school.
Always keep in mind that the basics must always be drilled and that more difficult and advanced aspects of kung fu come in time. Don’t mistake more advanced looking techniques or forms as more advanced kung fu. Being able to properly execute techniques – be they “beginner” or “advanced” in sparring with relative grace and ease is the ultimate expression of kung fu skill.
Brea Shaolin Kung Fu Circle Kicks
If class hasn’t officially begun 5-10 minutes after the hour, then it is the responsibility of the highest rank in class to start circle kicks. There are a few things to keep in mind:
Brea Shaolin Kung Fu School
When you are told you may test for the next rank, it means that you have learned sufficient forms, techniques, and skills to potentially pass that test. However, there are two things you need to do to pass. The first is to prepare yourself in the weeks and months prior to the test by attending class regularly and practicing those things you will be tested on. The second is to perform well at the test. Without the former, the latter can be quite difficult.
If you don’t prepare and you don’t do well on your test, you will not pass and get the next rank. It doesn’t mean you are a bad person. It simply means you weren’t up to snuff on the day of the test. The purpose of the test is for the student to perform under a stressful situation that requires exactness, concentration, and execution. Those three attributes are exactly what are required should you need to defend yourself or others outside of the school. The higher the rank, the more that is expected of you and the better you must perform to pass.
At some point after the test, you will be told what specifically you did or didn’t do that caused the failure. Take this constructive criticism with you to your next class and the classes that follow and try to work on the areas of weakness. It is important to come back to class strong and continue your training. Remember, this is not a reflection on you as a person, just a reflection on the quality of your movement during the test. Lastly, and most importantly, kung fu is a way of life that can keep you vital, vibrant, and strong the rest of your days. Rank tests are only a part of your training. Consistent, hard training will take you as far as you want to go.
Brea Shaolin Kung Fu
Most students feel absolutely invigorated and refreshed after a vigorous class. Scientists are finding that physical exercise – like those in done at our school – combats stress, facilitates memory function, delay dementia, and assists brain cell growth and development. Given kung fu’s physical demands of strength, explosive speed, balance, agility, flexibility, and coordination, kung fu may very well be the perfect exercise for not just physical health, but apparently brain health, too. Below is an article found on the internet that goes into a little more detail:
Physical exercise is not only important for your body’s health- it also helps your brain stay sharp.
Your brain is no different than rest of the muscles in your body–you either use it or you lose it. You utilize the gym to stimulate the growth of muscle cells, just as you use a brain fitness program [1] to increase connections in your brain. But you can actually get an additional brain boost by donning your sneakers and hitting the gym. The benefits of physical exercise, especially aerobic exercise, have positive effects on brain function on multiple fronts, ranging from the molecular to behavioral level.
According to a study done by the Department of Exercise Science at the University of Georgia[2], even briefly exercising for 20 minutes facilitates information processing and memory functions. Exercise affects the brain on multiple fronts. It increases heart rate, which pumps more oxygen to the brain. It also aids the bodily release of a plethora of hormones, all of which participate in aiding and providing a nourishing environment for the growth of brain cells.
Exercise stimulates the brain plasticity by stimulating growth of new connections between cells in a wide array of important cortical areas of the brain. Recent research from UCLA [3] demonstrated that exercise increased growth factors in the brain- making it easier for the brain to grow new neuronal connections. From a behavioral perspective, the same antidepressant-like effects associated with “runner’s high” found in humans is associated with a drop in stress hormones. A study from Stockholm [4] showed that the antidepressant effect of running was also associated with more cell growth in the hippocampus, an area of the brain responsible for learning and memory.
The Golden Duo: Mental and Physical Exercise
The usage of physical exercise in conjunction with BrainHQ brain training [1] increases your chances of increasing cognitive functions within parameters, including time of exercise and style of exercise. Interestingly, differences between exercise styles, such as opting for cycling over running, is associated with an enhanced brain function during and after working out. Ballroom dancing, an activity with both physical and mental demands has had a higher impact on cognitive functioning over exercise or mental tasks alone, indicating that the best brain health workouts involve those that integrate different parts of the brain such as coordination, rhythm, and strategy.
Tips for Choosing The Right Physical Exercise
In general, anything that is good for your heart is great for your brain. Aerobic exercise is great for body and brain: not only does it improve brain function, but it also acts as a “first aid kit” on damaged brain cells. Exercising in the morning before going to work not only spikes brain activity and prepares you for mental stresses for the rest of the day, but also produces increases retention of new information, and better reaction to complex situations. When looking to change up your work out, look for an activity that incorporates coordination along with cardiovascular exercise, such as a dance class. If you like crunching time at the gym alone, opt for circuit work outs, which both quickly spike your heart rate, but also constantly redirect your attention. Hitting a wall or mentally exhausted? Doing a few jumping jacks might reboot your brain.
© 2013 Posit Science. All Rights Reserved.
Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy (updated 06/06/12)
Source URL: http://www.positscience.com/brain-resources/everyday-brain-fitness/physical-exercise
Links:
[1] https://brainhq.positscience.com/pscweb-link/start
[2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12595152
It goes without saying, making a correct, basic fist is pretty important. It can mean the difference between your broken hand or your opponent’s broken nose. Happily, making a fist is quite simple to do.
First: Start with an open hand
———————————————
Second: Close the fingers
———————————————
Third: Wrap the thumb
———————————————
Fourth: Flatten the wrist
———————————————
Fifth: Be sure NOT to bend the wrist – this can damage or even break it on contact. It must be flat! And DO NOT tuck the thumb under the fingers! That is a recipe for a damaged thumb. There is no better way to ensure a proper fist than to perform push-ups on your fists. Those push-ups will also help increase punching power!
DO NOT!
DO NOT!
Brea Shaolin Kung Fu Sparring
Whether you find yourself sparring someone with greater or lesser skill, one basic principle to employ is that of high-low and low-high. It will be difficult for beginners to grasp this as they are learning the basics of attacking and counter-attacking. However, intermediate and advanced students should be able to utilize the concept as they have basic ownership of punches, kicks and other types of strikes.
One option is to attack, counter-attack or feint high to your opponent’s head or chest, but then to immediately follow it with a low attack to the legs or lower torso. Most modestly skilled opponents can defend themselves from the first high attack, especially one that is fairly conventional and expected like a straight punch. However, attacking high with the knowledge that it’s an intentional ruse allows you to focus on your next attack to the opponent’s lower half (or to an expected counter-attack from your opponent). Although your opponent might be able to step away from or block your initial high attack, defending your low attack will likely be a bit more difficult. Should they quickly counter your initial high attack, defend against it and counter to their lower body. This combination will require your opponent to think and react quickly and skillfully to avoid being hit and only a trained fighter can handle powerful attacks to his/her low, medium and high points in rather quick succession.
A simple example of a high-low attack is to use your front hand to jab at your opponent’s head or upper torso or to use your front hand to grab your opponent’s front hand. This is mostly a distraction for your primary attack (the legs in this instance) and whether the high attack was successful or not, quickly attack the foot, knee or thigh of your adversary. If they are able to avoid or block the second attack, quickly move to a mid-line attack. Should all three of your movements be blocked, either you need to work on your technique (speed, choice of movement, telegraphing, etc.) or you are facing a formidable opponent who is feeling you out. Of course, for sparring purposes with your kung fu classmates, DO NOT attack joints or muscles with enough force to hurt them. We are training to prevent being damaged in a conflict, not be damaged in the process of learning.
A second option, is to attack or feint low to the feet and legs, but then to immediately attack high to the head or torso. A simple attack to your opponent’s lower body is to hook or step on their front foot so they can not step away or counter you with a kick. In doing so, you must also be aware of their hands and how they might try to strike their way out of your low attack. This is ok – just be prepared for it. Like the high-low attack, your first attack is typically not more more than a feint to get them thinking about something other than your prime target. You are mostly concentrating on their upper body and what their hands and arms are doing. Again, whether or not the second attack lands, quickly attack your opponent’s mid-line.
The concept of high-low or low-high attacks is the same. Most fighters simply aren’t prepared to defend quick and smooth attacks to parts of the body that aren’t close to each other and require more advanced defenses. Try putting this to work the next time you spar. It will likely take some trial and error with various techniques before you find some consistent success with techniques you feel good with. Keep trying. Sparring is an excellent teacher because you won’t get seriously hurt trying new techniques within the school, but you will quickly learn what works and what doesn’t work because if it doesn’t work, you’ll be on the ground or will know for sure that you have lost the contest. If it worked, then try it again until it doesn’t and then find another combination to use.
It happens. The forgotten sash. Don’t go home and skip class! Although it’s important to remember your sash, it’s more important to attend class and develop your skills. Simply follow this protocol. You are to go to the back of the line and stay at the back of the line for the duration of the class. If the instructor calls out your rank, then you go up and do as instructed, but you are to remain at the back of the line.
Brea Shaolin Kung Fu San Shou
San Shou is the practice of taking martial techniques embedded in the forms and applying them against attacks from a somewhat cooperative opponent. Its purpose is to learn how various techniques are employed, practice those techniques over and over again in a relatively controlled environment with various partners, and eventually introduce those techniques into free sparring. San shou integrates forms and sparring.
In the beginning of san shou, your attacker throws a right forward bow punch to your chest. Your job is to move your body to block the punch and counter the attack. Now, when you’re just starting san shou or learning a new technique some leeway is given to the defender and they shouldn’t be afraid of getting hit. As your experience increases, the attacker’s job is to lightly tap the defender in the chest if they miss the block! In fact, the attacker is doing the defender a disservice by not attacking at full speed with the intent of softly hitting his/her chest. The defender needs to know their defense was not good enough and they need to focus on their blocking technique next time. If the attacker does get through the defenders defenses, then both should stop, and bow in recognition that the defender got hit. The defender switches to become the attacker and they continue.
As students move up in rank, san shou gets more advanced and attacks can come in any form to any part of the body: punches, elbows, pushes, kicks, grabs, double-movements, etc. Again, the attacker must do their best to connect with the defender to ensure he/she is prepared with proper defense and counter. With the exception of learning or practicing new techniques, the attackers intention’s are to “get in” on their opponent to help them learn their technique, but certainly not to injure your kung fu brothers and sisters. There is no need to block an attack that doesn’t even come close to connecting. Clearly, an attacker outside of the school isn’t going to stop his punch a foot away from your body – he’s going to try his best to hit!
One of the benefits to attacking your opponent at full speed, but with only a light, non-penetrating power is the development of distance and sensitivity. Both require much practice to develop and both are vital to advancing in sparring. Distancing is crucial for being able to successfully employ techniques with proper contact and power. Sensitivity is important in that it provides the ability to increase or decrease power as needed while the counter is being employed. Distance and sensitivity are also benefits to proper counters to san shou attacks. These features of san shou begin with the attackers intention to lightly hit the defender.
Preparing to Kick
The question of “How often should I train?” might not be asked out loud, but has probably been thought by many students thru the years. In our modern world where a high level of martial arts skill is not a necessity for survival, it might seem like a simple question. You train when you can fit it in… hopefully no less than 4 hours a week, which is perfectly fine. But, to those who want more – for those who want to squeeze every ounce of kung fu from their training – the answer is different. Your training becomes high on your priority list and you train as often as you possibly can – 3+ hours a day with a day or two off a week. In fact, your goal is to not miss a class.
Only more advanced students comprehend how vast our school’s kung fu is with its multitudes of striking, shuai jiao (wrestling), chin na (joint locking), and weapon techniques. When they do comprehend it, it’s both mind boggling and intimidating. In the beginning, most students want to simply learn new things, but as training evolves you want to be able to utilize everything you learn in a fighting situation. Even mastering a few techniques takes a great deal of commitment and focus. For those who decide to make this kung fu their own, there are three keys:
Assuming you eat and sleep well daily, you can train as much as your schedule and body allows. Classes are scaled based on rank, which means lower ranks can expect more down time than higher ranks. Thus, you can begin upping your training hours whenever possible. Initially, you will likely notice your body is more fatigued and sore than normal after upping your training hours. However, your body will adapt and get stronger in time (again, assuming sufficient sleep and nutrients) and you will find your kung fu skills increase remarkably over a few months time. If your body becomes truly exhausted with aches, pains and a material lack of energy, then it’s time to take a day off to rest and recover – maybe even two days. Otherwise, push.
Remember , the Chinese term of “kung fu” refers to any study, learning, or practice that requires patience, energy, and time to complete. The secret to our kung fu – our martial art – is not in “secret techniques” or any such nonsense… it’s consistent effort over years with correct instruction and learning. This is the key. Thus, the answer to the question of “How much should I train?” is answered by another question, “How much skill do you want to acquire?”
Each student learns at their own pace. Some have the ability to not only learn quickly, but to seemingly ingrain the movement upon learning it. It’s possible for this to happen, particularly for more advanced students. It is thought that these students are talented, which they may be for this moment of their training. On the other hand, some students struggle while learning new things – be it remembering what was taught to them or simply having the body strength and coordination to do the movement.
It matters not whether you are one of the fast learners or slow learners as people catch on and “get it” at different times in their training. At the end of the day what matters is the student’s ability to not just practice the movement until he gets it right, but to practice it to such an extent that he can’t get it wrong. This poses a bigger challenge for most beginning and intermediate students as their is a big difference between getting it right and not being able to do it wrong. Getting it right might take doing the technique/form tens of times. Not being able to do it wrong probably takes doing it hundreds, even thousands of times. This is when kung fu comes alive.
Most student’s see the next form, the next set of more advanced and fancy looking techniques and want to learn them – which is understandable. Perhaps they think that just by learning something more advanced there abilities will automatically become more advanced. However, it takes a great deal of practice to get to the point where you can’t do a technique or a form wrong. This is why “advanced” students still practice the basics and beginning students should try not to rush to learn too much too fast. In fact, stick to what you’ve been taught in class and be diligent in improving the details of what you’ve been taught the best you can.
An artist simplified some Eastern wisdom to its extreme.
One phrase you will likely hear over and over again is, “Stances Down!” There is good reason for this. Very low stances may not be needed in an encounter, but practicing very low while training will give you the ability to maintain low stances (read: low center of gravity) while continuing to stay loose, smooth, and agile. This is because your legs will be extremely strong from training very low stances and holding low stances won’t be a problem.
Pushing yourself to lower stances while holding proper postures is something to focus on in each class. Practicing stances at home is also a very important self-study exercise. See how low you can go before you start bending your back, lose balance, tighten up, or break form. Utilize mirrors both at home and at the school to ensure your back is perpendicular to the ground and all looks correct. And most of all…. sink. Practically perfect stances won’t come overnight – as always, progress is fought for with daily practice for months and years. You should be low enough to feel that the the brunt of the weight shifted from your thigh muscles to a balance between your thighs and the muscles of your rump. Those muscles should be actively engaged when stances are held low, in fact, they should eventually shake from exhaustion before switching stances.
Brea Shaolin Kung Fu 