My Shaolin Kung-fu Training Journal -- Alex Baranosky

[Ray]

Simple and Direct

[AlexBaranosky]

I've been training combat applications with Sifu Mark Blohm lately. Awesome. I love it. Finally my training will have all the aspects in balance

[Ray]

Congratulations!

That's great,

Happy Training,

Ray

[AlexBaranosky]

Hello,

Some Updates:

Mark Blohm has moved to Taiwan, so sparring practice has stopped for now.

It's been hard to stay consistent in my practice having moved to Boston, and putting a lot of my free time into professional development. I got back from my trip for our company meeting in NYC yesterday, and was very upset at myself for not finding any time on the first day to practice kungfu (passed out on my bed with the lights on), and only < 5 minutes of force training on the second day. Though I did practice chi-kung... it still felt like I was short-changing myself, and my chances for achieving the heights of our arts.

I want to refocus my training, dedicate some fixed amount of time a day, so I can make the most of this rare gift I have. Say every night at 10:30, I practice for a certain # of hours/minutes, rain or shine.

Calling All Instructors

What are or were your practice regimens like to achieve instructor-level status? How much time a day did/do you practice on average? About how much do you emphasize each of the phases of a practice session? I want to become the best I can, and would love hearing the nitty gritty of what you do to excel.

All the Best,
Alex

[Shaolinfist]

Hi Alex,
Obviously I am not an instructor, but from my own experience this thread started by Siheng Anthony was invaluable to me in restarting my own regular practice after a time of difficulty with maintaining consistency. The usage of the calendar to monitor and encourage you to practice every day is awesome, the longer the chain gets the more you dont want to break it! It isnt something I thought would be useful to me at first, but I followed the advice of my older brother and am really glad that I did.
Good luck with resuming/improving your training pattern!

Phil

[AlexBaranosky]

So I have reevaluated my practice and been following the new regimen for a few weeks or a month now I would say it has been beneficial to think of my practice in terms of the four parts of kung-fu:

• Sets
• Combat Application
• Force Training
• Philosophy

And also beneficial to choose the methods that have seemed most effective for me in the past towards my aims.

I also have made my practice more regular by setting time periods for each phase of my practice (whereas in the past I might just do what 'felt' right)

I now spend about 20-25 minutes on stance training / OFSZ, then do leg stretching (getting much more flexible!). Then spend 10 minutes on Sets. And for combat application I started meeting with drop360 a.k.a. Matt from New Hampshire and we plan to meet every 2 weeks for sparring at the park! These sessions with Matt are good for Combat Application and Philosophy.

I then follow it all with Small Universe and or Big Universe OR I do Sinew Metamorphosis. More recently I have found Sinew Metamorphosis to be more simple direct and effective than Small/Big Universe. And in the spirit of distiling my practice to the most effective nuggets I have found Flicking Fingers to be the creme de la creme so am moving towards doing Flicking Fingers every night, exclusively.

For morning chi-kung practice I choose whatever I feel like practicing, though I often do Lifting the Sky, which as always is extremely refreshing I also enjoy doing Deep Knee Bending with my Lifting the Sky's. I find it is a real nice exercise for loosening up before kung-fu, and also for the chi circulation it encourages

All the Best,
Alex

P.S. I just got some new converse to practice in. Nice to train in as well as wear around town

[AlexBaranosky]

Sometimes I still feel winded when I do combat sequences.

What can I emphasize in my practice to improve in this area?

[Jimbeaux]

I can tell from your posts that you are more advanced than I am, but I could pass on some tips from my sifu regarding set practice.

1. mastering one set is better than "knowing" several.

2. You've got the set down well once you've forgotten it.

3. I'm sure you know the deal with moving from focus on form to focussing on power, etc. But I remember sifu saying that there is no need to try to go faster. Always stay relaxed, keep it flowing in good form and speed will come on its own. Oh and to keep a good rhythm (but not robocop kung fu).

4. About getting winded, he always says relax, relax, relax. Maybe you are trying/pushing yourself to go faster or harder?

5. Don't for get sufficient chi flow at the end. Alternatively, sifu has suggested doing lifting the sky once, then standing still to feel the strength that the chi has built inside of you. (it feels really cool)

Other than that, don't really sweat it. I'm sure it will pass with time anyways !

All the best,
Jim

[Jimbeaux]

4. About getting winded, he always says relax, relax, relax.

Just a note, we normally do about 15-10 minutes of free sparring at the end of class. We may sweat like crazy, or our hearts beat fast. Sifu says this is normal, but if we are out of breath it's a sign that we were not relaxed.

[AlexBaranosky]

Thanks Jimbeaux. There are good suggestiosn in your post.

I should not have used the word 'winded' because I don't get out of breath; I really meant I get a faster heart beat and it sometimes pounds. Apparently a faster heartbeat is ok Your suggestions are still going to be useful to aid my training, so thank you for them

All the Best,
Alex

[AlexBaranosky]

I've been learning some kungfu sets for fun. I've been playing with the Four Gates Set and the Shaolin Pakua Set. After having done the 16 combat sequences solely for so long, it is fun to try these sets out.

I still have no clue how to do a roll. Any advice for me on how to do rolls?

http://www.wongkiewkit.com/forum/showthread.php?p=93954#post93954

[AlexBaranosky]

I feel like I've been practicing my kungfu for so long, and yet I am attending my first Intensive Kungfu course next month! I will also be taking the Intensive Chi-kung course, which I have not taken in 8 years! It is amazing that on many days it is the exercises from that Intensive Chikung course that I want to practice most, like Lifting the Sky and Pushing Mountains... even after I have learned Abdominal Breathing, Dan Tian Breathing, Small Universe and Big Universe, and the 12 Sinew Metamophosis exercises! Lol. I hope I can take these "basic" patterns to deeper levels at the course.

As far as the kungfu course goes, I've been practicing the 16 combat sequences for I think two years now, and have gotten some sparring training in with some of my Wahnam brothers, so hopefully I am poised to get a lot out of the intensive course that I would have missed had I gone to the intensive kungfu course earlier.

I better get my Lord of the Rings trilogy set aside for the trip. The flight to Malaysia is an epic.

[Ray]

Congratulations, Alex and have a safe trip.

Ray

[AlexBaranosky]

I've made it home from two great intensive courses. Attending two intensives back to back is... intense

First the chi-kung course: I honestly felt "done" after the first day and a half. The next day and a half added so many skills to my chi-kung practice. For example, we merged with the cosmos after doing Pushing Mountains, which was a first for me. Also, we directed chi to different organs after doing Lifting the Sky on a form level (no focus on the breathing or mind levels). For me the course was most beneficial on the mind level, the highest level of our art. For example, we were taught how to open all of our meridians; how?; just by opening them! Just like that. When Sifu had us have good cosmic energy flowing from heaven down our bodies cleansing us, I felt just that happening. Simple.

I also during this course had so much energy I think I averaged about 5 hours of sleep during it. The rest spent practicing kungfu with other kungfu guys!

Very pleasant course.

The kungfu course was my first ever kungfu course with Sifu. I'm very happy with how well I did, considering I have mostly been learning and training on my own. I was told by some that I have some force, but personally I feel I have a lot more practicing to do.

Sifu took us step by step through every detail of how to do kungfu. From the footwork, how to move the body, how to do stances, how to do hand forms, how to do single patterns, then how to make sets from patterns. Then he showed us how to learn to spar methodically using these sequences and patterns. On the last day of the course we spent a lot of time learning techniques and skills to use versus other popular martial arts.

We even "accidentally" got to learn a top secret technique for use any time you are on the ground covered by your opponent, which uses the one-finger zen hand form on a secret vital point. I was excited to learn this because I've been curious to learn dim-mak. My training partner, Adrian, said he felt like my finger was extended into him by a good 6 inches, from the point where I had my finger. That was very nice confirmation for me that these arts work. I always try to remember that, as Sifu pointed out: it is really about the "real" benefits of our training, not sideshow benefits. But this is just cool.

By the end of the course I was tired! I'll be honest! But I've set myself a great training regimen (which I'll probably share after some time practicing it) based on what we did at the course so hopefully in another couple years I will be miles ahead of where I am now.

All the Best,
Alex

[Ray]

Great job Alex!

Thanks for sharing and happy training.

Warmly,

Ray