Good Workout Product.

[Ayudar]

GAIAM ABS-BALL CORE WORKOUT KIT.

I purchased this tool (see photo) for my martial arts and exercise workouts and it is terrific. Althiugh it was developed for abdominal workouts, I found a variety of other applications for martial art workouts. It can be used for Taiji Ball and regular Taiji Forms, or individual exercises such as inward/outward blocks, palm strike movements, back and chest exercises, leg conditioning and front kicks by simply slipping your foot through one of the two opening, etc. So I thought I'd share this with all of you.

The ball is perfectly round and comes in 6 & 8 lbs weight and is made of solid hard rubber. I use 6 lbs because the openning is more comfortable and wider, and I can put gloves on to make the hand more comfortable. You can hold it like a steering wheel of a car with one hand of each side for pushing exercise, or as I do, slip your hand through the opening to do martial hand bocks and palm strike with it. I use one on ball on each hand. Since the ball projects beyond the palm, the weight places emphasis of the muscle groups you need to temper.
See photos below and link. Target also carries it and other well known stores. I purchased mine two sets at Borders Book Store.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gaiam-Abs-Ba.../dp/B0007VB4OS

Ayudar

[Markus Kahila]

Hey Ayudar,


Thanks for sharing your find! I'm sure especially many non-Shaolin Wahnam students who frequent this forum may find it useful.

As for us, I think you've noticed by now that regarding training methods, we're a very traditional school. The past Shaolin exponents didn't train with rubber orbs, and neither do we. Why? Because we've found that the traditional methods we practice are complete in themselves for all of our aims and objectives, be it force, combat application, flexibility, mental clarity or spiritual cultivation. There's no need to supplement, because supplements usually end up taking away from our practicing, rather than improving it.

This is only because genuine, traditional methods have been perfected to such a fantastic, profound level by the past Masters.



The best with your practice,

[Ayudar]

I understand your point of view. I am always looking for new ways of doing things to keep creative flow going and prevent stagnation of mind and practice in any way. Training in any style can and does become so routine and stagnant that the practitioners never learns to become creative with himself and his body's capabilities. Perfection, in my opinion, is something that is not yet there, not even for what we have come to refer to as masters, evident by the fact that each master is at a different level of knowledge and skill level. This because every human being themselves is not yet perfect nor has accessed his/her full potential of what mind is capable of.

When I first entered into martial arts, for example, and got into compettitions rather quicky, everyone else was training with traditional tools and methods that was customary. I had to fight with men of all sizes and weight, and grade level. There was no weight class, and I am only 5' 5" tall, and was only a white belt grade at the time. I knew that I needed something more to increase my ability to see and react quicker to what I see with my eyes, like a cat does, and that I had to do so without pause or hesitation. My creative goal was to bring my reflexes up a notch or two from what I already possessed, and do it within a week of my first contest where I was pitted up against a white belt, a green belt, followed by a brown belt, and if I beat the well enough with tbrown belt, I had to compete with a first grade balck belt. So what to accomplish my training goal was to simply hang two water soaked socks on from my shower curtain rod, placing them parallel with my shoulders and high enough not to be in view. I then stood in front of them, relaxed my nervous system, emptied my mind, and trained my eye to instantly make my hands react and slap each drop of water coming down at eye level at unpredictable intervals; that was how fighting would be, unpredicatable. Competition for us back then, 1970's, was full contact and bare handed. I wasn't beat and to my then sifu's suprise, I decked the black belt. From then on, learned that while learn the traditional ways, I didn't necessarily have to settle on the idea that one standard fits all in anything. When I became an instructor, my students were also beating students of higher grade training from various other martial styles and were not allowed into formal competitions because of it. Other instructors were bringing their best students to my training facility to give them experience by fighting my boys, so as to prepare them for formal competitions. My students learned what I taught them, but before they graduated, I required that each of them design a new form (kata) of their own to expand their mind's creative ability to break patterns and solve problems. Life is that way.

In ancient times as you know, many masters trained and conditioned themselves with farming tools, rocks, tree branches, trowing objects, and just about anything else that served the purpose, some used awkward devices that forced the mind to deal with a new body mecahnics and mind problem. Ball training, as I recall, came to China when the west introduced the "canon ball" from a canon weapon. Had it been a heavy rubber ball invention as i posted, this would probably be the cultural standard training tool still used today, but the invention didn't exist. You may recall the famous world boxing champion, Rocky Marcianno, in American boxing history. One of his favorite training methods was to lift large rocks and run up hills with them (untraditional), while other fighters used traditional methods only. He found that this developed power in musle groups of his shoulders and arms that excelled in the ring, and it also forced him to work on leg balance due to the awkwardness of the rock. The rest is history.

Where I'd differ most with you is in your last statement. In my opinion, while a traditional method is useful for style training in and of itself, it is never a one size fits all once out in the real world. I have seen many a martial arts practitioner from other styles get whipped by less trained practioners who were creative with their methods. Everyone has different genetic mental and physical capabilities and some need to compensate for their weak areas by applying different tools and methods. If you saw the entire series of "Fight Quest" on TV, you then saw this very issue occur with every martial style and experience.

Good talking with you Marcus,
Ayudar

[Darryl]

An interesting thread

Dear Ayudar,

When you wrote

Training in any style can and does become so routine and stagnant that the practitioners never learns to become creative with himself and his body's capabilities

I disagreed with your using 'does'. If you'd written

Training in any style can become so routine and stagnant that the practitioners never learns to become creative with himself and his body's capabilities

I'd have immediately agreed with you . From my perspective, the question is 'How do I keep my training interesting and myself focused?'.

As Markus already noted, we don't advocate adding or removing anything to our practice, but we do encourage systematic and progressive developments. A recent Q&A from our Grandmaster recommended carrying piglets, sow (ahem) we do appreciate unusual methods .

I'll write more when I've got more time

[Markus Kahila]

Jade in the house

Thanks for the detailed reply.


I'm in no way telling you that the Wahnam way is the only way - I'm merely illustrating where we're coming from. From our perspective, it is only sensible to explore the true depth of the traditional methods through daily practicing, because their effectiveness is proven time and again. If they weren't effective, why bother with them?

As for training tools and aids, if you find/devise methods that work for you, excellent. Of course it goes without saying that in kungfu, methods have changed and have been perfected through decades and centuries - also by employing training tools.

However, you must master the art first before trying to improve upon it. The sad state of kungfu today is largely because those practicing do not understand or haven't been correctly trained in its aims, methods and application, so they set upon trying to "improve" it by finding different ways into making it effective, rather than exploring the depth of genuine, traditional training. As a typical result, the essence and effectiveness of kungfu is lost.


To each his own, I guess. As for myself, I'm very happy with the results I'm getting from my practicing. Why, then, if I have jade in my house, would I want to search outside?


Best wishes,

[Chiahua]

In ancient times as you know, many masters trained and conditioned themselves with farming tools, rocks, tree branches, trowing objects, and just about anything else that served the purpose, some used awkward devices that forced the mind to deal with a new body mecahnics and mind problem.

And these Gaiam orbs don't seem too far fetched from this perspective. Personally, I'd rather get a pair of those than have to deal with piglets! I think adding a training tool to one's regiment is "snout" of the question... For instance adding dumb-bells to the art of 30 punches, hanging rings to train accuracy with spear thrusts, . But if and only if the student is ready, right? Otherwise it's weight training or waterbuffalo training and not internal training?
I actually wanted to start a thread on some of the solutions that people have come up with to train various skills... I found a tree in my backyard that's good for training spacing. I was thinking about hanging little bells off of its branches to train accuracy....

[Ayudar]

Hello again Marcus and everyone.

Yes Marcus, I agree that one should explore the depths of the traditional before moving on. Any art can take a lifetime to study well. The reality, in my opinion, is hidden in what you state below.

The sad state of kungfu today is largely because those practicing do not understand or haven't been correctly trained in its aims, methods and application, so they set upon trying to "improve" it by finding different ways into making it effective, rather than exploring the depth of genuine, traditional training. As a typical result, the essence and effectiveness of kungfu is lost.

From my perspective, we never do really improve on the art, rather what seems like an improvement is actually a reflection of improving oneself. And there is the Ying/Yang of it. One comes into existence only because of the other. Bruce Lee, for example, used to strike paper, which was not a traditional method. He was listening for the perfect sound of a "snap" to his Wing Chun punch. When he came to the USA and got into a ring with boxing gloves for the first time, he learned that he didn't know how to deliver a knockout blow and had to learn other skills like boxing. The paper was a creative idea and it made him better, but it wasn't enough. He also had one leg shorter than the other, so he learned to lead with that leg. In fact, his new art of Jeet Kune Do was a composite of many things, including fencing foot work and boxing.

All arts are of course acceptable and I agree with you that to each his own. We are only discussing this from a philosophical point as instructors, like scientists discuss their interests. If we boil the whole thing down to its essential truth, it is in reality all a movement of the mind regardless. And that is where I try to make my point that each mind has its own rhythms and points of inhibitions, and sometimes a student, or even an instructor, has to learn to let go (not necessarily leave one's traditonal practice) and seek what is not yet realized. And one cannot do this without first stepping out of one's own routine patterns.

Darryl

Thanks for editing that one statement I made. I do much of my posting in late and early moring hours and only get three hours of sleep daily. So I don't always reread my own writing before clicking the submit button. But since you were able to edit it, it also tells me that you understood the direction of thought I was taking. I ahven't slept yet and it's 6:41 am, so if you find anything that needs editing on this one, feel free to engage it.

Chiahua

Hanging bells sound creative. Who knows, the sound might also trigger something internal in your subconscious associated with developing greater skill. It is not uncommon for sound in association with other things to eventually inter into one's dream life. When it does, it shows the individual what he/she needs to overcome. Days prior competition in my own time, I used to close my eyes, play rhythmic music, and spar in my mind with an imaginary opponent. The goal I set for myself was to make certain that I didn't repeat any techniques twice in sequence as I kept up with the tempo. I did this so often that my subconcious mind accepted the movements in conjuction with the music and I would would see find myself in dreams competing and moving effortlessly and skillfully. Because I did many creative things with what I learned from traditional styles and would find myself seeing masters and encountering moves and styles in dreams that I had never before seen in this life. I do believe that if we have had previous lives, the more we discover about ourselve, the more like it will be that we will trigger some of those past memories.

You'll find this one interesting,; I'll keep the details shoter, because it was a long and vivid dream experience that I believe had roots with a past life. I was a Chinese child in a foreign land (I'm not Chinese). It was winter and I found myself climbing a rocks covered by ice here and there. When I reached the top, there was a temple there. I looked through the door and inside was a large square hall with about fifteen Chinese martial arts students. Their master was seated at the far end. When he saw me, he welcomed me in and (here's where something occurs that tells me it may in fact have been a trye past life recall) asked me to sit down beside him Then he asked his students to line up in front of me. The master then gave a signal, and one by one, each student brought his face in front of my face and looked deep into my eyes for about three seconds each. I immediately understood that this practice by the master was done so that we would recognize one another in future lifetimes. I never heard of anything like this before, but I can tell you this, that the Chinese language and sound pronunciation comes very easy to me when I study it.

So, in my experience, I find that expanding one's creative flow and breaking with patterns opens locked memories that lead to expanding one's mind in many ways and for many purposes.

Ayudar

[Mark Blohm]

Knowing the surface but not knowing the inside

Since the ball projects beyond the palm, the weight places emphasis of the muscle groups you need to temper.

I don't want to "temper" my muscles. I want to relax them, so that internal force can flow through them!


Internal force, it is the best
Relax your arms and feel the zest!
Lifting iron makes you tense
Traditional methods make more sense


Mark

[Markus Kahila]

Methods and aims

I think the crux of the matter is aims and objectives: What are the best available methods to reach certain goals. Some might find the tool Ayudar presented to be the best option for their training, and as such, I see no reason why they shouldn't employ it. However, I personally see nothing there I have much use for - and by this I mean that I feel that the methods I've learned from my Sifu are much, much more efficent for reaching the goals you outlined. So naturally, I practice them instead!

There is a recurring pattern in my own practicing which I find immensely inspiring: Whenever I hit a "lull", a stagnant phase, or come across some questions in my training, as a rule the answers are promptly found within the simplest (and the most profound) of my Sifu's instructions as a natural course of events. The methods don't change, but instead my undestanding of them deepens, which in turn deepens and changes my practicing.

In this sense, I agree with your assessment that all improvement is actually an improvement of oneself. But a good method can offer us an immensely more effective path to improvement than trying to find the answers by yourself. This is what Shaolin Arts are for, and this is why we have such great respect for our Masters - because they offer us the best possible methods for our aims and objectives. And this is also why we follow the Shaolin Way.

Now, it is good to bear in mind that our training is certainly not for everyone - not everyone finds our methods suitable for their purposes, and certainly not everybody is ready for it. But those who do should definitely first and foremost seek answers from our methods.


One more thing I'd like to offer for contemplation:

In my opinion, a common misconception of traditional training methods is to regard them as rigid or uncreative, or even worse, insufficent. In my own training experiences, I've found the truth to be quite the opposite.

Let's take stance training as an example. An instruction for the method might be simple, such as "sit and relax in your horse-riding stance". This instruction might seem inflexible, possibly even constricting in its simplicity, but by putting it into correct practice one can find a whole world of creativity and a sea of possibilities in individual emphasis. Relaxation, correct stance, height, duration, breathing method and the meditative mind all offer vast levels in progression, which typically open up phase by phase in gradual development. But when used sensibly and respectfully, preferrably with Master's help and guidance, they also offer a vast array of approaches for the practitioner with which to find the best course for his individual training - provided of course that the practitioner doesn't stray from his Master's instructions.

In other words, correct genuine traditional training guide us with beneficial boundaries within which to practice and progress. But within those boundaries, creativity can be boundless. In this kind of training, even just correctly following the above simple instruction, one can find depth which can keep his training alive, creative, inspired, and most of all, effective, for years, most probably for decades or a lifetime. Why would there be any need, then, to change the method, or add another, when the fundamental one is constantly proven beneficial?


Ultimately, we are practitioners, not historians. We're striving to preserve the traditional methods not only because we respect the past, but first and foremost because the traditional methods - in our case, the Shaolin Arts - offer such amazing benefits.


And this is not so much a path of training as an entire whole world which to explore. But it has to be experienced through correct practice to be appreciated, not merely read or written about.

[barrys]

Ayudar,

Thanks for starting this thread. I have really enjoyed reading your posts.

I have found that sticking with some very basic practices has helped me to notice stuff about myself - often that I realise how difficult I find it to follow simple instructions without complicating or distorting them .

In my job as a therapist in a psychiatric hospital getting better at noticing myself and how I am reacting to things is really useful. Noticing how my human mind has a tendency to complicate and distort the simplest things helps me have compassion for things that go on for patients in my groups.

In terms of my aim of becoming a better therapist (i.e. someone who helps people to cope with and get the most out of frightening, disturbing or disorienting experiences and move beyond them) I find that training an ability to act/react in a certain way is less valuable than training an ability to notice the complications and distortions arising.

When I took up Chi Kung and Tai Chi Chuan it wasn't my passion to become a great fighter or even particularly to perform well in sparring. However, I was told that an increase in this ability was an indication my practice of Tai Chi Chuan was correct. So, I use it as a measure rather than an objective.

Why did I post this? Well to get a chance to say I have enjoyed your posts and that this thread has motivated me to get a few things straighter in my mind.

Thanks,

Barry

[Ayudar]

Hello Barry.

We'd probably have lots to talk about since we both work in the health and healing arts professionally. I am a naturopathic physician, meditation instructor, and provide counseling and also do biofeedback traiing, dream therapy, religious/spiritual counseling, regression work with my clients according to their needs, among other things. Psychology is something I have lots of experience with and received indepth education myself from my theological education and also as an expert graphologist, for which I do handwriting psychology profiles for various psychologist and clients who wish to take an analysis to their own therapist. Helping others has been my lifetime work and passion, along with my own development in many areas on many levels and exposures.

No one is wrong on this thread, as you can see. Everyone's thoughts and ideas have merit. It's all a matter of life experience based on where one is at this time in their life. I have been through many things in my life and had to evolve and survive through various life threatening situation and injuries on my own since childhood, without adult help. Therefore, my experience and way of operating is something I learned from youth. One of many experiences as a child of 13 years of age, for example, was a serious barb wire deep cut that opened up a 3/4" wound on my thumb to the bone and bled like crazy. I was alone when this happened with no one around. At that age, a child doesn't know where to seek help or where a hospital is located, not like today with kids and cell phones and a 911 number to call--which also didn't exist in my time. I had the good sense to put pressure on the wound until I arrived home. Parent were at work, and so I took one of my mother's sewing needles and thread, and stiched the the gash myself. My mother was a tailor and that was probably why I thought of sewing it up like she did with fabric. Fortuantely, my immune system was strong, because kids don't think about infections. There were three other instances between the age of 7 and 12 where I came very close the death from very serious accidents and was away from any humna help. I survived by sheer use of mental creative thinking. So it's easy for me to think the way I do and have the philosophical inclination to explore all things and leave no door of opportunity unopened. I respect everyone's opinions here and enjoy any form of creative discussion and posing questions that lead to making us all think and communicate. It's natural and everyone can come away with something positive at one point or another, while also enjoying discussions and evaluating one's own thinking process and creative thinking. This being said, let's discuss one of your points.

In terms of my aim of becoming a better therapist (i.e. someone who helps people to cope with and get the most out of frightening, disturbing or disorienting experiences and move beyond them) I find that training an ability to act/react in a certain way is less valuable than training an ability to notice the complications and distortions arising.

What you write above is one way to skin a cat, but again not the only way. It's like saying that the best way to meditate is by sitting in one posture rather than meditate through movement. Some people are meant to gain more through movement because of the pattern in which their nervous system keeps them from adapting to claming brainwaves unless taught through biofeedback, while others with a more calm disposition have no problem adapting to a sitting posture as aopposed to movement, as in Taiji. So these latter type may find yoga more pleasing than Taiji movement meditation. The nature and disposition of every indivudal differs one from another. This is why no therapist succeeds with all patients, and neither do physicians, or teachers.

When my own son was a child, I found that he had certain inherent fears which he expressed from his dreams with monsters. I evaluated his dreams, in particular the sysbols, and rather than get him to try and understand what gave rise to his fears, which would take months of therapy, I instead decided that I would try to put him through an obsticle that once achieved, would empower his self-esteem and ego strength. He was a little boy. I took him to a special park that had huge tires from constuction vehicles mounted one on top of each other to about ten feet high. I had this child climb it and half way he began to cry, with my hand follwing him closely behind, without his awareness, he reach the top at which time he began to laugh and his tears stopped. At that point, I told him to jump into my arms, which he did with total confidence. Barry, that day not only gave him the self-esteem and courage he needed for his future, but also served to save his life. He is now a federal agent, and while in college he stopped at a bridge in the darkness of early morning hours to help auto cracj victims on a Louisiana bridge. Two other cars were racing against each other and did not stop. To say his own life, he had to jump off that bridge in the darkness, not knowing where he would land or how far down the jump would be, which turned out ot be 50" according to the police department and newspaper. To make matters worse, it turned out to be an alligator swamp and he had to make his way out of it through five miles. The story doesn't end there, but suffice to say that what I helped him get through, unconventionally, began to build a courage he needed for another time in his life. We never know what purpose and trails life may have planned ahead of us, so my take on things is never to dismiss anything as being without purpose, and look for what is creative in all things that come into my path. Coincidence is has not been a part of my vocabulary since the age of reason. By the way, the driver in the car my son tried to help was killed by the racing vehicles and not the auto acident. The two friends travelling with my son in his car, criminal justice students at the time, could have jumped from the bridge were afarid to do so and tried to get out of the way of the racing vehicle and were struck, landing them in the hospital. So who know what's right or what best for anyone? We do what we think will work and hope it will serve a good purpose in the long run. It's really all that we can ask for from life.

Ayudar

[barrys]

Ayudar,

Yes, it's why I normally use the phrases "I find" or "in my experience". You have your life experience and objectives and I have mine. It's likely we would end up training in different ways.

For fun, I still do some training with exercises like hand-stand push ups, bridge push-ups etc.. I mainly do them because I like the chap I train with and he enjoys them. It is also good feedback for my ability to relax.

Growing up I was quite a disturbed little boy, for various reasons. Visions came and went, as did disturbing waking experiences. I tended to keep them to myself as it wouldn't have gone down well. One of my aims was to not have mental images or physical manifestations intruding into everyday life, getting in the way of being with other people etc.

All the best with your healing work,

Barry

[Chiahua]

In my opinion, a common misconception of traditional training methods is to regard them as rigid or uncreative, or even worse, insufficent. In my own training experiences, I've found the truth to be quite the opposite.

Let's take stance training as an example. An instruction for the method might be simple, such as "sit and relax in your horse-riding stance". This instruction might seem inflexible, possibly even constricting in its simplicity, but by putting it into correct practice one can find a whole world of creativity and a sea of possibilities in individual emphasis. Relaxation, correct stance, height, duration, breathing method and the meditative mind all offer vast levels in progression, which typically open up phase by phase in gradual development.

To illustrate your point further, it's possible to say that this approach to stance training itself is an innovation introduced by Sifu. Not to say that he entirely made up this approach, but chose to teach it much sooner. This is in contrast with the stories about how it was taught in the past, where a beginner was taught nothing but horse stance. I wonder even if a new student was taught that it was a relaxation exercise at the outset, but an endurance contest!
Of course the old school method has its reasons, and Sifu has his own goals. What's important is that his innovations do not run counter to the art's essence....

[Ayudar]

I don't want to "temper" my muscles. I want to relax them, so that internal force can flow through them!

Hello Mark.

Sorry I didn't get back to your response with my reply sooner.

Let's discuss you repsponse to what I wrote a bit. Because I did not actually go into the purpose or meaning of "temperance" as I know it in any detail. However, your response above makes a contrasting statement in how you feel about it and your associated understanding between "temperance" and "internal force".

Therefore, to begin discussions, I ask you the following questions:

1. What does temperance mean to you that you'd think this term as one having no purpose or association with with internal force?

2. Define in your own words the alchemy of Internal Force and your experience with it?

Ayudar

[Markus Kahila]

2. Define in your own words the alchemy of Internal Force and your experience with it?

- Ayudar, I'd like to hear your answer to this question as well.


Best wishes,