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  • #16
    I only practise QiGong and practise twice a day. One at 6 am another at around 10pm. Each session lasts about 20 to 30 minutes. The typical breakdown is something like:

    Relax and smiling from heart : a few seconds
    One dynamic pattern : 5-10 mins
    Qi flow/self manifested
    movement : 5-10 mins
    Standing meditation : 5 mins
    Palm and point massage /
    drumming : 1 -2 mins

    I alternate among the 3 dynamic patterns (lifting the sky, carrying the moon and pushing th mountain). My focus is more on cleansing and have enjoy good health.

    Sifu has just (12-14 Dec 2003 in Mount Kinabalu National Park, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. We have a very enjoyable and fantastic moment. Thank you Sifu, Simu and their 2 loving children)) taught us Sinew metamorphosis (one pattern) and first 8 of the 18 Lohan hands(6 more in addition to the 3 that I knew). I am still contemplating how to adjust my practice. I would definitely put more emphasis in building rather than almost purely on cleansing.

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    • #17
      Practice Makes Perfect!

      Hi Antonious,

      I personally practice twice daily, every day.
      Once in the morning and once at night. The only reasons I practice so dilligently is because I really enjoy it and I can clearly see the benefits gained when training in class.

      With respect, if someone was to only practice when they felt like it, their progression would surely be slower and haphazard. Although, I have no blockages with regards to training, i.e. I don't let it ruin my day if I occasionally miss a session.

      I am honoured to be taught such a beautiful and traditional art. Finding anything genuine these days is difficult. With that in mind, I want to be the very best I can be as a Shaolin Wahnam student, and the answer to that?...Practice, Practice, Practice!

      All the best for Christmas and New Year

      Jamie

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      • #18
        I'm glad to see there are so many dedicated people out there.
        My personal routine consists of one hour in the morning, if it's not pissing down or freezing cold I'll visit the park for 30 minutes of sets/combat sequences followed by 30 minutes of lifting the sky, pushing mountains, one finger zen. If the weather is inclement then maybe 40 minutes chi kung/stance training in the living room.
        In the evenings I like to get in at least 30 minutes of chi kung and every few days one hour of stance training.

        The problem I find is that there is so much choice of what to practice. There just aren't enough hours in the day. I often find myself just playing. I mean I'll start off doing a set but half way through it will turn into stance training, then from that position I'll just start fighting an imaginary opponent. Before I realize, I'd have slipped back into a set and we go round again. I think it's important to have fun doing what you do. Even if the various dog walkers and homeless think you're a complete freak.

        Happy new year everyone.

        Simon
        Shaolin Wahnam South London
        http://www.wahnam.blogspot.com

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        • #19
          Practice Makes Perfect!

          Hi everyone,

          With regards to this thread, people have stated that their training can often vary or turn into playing around with a few things.

          I personally find great benefit from setting out a strict routine, one for mornings and one for night. With this I can simply begin my training and complete it without worrying what to do next. I can clearly measure my progress and update my routine as my level advances through my weekly class.

          This method comes back from my past where I did a lot of weight training. I couldn't simply walk into the gym, play around with a few weights, do a bit of this and a bit of that or I would have got nowhere!

          My Sifu, of whom I have the most deepest respect, was kind enough to help me construct a daily routine according to my current level.

          With respect, I feel too many people train haphazardly, train every now and again, miss days training, don't put 100% into their training and they will get nowhere.

          I do not know how good I will become, but by giving 100%, training twice daily, based upon an intelligently structured routine I will become the best I can be as a Shaolin Wahnam Student, fact.

          This topic is like, someone buys you a classic Ferrari, but you never learn how to drive it. Occasionally you might sit in it, play with the gear-stick and make brrrm brrrm noises but you'll never drive it like a pro.

          With respect and love to everyone

          All the best

          Jamie

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          • #20
            Practice Makes Perfect!

            Hi everyone,

            I have just re-read my post and feel that I may have come across a little aggressive or rude. I do not wish to insult anyone, or put any noses out of joint. My statements were based upon a general view of any studies, not just martial arts. In no way was I aiming my statements at anyone on the forum specifically.

            With love and respect to everyone

            All the best

            Jamie

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            • #21
              Hey Jamie,

              I didn't think you came across as rude.
              Your advice is very valid.

              Its also okay to have fun in your training now and then and vary it up. In the past your proficiency may have been the difference between life and death but it is not so serious nowadays. It is possible to give this wonderful martial art and your Sifu the respect they deserve by training diligently and at the same time have some fun.

              I was a much more serious person before I began Qigong with Sifu. It annoyed me if people didn't do things "properly", especially training for sports. Now I prefer to be able to laugh and be at peace than to be able to be the best.

              Best of luck
              Paschal
              Paschal McSweeney
              Acupuncture & Acupressure Practitioner
              The Cork Clinic Of Chinese Medicine
              Cork, Ireland

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              • #22
                Practice Makes Perfect!

                Hi Paschal,

                Thank you very much for your input and advice.

                I fully agree that enjoying your training is the most important factor, I simply could not give 100% if I did not enjoy my practice.

                For me, the benefits of self improvement gained through training are as important as the martial aspect. I have began to understand how 'Smiling From The Heart', not just while training but throughout my whole day can make life much more rewarding for myself and others around me.

                All the best

                Jamie

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                • #23
                  Jamie,

                  thanks for your comments, and don't worry, I didn't take any offence.
                  However maybe I should explain abit better what I meant in my previous post.
                  Firstly, by using the word 'play', I did not mean to infer that I took my practice anyless seriously. For anyone to dedicate as much time to the Shaolin arts as the writers on this forum implies quite I high level of seriousness. Nor do I mean that I do not follow any aims or objectives.

                  To me 'playing' is about taking sets on to the next level. It is the equivalent to external and internal change in the combat sequences.
                  Stopping the set midway and holding a stance for a few minutes is something I do, not only for the benefits of normal stance training, but to make sure the stances in the sets are strong.

                  Another form of playing is with an imaginary partner. It is normal to do solo combat squence practice with such a partner, but what if your partner is mis-behaving and leads you into using techniques not in those squences?

                  As Bruce once said "play, but play seriously".

                  Cheers, Simon
                  Shaolin Wahnam South London
                  http://www.wahnam.blogspot.com

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Misbehaving

                    but what if your partner is mis-behaving and leads you into using techniques not in those squences?
                    Cough... Tim... Cough...

                    lol

                    Happy new year Simon (And everyone else of course.. Including Tim!)

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                    • #25
                      Is this a British thing? I vaguely remember a certain someone "misbehaving" and changing the sequence in the middle of a demo. Now who was that...?
                      Sifu Anthony Korahais
                      www.FlowingZen.com
                      (Click here to learn more about me.)

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                      • #26
                        Hmm...

                        Is this a British thing? I vaguely remember a certain someone "misbehaving" and changing the sequence in the middle of a demo. Now who was that...?
                        Surely not me? I must have had a very good reason...

                        (I was hoping you wouldn't remember that!)



                        Jordan.

                        P.S Sorry for stepping on your toes as well...

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                        • #27
                          Every day I do at least lifting the sky in the morning and then pushing mountains and presenting claws in the evenings. That's about a 30min basic routine every day for sure, and I've made progress. Then I get several (i.e. ~4) combat oriented workouts every week as well of 30-45min.

                          As I've been reading Master Wong's books, I've really come to notice the serious committment required in Shaolin Kung-Fu training. If you start to lump all of the "basic" exercises together and assuming you do them every day, you are talking about a long time in training. I'm beginning to wonder now whether or not it's possible to really progress in Shaolin Kung-Fu in the long term with only 45-60min of training every day. One option would be to ony train half of the "basic exercises", but even then you would be doing a lot of force training and not much combat training, which is arguably not a good thing.

                          It's obvious from my reading of The Complete Book of Shaolin that Master Wong, and his great teachers before him, trained for hours and hours every day to reach such high standards in arts like one finger zen, cosmos palm, tiger claw, small universe, etc. The world is obviously a better place because we have Master's who are so dedicated to preserving such great arts.

                          Realistically though, it is hard for a person with a 60 hour a week job and family to achieve this now, albeit perhaps not impossible (I've read on the forums that proper practice actually makes you want to sleep less ).

                          In an art such as Tai Chi Chuan however, everything is simplified and although one hour a day isn't a speedy path to the greatest depths of the art, you will get the benefits of a complete system including a balanced curriculum of form, force, application and philosophy.

                          What do you folks think? A beginning work out is one thing, but the long term is the really important too. I'm not really thinking of switching from Kung-Fu to Tai Chi at the moment (since 2-3 dynamic chi kung patters make up the majority of my daily practice anyways and I'm getting great benefits), but I am curious about the longer term.

                          I hope the question fits the thread. Thanks.

                          Joe

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                          • #28
                            Hello everyone, great thread its nice to get inspiration from how everyone treats there training!

                            I personally fit in a morning session of between 1-2 hours; consisting of lifting the sky, chi flow, Zan zhuang training and standing meditation , leg stretching, one finger zen or sinew metamorphosis and a dynamic patter + longer chi flow to finish.

                            Afternoon session between 1-2 hours; Smile from heart, moving in stances, 100 kicks, leg stretches, combat sequences and sets (pick 2 sequences and 1 set), I also enjoy a good play around with drills that Sifu has shown us or techniques I particuarly enjoy, warrior project material and a nice big chi flow to finish!

                            I tend to vary in ammount depending on time available and place high emphasis on enjoyment and relaxation. I agree that with so much incredible material its difficult to fit it all in so I often go for the patterns I really feel like doing (or need to do)

                            best wishes Jonny

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                            • #29
                              twice

                              I have been practicing twice a day for two weeks now (an increase from once) it feels much better.

                              Basically in the morning (wish i had the luxuary to get up at sunrise but unfortunatly still at school so usually nearly about an hour and a half before. I do all the chi kung i know (lifting the sky 20 times, three levels to the earth 15 times, dancing crane 15 times on each side and lohan touches earth 15 times. I then chi flow and then a few minutes of standing meditation.) In the evening i do 20 lifting the sky and then chi flow and meditation. I plan to work golden bridge training in after i have been doing this for a month.
                              The thorn defends the rose and harms only those
                              who would steal the blossom.

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                              • #30
                                I have been doing kung fu about 5 months. Despite being hard work its enjoyable, unlike previous martial arts where I would never come close to practising every day . Here is my routine:

                                morning: lifting the sky followed by one finger shooting zen

                                early evening: moving in stances for about 20-30 minutes

                                late evening: lifting the sky, stances and art of flexible legs

                                I enjoy my later sessions more than mornings so I try to train as close to midnight as I can without depriving me of sleep - usually about 10pm on weeknights. Occasionally I miss out the evening moving in stances.

                                Sometimes I've been tempted to miss a practice session because I'm tired, but then I do it anyway and it turns out to be one of my better sessions . Maybe I relax more when I'm not expecting much?

                                Does the time spent training increase as you get more experienced, or do you just become more efficient in the same time?
                                Namo Amitabha Buddha

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