Fred's training journal

[David Langford]

Hey there, folks! Been an age since I posted. Just finished my family medicine rotation earlier today. Working hours were far longer than I was expecting these past few weeks. Had some interesting experiences working with a physician who specializes in addiction medicine. Gave me more than a few neat memories, not to mention gave me an impression as to the nature of my perspective on training. It's always a nice experience to have folks chatting about the current popular topics, like over-training (I wonder what other subjects people feel like keying in on? There don't seem to be many subjects that capture the forum's attention with as much fervor); thank you to the folks who responded with their insights on the matter. I did read the article that folks have talked about (and in fact linked it in my previous post) and found it very nice reading and full of good reminders.

I'm glad you finally got over that rotation, I know it didn't sit well with you. A bad fit is a bad fit, vocationally there are some things that are meant to be and some things that just aren't, eh?

Over training is a huge topic right now, I personally haven't experienced it except in minor ways, or after courses, or during our crazy training weekend....but it's an interesting phenomenon. I think another good topic might be ways of using any technique for the 4 modes of attack and defense.

I've lately been training every other day. As my practice is my main exercise, I have no plans to take a complete break from training. Given my studies and schedule, I'd rather not take up a different exercise program, to be honest. I have, however, been spending some more time on flexibility. In fact, one of my favorite threads on the forum was an excellent thread on flexibility some time back. I decided to take up isometric stretching in a bid to reach certain flexibility milestones that I've had in mind for a few years now and it's greatly benefited not just my martial arts and day to day body mechanics, it's been an excellent tool for managing stress of all sorts in the clinic and hospital.

Yeah, kung fu is my main exercise as well, besides the occasional kettlebell swing and my very rigorous manual labor at work. But congrats on your increases in flexibility, I'm sure you'll achieve your chin to toe goal in no time at all with the dedication and persistence you have towards flexibility. Your past dance training has really given you some impressive knowledge of fine muscle control.

For those who are not aware...Fred has been trying to get me to take up Ballet for about 3 years now so I can be on his level. hahahahaha

I was certainly feeling some stress in my body, even if I may not have been consciously aware of things. I noticed that I was getting very "twitchy," so to speak, particularly in the past two weeks leading up to the exam that I took today. I noticed I was getting far more suspicious of people's movements about me and reverting back to my more, shall we say, combative instincts from when I was practice aiki jujutsu.

Understandable, we practice arts of war, I too find myself hyper aware of my surroundings at times, noticing things others don't notice, and sometimes being a bit paranoid. I'm sure you remember how I refused to sit with my back to the door in restaurants when I came over. heh

I can't say that I'll be cutting back my training to once a month or along those lines, however. As much as I enjoy the art, once a month is simply far too long a period of time between training for me to build, maintain, and sharpen certain skills at my level of achievement. I will say that I am very happy to have experienced that my internal force doesn't seem to dissipate from not having practiced some times days at a time (in fact, I've actually felt that my Tiger Claw's ability to penetrate "past" my fingers has spontaneously improved), some of my other skills have to be "built up" first before I can let them "sit" or otherwise grow in the background. That does remind me of a phrase I read in a Baguazhang manual printed some time in the 80's, though; the notion that 'a master does not have to practice everyday, for the art is theirs and they live it everyday' or something to that effect.

I couldn't do that either, unless Sigung or Sifu recommended it personally. I love my training too much. I'd rather just train things at a base physical level than none at all. I've noticed that when I am just focused on working out the fine details of combat applications, or new combat applications, it includes a lot of intellectualization which keeps my qi gong state of mind absent, that probably helps a lot with keeping over training away. I recall people talking on the forum about ways to lower the level of practice, and that seems to fit nicely into the method of purposefully avoiding entering zen so far.

My paltry experience with Tiger Claw, though, has convinced me that I don't have to practice One Finger Shooting Zen everyday, as the responders have mentioned. I guess that means more time for flexibility and application, when I practice, haha. In terms of other experiences that have come to my perception, I've noticed too that some times my force can feel rather "oppressive" at times. For example, if I hold my palm over my chest, it feels rather uncomfortable and heavy; if I point my finger at my neck or head, it feels like an uncomfortable, sharp poking some times. I ran across those feelings when I was practicing aspects of physical exam, which was rather surprising. Guess I won't be pointing at myself too often, haha.

Kitty claws!

Here's hoping that I don't take the idea of an abbreviated training schedule to be so paltry with my future forum posts, though! I've heard that my upcoming psychiatry rotation might provide me with some more free time than family medicine...

Or make you realize that you should be the patient, not the doctor.

It's always a pleasure to see the new things that Sifu posts on the main page, especially the new combat sequence videos for the upcoming UK Summer Camp. While I won't be attending, I enjoyed watching them, especially the Baguazhang combat sequence. I found it much more approachable and digestible unit to train compared to the original combat sequences in the Swimming Dragon set (with each combat sequence therein having anywhere from four to fourteen exchanges between initiator and responder, haha). While I've primarily been spending some time on the basic Shaolin combat sequences, I spent a few days focusing on that sequence. The emphasis on Shaolin on my Baguazhang and vice versa was very discernible; being flowing yet solid compared, which is always a joy to experience compared to my earlier days when I was first learning Baguazhang from another school, where I may have had agility and solidity separately, but not really together at the same time. Another surprising benefit of working on that short and relatively simple combat sequence was the mental clarity that "just so happened" to develop as a side effect; in fact, the mental clarity was on a level that I've previously only experienced when practicing One Finger Shooting Zen. How wonderful that "just" practicing some striking, kicking, and so forth can be so meditative, haha.

I like the first sequence the best, it fits in very well with my taming tiger training.

The emphasis of footwork in Baguazhang combat sequences led me to go back to something I was experimenting with back in 2013 or so, the concept of angles. After learning Eight Internal Palms from my first Baguazhang sifu back in early 2012, the first "application" he taught me was Beauty Looks at Mirror, applied as a sweeping attack. He explicitly told me "don't aim, just sweep" so as to cover a particular plane of space instead of aiming particularly for someone's, say, neck, arm, ribs, or what-have-you. Eventually I began paying more attention to the space covered by a pattern rather than just its end-point (for example, the arms covering a certain line and angle of space) which made my direct counterattacks such as Fierce Dragon Across Stream or Fierce Tiger Descends Mountain far more effective.


I mention this because I finally (the slowness of my own insight when training apart from others) began applying this more to my footwork, especially in the new Baguazhang combat sequence, to ensure my safety when getting to an imaginary opponent's back. One problem I had when applying this tactic against David when I met him back in December was simple interception; his sensing skills would enable him to detect when I went to step, so he might simply deliver a shoulder or elbow strike while I was on the move. Not exactly a pleasant feeling to receive such a strike from an Iron Wire specialist, believe me. Being mindful of these planes has benefited me greatly; I wonder if other folks have had any experience looking at "space" and "planes" in such a fashion.

How have you been progressing on that by the way? Not mentioning your strengths. You were really good at the fluidity of movement during the footwork. Just need to keep your feelers out to sense your opponents reaction.

At any rate, that's where things seem to stand for now. I'll be taking some of your advice and enjoying a relatively easy weekend. Maybe I'll see Deadpool?

[/QUOTE]

Oooooh I need to see this!!!!!!!

Take it easy brother.

[AlexBaranosky]

Frederick,

You mentioned how you were doing combat sequence 10 and then training responses to different ways your opponent could be sequence-breaking your press.

This reminds me of something I noticed a while back: that the 4 kick-based combat sequences all could be viewed as 1 pressing sequence (#10) and then #9, #11, and #12 all are ways to deal with points where your opponent has broken the pressing from #10.

In #9, your opponent has punched you right before you were going to White Horse Kicks Hoof him, and you keep the pressure on by Happy Birding him.
In #11, your opponent has punched you right after your first Black Tiger Steals Heart, and you keep the pressure on with a kick to the groin.
In #12, your opponent blocks and Chops Hua Mountain, and you keep the pressure on by threading his chop and whirlwind kicking.

All the Best,
Alex

[David Langford]

Hi Alex,

How've you been? Long time no talky.

I think that is definitely a good observation, Sigung says as much in the philosophy pages for the 16 combat sequences. The same is similarly true for the hand attack sequences 5-8.

In the Philosophy page for sequence 12 Naughty Monkey Kicks Tree Sigung writes, "We have learned that we can intercept pressing attacks in many ways and at different points. In the previous sequence, Sequence 11, we intercepted an opponent's pressing attacks as soon as he has made his first move. In this sequence, we are even faster; we intercept him and counter-attack while he is still in the process of his first attack." http://www.shaolin.org/review/monkey.html

Those philosophy pages are just so rich with information, I've read each of them at least 10 times and I still haven't reached a full comprehensive understanding of them. The deeper I look the deeper they go.

[AlexBaranosky]

Doing well thanks

Thanks for the heads up regarding those pages on the 16 combat sequences. I'd seen them years ago, but I lost the links.