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Originally Posted by 0o~KiNg*UmY~o0 How long do you think it takes your average joe with little experience to get into pretty good fighting shape in shaolin kung fu? (I understand this is a very broad question and will depend on several factors and the individual but a general time, for example 6 months of boxing will get most into fighting shape) If you cant really put a time on it how long did it take you to get into 'fighting shape'. |
In my personal case it took me about 3 months to get into decent shape and conditioning. As you said it depends on the person's will, drive and natural ability. In my case I had little to no flexibility. Within 3 months I increased my kicking height conciderably. The conditioning and training in Kung Fu is ever progressive. They go hand in hand. No one can say they are fully conditioned or have trained and learned it all. You can spend a lifetime in Kung Fu and still only scratched the tip of the Ice Berg. But to be in a "fighting" shape I would say within the first 3-9 months the average person will see a very noticalbe progression in their conditioning. Like all arts it take hard work and dedication to progress. There is alot of focus on condiontioning throughout your training. You are always getting better physically and skillfully. The feeling is very rewarding.
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Also what would a basic class session consist of? (routine wise)
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A basic class is learning the basics of kung fu really. You learn the basic stances i.e. traditional bow (left and right), horse, crane and cat.
the basic of the basics however are the bow stances and horse. These two stances are trained low to develope leg strength and balance. My legs personally have become a lot more powerful by training these stances. You also learn basic punching and kicking. Kicks: sicde, front and back. You must first learn front and side kick properly to learn a proper back kick. We train kicks and punches a lot more in beginners classes (although you still train the basic kick VERY much throughout your training) Alot of the beginners classes is also conditioning (as well as throughout your trianing). In the beginning, it is made sure you know one basic form, basic punches and kicks and stances.
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And finally, do you still emphisise a lot on the horse riding stance? I was just wondering as I find it a great way of conditioning my legs for long hard workouts.
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The horse stance is very important to train, not only for the conditioning but is a very sturdy stance. It is a fantastic way to develope leg strength. I remember in Basket ball we trained a similar stance (no where near as painful though) to condition our legs. The horse stance is a great stance to train low, but in a combat situation you would not likely go that low (unless you fight using a long art technique like Hung Gar). From the horse stance you have "access" to alot of your kicks. From a horse stance aswell you give your opponent less targets to attack. You show the person the side of you body in this stance, you do not show him the front because obvioulsy your goin, midsection and face are very open.
No problem but I apologize for being so brief. I am at work and I did this during a short break. I could go into way more detail, but that would take a lot of time to type and read lol. Hopefully when more question arise I will be forced to come back to these original questions and that will clarify some more. I hope you are however satisfied with my answers, and if you are not please dont hesistate to let me know. I will try to elaborate further, time permitting today that is. lol