Training – Page 13

Weapons Training Without Weapons

I’ve been practicing my double fan form and the other day I was at a picnic in a park and forgot to bring my fans along.

So I searched around for a couple of sticks about the same size of the fans in length, and practised the form.

I try and practice on a regular basis and if do not have my Tai Chi weapons I improvise and practice a weapon form without the weapon.

It certainly makes you concentrate on other parts of the body when you do this. Sometimes when you practice a weapons’ form you can focus too much on the weapon itself and not enough on your body balance or movement.

Eventually you just ‘do’ and not focus on your weapon. But every now and then it’s good to focus on other aspects of your weapon form.

So when you ‘do’ it all comes together.

Besides using sticks you can also imagine you are holding a weapon and practice a weapon form either mentally or physically.

So the next time you forget or can’t use a weapon in a particular space – why not practice your weapons training without weapons.

Get On With It!!!

By Chris Leave a Comment

I was cleaning up and discovered my old clip board which had a Tai Chi training plan written in permanent texta.

The training plan was created about twenty years ago when I was training with two friends of mine on a Sunday morning. I decided to write the plan because we were spending too much time on analysis and not enough time on training.

Here’s the plan;

10.00am – Sabre

10.25 – Break

10.30 – Refresher

10.45 – 9 castle, Da Lu

10.55 – break

11.00 – Push Hands

11.25 – Break

11.30 – Application: Drills

12.00 – Optional

12.15 – Push Hands

12.45 – Free

1.00pm – End

And on the bottom of the clipboard are the following words – ‘Get On With It!!!

May The Chi Be With You

By Chris Leave a Comment

Well. almost another year wrapped up and it’s been a busy one.

Usually this time of the year I’m on holidays and wind down on my training and anything else that has to do with my schedule. I simply do what I feel like. No 5.55am starts, 2 to 3 sessions a day training (when I’m not lazy) and no guilty feelings about doing very little.

It’s a time to casually gather my Chi and reflect on my training, catch up on my Tai Chi reading and mentally plan for next year.

And usually I start to crank up the engine and start my training after the new year.

Until then may the chi be with you!

Instant Tai Chi

By Chris Leave a Comment

It doesn’t take long to whip up instant mashed potatoes.

And it doesn’t take long to whip up some instant Tai Chi.

As mentioned in a previous post ‘every little bit helps’ – each weekday morning I go outside and walk down my driveway to pick up the newspaper. Before I get to the top of the driveway I make a detour to my garage and do about one minute of Tai Chi training on my punching bag.

I do about 20 light repititions of a defending and striking technique.

There’s no plan to my efforts as I do what I feel like working on. A welcome change from having a detailed schedule to follow.

So far so good.

I’ve been consistent and on the odd days where I haven’t time to do or complete my Tai Chi schedule I know that at least I have achieved some ‘instant Tai Chi’.

Which is better than nothing.

Every Little Bit Helps

By Chris Leave a Comment

It’s difficult fitting in all my Tai Chi and Chi Kung training sessions each week.

I don’t train at a set time each day because of the nature of running a facilitation business. I can be working any day of the week, morning, afternoons or during the evenings.

So I have to fit my training in around my work.

While taking out the rubbish bin the other day I discovered a way of fitting in extra training time.

I ducked into my garage and spent a few seconds training a specific skill on the punching bag.

I now do this at least once a day whenever I step outside my backdoor.

It’s only a light workout lasting a few seconds but every little bit helps.