morgothan's kung fu repository » Kung Fu

Sorry for the lack of posts

morgothan — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 07:34:22 +0000

Firstly I want to apologize for the lack of posts in the past couple of months. I recently accepted a position in my company that had me move to Germany. So I have not really had anytime to update. This being said since I am now living in Germany my Kung Fu training is unfortunately going on hiatus. I do plan on still working out, and practicing forms on my own, and with whoever is around that wants to join me. We will see how this works out, and how bad I change things when I get back to the school in a year or so from now. Other then this I have had some significant accomplishments in Kung Fu since last I posted. Firstly I received my black sash in shaolin, and my purple(advanced) in both Hsing Yi, and Pa Kua. It will be a focus of mine while I am here to work on my internals, and hopefully not forget too much of what I have learned from them. I have also taken a large amount of photos from the school. I plan on uploading them to the gallery section of the site soon.

I will try and keep updating this site with information about how I am using my Kung Fu, and training whilst away from the school. Hopefully it will not be as long between updates now that I am here, and almost fully settled in.

Dr. Pain will see you now

morgothan — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:17:34 +0000

Last night I went back to Hsing yi, and Pa Kua for the first time since the end of the semester. After those two classes there was one basic shaolin class. This class would be the first shaolin class I taught, or took, since I got back from a two week vacation. So I was really in the mood to make it a class to remember. To top it off we have a few new students from last time I was there, so I need to introduce them to my particular style of workout. The remember you are still just a mortal style of work out. Furthermore a bunch of the Pa Kua students decided to stick around to see what I had in store for the new guys, so that just added to the fun.

I ran them through a very quick warm up, then lead then right into a 5 station one round circuit. Station one being dips, two being burpies, three being brick crunches, four being push ups, and five being standing in horse stance with 4 rings and arms held out like you are hugging a tree. Each station lasted five excruciating minutes with one minute break to catch your breath in between. We had one student pop during his last station, but other then that all ten people did really well. Including two women who where showing up for their first class.
The thing I love about the circuit style training, is in a relatively short period of time you can really abuse the whole body. By that I mean, by switching stations the body doesn’t get a chance to get used to the exercise, and you get to switch muscle groups quickly allowing the worked muscles a chance to rest, while still working out your cardio and other muscle groups. Personally I think that the circuit style training is the best type you can do for a pure calisthenic style work out.
After we did the circuit I ended the class with some simple kicking drills, to act as a cool down, and to let the students work out a bit of frustration from class. It was after that when everyone was limping out of the school, trying to look as if they still had any strength left in them, when I received my new nickname. One of the other instructors at the school referred to me in passing as Dr. Pain. Upon hearing this I smiled my little smirk which was noticed, and then a the Pa Kua students who were still hanging around the school started referring to me by that title as well. I guess I left my mark on them.

How to abuse the human body for fun and profit

morgothan — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:25:11 +0000

Last week I had mentioned something in passing to one of the schools more overzealous students. Something about how everything comes from your core, and if you don’t have strong abs, you will never really be a great fighter. He proceeded to ask me for some exercises to work his core and his abs at home. I game him a few that I like, and a few that I hate, but that are really good for you. I also told him that if he wants next class I can abuse the hell out of them, and spend a good portion of the class doing core, abdominal, leg, and arm workouts. Not thinking much about this, as most students will take this advice, and either not show up next class, or just keep there mouth shut. He however, did not. He decided to remind me that I would abuse the hell out of them. So while the class warmed up, I set up a small circuit of dips, burpies, crunches, push ups, etc. Something different for everyone, so that no two people where doing the same exercise at the same time. Now being the benevolent instructor that I am, I will NOT ask my students to do anything that I myself am not willing to do. So I jumped in the circuit with them. Two minutes at a station, as much as you can do. 15 second break to switch stations, rinse repeat. After only two full runs through the circuit the whole class was dying. So I said on two runs is good. Take a quick break, then lets hit the ground running on springing leg. I proceed to do the 10 lines that they know with them, making them hold in the right spots, and get a good leg work out wherever I could force it on them. By the end of 1 run through of the first 10 lines One of my students went to the bathroom where I suspect he threw up. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was definitely not all together after it. I had him sit out while I worked with the rest of the class, on teaching them line 11. With only like 5 minutes in class the student who sat out came back into class, to finish the class. I was actually proud that he could muster it up to finish the class.

As for myself. I worked out harder and longer then I have in a long time. The advanced and intermediate classes before the beginner class tired me out to begin with, so by the time I ran the circuit, and pushed myself and the class with springing leg, my body was ready to fall apart. Even as I write this, my shoulders are sore, my abs are still clenching, my legs feel like jello, my arms feel like they are made out of lead, and I couldn’t be happier.

Prepping a Student for a Fight!

morgothan — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:17:05 +0000

One of my favorite students came to me on Monday and explained that she maybe getting into a fist fight at school with a boy. So the first thing I did was try and talk her out of it, and make sure that she was not going to just go and fight the kid. However, her reasoning for thinking she is going to get into the fight, is she thinks he is going to try and hit her. So not wanting to see one of my favorite students getting beaten up I decided to forgo my own training for the hour, and work with her one on one. I put her in gloves, and grabbed some pads, and had her go to town on me. Working punching patterns, punch kick combinations, and punishing her when she dropped her hands. For a fourteen year old girl she is pretty mean. She follows the get in your personal space and dont leave policy of fighting. None stop attacks too. The only thing she needs to work on is keeping her non attacking hand defending her face. Too often I was able to whack her in the side of the head while we where fighting. I worked with her for almost a full hour non stop aggression. By the end she was getting a little winded, but still had enough energy to work on her forms, and not just die on the floor. Her cardio is great, and will be an asset if she does get into this fight. Next class I work with her, I plan on working some chin na, to get her better at grappling, and maybe work some ground work with her. Teach her how to handle herself should the fight go to the floor.

I kind of envy her, sometimes I wish I was a kid again. Knowing what I know now, I would love to go back to when I could get into fights, and the only thing I had to worry about was detention, or the occasional out of school suspension. Not that I condone getting into fights at school, but to be able to actually try some of the techniques that I know now, in a non tournament/teaching/controlled environment. To see what really works, and what doesn’t. That would be invaluable.

Had to Drop A Student Last Night

morgothan — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:07:45 +0000

Last night teaching the beginner class a student who is not really a problem student, but is the type of student that resists every time you are trying to show a move, or teach a technique. For the sake of his anonymity we will call him Joe. As a class we where working on Tan Toi(springing leg). In particular line 9. Which has a very odd hand movement. There is one application for this that turns the pull into a joint lock. It is right out of Chin Na 6. While the students where practicing this application Joe was tensing up, and not letting his partner get the lock. So I had to show his partner how to do it. I tried to get the lock on Joe, who of course tensed up, and did not let me get it, so I lightly kicked his shins to distract him, but as he is a meaty young man, it did not work. So I tried to put him into a shoulder lock instead, which he resisted. So I pulled the other way for an arm bar, which also did not work. So now I am getting annoyed, but because of how Joe resisted I am behind him, so I show you have a few free hits to the back of the head here, then I pop in front of his leg, and tossed his ass to the floor with a modified leg sweep. As I said before he is a kind of meaty young man so when he went down he went down hard. Now mind you this whole exchange, from starting to try the wrist lock, to him being on the floor was about one second, at the most. Afterwords I explained what I did, how as soon as I felt that I was fighting him for the lock, I changed it. I spoke to Sifu about it after class, and was assured that dropping Joe to the floor was the correct thing to do. He assured me that he has done it to him before, and that Joe likes that kind of treatment. Still it was the first time I had to floor a student to prove a point.