My Training Schedule This Week

[MaartenSFS]

I thought I'd share with you my regiment for the week. It can vary week to week, but mostly looks like this. All training days begin at 07:30 and end at 11:00 or (usually) later.

Beginning next week we will add knife-fighting to the partner drills several days per week. After the holidays Shifu will also teach me a separate Neigong set, so that will be interesting.

Monday:

Relugong - 24 Jibengong exercises that warm up and stretch the body and can be directly or indirectly applied in combat.

"Taijiquan" form X 3 - Each repetition takes about three minutes

Dashu - A number of exercises done hitting/kicking trees/leaves/grass

Ask Shifu questions

Chishou with garden gloves under MMA gloves - Not too intense on Monday

Shifu teaches applications or elaborates on things - we get smacked around a bit more

Dou Shengzi - We hang a rope on a tree and tug at it from different angles to train Zhenjin, Shujin, Hengjin etc. We also play tug-of-war-like games with it. This is a thick rope such as those used on sail boats, possibly hemp??

Chit-chat/cool down

Tuesday:

Sanshou Xitong - A group of 12 techniques done standing in Zhanzhuang, 16 repetitions of each

"Taijiquan" form X 3

Tongbiquan Xitong - A group of exercises designed to loosen up the arms and shoulders/rest of body

Ask Shifu questions

Chishou with garden gloves/MMA gloves, but later adding a headguard
Sanshou

Chit-chat/cool down

Wednesday:

Relugong

Zhenjin Xitong - Exercises for learning how to Fajin

"Taijiquan" form X 3

Ask Shifu questions

Fixed step Tuishou
Half-step Tuishou
Half-step Tuishou with Qinna

Shifu teaches applications or elaborates on things - we get smacked around a bit more

Chit-chat/cool down

Thursday:

Sanshou Xitong, 8 repetitions without weights on wrists, 16 with, 8 without

"Taijiquan" form, once without weights, once with weights, again without

Tongbiquan Xitong

Sanshou Xitong with footwork at full speed and power

Ask Shifu questions

Chishou
Sanshou

Shifu teaches applications or elaborates on things - we get smacked around a bit more

Chit-chat/cool down

Friday:

Relugong

"Taijiquan" form X 3

Daba - Tie a pad (made of a stack of coarse, thick toilet paper wrapped in cloth and covered with tape to hold it together) to a tree and hit the pad from different angles, then kick said tree. Finally we put the pad on a stone table and strike it downwards with different parts of the hand. All of this is done in a relaxed manner, without injuring oneself (usually).

Kangda Xitong - This is a partner drill where we strike each other with our forearms, upper arms, back, chest, thighs, lower legs etc.

Ask Shifu questions

Tuishou
Chishou
Sanshou

Shifu teaches applications or elaborates on things - we get smacked around a bit more

Chit-chat/cool down

Saturday:

Work eleven hours and do "Taijiquan" and Yongchunquan ("Wing Chun") forms during break times throughout the day, at least eight repetitions of each.

Sunday:

Same as Saturday

So, there you have it.. a typical week of training. I hope that this is of interest to you.

O, and once a week I go to Shifu's house in the afternoon to learn Xiangqi ("Chinese Chess") and Weiqi ("Go")

[Greg J]

Wow, that is a lot of training! Feels pretty balanced.

What happens when you get injured? Do you watch or does your Sifu have other exercises for you to do?

Thanks for sharing, Maarten, and have a great weekend.

Greg

[windwalker]

sounds like a good life style if one
can afford to do it,,and not expect much from it
other then its what they do....

people talk about starving artist

[MaartenSFS]

Wow, that is a lot of training! Feels pretty balanced.

What happens when you get injured? Do you watch or does your Sifu have other exercises for you to do?

Thanks for sharing, Maarten, and have a great weekend.

Greg

It seems like a lot when I write it down, but one gets used to it in practise..

I haven't been injured seriously for several years now (and that wasn't doing martial arts), but when I've dislocated my thumbs or hyper-extended my elbow joints, etc. I just work on other things like creating the "Taijiquan" form or sparring with one hand (often against beginners that get to use both and chase after me!). If worse comes to worse I have a back-logue of photos to Photoshop!

[MaartenSFS]

sounds like a good life style if one
can afford to do it,,and not expect much from it
other then its what they do....

people talk about starving artist

It's not always a bed of roses. Starving artist is an apt description! I have sacrificed a lot to finish what I started, but the results are worth it. I don't regret my choice at all. I can't keep doing this forever. Another year and a half or two and it will be time to head back to the West and hopefully open up a school eventually..

The amazing motorbike trips help keep me sane as well!

[shawnsegler]

Look at me! Look at me!!! I'm special!!!

[Spncr]

Yes you are

[shawnsegler]

Derp.

[Spncr]

I'd like to double down on that Derp.

[nicklinjm]

Nice training schedule Maarten, with that kind of training regimen I'm sure your skill level is coming on in leaps and bounds. I thought I remembered you also do some Xinyi Liuhe, but don't see it in the training regimen?

[MaartenSFS]

About a month ago I sparred with someone that used to be much better than me and we were about equal and he wants to learn from my Shifu, so I'd say yes!

Learning from a skilled master and my training regiment are important parts of the equation, as is having several good sparring partners.

Ah, Xinyiliuhequan. Whatever I wanted to learn has already been absorbed into my "Taijiquan", which is several techniques (when I didn't prefer the Taiji or Bagua equivalent), several training methods and Zhenjin. I never spent time to learn Caijibu, as I have an injured foot that, while much better than before, doesn't like that much emphasis on footwork (same with Baguazhang).

[Ian]

But... why... are you telling us?

[Bao]

But... why... are you telling us?

Shawn already answered that question...

[wude]

.

[johnwang]

But... why... are you telling us?

In other forums, many members share their personal training logs. It's not popular in RSF but it's good to have one. Sometime we may get some useful information from other's training log. I personal don't mind to share with others what I did in my class.

The following are what I taught in my class yesterday.

- front kick knee stomping.
- front kick knee stomping count by front kick knee stomping back.
- front kick knee stomping count by foot sweep.
- side kick knee stomping.
- reverse side kick knee stomping.
- octopus strategy.
- double spears strategy.
- rhino strategy.
- zombie arms strategy.
- wheeling step set up.
- circular dragging set up.
- ....

Last Wednesday I had a new student who spent the first 2 hours training with me. Here are the 2 hours class content that I had shown him:

- Octopus strategy (include line up back foot with opponent's feet).
- Rhino strategy (protect your center from inside out).
- Double spear strategy (protect your center from outside in).
- Both uniform stance (you and your opponent have same leg forward) and mirror stance (you and your opponent have different leg forward) "single leg" entering strategy.
- Both uniform stance and mirror stance "head lock" entering strategy.

The entire 2 hours was just "partner drills". There were no "stance training", no "solo drills/form training".