by neijia_boxer on Mon Sep 15, 2008 2:32 pm
Depends on how you define health.
My definition is different from others- based on my experience with different martial arts schools, here is how i define if your Healthy enough to do training beyond the point of health.
how I measure health-
-How much do they weigh? Does the person look over or under weight?
-Can they touch their toes?
-how many situps can they do in 30 sec.?
-how many push ups can they do in 30 sec.?
-can they hold a horse stance 1 min.?
-Mental health- do they seem intelligent enough to take on pakua? pakua requires deep thinking and dedication.
-what kind of attitude, appearance, and character does the person have and are they willing to be humble and work hard?
-age, medical, and Injury history
My personal definition of health attributes:
1. normal function of the internal organs and meridians ( circulatory, digestive, respiratory, skeletal, muscular, ect),
2. good body weight,
3. good flexibility,
4. able to hold firm stances and not strain.
5. focused mind
If they dont have these things- then i focus their training on-
1. flexibility and ability to do good stances (which require flexibility)
2. weight loss/weight gain via diet and nutrition based on TCM- avoidance of fire and cold foods to nourish qi.
3. introduction to simple upper body, abdominal, and lower body exercises for strength.
4. intro to simple qigong, breathing and meditation work
5. philosophy and principles- primarily yin/yang and 5 element and relation to internal organs and emotions.
6. balance: basic hand and stepping coordination drills with flow.
but then again i really dont teach anymore and havent in over 10 years, but thats my standard. Its hard to get the ones who get tired fast and need to lose weight to do so, even the ones at a young age. they might have better knees if they would shed the weight.
Last edited by neijia_boxer on Mon Sep 15, 2008 2:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.