the way of wujimon

I got pointed to the following video of the late Mike Martello discussing the role of Jibengong (foundation training) in the role of martial arts. Below is a bit of information Mike wrote about the video:

… The combined IMA/CMA flexibility, agility, stretching and strengthening and so on, are advanced foundation building blocks for those who want more from their body and their body to grow old gracefully.

… Human bodies are not geared for sport and core strength in old age, as we get older weakness sets in and this is what and why we must train...

… IMA/CMA training is just that, it allows oneself to see more than just fighting, but the fight is inside with oneself... One’s daily life style, work, bills, spouses, family and so on...

Without further ado, here is the video:

URL: www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUPpEYZZA48

Over the past weekend, I took the little guy to observe a local contemporary wushu class. However, after expressing my interest for my son to take wushu lessons, the instructor said we might as well start today. So, the little guy attended his first formal wushu class!  As a side note, I took taiji lessons from the instructor for a couple of months about 5 yrs back.  When I showed up, he remembered me and recalled I had a wushu background. We arrived at the school a bit early, so the teacher took my son over to the indoor trampoline to practice jumping. The little guy was receiving instruction on raising his hands as he jumps, resulting in more upward momentum.  After a couple of minutes, the teacher asked me son to try and spin while in the air. Then, teacher showed my son how crossing his arms midair would aid with the turn.  The teacher then told my son to just have fun and jump around however he liked.  I really liked how the teacher knew when to let kids be kids.  He knew just how much instruction a 4.5 yr old could take and when it should be playtime. Next, my son was guided to the carpeted flooring area where students practice forms.  The teacher asked my son if he liked to jump.  As my son was nodding “yes”, the teacher placed a blue kicking pad on it’s said and asked my son to run and jump over the pad.  The little guy was able to easily clear the kicking pad, so the teacher provided some guidance on which leg to step with and which leg to jump with.  Next, the teacher placed another kicking pad under the already standing pad, forming an upside down T.  My son was not able to clear the pad at this height, but the teacher noted that my son was able to actually jump higher when the second pad was not present.  He went on further to note that in the child’s mind, they think it’s too high when their body is actually capable of doing more.  The teacher then pulled out a box of LEGOS for my son to play with. Having a bit of wushu background myself, I could easily see the connection of this “play training” with wushu mechanics.  Wushu is all about optimal biomechanics and is like a cross between martial arts and gymnastics. Contemporary wushu teaches one’s body about flexibility, strength and coordination.  I definitely see these as beneficial characteristics for physical development. However, I will be sure to impart my own knowledge of structural alignment to my son to avoid any knee injuries. Overall, my son had a great time when the formal class began. He learned some new stretches and covered some of the basic wushu kicks and punches.  Most importantly, he met new friends and developed more self confidence in his own abilities. I am glad my son is enrolled in wushu.  The teacher even gave me some homework to cover the basic stretches and kicking patterns with my son. Sounds like a good plan to me! For those in the Illinois area and interested in some wushu training, here is the bio page of the instructor, Jinhua Guo of Championship Martial Arts Academy.

I have been following a great series on the Urban Samurai blog, here’s a little snippet:

I believe that training the mind is just as important as training the body, for were the mind goes the body follows, something many of us forget in our pursuit of physical mastery. It is almost impossible to achieve our full potential as martial artists unless we acknowledge the fact that the mind plays a significant role in our over all development. It is the key to all growth and without it we are merely puppets on a string, all physical movement and lacking in the depth and understanding that’s absolutely necessary to take us to the higher levels of mastery.

-- Mind Training for Martial Artists| Part 1: Introduction

Other topics in the series include: meditation, visualization, focus, NLP, etc.  Neil Martin, author of the Urban Samurai blog, is putting out some great content. While he does not write directly about taiji, a lot of his topics are important for all martial artists.

I did roughly 14 yrs of external martial arts before training in taiji.  This consisted of many years of Traditional Tae Kwon Do and Contemporary Wushu.  Was the instruction I received in these external martial arts beneficial to my practice of taiji? I think so. Not only did external training help with my conditioning and flexibility, but it also provided me with a greater awareness of my own body.  Even now, I am able to pick up on gross form choreography pretty quickly and I attribute that to my training in Contemporary Wushu. I recently came across the following:

In traditional martial art training, in Northern China at least, kids are usually taught basic Chang Quan (usually Tan Tui, Shao Lin) and Shuai Jiao first. This is not because they need to have basic mastery of external martial art first. But just to prepare them physically so they can do the very demanding physical movements in those internal martial art forms. -- Source: In Defense of Simplified Forms | Wuyizidi's Martial Art Blog

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Over the weekend, I received my copy of Real Gold Does Not Fear the Fire: the Teachings of Grandmaster Wai-lun Choi by Ray Hayward. So far, this is a great book and one I would highly recommend to any martial artist.  I really admire how Sifu Hayward has graciously shared his own personal training note with readers.

The more I read the book, the more I think about Master Wai Lun Choi is trying to teach us.  I have written about my studies with Choi in the past and one of the thing that stands out the most is his notion of not disrupting the breath.  Whatever we do, we must maintain the calmness of our breath.  Any disruption will lead to a break in energy.  In other words, if you are panting or out of breath, you are doing something wrong.

Choi is also a fan of imagery, especially in regards to animal instincts. He talks about not just mimicking the external movements of the animal, but try to understand the internal intentions of the animal. One of my favorite images is where Choi likens Yang Taiji to “that of a shark swimming, looking for his prey. Always on the move, gliding in and out”.  For me, this type of visualization conjures images of agile footwork, coiling body, and patience.

I could go on and on about the book, but I would recommend just picking it up as it contains a wealth of information from study notes to pictures to stories from students.  Here is a description from the product page:

This new book is about the life, teaching, and insights of Grandmaster Wai-lun Choi, the designated Grandmaster and lineage-holder of the Six Harmony Eight Methods style (Liu Ho Ba Fa). Featuring numerous articles, interviews, notes, photos, and history, you will be guided through the maze of martial arts, meditation, and Chinese history and culture to arrive at the door of mastery, embodied by Master Choi’s own story and accomplishments. This must-read book will be a valuable addition to the library of anyone interested in martial arts of any kind.

Shu kuang Press - Real Gold Does Not Fear the Fire: the Teachings of Grandmaster Wai-lun Choi by Ray Hayward