Weapon training

The use of weapons in your training gives variety, and develops skills and attributes that are more difficult to develop in empty hand training. The kali stick travelling at over one hundred kph lets you work with speeds that are difficult to approach consistently with a punch or kick.

Reality check

If your style incorporates defence against weapons – ask a training partner to attack you from different angles with a rolled up newspaper. This is a great training drill and gives you an understanding of what gaps, if any are in your weapon defence skills. Remember that even a five year old with a knife is dangerous.

Training breaks

I am a firm believer in taking breaks from your normal training regime. If you do the same workouts week in, week out, it is very easy become mentally and physically stale. When you are starting to feel like your training is going nowhere - have a break from your normal training but don't stop being active. A couple of days off is often a good start but after that it is time to do something different or new. You will find that when you get back to your normal training you will feel revitalised and train harder.

Focus on the basics

Don’t be in too much of a hurry to learn all the advanced techniques; you will learn them at the appropriate time. Plenty of focus on the basics will give you useable technique and skills that you can rely on.

Stretching

Stretching is an integral element in many arts. Based on recent research, it is now recommended that passive and PNF stretching is best done after the conditioning phase of your training or as a dedicated stretching session at a separate time. Light dynamic stretching is recommended after the warm up phase.

Kung Fu Hustle

Kung Fu Hustle, the martial arts action comedy from Stephen Chow opens in Australia today. It looks like it is time for some frenetic action, amazing kung fu and some laughs.

Focus Mitts

Considered to be a boxing invention, focus mitts are a worthwhile tool in your training kit. The mitts can be used to develop timing, hand and eye coordination, technique, reflexes and accuracy. The feeder/holder also benefits by improving read and timing.

Martial Arts in the movies

There has been a steady integration of high quality realistic martial arts into mainstream cinema in the last decade. The Bourne Identity has number of fast, well choreographed fight scenes using the art of Kali. Scenes of martial arts training are also being incorporated into movies to legitimise the ability of the character. This can be illustrated in the Bo (Staff) and Double Stick scene in The Cradle of Life.

A couple of my favorite quotes

"Do, or do not. There is no 'try'" - Yoda

“Boards don't hit back” - Bruce Lee

“A black belt is nothing more than a belt that goes around your waist. Being a black belt is a state of mind and attitude” – unknown

The martial arts and movies

Generally the screen version of a particular art will be very different to the art in the real world. Screen techniques are generally more open, easy to follow and much more spectacular to look at, than the real world version.