TIP 1
The easiest way to build is with a strong foundation. At home develop your horse stance.
Use proper technique as taught in class and extend your time limits. Each minute added is
precious. So not to get bored, try different stances; back stance, front stance (good for
hamstring stretch), crane stance, and so on. Again, add a little more time each exercise
period. Having good balance is very important in the martial arts. One way to develop
balance is by standing in your Crane Stance (Hakta-ree Soogi) for extended periods of time.
Just as we stated last month about the horse stance, remaining in these stances for longer
and longer periods of time is an invaluable tool in developing balance, strength, and
co-ordination, etc. There is not enough time for us to have you perform these exercises for
extended periods of time in class, therefore you need to do these in your own spare time.
TIP 2
Place a pillow in front of you and simply hop over it. One time tuck your legs high (feet
up behind you), the next time knees high (in front of you), When this becomes easy, add a
pillow and repeat. Remember to land as softly as you can. Don't forget to perform your
previous training tips as often as you can. These tips will help you immensely.
TIP 3
To add flexibility and enable you to perform that split you should perform the following
exercise. Lay on your back and extend your legs raising your feet towards the ceiling and
bring them together. Lower your feet to the sides as far as they will go naturally. Do not
force them down at all. Raise them back up until they are touching. Do this exercise twenty
times each day for the first week and then add 10 repetitions each week until you reach
100. If you are faithful to this exercise and others previously mentioned you are going to
have much success in the martial arts.
TIP 4
True speed comes from complete flexibility. Practice everything you do related to your
martial arts training with your body loose and relaxed. Imagine your body as jelly, or as
having no bones., this is how completely relaxed your body should be. Only at the point of
contact should your body be tensed, and for that split second it should be completely
tensed. Practice this way and your speed and power will improve greatly as time passes.
TIP 5
Your breaking requirements will never cause an injury as long as you properly prepare for
them. If you have any questions as to how to prepare ask your instructors either before or
after class.
TIP 6
Preforming knuckle pushups is an effective technique for toughening your knuckles and
strengthening your hands and wrist, if performed often and properly. When you are doing
pushups make fists and place all of your upper body weight on your knuckles, just the
knuckles, not knuckles and fingers. Start with just a few, if you can, and add one to that
number each week.
TIP 7
Want to go airborne with your kicks? Try this: "Rabbit Jumps", often used for discipline,
are performed by grabbing your ears and holding them throughout the exercise. Squat deeply
and then jump as high as you can without using your hands or arms to propel you. Start by
doing three sets of ten and add only one to each set each week. This exercise will greatly
strengthen the muscles used for jumping and kicking.
TIP 8
No special type of training in our tip this time. Only the advice we repeat to our students
often. Each time you train, if you give 100 percent effort, you will realize the most
improvement. If you give less than your best you will not be able to expand your limits too
much. If you improve just a little bit every time you train, over the years your ability
can become unbelievably fantastic, Its up to you.
TIP 9
This month we will discuss your kicking ability when training away from the dojang. Simply
perform your basic kicks in the manner you were taught, but perform them very slowly. In
the beginning you may have trouble with balance, but you will improve with practice. For an
example I'll describe a front kick. Very slowly raise your knee as high as you can, close
to your chest. Then while keeping your knee high, very slowly extend your leg fully (toes
pulled back, as striking with the ball of the foot)in a kicking motion. After full
extension, slowly pull your foot (keep your knee high) back to its raised position by your
chest and then lower it to the ground and repeat. To begin with, perform only 5 repetitions
with each basic kick, with each leg. When you can do this with no aches and pains then you
may add to the number of repetitions in order to add strength and balance.
TIP 10
Your mobility can determine your success in the martial arts, whether in the ring or in a
real-life situation. The first step in improving mobility is to understand a proper
fighting stance. Do not stand in a rigid, flat-footed stance like many of those you
practice in your forms training. You must be able to move quickly in any direction, and be
able to perform any kick at any time. In order to do this you must shorten your stance
somewhat from the traditional.
To assume this stance, step what is to be your rear foot back (maximum of shoulder width
and length) from the other foot. You should feel comfortable, with your weight evenly
distributed and your hands upright in a fairly relaxed position. You should feel relaxed,
comfortable, and able, at any time, to throw any technique without first redistributing
your weight. It is this redistribution that slows you down drastically. It wastes time that
you should be using to throw a technique, time in which you might get nailed. Remember,
practice makes perfect. So get with it!
TIP 11
Another method for greatly strengthening the legs for kicking or reflexive movements is the
single leg squat. Perform it as follows to strengthen both legs at the same time... First
raise one knee waist high. Then extend the entire leg and foot to waist height. Continue
holding your leg up while squatting with the other leg. If you have difficulty balancing
initially, simply hold on to something. You may also have a strength problem at first and
not be able to perform a full squat. That's OK. Go down as far as you can to successfully
complete five repetitions with each leg. After you can complete five full squats with each
leg add to the number of reps until you can perform a maximum of twenty to complete one
set. Then add to the number of sets until you can complete three.
TIP 12
Deep Stance Walking For further strengthening of the legs, perform the
following exercise. Go into a deep horse stance with your back and shoulders straight and
your buttock tucked slightly forward. Then, without raising up at all, step out forward
with your left foot into a very deep back stance. Next, while keeping your body facing
straight ahead, slowly bring your right foot forward behind the left foot in an X stance.
Now bring your left foot forward into a left-foot front stance. Then slowly bring the right
foot forward into the original horse stance. Now slowly step forward with the right foot
and make all of the previous movements on the right side. This should be done at least
enough times to cross our dojang floor a couple of times. Remember, the deeper the stances
and the slower the movements, the better, within reason of course. However, when beginning
use common sense and perform the movements only as low as will allow you to complete the
trip across the floor at least twice.
TIP 13
This tip is especially useful for toughening the hands for your breaking requirements.
First acquire an old telephone book and a roll of duct tape, and some Dit Da Jow liniment.
Tape the telephone book with at least two layers of tape in each direction. You have just
made a very inexpensive and efficient striking surface to be used for toughening your
hands. Start by massaging your hands with the Dit Da Jow prior to starting. Strike the book
with each hand strike that you have been trained to use (punches, knife hand strikes, palm
heel strikes, back fists, etc). Strike it properly (as you have been taught) only ten times
with each striking technique (each hand), and do not strike it with power. Just hit it vary
softly at the beginning of your training. Each week add five reps to each technique until
you reach 100. Then go back to ten times with a little more power to each technique, and
repeat until 100. Continue this cycle over and over again.
TIP 14
The basics of our art are on a foundation that begins with our stances. We are not going to
teach you any stances in this newsletter, but we are going to tell you that without the
proper stances you cannot have the power, speed, and flexibility you need to be a great
martial artist. The ability to be able to avoid attacks, and to attack or to counterattack,
comes from these. Pat close attention to your instructors always, especially in regard to
your stances.
TIP 15
Distancing When we face an opponent we have to be able to judge distance.
We must know at what distance we can reach our opponent, with either a kick or a punch, and
at what distance our opponent(s) can reach us. When we are far apart we are both safe. As
we approach each other we reach critical distance, where one of us can strike or grab the
other. As we get closer the types of attacks and defenses can change dramatically. Properly
controlling distance is one of the best forms of self-defense. In the next few months we
will continue on the subject of proper distances, and how to be in control of them.
TIP 16
Distancing Continuing or subject of last month about maintaining proper
distance, we will begin with stating that control is of utmost importance.
We will not explain all of the various types of movements (steps, etc) that can be performed while sparring. We will state that most of your movements should be made with very short, quick steps. (Charlie Chaplin Style) Never, well almost never, use long steps to avoid an attack. This will slow you down and usually take away your ability to counter quickly. And, whenever you move from one position to another, you always need to finish the movement into a position from which you can attack or counter attack.
It is only the authors opinion, and a controversial one at that, but, I feel that you should never turn your back to an opponent, unless you are performing some type of attack. (i.e. Spinning Kick, Back Kick, etc.)
More on distancing in a later issue.