Rapid Reminders
It is a good thing to keep a few basic concepts constantly in mind. It would come useful to go through these concepts from time to time especially before you begin your practice and after the completion. It will give you more inspiration and confidence to a workout. There is always the possibility that you may discover after practicing for a while that you have forgotten some of the precepts.
Going through the points below more regularly will assist you in tour workouts.
Speed
- Try to execute all movements (techniques) in a moderate pace.
- More importantly to concentrate on the move you are carrying out to get it as precise as possible.
- Do not be hasty, as rushing through an exercise will not benefit you in the long run.
Continuity
- All moves should flow continuously or without pause, from one to another.
- Avoid pausing to adjust the positioning of limbs and body.
Precision
- It will be very difficult to achieve the correct posture easily or during the early part of the training.
- Initially, it is important to understand the correct postures and the basis on which these are achieved.
- Therefore, you must continue to attempt, each time you practice, to attain the correct postures.
- In the end, you will make the achievement when you have developed sufficient strength..
Relaxation
- Allow your body and upper limbs be as relaxed at all times.
- Do not put pressure or tension on your shoulder and chest.
- However, such achievement may give your leg muscles, particularly the thigh muscles to be placed under stress and may ache after each session.
Weight Distribution
- Body weight should not be equally distributed on both legs for any length of times, except at the beginning and end of the exercise or when that particular stance is required to execute a certain technique.
- Instead, transfer the weight gracefully fromone stance to another.
- Your weight should e channel through one point, as far as possible to the ground.
Breathing
- Always inhale naturally through your nose and not through your mouth.
- Do not expel breath forcibly from your lungs or combine exotic breathing techniques with the exercise, particularly during the early stages.
Attire
- Be bare-footed at all times during practices.
- However, if preferable, on rough surfaces, wear a pair of flat-soled shoes.
- Loose clothing covering up to the wrist and ankle is recommended.
Practice
- Many instructors believe that the effort put into morning practice has greater benefit than a similar effort in the afternoon or evening.
- Whatever time you find convenient, it is generally better to practice consistently at set times daily than to randomise your practice time.
- Regularity and consistency of practice is more beneficial than in tense, short periods of enthusiastic practice.
Posture
i. Stationary
· While stationary and upright, you should always hold your body straight.
· This can be achieved if you keep your:
* head up n eyes focused straight ahead.
* chin tucked in comfortably
* chest relaxed
* abdomen taut or pulled in
* coccyx pulled and upward
ii In motion
- While moving from one position to another, try to maintain an even level height throughout.
- Avoid bubbling up n down.
* This can be achieved if you keep your knees slightly flexed as you move and
shift your weight from one foot to another.
* Keeping your weight on an even plane will increase the strain on your legs
muscles and channel the force generated downward.
Hips
· At the completion f a move, the hips should be pulled in until the line linking both hips is at right angles to your front foot.
Limbs:
i Lower limbs
· Always place foot firmly on the ground before you move either forward or backward.
· Your front foot should always point in the direction you are facing or going to face at the completion of that move.
· Always turn your foot through 45 degrees.
ii Knees:
· Knees should always be kept slightly bent (flexed) at the end of a move.
· The bent knees should point in the direction of their respective toes.
· Never extend your knees beyond the level of your toes.
Upper Limbs
· Whenever you punch out with a clenched fist, rotate tour wrist at the end of the move.
· Keep your wrist firm with your knuckles perpendicular and not parallel to the ground.
· Whenever your palms are open, keep your fingers extended but firmly together with each other.
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The Training Schedule
It is always helpful to work out a training schedule or a programe that you know you can adhere to. This set priority (target) will act as a measure of your achievements.
If you are a martial artist or a keen sportsman, you would probably be able to achieve results in a shorter period.
It is essentially important to analyze the component parts and understand them thoroughly when practicing a new move or form. There is the possibility that, with time, you may tend to forget the fundamentals of the moves and when this happens, you will progressively adopt bad habits. At this stage, it is important to spend time reviewing the basic components of the moves. With this knowledge you will be able to begin correcting yourself. One way to do this is to run through a mental checklist to each different move.
Prior to learning a new form, be calm and relax, analyze all the moves in different stages in detail and finally incorporate them and repeat this entire sequence till you are conversant with it. You may not get it the first time but with effort and enthusiasm you will get it right in the end.
Checklist
Weight
- distribution or transfer smoothly
Height
- level height, particularly during the shift of weight from one foot to another.
Posture
- straight, upright posture achieved by:
i coccyx pulled in and upward, stomach pulled inward,
ii. chest and shoulder relaxed, chin tucked in, and
iii eyes focused straight ahead.
Movement
- slow, continuous and relaxed, flow from one position to another and merge imperceptibly.
- mind concentrating only on moves that are being carried and avoid thinking of other things.
- synchronisation of body, hand and leg movements.
Limbs
i Foot
- toe direction, angle between heels and spacing between foot
ii Hands
- direction of palms and fist, direction of knuckles, knife hand, flexed elbows and
back fist.
Relaxation Exercise or Warm-Up
Like any other exercise, it is advisable not to start your practice ‘cold’. You will benefit more from your practice if you do some preliminary exercise to loosen
your joints and to stimulate your muscles. This is also to prevent from any body injury(s). There are several loosening or relaxation exercises to choose from.
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Some Points to Ponder....
It may be the first attempt that you may be required to consciously co-ordinate and synchronise movements of your head, body, hands and feet. Like anything else, with practice you will gradually discover it becomes less of a chore and your hands and feet will no longer move awkwardly as you learn just where to put them.
There is also the problem of remembering the sequence of moves.
- Initially when you are taught only a few moves, it will be difficult to practice regularly, largely because there are insufficient moves to stimulate your interest.
- When you have learn more moves, you will find your practice is often interrupted because you forget just how one move is linked to another.
- It seems the move occurs when you practice with your instructor. Then the moves and their sequence seem so easy, so logical, until you are by yourself…..and that one move, the link, is totally beyond recall.
Minimise your problems by limiting your study
- Do not try to learn more than you can handle.
- Do, however, remember to ask in detail how the move should be carried out and try to attain it during your practice session.
- You will find this helps you understand the principles and intricacies of each move much better.
Remember that regular, constant practice is essential from the mastering of the art.
- The person who puts in tremendous effort in periodic bursts of enthusiasm will eventually find himself lagging behind the patient plodder who does a bit each day, but does that little bit every day.
