Having been inspired by Melbgoju's year of training thread I decided to try to keep training regularly; and after some consideration I thought that keeping an online log would be the best way to keep myself motivated. For now I'll set my goal at: minimum 20 minutes, 5 times a week. Not exactly reaching for the stars, but I have to start somewhere. Week 1: Monday, 6 January 20 mins bag work: step in + pok sou. Working on timing and distance a bit, but mainly trying to keep my footwork neat while moving and hitting. 4 mins form and line work.
Mate, 20 minutes a day 5 times a week still adds up to 1hr 40 minutes (where the hell did I get 14 from?!) extra training per week. It does add up. When I first started karate I stuck with 20 - 30 minutes a day seven days a week. It makes a hell of a difference. Best of luck to you
Pok sou is a palm strike. So far it's probably the most useful technique I've learned. THis video shows some around 30s: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v6KhL1yKrk&feature=player_detailpage"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v6KhL1yKrk&feature=player_detailpage[/ame] As for forms, I only have one right now: Sarm Bo Gin. Tuesday, 7 January 20 mins form: mainly working on the first two moves of Sarm bo Gim. 10 mins pair drills: roped in my brother, who does JJJ, for part. This gave some interesting perspective, since so far I've only worked with other SPMers.
Thursday, 9 January 30 mins line drills + (solo) pair drills: worked through the pair drills slowly , trying to visualise my opponent. Still a work in progress.
Somehow I missd your post before. It does make a big difference. I improve much faster when I practice in my own time, but I have trouble keeping at it. That's the main reason for this log; I hate the feeling of getting worse when I stop practicing :cry:
After reading the no time/impetus to train thread (http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=119649) I was guilt-tripped into doing more training. So: Thursday, 9 January 37 mins line drills and conditioning.
Pok Jeurng/Sao (拍掌/手) can be a strike or it can be a simple slapping block. Pok means to slap, Pok sao means a slapping block or strike with the open palm (jeurng) as seen in the Mantis video. The slapping block is a great technique because it is fast but powerful and can deflect jabs and still leave your blocking hand in a position to counterattack, or simply defend your head/face from the opponent's other (possibly incoming) hand. A common 1-2 combination in Southern CMA is pok sao -> pek sao, or a slapping palm block followed by an axe palm hand (pek jeurng) to the larynx or face.
Saturday, 11 January 20 mins form + line work. Attempting to get the tension out of my shoulders as I do gar sou (sort of a back fist, my shoulders tend to bunch up when I do it). That makes the end of my first week (yay). Total time: 2:46
Week 2: Sunday, 12 January 25 mins bag work. Step in + pok sou again, this time focusing more on distance and timing. Finished up with some jumping kicks: not exactly part of my curriculum, but they're pretty tiring so I like using them to finish a bag session.
Monday, 13 January 22 minutes form. I spent most of the time breaking the form down into 2-5 techniques and working through them repeatedly. Not trying anything bunkai-like, just letting myself focus on the individual techniques a bit more.
Thursday, 16 January 33 mins pair drills and bag work. Working on punching on the bag, which is a bit different for me. Then I went to a goju ryu karate class tonight which showed me how abysmal my punching really is, so I think my time on the bag was a bit of a waste
Friday, 17 January 20 mins footwork. This from the goju based so-called goshin jitsu I started this week. My shoulders are too sore for anything else right now.
Saturday, 18 January 10 mins bagwork. Not my usual stuff, to be sure. The difference was largely inspired by the muay thai class I visited on Friday night. Got me sweating a lot more than usual 10 mins line work. Albeit done stationary, as I was practicing in front of a mirror. Working on the punches from my karate. End of week 2 (yay). Total time: 2:13 +2:46 = 4:57
Week 3: Tuesday, 21 January 20 minutes footwork and pair drills. Did a bit of ad libbing in the drills, to stop myself getting too fixed in the usual pattern. Yesterday I restarted my workout after taking a couple of months off; my shoulders aren't thanking me :cry:
Wednesday, 22 January 47 mins bagwork. Last night in my goshin jitsu class we covered a few kicks, so I decided to work on these (Also, my shoulders are still sore from monday: see previous post).
Thursday, 23 January 9 mins bagwork + 12 mins shadowboxing. My punching form is woefully inadequate. The hook and uppercut are beyond me I've decided, so I mostly worked on the jab and cross, although goodness knows there's enough to work on just with those two.