Shu's Training Journal (or "Old Man Kung Fu")

Here's some inspiration, a canuck that used to be pretty big on the MJLH scene. :' D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHv7DBpYXFU

LFD

 

I'm stealing this. We parry in a similar way, and I definitely have a problem with swatting, so if this works it will be awesome.

 

Thanks LFD, that's good stuff!

But when I broke my staff into thirds, there wasn't a chain attached. DoH!

 

Steal away. Good luck. I'll find out tomorrow during sparring class if pays off for me and will duly report back.

 

Kung Fu II Time!

Major Payne...er...I mean Sihing Alex led the class again tonight. And it was one giant leg workout.

Here's how it went down:

Warm Up and Technique
-Jumping Jacks - 30
-Lunging Stretch
(The following techniques were performed moving across the length of the studio)
-High Heel Kick
-Inside Crescent Kick
-Outside Crescent Kick
-Two Step Side Kick
-Two Step Hook Kick
-Side Kick/Spinning Side Kick
-Rear Round House Kick
-Rear Round House/Spinning Heel Kick
-Jumping Front Slap Kick
-Jumping Inside Crescent Kick
-Jumping Outside Crescent Kick
(Back to being stationary)
-Slow Side Kicks (and hold) - 20/side
-Slow Round House Kicks (and hold) - 20/side
-Push Ups - 50
-V-Ups - 50
-Seated Split Stretch
-Iron Shirt - 2 min
-Horse Stance - 2 min
-Staff Technique (see notes)

• Forward Spin
• Reverse Spin
• Long Staff Spin

Notes:
-Sihing Alex is a big believer in weapon familiarity so the moves with it become more natural. (And staff is basically his jam!)
-He broke down the main mechanics of the spins and how (again) it all comes down to body rotation.
-Fitbit said I burned 2,014 calories, which is supposedly my entire daily caloric intake. Seems kinda high.
-On the other hand, I just had dinner and dessert (chicken pasta and honey covered peanuts) and I'm still hungry. So maybe it's accurate.

 

Gymnosity

-Bench Press - 155 lbs, 175 lbs, 185 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Tricep Dips - 3 x 10
-Bent Over T-Bar Row - 90 lbs, 100 lbs, 110 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Seated Preacher Curl (machine) 60 lbs, 70 lbs, 80 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Seated Leg Curls - 100 lbs, 110 lbs, 120 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Seated Leg Extensions - 100 lbs, 110 lbs, 130 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Heavy Bag Training - 15 min

• Jab/Cross
• Jab/Cross/Hook
• Straight Punches (body rotation)
• Footwork Drills
• Front Leg Roundhouse Combos

Notes:
-Skipped sparring class last night because the school was closed on the count of snow. :jawdrop:
-Reduced the weight on some exercises. I just wasn't feeling it today. Cold weather might have been a factor. :dunno:
-Finally figured out why my Fitbit numbers were so weird. Turns out I was reading the total caloric burn for the day...not that specific activity. Duh!
-So anyway...Fitbit said I burned off about 275 calories with this workout...which seems about right.

 

Gym Dandy

-Cable Cross Overs - 60 lbs, 70 lbs, 80 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Seated Lat Pulldown - 150 lbs, 160 lbs, 175 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Seated Shoulder Press - 110 lbs, 120 lbs, 140 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Over Head Cable Tricep Press - 80 lbs, 90 lbs, 100 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Cable Rope Curl - 60 lbs, 70 lbs 80 lbs (10, 8, 6)

Notes:
-Skipped legs today because mine were super sore for some reason. Could possibly due to Alex's last Kung Fu II workout.
-That might explain why Fitbit says I only burned a measly 118 calories today. That's barely enough to consume the protein bar I had before hitting the gym!

 

Kung Fu II Time!

Sifu was still out and all the little tykes were practicing for their demonstration routines during the Chinese New Year party. So Sihing Alex led probably the smallest adult class I've ever attended.

There were four of us. And it was AWESOME!

Here's how it went down:

Warm Up and Technique
-Jumping Jacks - 30
-Lunging Stretches
-Leg Swings: Side to Side - 20/side
-Leg Swings: Forward - 20/side
-Leg Swings: Backwards - 20/side
-Straddle Splits
-Standing Splits
(The following exercises were performed moving down the length of the studio)
-High Heel Kick
-One Legged "4" Squats
-Inside Crescent Kick
-One Legged "4" Squats
-Outside Crescent Kick
-Pistol Squats
-Front Slap Kick
-Squat to Low Stance
-Weighted Punches (4 lbs/hand): Jab/Jab/Cross
-Weighted Punches: Jab/Jab-Step/Power Cross
-Weighted Punches: Jab/Jab/Cross/Hook/Hook
-Weighted Punches: Jab/Jab/Cross/Duck/Upper Cut/Hook
-Weighted Classical Punches: White Crane Punch
-Weighted Classical Punches: Upswing
-Weighted Classical Punches: Back Fist/45 Degree Punch
-Weighted Classical Punches: Back Fist/Scraping Punch/Upswing

Forms:
-Staff
-Staff Advanced Techniques (Reverse Spin and advanced footwork)

Notes:
-Fitbit said I burned off 445 calories. Now THAT makes sense.

 

Gymkata!

-Bench Press - 155 lbs, 175 lbs, 185 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Close Grip Seated Row - 110 lbs, 125 lbs, 150 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Seated Preacher Curl - 60 lbs, 70 lbs, 95 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Shoulder Press - 110 lbs, 130 lbs, 150 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Goblet Squats - 50 lbs (2 x 10), 60 lbs (10)

Notes:
-Was doing to hit the heavy bag but my allergies are KILLING me today.
-And I forgot my Fitbit, so I'll never know how many calories I burned today. Plus, Fitbit will think I'm a slacker and skipped a day

 

Kung Fu II Time!

Sifu's back! And all the tykes were still working on their routines for the Demo Team, so there were only six people in the class.

Here's how it went down:

Warm Up:
-One Foot Stance - 10/side
-Searching the Sea to Seeking The Sky - 10/side
-Horse Stance Squats - 25

Kicking Technique: (Performed moving down the length of the studio)
-High Heel Kick/Jumping High Heel Kick
-Inside Crescent Kick/Jumping Inside Crescent Kick
-Outside Crescent Kick/Jumping Outside Crescent Kick
-Roundhouse Kick/Jumping Roundhouse Kick
-Side Kick/Jumping Side Kick
-Side Kick/Spinning Side Kick
-Hook Kick/Spinning Hook Kick
-Roundhouse Kick/Spinning Heel Kick
-Roundhouse Kick/Spinning Roundhouse Kick

Advanced Punch and Block Technique:
-Horse Stance Punches - 10/side
-Palm/Block/Long form Upper Cut - 10/side
-Upper Cut - 10/side
-White Crane Beak - 10/side
-White Crane Punch - 10/side
-Hammer Fist - 10/side
-Chop - 10/side
-Drop Block/Chop - 10/side
-Flower Hand Outer Block - 10/side
-Outer Block/Eagle Claw Grab - 10/side
-Outer Block/Eagle Claw Grab (with partner) - 10 minutes

Forms:
-Son Lei Keun (yay!) - First 10 moves

Notes:
-Good working on open hand forms again because I am really rusty.
-Fitbit said I burned 345 calories tonight

 

Kung Fu Sparring Time!

First time back in a month. Took a bit to shake the rust off. Thankfully it was a small and friendly class.

We did our usual warm ups and then moved to some basic punch/kick combinations.

After that, we paired off and did some partner attack and block/evade drills. I had one round with Sifu :cry:. Fortunately, he did a round with Sihing Kirby just before. So he was a little winded. But he's still pretty spry!

After that, we moved to eight rounds of "Mind Games 101".

Sifu imposed restrictions to forced us away from our standard move set. It was...challenging. Here's how it went down.

-Lead leg and lead hand only - 2 rounds
-Lead leg and rear hand only - 2 rounds
-Lead leg and rear hand only (front hand can initiate but can't attack) - 2 rounds
-Hands only - 2 rounds.

To keep with the spirit of the class, I tried NOT to throw my trademark Inky Tommy Spinning Back Fist (although, it did slip through once or twice)

Finally, we had two round of free sparring. I stole a couple of nifty moves from Sihing Kirby and and used them on him. Naturally, they only worked once.

But it was a good class. Definitely seeing improvement in my technique.

Heraclius, I can confirm the "Door Juggler" Thingies I've been doing DO help with blocking incoming punches. Not a lot of straight punches got through. Any hits I took were mostly from hooks or varying angles of attack (and one brilliant ax kick to the head!).

Fitbit says I burned off 555 calories.

 

Gymberly

Since I'm hitting weights two days back-to-back, I decided to split the routine into muscle group days instead of whole body workout.

So today was Chest and Triceps (with some Leg thrown in). Here's how it went down:

-Seated Chest Press - 140 lbs, 160 lbs, 180 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Cable Cross-Overs - 65 lbs, 75 lbs, 85 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Tricep Dips - 3 x 10
-Overhead Cable Rope Press - 70 lbs, 85 lbs, 100 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Seated Leg Press - 210 lbs, 225 lbs, 240 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Seated Calf Press - 210 lbs, 225 lbs, 240 lbs (10, 10, 10)


Notes:
-Fitbit says I burned off 120 calories. That's about right...

 

Gym Dandy

-Heavy Bag Training - 15 mins

• Jump Rope - 30 sec
• Jab/Cross (Left hand Lead) - 1 min
• Jump Rope - 30 sec
• Jab/Cross (Right hand Lead) - 1 min
• Jump Rope - 30 sec
• Jab/Cross/Hook (Left hand Lead) - 1 min
• Jump Rope - 30 sec
• Jab/Cross/Hook (Right hand Lead) - 1 min
• Jump Rope - 30 sec
• Punch/Kick Combos (front leg attack) - No time limit
• Jump Rope - 30 sec
• Punch/Kick Combos (rear leg attack) - No time limit
• Free Combos

-Seated Lat Pull Downs - 140 lbs, 160 lbs, 180 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Seated Close Grip Row - 125 lbs, 140 lbs, 155 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Seated Preacher Curls - 60 lbs, 70 lbs, 80 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Supinated Cable Rope Curls - 60 lbs, 70 lbs, 90 lbs (10, 8, 6)

Notes:
-Fitbit says I burned 254 calories

 

Gymbology

Whelp, had me a touch of the flu for the last few days. Finally beat it yesterday. So I celebrated my wellness by working up a sweat and throwing some heavy stuff around.

Here's how it went down:

-Seated Chest Press - 140 lbs, 160 lbs, 180 lbs (10, 7, 5)
-Tricep Dips - 3 x 10
-Seated Upright Row - 110 lbs, 120 lbs, 140 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Seated Preacher - 60 lbs, 70 lbs, 80 lbs (10, 8, 6)
-Seated Leg Press - 210 lbs, 225 lbs, 240 lbs (10, 8, 6)

Notes:
-Was feeling kind of sluggish today so I took longer rests between sets than usual. Probably why my heart rate and caloric burn was lower than most workouts.
-Because FitBit said I only burned 118 calories.

 

Kung Fu II Time!

Good to be back after being sick. Sifu had some personal stuff to take care of, but Sihing Alex ran the class. Which, despite all my complaining, I always really enjoy.

Showed us some really good combos that good really be devastating once pulled off with some precision.

(Unfortunately, they're also totally illegal for sparring)

Warm Up: (Moving down the length of the school)
-Hops
-Skip Side to Side
-Grapevine
-Skip
-Skip/High Knee
-High knee
-High Heel Kick
-Jumping High Heel Kick
-Inside Crescent Kick
-Jumping Inside Crescent Kick
-Outside Crescent Kick
-Jumping Outside Crescent Kick
-Front Slap Kick
-Jumping Front Slap Kick

Technique: Kicks (Moving down the length of the school)
-Two Step Side Kick
-Skip Side Kick/Lean Back Side Kick/Jump Side Kick
-Skip Side Kick/Lean Back Side Kick/Jump Side Kick/Spinning Side Kick
-Skip Side Kick/Lean Back Side Kick/Jump Side Kick/Spinning Side Kick/Jump Spinning Side Kick
-Step/Back Fist/Ax Kick/Front Round House Kick
-Step/Back Fist/Ax Kick/Front Round House/Low-High Front Round House Kick
-Step/Back Fist/Ax Kick/Front Round House/Low-High Front Round House Kick/Rear Low Round House
-Step/Back Fist/Ax Kick/Front Round House/Low-High Front Round House Kick/Rear Round House/Spinning Heel Kick
-Step/Back Fist/Ax Kick/Front Round House/Low-High Front Round House Kick/Rear Round House/Push Kick/Jump Push Kick
-Step/Back Fist/Ax Kick/Front Round House/Low-High Front Round House Kick/Rear Round House/Push Kick/Jump Push Kick/Block/Turn/Scorpion Kick/Scorpion Kick
-Step/Back Fist/Ax Kick/Front Round House/Low-High Front Round House Kick/Rear Round House/Push Kick/Jump Push Kick/Block/Turn/Scorpion Kick/Scorpion Kick/Outer Leg Block/Scoop Kick/Inner Leg Block/Side Kick

Technique: Punches (With weights and moving down the length of the school)
-Jab/Jab/Cross
-Jab/Jab/Cross/Jab/Drop/Low Cross
-Jab/Jab/Cross/Jab/Drop/Low Cross/Step Punches
-Jab/Jab/Cross/Jab/Drop/Low Cross/Eagle Claw Grab/Punch High//Punch Low
-Jab/Jab/Cross/Hook, Hook
-Jab/Jab/Cross/Hook/Hook/Duck/Upper Cut/Hook/Duck/Upper Cut/Hook
-Jab/Jab/Cross/Hook/Hook/Duck/Upper Cut/Hook/Duck/Upper Cut/Hook/Step-Hook

Forms:
-Chong Keun - Man, was I rusty!
-Staff - Indoors. With a full class. That was...interesting

Notes:
-Kicks are getting much better. Speed and height are improving. Just need to work on power.
-FitBit said I burned off 430 calories. Which seems pretty low for a Sihing Alex workout... :thinking:

 

Kung Fu II Time!

All the young 'uns were practicing their routines for the school Chinese New Year festival next week. So there were only four of us in the class!

Side note: Gung Hey Fat Choi!

Anyway, here's how it went down:

Warm Up and Technique (moving across the studio)
-High Heel Kick
-Jumping High Heel Kick
-Inside Crescent Kick
-Jumping Inside Crescent Kick
-Outside Crescent Kick
-Jumping Outside Crescent Kick
-Front Slap Kick
-Jumping Front Slap Kick
-Round House/Jumping Round House
-Round House/Spinning Jumping Round House
-Round House/Spinning Heel Kick
-Side Kick/Jumping Side Kick
-Side Kick/Pursuing Side Kick
-Hook Kick/Round House Kick
-Horse Stance Punches
-Horse Stance/Punch/Kick/Punch

Forms:
-Chong Keun - Together as a class, slowly
-Som Lei Keun - The first eight moves

Notes:
-Since there were only four of us, Sifu was able to really focus on each of us.
-On the downside, Sifu was able to really focus on each of us!
-But, I got a lot of great pointers on my kicks and stances. Little minute corrections here and there. Really helped.
-Only burned 290 calories and had a max heart rate up to 110 bpm.

 

So your classes are mixed ages where you study? That must make for a very...interesting time! At my dojo the only mixed class is Saturday morning and it's very informal. Anyhoo, looks like you're doing good work! Totally jealous of anyone who get to do stuff now that I'm on the injured roster. :/ Keep it up.

 

Well we actually have a "Kid's Class" and an "Adult's Class".

But the Adult's class is ages 15 and up. So they're all tykes and toddlers to me.

How's the finger doing?

 

Not in constant pain anymore. But it doesn't bend beyond 15-20 degrees or so. Stuck in rest/ice/anti-inflamitory/healing mode for a few months before I can begin physio to regain range of motion. :bang: EXTREMELY frustrating.

 

I know the feeling. Took about eight months for my jammed finger to heal. But that's only because I kept sparring with it and getting it re-injured.