Sparring: what is and its purpose Kung Fu sparring: a realistic view Sparring is the most realistic simulation of a real fight (read The 6 types of martial clash) but it happens in a safe, respectful and controlled way (read Dojo (guan): rules, respect and etiquette). Note – This article has been asked by one […]
After seeing something about the opponent study, we see now some specific applications and elaborations of the data that we may collect about him. Here is a series of concepts to think about in the configuration of our strategy and tactic preparation: Knowing the pace of our opponent allows us to predict where he will […]
How to exploit the opponent’s errors Continuing the discussion about fighting strategy (read How to study an opponent) we start to talk about how to use our enemy’s errors against him. There are endless ways to use at our advantage the opponent’s: Mistakes – Everything he fails to do, he does wrong, etc. Habits – Even […]
The necessary and sufficient conditions to implement martial arts for self-defense What the unprepared (or dishonest, read Recognize a good / bad master: 5 characteristics) instructors do not say is that in a real fight (read The 6 types of martial clash), martial arts are not automatically effective. Note – This article has been asked […]
After seeing the 10 most common fight mistakes (for a novice) we continue the discussion exposing the relative solutions: A low guard may be a personal choice, a tactic or a preparation to a technique, a guard “lowered” for distraction or superficiality is the worst error we can do; for those who are not very […]
Understanding who we are facing The wrong approach to an unexpected self-defense situation Let’s imagine a street scenario where an unknown aggressor wants to beat us: many (bad) self-defense instructors tell us to do not waste time and to attack in the most rapid / aggressive possible way: is it correct? Note – This article has […]
It’s not the years, belts, titles or certifications to make a warrior but the actual hours of true intense dedication. In 6DKF, hours of practice can be counted on workout clothes. Clothes crumpled, faded, ripped, patched and stained indelibly, this is a tangible sign to recognize the true practitioner, the one that has never given […]
What is Ma Bu stance? In martial arts (Kung Fu and not only) there are several versions of the “horse stance” (Ma Bu), the one that we are going to describe has much in common with that of Shaolin ones but to avoid confusion (discussions and overlaps), we only correlate it to 6 Dragons Kung […]
In 6DKF, as we have amply pointed out earlier, the exercise with the fabric cloth is one of the most important practices (to know how to perform it, we refer to previous articles about it). In order to effectively run our training sessions with this basic tool we want now to see a number of […]
A tribute to Evan Tai Chi Leung, a real master. Info:Founder of SCTM HK, Principal Trainer of HK CQC & Strato CQC.
How to choose the right guard stance After introducing the concept of “guard stance” in 6 Dragons Kung Fu (read The guard stances in 6DKF), we will now review some of the most important questions that we have to instinctively answer when choosing the position to be taken. We will never stop to repeat it: […]
When the fight is real, everything changes In the street (read Why martial arts do not work: 5 reasons), the difference between a good fighter and a novice, dies in the ability to control natural behaviors like: Panic Adrenaline Instinct … Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners […]
In 6DKF there are no single / fixed guard stance. Positions are several (moving, standing, on the ground, etc.) and change depending on: The practitioner (aptitudes, defects, etc.) The Environment (soil, freedom in movement, etc.) The situation (danger level, type of aggression, etc.) The opponents (the difference in height, style, etc.) To help of the […]
We continue the discussion (started in the previous article) about speed with the asynchronous and circular vibrations. The basic asynchronous vibrations: 1) Let’s open our arms laterally and through our elbows, we have to vibrate our forearms up and down (the arms are bent at 90 and our hands are closed as “spoon” with the […]
The secret to build real speed After making all the necessary premises about the exercises related to speed development (read Find the maximum speed that we can express), we move on to describe the first: the vibrations one. Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see […]
Combat: when speed can make the difference Only when our technical level and our instinct start to become calibrated is time to think about speed development (read How to learn to fight: all the steps). Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend […]
The duration of a fight greatly influences its outcome, if we are not able to maintain the same performance from the beginning to the end of the clash is useless to waste time studying the most effective martial techniques. From the (pure) physical point of view we must be able to: Attack / defend with […]
Combat and Persistent Movements: examples and learning What do the Persistent Movements consist of in 6 Dragons Kung Fu? They are a sort of “unstoppable” and “rational” force based on dynamic adaptation. Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes […]
What are the Persistent Movements? Persistent Movements cannot be directly acquired. A good practitioner of 6 Dragons Kung Fu, after years of daily practice, comes to acquire the ability of “Persistent Movements”. This specific attitude includes within itself various capacities (that, with time, are activated in combination and automatically): States exchange – Abruptly and instinctively stiffen / […]
After seeing how to prevail in the ground fighting, we want to go deep with some more advanced tips about the combat tactics (“advanced” because they require some skill, concentration and experience that a novice normally does not have). Here are some ideas / points of view (almost always valid) that can put us in […]
How to check the quality of our training A good way to seriously analyze the quality of our preparation in 6 Dragons Kung Fu (martial practice, health care, nutrition, meditation, etc.) is to do not dwell solely on what we have done but also about what we missed. The attention to the details is useless […]
A 4-hours session (high intensity) An example of an advanced daily training session of 6 Dragons Kung Fu (4 hours, individual, including some special / specific tools and exercises): 10 minutes of body extreme tension and immediate relaxation (controlling the flow of Qi, read The use of Qi in the 6DKF’s meaning and ) 30 […]
What is a breakfall? Learn how to fall properly is (should be) at the base of every serious martial art training. In this article, we are going to explain the most important concepts related to the contact with the ground. In particular, any martial artist should be interested in ground contacts as a result of: Projections […]
How to face the different types of exhaustion In this article, we are going to explain how to be able to train even when we have not yet developed sufficient discipline (read Having discipline: do not contradict ourselves). Not all states of exhaustion are similar. To understand how to succeed in our workout goals we […]
The most important 6 Dragons Kung Fu’s (specific) exercises After the compositional elements of most of the martial arts training (read How to train in 6DKF: basic exercises) let’s move to the categories of exercises specifically related to our Kung Fu (with or without weapons, with or without obstacles / variants). Note – This article […]
The most important exercises categories To prepare ourselves consistently in 6 Dragons Kung Fu (or any other martial art) we have to plan a daily training focused on the development and maintenance of all the basic skills that a practitioner should possess (read also All the skills of 6 Dragons Kung Fu). In our school […]
Training everywhere exploiting the environment’s elements In the 6 Dragons Kung Fu’s workout economy (read 6 Dragons Kung Fu training sessions’ structure), it is very important to alternate the solo and partner training (read 5 effective ways to find a training partner) with the one to perform with a dummy (to hit at full power, […]
After seeing the correct mental attitude to face a fight to the ground, we review some physical and practical advice in order to have a good chance to prevail over our opponent: Let’s economize the use of our limbs, if we can block multiple opponent’s limbs using less than 2 limbs (eg. only with our […]
An exercise to improve coordination of the arms To start building a basic motion capability of our arms (eg. for trapping, read Trapping), we want to describe a very simple and useful exercise: its name is “The 6 stones”. Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see […]
The body’s well-being is high on the priorities of a good martial artist, it is therefore important to get to know how does it work without hesitation or fear. In this article we talk about intestine and correct method of defecation (a bad working intestine risks to jeopardize our Qi). As some recent scientific studies […]
In the previous article we saw, in practice, what is wrong to do during a confrontation on the ground, let’s see some tips on how mentally focus ourself for a ground fight. The mental attitude: In a ground fight we have (relatively) more time to process strategies, we have to use the inner calm to […]
What we really need to be able to use a martial weapon in a real situation In terms of martial arts, to be able to use a proper / improper weapon (read Improper weapons in a real situation) does not mean: Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners […]
After seeing how to prepare our body and our mind, let’s go deep in a real fight; first, we start to list what it is (usually) wrong to do: If we are going down to the ground we must avoid to beat in the wrong way, we must break the fall and distribute fluidly the […]
When a belt becomes a blindfold Whether we are instructors or students, sometimes degrees, belts, trophies and all the other types of “recognition” risk blocking our capability to grow. Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung […]
The importance of breathing freely Correct breathing (read Correct breathing) is beneficial in any type of physical activity but when we talk about martial arts (as we already had occasion to say) it is even indispensable. To have the right level of control over our breathing helps us to: Build power Manage our timing Sync […]
We saw some methodologies on how to avoid being caught, how do not end to the ground and how to finish on the ground in a beneficial way, now we start to see how to deal with a real fight to the ground. Fighting on the ground is almost always a bad idea, however, we […]
What truly is (self) discipline? “Having discipline means doing what we think, without acting on the basis of how we feel”. Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course). In martial arts […]
What gives rise to ground fighting? Excluding the obvious (and extremely common) case of loss of balance (read How to improve balance: tricks and exercises), in most cases, what precedes a fight to the ground is: A grasping (by us or our opponent, read also Trapping [MINI-GUIDE]) A throw attempt (by us or our opponent) […]
Kung Fu should not only strengthen our body To be a true martial artist (especially when we talk about Kung Fu) it is not only about gaining fighting skills (technique, power, speed, flexibility, precision, resistance, etc.), it also means to understand how to control our ego, our instincts, our thoughts (read Mind skills: what we […]
Is it possible to avoid the ground fighting? As we said (read Ground fighting), to opt for ground fighting is: Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course). Our starting point is […]
The real 6DKF practitioner is quiet only when, practicing, he realize he is making mistakes, it means that he knows which direction it has to take to improve. Never ignore doubts and errors. If the arrogance darkens our minds and we illude ourselves to be doing everything in the right way, our growth opportunities are […]
Why transfer the battle on the ground could be a hazardous Ground fighting it’s extremely technical / strategical and absolutely fascinating but… Before starting this topic it is important to say that, outside a ruled context (competitions, gym sparring, etc. read Declared techniques, sparring and sport competition), to transfer the fight on the ground is in […]
An ancient exercise to improve reflexes A big part of the 6 Dragons Kung Fu workout is dedicated to optimizing the innate functions of our mind and body. Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: […]
A few days ago the youngest student of the guan where we practice (8 years) asked a question in a low voice that revealed a great depth of thought. It is therefore worthwhile to share this thread. Uan Zheng: “Sifu, why people die? I do not want to die…” Sifu: “What did you say?” Uan […]
Martial arts require a lot of energy Any martial athlete who is training on a daily base and intensively, constantly needs a proper energy intake. A poor nutrition attitude can cause serious deficiencies (especially after 30-35 years): It can annihilate a big part of the physical / mental performance It can limit / slow down […]
We conclude the discussion on how to climb a 2.5m wall of rock; if we have followed all the instructions we should have a good physical preparation and the ability to manage, evaluate and avoid possible dangers. Before starting: Let’s do some stretching and warming exercises Let’s do some running tests on the wall without […]
The best way to start a day is to perform a short sequence of awakening exercises. Awakening of the mind (inspired by Shaolin): Meditation by sitting (on our bed or on the floor) 7 complete rotations to the right of the eyes closed 7 complete rotations to the left of the eyes closed 36 rubs […]
After taking into account the necessary physical preparation (without which it is impossible to achieve the result) we start to see the technique to climb our wall (made of stone, 2.5m high). Preparation: Let’s do extensive stretching and warming (important) Let’s wear shoes with a sole as much as possible “prehensile” Let’s choose the wall […]
A tribute to Yossi Sheriff, a real master. Info:Bujinkan shidoshi and headmaster of AKBAN Academy (Bujinkan Ninjutsu).
As we have seen, we must be in good physical shape to be able to climb without help a 2.5m wall, now let’s see some more specific exercises to be performed as a consequence of those already mentioned. Exercises to be performed for the 50% of the time (the initial half) with the 25kg vest […]
Climb over a wall with bare hands can be more or less easy in relation to the following variables (independent of us): The height of the wall The slope of the wall The wall surface type (eg. stone, live brick, etc.) … As well in relation to some other closely related to us: Our weight […]
In the 6DKF the construction of the iron palm is (as already mentioned) the result of a long process of improving, mental (concentration, etc.) and physical (conditioning, etc.); in short, we must treat the evolution of: A passive structure (hardening of the bones, muscles, etc.) An active structure (the control of breathing, Qi, etc.) In […]
What is the most useful fighting skill? Not without a bit ‘of irony, we want to ask a question rather absurd: What would be the ability that “potentially” (brought to the highest level conceivable) could be sufficient (eg. for an old man or a child) to win against every kind of opponent? Note – This […]
Speed, power and precision: how to mechanize and optimize our moves In martial arts terms, when we talk about muscle memory we refer to the capability that our psychophysical system has to facilitate, accelerate and / or improve the execution of a certain move (eg. a kick, a throw, a defensive step, etc.). Note – […]
Every human body expresses its own potential at the same time in a similar and different from all the others way. As we have already had occasion to say, in a fight no matter how we are quick to move but how we are fast to execute effective techniques, the 6DKF therefore insists on two […]
What are the soft movements? At the base of a large percentage of 6 Dragons Kung Fu’s techniques, there are soft movements (read 6DKF’s interactions: from the strong blow to the light touch), their fundamental characteristics are: Relaxation – It has to be interpreted as an absence of stiffness, not a weak setting Harmony – […]
The Iron Palm skill: second phase Important – Do not read thi article without having read the indications of the first phase Iron Palm conditioning (for beginners). As we said, in our and in many other martial arts, is developed a particular type of hand conditioning commonly known as “Iron Palm”. In our school, even […]
What distinguishes 6 Dragons Kung Fu The classical martial arts schools’ teaching method and its limits Let’s imagine a total beginner, most martial arts schools (modern or traditional they are, read also The disadvantages of “traditional” Kung Fu) tend to immediately force him / her to a preconfigured type of: Techniques Training exercises Tactical purposes […]
A good exercise to learn how to distribute our weight dynamically is this one: Let’s take a medicine ball (minimum 5 kg) Let’s position the ball on a flat surface, smooth and resistant (our weight + the ball) Let’s take a chair with the backrest and let’s position it in front of the ball With […]
An unorthodox training with a Tennis ball In this article we want to talk about pneumatic ball training, an advanced workout that in some ways may seem “ridiculous” but it really helps to develop and combine high-level skills like: Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon […]