What Qi is not and our approach The first thing to stress is that, in 6 Dragons Kung Fu, Qi has nothing supernatural: 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). We […]
In the previous article we talked about “conscious” deception, let’s now attach to the speech the idea of “unconscious” deception. This second category includes, for example, the famous subliminal messages: those constructs that lead to take actions or convince of certain things without noticing it (in many cases, neither before nor after the attainment of […]
How to do the splits In the previous article (read The easiest method to do the side split), we have described the most simple and effective way to make a good side split. Let’s define now the final details of the exercise (it is useless to say that to read this we must have already […]
How to learn to do the split As we already mentioned, in Kung Fu and in martial arts in general, body flexibility involves a myriad of applications (read Body flexibility and martial arts) but some of the biggest advantages come from the improvement of the opening of our legs. In this discussion, we will see: […]
Deception: the functions of the mind Talking about the human brain, we could say that what governs our behavior and reactions (in relation to the external stimuli) depends on: Speed and breadth of reasoning (the effectiveness of the work of our synapses) Previous experiences (what we can remember or we think to remember) Reasoning method […]
Training with the Jook Wan Huen An effective tool to improve our martial skills (tactile sensitivity for trapping, Chi Sau, etc. read All the skills of 6 Dragons Kung Fu) is to use the Wing Chun’s Jook Wan Huen. Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon […]
Let’s reassume the idea of receiving-processing of external impulses with one word: attention, pay attention. Attention is like a video camera: If we try to frame a too large portion of space we lose all the details If we zoom on a small area we see some details but we lose everything else The conjurer […]
After mentioning the four (main) types of deception that we will discuss and having gradually focused their most common point (the “distraction”), let’s try to analyze what are the forced paths that allow us to convey our “fallacious messages”. First, it should be emphasized that there are: Active / passive distractions created by us Fortuitous […]
Take the right direction in your life: choose a straight line One of the most interesting principles of surviving says that: When we are lost (for example) in a forest, if we are certain that no one will ever come looking for us, the best way to get out is to choose an intelligent direction (a […]
In the 6DKF, as we mentioned in the past, the ability to deceive opponents is taught: In terms of combat (eg. feints) In terms of survival (eg. simulate dead) In terms of persuasion (eg. lead a discussion where we want) In terms of intelligence (eg. perform an action without the observer’s consciousness) In this specific […]
What is the difference between speed and quickness? Let’s start with a little disambiguation note to determine the difference between speed and quickness in terms of martial arts: Quickness – It is the time that our natural and “innate” body capabilities need to move our body (eg. we are quick if we can throw a punch […]
An intermediate-level dodge conditioning After having initiated our mind / body to the idea of the dodge motion (read Preparing body to dodge punches (“U” motion)) we want to share an exercise that, at the same time, teaches us to: Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on […]
Another step As we have seen for the second meditation method of 6 Dragons Kung Fu (read Meditation method 2), to pass to the next stage we must have practiced profitably the first 2 (read Meditation method 1), otherwise we risk damaging / slowing / stopping our evolution. The third meditation method Method 3 partially comes […]
How to dodge punches: prepare the body for the “U” motion Before starting to train our reflexes to recognize and avoid punches, we must accustom our body to the calibrated and explosive movement of a basic dodge (read Dodge attacks). Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on […]
In a combat against an opponent who is really able to fight (or that is at our level) it is not reasonable to expect to be able to effectively intercept any attack (parry, channel, etc.). The attacks (kicks, punches, etc.), when they are brought by opponents with some experience arrive: In the direction of our […]
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 rhythmic blows on the abdomen muscles (with the fingers at medium intensity / power) 10 minutes of running and jumps against the wall […]
Coordination has to be a constant in martial arts. Here is an exercise that helps us to have greater mastery of our body: Let’s take a pencil / pen and a sheet of paper (A4 size) Let’s create in our mind a state of relaxation and concentration With one hand, let’s grasp the pencil and […]
Why is correct breathing so important? In every aspect of human life, breathing can play a crucial role and although it is a vital gesture, it is by no means a foregone action. Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home […]
The second exercise to build a good muscle chain After the first exercise (read Exercise 1 for the abs to develop the muscle chain), it is now time to see the second one useful to condition our muscle chain (read Use the body power: the muscle chain). Note – This article has been asked by […]
A tribute to Rener Gracie, a real master Short info Rener Gracie is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master, head instructor at the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy and co-founder of Gracie University. 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 […]
Conditioning to pain: a simple but effective exercise After having familiarized ourselves with the concept of “pain tolerance” (read Acceptance and prevention of pain), it is now time to make a new step toward a real impact conditioning for combat. Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on […]
A multitasking practice to develop physical and mental coordination In 6 Dragons Kung Fu when we talk about coordination we do not refer only to the capability to master more or less complex motor skills but also to the ability to mentally focus on 2 (or more) different and simultaneous tasks. Note – This article […]
Why condition our body to resist pain One of the most basic aspects that a true martial artist should learn to manage / reduce is pain. We cannot panic or remain powerless at the slightest contact, no matter if: Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon […]
1 million voices, 1 million opinions For every teacher / practitioner who we will meet, we will find different opinions on every single aspect of martial arts (starting from the general terms, up to the smallest technical detail): Who will say that their method is older and therefore more refined Who will say that their method […]
At the base of multitasking: mental coordination With “mental coordination” we normally refer to the ability to process information, plan / organize actions and make decisions in a coherent / effective way. Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study […]
How to effectively learn to walk silently Connecting us to the topic of stealth walking (started with Stealth walking: an introductory exercise) we want to give a set of tips and tricks to learn and practice better. To start it is important to stress that: To truly learn how to walk without being noticed is not […]
The most brutal types of fighting After having described the peculiatiries of declared techniques, sparring and sportive fight (read Declared techniques, sparring and sport competition), we conclude the discussion about the 6 general types of martial confrontation with: Self-defense Martial clash War clash Self-defense Normally it is not a voluntarily chosen fight (read Self-Defense: is […]
How to walk (almost) without making noise After having seen the introductory exercise for silent walking (read Stealth walking: an introductory exercise), we move now to the first practical technique (the one that, better than the others, describes the general method). Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners […]
The fool seeks to control opponents, the true warrior seeks to control itself. Our real enemy is our irrational weakness in front of emotions and sensations.
The first 3 types of fighting Continuing the discussion about the various types of martial clash (read The 6 types of martial clash), let’s start to analyze the peculiarities of the first 3: Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home […]
Each type of fight correspond to a specific context Often those who have never had anything to do with it tend to consider combat as if it were a single great discipline: nothing more false and wrong. Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to […]
See everything, do not look at anything: the applications As we seen in the past articles (read The overall view: see everything, do not look at anything and What we need to develop the overall view) the overall view is a fundamental skill for any kind of practitioner: In self-defense – To see what happens around us (unexpected aggressors, […]
The basic concepts of stealth walking As Ninjutsu teaches us, the same concepts that we have introduced talking about invisibility in the crowd (read Be invisible in the crowd: divert attention), return in stealth walking: Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend […]
It seems that the ancient shinobi (ninja) were driven to create inside their minds a kind of “demon”, a judge to condition (ethically, etc.) any aspect of their life, almost like a separate entity, a keeper always vigilant. This kind of practice is a bit ‘extreme and can give rise to many questions, but it […]
An exercise to develop the soft touch skill 6 Dragons Kung Fu has no juggling purposes but a basic level of dexterity is absolutely fundamental: especially managing sharpened weapons. During combat is not so strange to lose the control of ours or opponent’s weapon and this eventuality must be managed in the correct way. Particularly in the […]
As mentioned earlier, the 6DKF actively invites its practitioners to experience other fighting styles (through stages, seminars, courses, etc.) to: Enlarge our technical background and training (exercises, tools, tactics, etc.) Correct our faults through different visions and alternative teaching methods Learn about the strengths and weaknesses of our potential opponents Our goal must be to […]
Is the overall view a suppressed instinct? Continuing the discussion about the overall view (read The overall view: see everything, do not look at anything) we want to start to understand how to develop it. The first things to know are that: The overall view is a skill that most of the animals possess (especially if […]
What is the overall view? The normal process of data recovering through sight is: Generic – We search where and what we expect Superficial – We rarely give a meaning to what we see Ingenuous – We look for big and obvious variation Prejudicial – We often catch only the information we want Slow – We […]
How to build a good kinetic chain (for martial arts) The best way to develop our muscle chain (read Use the body power: the muscle chain) is by conditioning the muscle memory (read The muscle memory) of our body in groups: Note – This article has been originally asked by one of our Core Course […]
To understand why the soft muscle chain is superior to that rigid we return to see the strength, the energy, like a metal ball that must flow through a tube (as we mentioned in past articles). Our aim is to “shake” the pipe so as to throw the ball, well: In the case of the […]
Can a total beginner learn Kung Fu (or any other martial art) online? The first thing to say is that: the answer cannot be universal. There are cases where it is possible and cases where it is not but before asking ourselves this, we have to focus our attention on a few other important questions: […]
The muscular chain has multiple levels of formulation, the highest and effective is the one that flows through softness (eg. as occurs in Tai Chi), the lower one through the rigidity or semi-rigidity (as is the case in the vast majority of sports). The rigid chain is slightly more “easy” to acquire, instead, if we […]
What is the muscle chain? The concept of muscle chain applied to martial arts After having roughly seen the difference between concatenating and summing the power of our body elements (read Sum and concatenate the power of body elements), it is time to start to talk about the principle of the muscle chain. Note – […]
What is the cold? The cold could be seen as a gentle hand that caresses us to stimulate our Qi (read The use of Qi in the 6DKF’s meaning). 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 […]
When our health is good and environmental scenarios are not extreme, our body is able to manage their own temperature burning calories (available and / or in excess). External corrective actions (excess clothing, forced temperature changes, etc.) damage and inhibit the defense / survival mechanisms of human being (the result of a million years of […]
Each limb, or better, each element of our body is able to express a given performance that goes from 0% to 100% (in terms of speed, power, precision, etc.), but, it is interesting to highlight that this potential is: Incredibly less than what our brains could dynamically handle Almost always less than what could bear […]
A very interesting exercise (not for beginners) to develop the ability to grab / catch / dodge / manage human limbs is the 6 Dragons Kung Fu’s Dynamic Water Bottle training. This evolution of the fabric cloth practice (read Basic tools: the cloth) is a workout that implies: A considerable speed and accuracy (spatial intelligence) A basilar […]
Before entering the topic it is very important to say two things: It is not good to play with feeding, it is very easy to lose control and come to pathological tendencies Every choice as to our diet has to be taken with awareness, moderation and by mutual agreement with our family doctor This article […]
The 6DKF is one of the few martial arts that choose to use within a single fighting style: Softness (dispersed energy) Hardness (directed energy) Flexibility (reflected energy) Rigidity (absorbed energy) According to different situations of attack / defense it can in fact be more or less useful choose to use hard or rigid movements rather […]
The benefits of constant change conditioning After the explanation of what we mean by “constant change” in our Kung Fu (read Same exercises, different execution) we want now to share a few practical ideas on how to make our training: Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on […]
The perfect training balance For each serious martial arts practitioner, a good workout program must: maintain, extend and evolve all the skills involved in the discipline. 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 […]
How to kick remaining stable: a few simple tips In this tutorial, we want to share a few effective tricks to immediately improve our balance while kicking (read also How to kick (simple explanation)). Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our […]
Reach a target with a dart (or a stone, or a knife or any other object) with calm and concentration is useful but only covers a small part of what we really want to learn. We are not preparing to become jugglers, almost immediately we have to project ourselves in the real context, we have […]
Are you a fighter or a warrior? Martial arts have been practiced for centuries, serving not only as a means of self-defense or war (read The 6 types of martial clash) but also as a pathway to personal growth and mental enlightenment. Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course […]
We have seen the various types of improper combat tools and what to assess in their choice, let’s see now what are the ideal characteristics for the choice of an “improvised” weapon. Some premises (please read carefully): The 6DKF martial art is committed to peace and that it repudiates violence, the study of warrior skills […]
A tribute to L Sng, a real master. Info:L Sng was the President of the Vovinam Vietnamese Martial Arts World Federation, he added to the Vovinam a lot of innovations, first of all the spiritual part (adding the world famous name Viet Vo Dao).
When we are forced to face one or more attackers, an improper weapon may represent the advantage that will allow us to prevail (maybe even without having to fight). However, improper weapons are different from proper for a single factor, they were not created to fight; they may have some drawbacks that instead of helping […]
Why learn to use improper weapons In 6 Dragons Kung Fu we study the functional use of various kind of weapons (flexible, rigid, etc., read 6DKF: what does it teach?) but in a civil context of self-defense, to have professional weapons at our fingertips: It is absolutely uncommon – Personal defense situations are generally unexpected […]
Martial arts: precision training with an anatomical skeleton During our advanced training sessions, we use a life-size human skeleton (similar to the one in the photo) as a training dummy (read All the training dummies). The goal is to get used to manipulating the human rigid internal structure. Note – This article has been asked […]
All disciplines that include the intensive use of physical faculties of the human body (in particular those involving the fight) expose us to the risk of injuries. Potentially even in simple workouts, we are constantly in danger of suffering more or less serious accidents, it is inevitable. This is something from which the true martial […]