Kung Fu, how to train: the specific exercises

Master Kongling All, 6DKF School, Conditioning, Exercises, Training advanced training, basic training, core concepts and principles, training organization 2

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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 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).

Before continuing, it is important to stress that in 6 Dragons Kung Fu there are hundreds of:

Exercises (eg. the ones with the rattan ring, read The exercise with the plastic or rattan ring)
Weapons (eg. the 9 Section Chain Whip, read The Shaolin 9 Section Chain Whip)
Tools (eg. the skeleton dummy, read Advanced martial training with a skeleton dummy)
…

With time we will see all of them (exercises, weapons, training tools, etc.) but even though each one is useful to achieve specific goals (eg. mastering advanced techniques, etc.) only a few of them are crucial.

In this article, we are going to list the primary groups of practices that we have to perform regularly.

The 6 exercise categories (in order of importance)

1. The 5 fundamental technical exercises

These practices are the ones we have to focus on because they represent the heart of our Kung Fu (read /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///):

The training with the fabric cloth – With variations of objects, number, execution conditions, (etc., read Basic tools: the cloth)
The training with the hanging moving targets – With changes in size, weight, number, type of ropes, target (etc., read Basic tools: the Hanging Speedball)
The training with the poles – With variations of displacement, targets (etc., Basic tools: the pole)
The conditioning – Resistance to pain, breathing, strengthening of the body, agility (etc., read Physical conditioning: how it works)
Sparring (for those who want to learn to fight) – At different levels of intensity, speed, with / without protections (etc., read Martial arts sparring [MINI-GUIDE])

2. The study exercises

These are the “corollary exercises”, those that are necessary to grow at a technical level:

Technique interiorization – The study, test and of combat moves, drills, deception methods, body states, footwork, shadow boxing (etc., read for example 6DKF’s interactions: from the strong blow to the light touch)
The training of special skills – To gradually reach our specific martial goals (read How to acquire special abilities and All the skills of 6 Dragons Kung Fu)
…

3. Mind-related exercises

Regarding our mental development (also in relation to our body) we have instead:

Meditation (read Meditation method 1)
The development of Qi (read The use of Qi in the 6DKF’s meaning)
The Advanced Body Control (“ABC”, read Advanced body control)
The improvement of the senses (read for example Advanced training: gradually learn to fight in the dark)
The development of combat instinct and Quick Reasoning (read for example Quick reasoning in combat: how to develop it)
The study of the fighting methods / tactics / strategies (read for example Martial arts real-time strategy: how to)
The study of mental tactics and deception (read The paths of deception)
The study of “invisibility” and stealth techniques (read for example Be invisible in the crowd: preparation and clothing)
The study of action and reaction under stress (read for example Self-defense: mental preparation)
The study of anatomy, its biomechanics (read for example The guide to the signals of aggression)
The study of the human body language (more about this later)
The understanding of our philosophy (read for example A 6DKF for each one)
…

4. Weapon exercises

The ones with basic weapons (through which it is possible to get close to almost all others, proper or improper, read also Self-defense: why learn to use improper weapons) are:

An average stick (to simulate spears, etc.)
A short stick (to simulate swords, machetes, baseball bats, etc.)
The nunchaku (in preparation of the 3 sections stick, etc.)
A rope (to simulate the whip, the 9 sections chain, etc.)
A very short stick (to simulate knife, kunai, etc.)
The Tennis balls and the chopsticks (to simulate throwing weapons or impact in general)
…

5. Special tools exercises

Some of our most advanced workouts involve the use of special tools (gradually we will see how to create alternative cheaper versions of them and / or where to buy them) such as:

The punching bag (of various kinds, shape size and weight, even artisanal, read for example How to make a punching bag with tires)
The wooden dummy (of various kinds, even artisanal, read Martial arts training dummies [MINI-GUIDE])
A rail for tractions (even homemade or using a pre-existing structure)
The grappling dummies (for ground fighting and projections, of various weights, read for example Build a low-cost grappling dummy)
…

6. Collective exercises

Last but not least, we have the couple and / or group training (without which there are no possibilities to learn to fight, read How to use martial arts in a real fight):

Sparring (in pairs or multiple and at different levels of control, read How to do sparring)
Didactical application of techniques (eg. in turn and in a more or less collaborative way)
Exercises in combination / cooperation (eg. mutual enlargement of the split)
…

Final notes

A few conclusive thoughts:

Clearly many of the exercises belong to more than one category at the same time, the distinctions we have do not represent watertight compartments
While it is true that the categories are “in order of importance”, it should be emphasized that these are not sidereal distances, it may in fact be surprising that group exercises are in last place but it is only because our Kung Fu can also be practiced by those who do not wish to focus on fighting (the important thing is not to think that we can learn to defend ourselves without ever having faced an opponent)
…

In-depth video courses

Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu exercises – All the exercises that we use to build practical martial skills
Advanced speed and reflexes training – A speed development course to reach high combat reactivity
Mind self-control hacks – How to improve our brain capabilities in order to reach our goals
Basic free hand fighting techniques – The fundamental fighting techniques of 6 Dragons Kung Fu
Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu weapons – A step-by-step path to our fundamental martial weapons
How to develop a good timing – How to gain control over your pace and impose it on the opponent
Advanced combat tactics – The most effective strategies and tactics to prevail during a fight

In-depth articles

6DKF: what does it teach? – A sum up of the most incisive elements of 6 Dragons Kung Fu
How to train without risks [MINI-GUIDE] – Everything we must know to train safely and profitably

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

Which category of exercises most interests you the most?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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