Lesson 4 – How to prepare for the effort
A small preparation for Kung Fu
In the next chapter, we will discuss the foundation of 6 Dragons Kung Fu but first, you need to prepare your body and your mind.
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).
At this point:
- We assume that you have obtained a positive medical opinion about the possibility of practicing martial arts (see Lesson 1.2)
- We assume that you have verified your physical / mental eligibility for the practice of Kung Fu (see Lesson 1.2)
- We assume that you have practiced the exercise proposed in Lesson 1.3 for, at least, 1-2 weeks
- We take for granted that you have found the right time / space / equipment for your Kung Fu practice (see Lesson 1.1)
If you are sure about these assumptions, continue reading to project your next few weeks, otherwise, please step back to the previous lessons.
A note by Master Kongling – I know, a lot of you want to immediately learn how to fight: do not worry, in this course, we will see everything but if we skip these steps your combat skills will be poor (read How to learn faster). In a fight, it is always the fighter who made the deepest and hardest path to win, never the one who has tried all possible shortcuts.
The next step: good and wrong introductory exercises
Good exercises
Once you have reached the basic level of fitness required, we can move on to the first introductory exercises.
Here you can find some useful sample activities to prepare your body for Kung Fu. You can choose one or more of them and dedicate each day, the time you prefer (there are no constraints):
- Running (both fast and slow, read for example 5 running exercises ideal for beginners/warm-up)
- Jumping (of all kinds, read for example 5 jumping exercises ideal for beginners/warm-up)
- Swimming (especially breaststroke)
- Cycling (both inside and outside)
- Abs (of all kinds, read for example 5 abs exercises ideal for beginners/warm-up)
- Dance (of all kinds)
- Soft stretching (read Basic soft stretching)
- …
Especially if you are not an athlete (and not even a sportsman):
- You have to start to move your body but avoiding the sensation of effort (the time to address this will arrive, do not worry)
- Psychologically you need to accustom your mind to the positive effect of training
- In this phase, your training must end with the first sensations of effort
A note by Master Kongling – I know that the excitement of starting leads to exasperating the practice but this is not the time. In 6 Dragons Kung Fu, you will get used not only to address fatigue / frustration but also physical pain (read Acceptance and prevention of pain). The secret to achieve these results is that everything must be extremely gradual: otherwise you risk to train as a lion for 4-5 days and to abandon the practice the following one (read Motivation: from passion to self-discipline).
The physical activities to avoid
After mentioning the useful activities, let’s see now those who (only for the moment) should be avoided:
- Weightlifting (both dynamic and steady)
- Activities related to the fight (sparring, etc.)
- Sports at a competitive level (Tennis, Basket, Football, etc.)
- Extreme stretching (power, ballistic, etc.)
- Weapons exercises (with real / heavy blades, chains, etc.)
- Too extreme practices (acrobatics, advanced conditioning, etc.)
- …
Last but not least, all those things where the control of effort does not depend on you.
Mental preparation
We will talk about this later and in-depth but this is a good moment to:
- Have your first approach to 6 Dragons Kung Fu’s meditation (the Meditation method 1 is a good introductory point, perfect for beginners)
- Start to change your mind in relation to your diet (read Qi and proper nutrition)
A note by Master Kongling – Please do not think that meditation is useless, in the advanced part of this Kung Fu course you will need it (to control your body parts, to free your mind during combat, etc.). It is not a matter of hours of practice, if you start with 1 minute, it is more than enough.
In-depth articles
- A meditation mini-guide: how to start – A guided path related to meditation in 6 Dragons Kung Fu
- How to use martial arts in a real fight – The only possible way to effectively use martial arts in combat
<< Lesson 1.3 – Index – Lesson 2.1 >>
Author: Master Kongling
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January 5, 2018 @ 11:11 pm
Why have I to change my diet?
January 6, 2018 @ 5:32 pm
You have to change your diet only if (according to a medical opinion) it is incorrect and you feel you could be in a better condition. A good diet is the key for a good kung fu training (and in general for all kinds of physical activities).
January 8, 2018 @ 1:00 am
What about frustration?
January 12, 2018 @ 9:21 am
To obtain some of the abilities you will probably have to face it.
In Kung Fu there are things very easy to understand / acquire and some others very hard. The frustration may appear when you think to be ready to gain something but you are not.
The only way to avoid frustration is, yes, to have specific goals, but to do not live for them. It’s the growth of your everyday training that must make you satisfy and not the acquisition of each single skill.
January 10, 2018 @ 1:08 pm
Where can I find the second meditation method?
January 12, 2018 @ 9:23 am
It is on our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/6dragonskungfustyle
We will publish it again also here in this site.
I do not know your level but, please, do not run too fast, you have to feel confortable with the first one before.
February 11, 2020 @ 8:43 am
What can I do the days I feel without energies?
September 16, 2020 @ 8:13 pm
You have to train, use motivation and do what you like but cover the time:
https://www.6dragonskungfu.com/motivation-from-passion-to-self-discipline/
July 5, 2022 @ 6:14 am
Ok
November 13, 2022 @ 9:24 pm
Why should we avoid weight lifting, if we add weightlifting to the rest of the trainings is it not perfect to gain strength, with the good diet in conjunction with the activity levels we have?
November 13, 2022 @ 10:19 pm
It is only for the initial phase, the reason is that if you work seriously with weights when your body is not educated to fast movements, you condition yourself to be slow, cyclical and you preclude yourself from the possibility to reach your highest speed.