Exercise reflexes & precision with a Tennis ball

Master Kongling All, Conditioning, Exercises reflexes, spatial intelligence, speed, speed training, stamina 4

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An advanced practice to build stamina, reflexes, speed and spatial intelligence

In our school, after the first 3 basic tools (read /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///): the next most effective tool to develop good martial skills (read All the skills of 6 Dragons Kung Fu) is certainly the Tennis ball.

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).

What we are going to describe is very useful for developing high-level reactivity in relation to dynamic combat contexts but before continuing it is important to stress that:

Neither this tool nor this exercise is useful for beginners (read How to start practicing from scratch)
This exercise implies a basic preparation (at least one year of training) to be profitable
In terms of pure combat preparation (read How to learn to fight: all the steps), the Tennis ball related practices (read Martial arts: best 5 exercises with a Tennis ball) may be even counterproductive if performed at the wrong moment
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A note by Master Kongling – With the last point we are not saying that it is impossible or totally useless to perform this kind of exercise but that there are many profitable ones for a novice. The point is that the more gradual the martial evolution is, the fewer gaps remain in our preparation. The reason is that on a physical level, we risk doing the exercise badly and on a mental level we risk conditioning ourselves to the idea of not being able to sustain certain rhythms (a real disaster, read Training in negative). The best difficulty of serious training must always be just a little beyond our limits, never too much below, never too much above (this is the real secret of a constant improvement curve over time).

How to perform the exercise

What we need:

A normal Tennis ball (in the beginning let’s opt for a real one, in a more advanced phase we could opt for those made for the dogs, that bounce less)
Let’s find a closed room (with no fragile objects, obstacles, things on the walls, etc.)
The room should be large if we do not have much spatial intelligence (read The most important skill in combat), at least 7x3m

The execution:

Let’s start at a certain distance from the shorter wall
We have to throw the ball against the wall (with a certain power)
The goal is to hit the ball with striking techniques (punches, kicks, blocks, etc.) so that it rebounds back against the wall
If we are too close to the wall we try to never let the ball fall to the ground
If we are far away let’s try to make bounce the ball only once
The goal is to hit accurately, powerfully and fast (by voluntarily choosing the direction in which to throw the ball)

The (not-secondary) rules for a correct performance:

The ball cannot be stopped or grabbed with hands
If the ball escapes us we have to chase it before it touches the wall again or stops bouncing; in doing this we have to run at maximum speed (at the beginning normally, then with the gorilla run, read 4-limbs running exercises ideal for beginners / warm-up)
While we recover a lost ball we have to completely bend our knees to the ground as fast as we can (but without ever losing balance, movement control or leaning on more than one knee)
Let’s never stay still, this is a very dynamic exercise (we have to jump, run, roll, etc. at a high pace)
As our ability increases, we can get closer to the wall (or train in a smaller room)
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Final notes

A few conclusive thoughts:

Initially, the exercise will be very frustrating and very tiring, it is absolutely normal but gradually it will allow us to develop spatial intelligence, precision, defensive instinct, speed, stamina, reflexes and much more
Another fantastic quality of this practice is that we will train our body to maintain a really high pace without almost realizing it (because our mind will be completely busy, as for the other technical practices of our school, calculating how to reach the target)
Despite the various properties that we have listed, what we have described falls into the category of secondary practices of 6 Dragons Kung Fu; unlike the others in fact it cannot be performed with excessive consistency (the reason is that it is easy to get used to so ” relatively simple” dynamics); periodic execution is therefore recommended, at distances of no less than 3 days (calculating a daily workout, read also Practical examples of daily training time subdivision)
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In-depth video courses

Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu Exercises – A visual and detailed explanation of the 5 basic practices of our Kung Fu
Advanced speed and reflexes training – The secrets behind real combat speed development (theory, exercises and methods)

In-depth articles

4 exercises to become good at dodging punches – How to train one of the hardest capabilities to acquire
How to improve balance: tricks and exercises – The basics to start to develop the skill that makes the difference between amateurs and experts

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

Are you able to direct your blows where you choose?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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