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The evolutionary training steps of a true martial arts practitioner

The more we train, the more deleterious it is to stop.

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).

For a real martial arts practitioner (we are not talking about amateurs, read How to train to master 6 Dragons Kung Fu), the evolutionary steps of a serious training path are:

Learn to train every day (even for 1-5 minutes, no matter how long, read The first martial skill to be acquired and How to start practicing from scratch)
Do not leave at the end of the initial enthusiasm (normally after the first 1-2 months, read Motivation: from passion to self-discipline)
Reach 1 hour per day (no matter the level of effort)
Do not leave on the arrival of yearly recurrences (eg. Christmas, holidays, more demanding school or work periods, etc.)
Overcome the 2 hours per day (no matter the level of effort; the most difficult step to overcome)
Do not leave after the first 6 months (the moment when many think they have mastered something that they actually don’t even know)
Do not leave after the first 2 years (the moment when the learning curve starts to slow down)
Reach the 3 hours per day (no matter the level of effort; this is the basic level of a real practitioner)
Cover the 4 hours per day (no matter the level of effort)
Do not leave after the stabilization phase (the moment when the student starts to train passively, leaving, in most cases without realizing it, the idea of constant improvement)
Cover the 4-6 hours of practice per day (at the right level of effort, depending on the martial goals, with practice we mean real training for the sports fighters and training / teaching / meditation for the instructors)
Do not leave after the black belt (the moment when the true martial path starts and when accepting to continue learning becomes a difficulty of pride)

As we said the biggest difficulty is to overcome the 2 hours of daily practice, it costs:

Effort (preparation)
Self-control (discipline)
Constancy (concentration)

The good news is that once we have overcome this phase (read /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///), training becomes an integral part of our daily life and as a rule, we can no longer live without it (read Tips on how to stretch our training times).

Who are the enemies of consistency in training?

A note by Master Kongling – It is useless to say that for real martial arts practitioners (after the 2 hours per day) do not exist workout pauses longer than 2-3 days. For fanatic Kung Fu addicted like us, things like voyages, normal work, family recurrences, holidays, laziness (etc.) never interfere with our martial path. Our exercises come and adapt to what, where and how we have to do, they are not sacrificable. As Shaolin monks (but also Karate masters) say “Training is like boiling water, without constant heat, it eventually returns tepid”).

The problem arises when, after having reached one of the mentioned steps, we interrupt our normal routine due to something that (rightly or wrongly) we cannot control:

Accidents / diseases
Overworking phases
…

In this case (the one we want to discuss) to recover can be quite hard.

How to restart training

When we train a lot (eg. more than 2-3 hours per day), to resume after a break of even one week can be problematic and very tiring, here are some helpful tips:

First, we have to recover the time of training – The first thing to do is try to retrieve the training time and not the effort itself; if before we trained, for example, 5 hours a day (read 5 hours individual training session sample 1), our goal is to cover this time (albeit and especially with very mild exercises, stretching, etc.); the point is that we cannot start for example with a full cardio set because we will probably be able to perform it but the next day we will be totally unable to train; our body works like this, the first intense effort is bearable but then, the next day, the collapse of the performance occurs (sore muscles, etc.)
We have to split the recovering of effort intensity – With regard to the training effort (read Intensity of training: depends on what?), it has to be restored gradually in proportion to the time and the type of “forced” rest that we have endured; there is in fact a big difference between being stuck in bed for a week and having to do some extra manual work (illness, vacation, etc.); it is useless to destroy our body on the first day and then get stuck on the second, we must divide the path into consolidation days and days of increase of the practice (alternating them in relation to the responses of our body)
We have to pay attention to our stamina – Let’s try to be cautious with incisive efforts, intense breathing exercises (meditation is ok, read Meditation method 1) and those that (directly or indirectly) make extensive use of lung capacity; we must go step by step, learning how to read the signals of our organism, if we never fall in heavy breathing we can insist, otherwise we have to be more gradual
We have to avoid dangerous tasks – Even if it should be obvious, we have to avoid exercises that (potentially) include a safety hazard, we do not have to forget that spatial intelligence (read The most important skill in combat) is the first thing that decreases during the periods of inactivity; the risk is that we badly calibrate in relation to our “new” and (more or less) poor physical condition, failing the execution of that task (maybe that one that was so easy, a month ago); for example, we could delude ourselves to be able to perform an “acrobatic” kick but without being able to do it
We should lose fat – If possible and reasonable (eg. if we are overweight and / or during the period of martial inactivity we have eaten a lot), it is a good idea to try to lose 1 or 2 kg; this will give us an extra sprint that will help us to rapidly bridge any muscle loss; naturally we do not have to lose weight if we have already lost a lot (due to illness, etc.); in any case, we have to start / restart to follow a proper and healthy diet (read Qi and proper nutrition)
We have to work on our mind – We have to use motivation (read Workout music: how, when, why) and avoid / eliminate temporarily any idea of frustration; we have to focus on the choice of our exercises favoring the ones we like (giving them priority); we have to force us to see this “regression of skills” as an opportunity to review the technical details that before we overlooked (and this is not only a trick, this is truly an occasion of deepening); we have to imagine this kind of “rehabilitation” as a review, a unique opportunity to see ourselves from a different point of view
We have to give more space to recovery exercises – Especially at the end of the practice it is crucial to execute all those practices that let our body recover and train with renewed energy the subsequent day (read 5 regeneration practices to recover after training)
…

By following these simple tips and listening to our psychophysical feedback, we will return to grow in a very short time (perhaps even with higher capabilities).

A note by Master Kongling – Let’s not fall into the quicksand of laziness. The final thought is that it is never a good idea to skip training (short or long that it is), it always means to start to descend a ladder from which it will be increasingly difficult to climb again. Let’s therefore organize our time and our resources to avoid any waste.

In the next article of this series, we will see how to reach our best performances (read Achieve maximum performance).

In-depth video courses

Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu exercises – The best exercises to build real martial skills
Martial arts weight loss: how to – A rational guided path toward a safe and effective weight loss
Mind self-control hacks – How to improve and exploit the capabilities of our mind to reach our goals
Full body stretching exercises – A complete set of stretching for the entire body
Soft Qi Gong for wellness – A selection of exercises to maintain active and healthy mind and body
Back and neck pain treatment – How to eliminate back and cervical problems
Wellness: self-massage techniques – How to improve wellness and health with a self-treatment

In-depth articles

Training in negative – An unorthodox (but better) view of the idea of daily workout
Analysis and improvement of performance – It’s impossible to improve what is not measured

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

How do you feel when you recover training after a pause of a week?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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