The pneumatic ball training

Master Kongling All, Conditioning, Exercises, Training tools advanced training, DIY, Hanging Speedball training, precision, reflexes, spatial intelligence, speed, speed training, unorthodox training 3

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An unorthodox training with a Tennis ball

In this article we want to talk about pneumatic ball training, an advanced workout that in some ways may seem “ridiculous” but it really helps to develop and combine high-level skills like:

Precision
Speed
Fighting pace / timing
Reflexes
…

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).

This practice is used by many professional athletes in MMA, Boxing (etc.) and it is not a 6 Dragons Kung Fu invention: it is just a method that we modified / adapted (as always, we love dynamic exercises and we cannot miss the opportunity to include something effective).

The pneumatic ball

We are talking about an easy-to-assemble training tool composed of:

A normal Tennis ball (let’s not choose a too low-quality one)
Connected to a flattened elastic rope (similar to those that stretch sports trousers)
Fixed through a band (to our body)

A note by Master Kongling – 2 small premises before continuing: first, this is the pneumatic ball of our school and it is designed to be used with our training method (we consider it an advanced but secondary variation of our fundamental technical practices, read /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///); second, let’s read the entire explanation before starting to avoid errors.

How to create our pneumatic ball

What we need

Anyone can build a pneumatic ball, we only need:

A Tennis ball
A very supple and elastic thin band / rope (200-300 cm)

The assemble steps

To assemble the whole we need to (see the figure):

Attach the elastic rope to the Tennis ball making a sort of crossed web wrapping with the rope over the ball
Set the pure extension of the rope equal about to our height (excluding the part that we grasp)
Create (through a knot) the control part, a ring on the opposite side to that of the Tennis ball (the end from which we will hold the instrument); the circumference should be about 2 times our wrist

The errors to avoid

A few tips:

With the total length of the band let’s always try to be abundant (if it turns out to be too long it will be easy to make it do an extra lap around the control part)
Let’s never use nails or rigid materials to connect the ball to the elastic band (the practice would become incredibly dangerous)
Let’s also avoid the use of glues that dry out (continuous and intense stimulation will cause them to come off)

A note by Master Kongling – The example in the photo is just the first step of the work. As we said, to obtain good results in terms of durability, the best solution is to create a dense web around the Tennis ball with the elastic band; we need therefore more and more geometric equidistant windings: the structure must be so dense to make it impossible for the meshes to widen enough to allow the escape.

The exercise

Basic version

The exercise is simple but it is not for beginners, it consists in:

Hitting the ball effectively before it hits us (or lose the momentum)
Evade the ball (when the ball is hit it bounces at high speed, proportional to the power we impress)
Being precise, and maintaining a steady fighting pace

6 Dragons Kung Fu’s adaptation

For the 6 Dragons Kung Fu practice, the exercise can be performed in these modes / variants:

Hit without standing still
Attach the band to the wrist (advanced level) or to the ankle (expert level)
Hit without gloves (to start a basic impact conditioning, read Conditioning check for the impact)
Hit with all possible parts of the body (head, shoulders, elbows, etc.)
Alternating striking techniques with parries, dodges, deviations, etc.
Use any kind of martial weapons (Kali sticks, wooden training knife, etc., read The basic equipment for training in 6DKF)
Place obstacles on the ground (for spatial intelligence and memory)
Perform the exercise with / for a partner (actively or passively interacting with us)
Perform other exercises with this tool as a bother / secondary target
Try different lengths of the elastic band
…

Final notes

A few conclusive thoughts:

Let’s repeat that this practice is absolutely not for beginners, we need a base of spatial intelligence (read The most important skill in combat) and reflexes (let’s start reading Shaolin training for reflexes)
The exercise is dangerous, the stronger and faster we hit, the stronger and faster the ball will (unpredictably) bounce back; even if a Tennis ball can appear harmless, it could damage our eyes or even break our nose or teeth (let’s not be stupid, if we don’t know what we are doing, we postpone this practice until the appropriate moment)
As we said, this exercise can be seen as a connection between our Hanging Speedball Training (read Basic tools: the Hanging Speedball) and Fabric Cloth Training (read Basic tools: the cloth); manipulating also the rope, it could help even to improve our trapping skills (read Trapping [MINI-GUIDE]) and the use of flexible weapons (read Stance and basic rotations of the rope)
This tool can be found also preassembled in many online stores but despite the low price, the quality is often very poor; the original version of the pneumatic ball was to be connected to the head (through a headband or hat), so we decided to make it more versatile
Last but not least, this exercise, done at the right time, is useful and important but alone it cannot replace any of our fundamental technical practices, in fact, if performed too frequently, it can even become counterproductive
…

In-depth video courses

DIY training tools for martial arts – How to build our own training tools for martial arts
Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu exercises – The technical exercises at the base of our Kung Fu
Advanced speed and reflexes training – A video course about how to develop combat speed (exercises, tricks and practical explanations)
How to develop a good timing – A step-by-step path toward timing mastering for combat
Combat mobility: how to – The secrets of footwork and our body displacement methods
Static and dynamic balance: how to – How to improve the skill that distinguishes amateurs and pros
Fa Jing: how to develop explosive power – A guided path toward the highest level of power

In-depth articles

Speed and quickness – The important difference between being fast and being fast in combat
Basic tools: the pole – The third fundamental exercise of 6 Dragons Kung Fu

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

Are you able to maintain the Tennis ball attached to the elastic band?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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