November 23, 2007 by jleeger.

“Girls only want guys who have skills!” - so said Napoleon Dynamite, and he was right!

Napoleon’s observation goes deeper, though. Everything you do, every day, is a skill. Most people have forgotten this, or don’t really stop to consider it, but it’s true. Every habit you have, good or bad, is a skill you’ve acquired through repetitious practice. The part that makes it a “habit” is that the skill now occurs without conscious thought on your behalf.

Bagua is a skill, and we have to practice a lot to get better at it. But so is physical training a skill, and your body will remember what you do and adapt to it accordingly. That’s why we have to be so careful when we choose what type of stimulus we give our bodies.

That being said, today, focus on some skills you may not have done in a while. Here’s my recommendation for a good workout:

10 pushups

10 forward somersaults or rolls

10 burpees

10 backward somersaults or rolls

10 pullups

10 steps on your hands, forward or backward

10 falls, from whatever height you’re comfortable with, and in whatever manner you’re used to falling

10 ploughs - this is a “yoga move” where you lie on your back and bring your legs straight up and back, overhead, to where your toes touch the ground

Repeat as many times as you please! Feel free to change the number of repetitions of any of the exercises to suit you. However, try to get really comfortable doing the tumbling portion of this workout. Tumbling used to be a daily staple in strongman workouts and routines. In fact, the original “muscle beach” in Venice, CA (check out the photo at the bottom of this page - http://www.pbs.org/weekendexplorer/destinations/california/santamonica/fitness.htm)…strange that the bodybuilders of the 60’s and 70’s lost that habit.

Posted in Training | 2 Comments »

November 23, 2007 by george.

LOL!

Here’s  a video that someone put up on youtube of the latter part of the legendary fight between Yang Luchan of taijiquan fame and Dong Haichuan of Baguazhang fame:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfIi-CCaBtY

Here’s another scene from the same television serial that shows Dong Haichuan proving to Yang Luchan that you can have such good sticking and sensitivity that a bird can not fly away from your own outstretched hand! This is it folks! Proof is in the video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BknaeKZImg

I miss Asian TV!

Posted in General Info | 1 Comment »

November 23, 2007 by george.

I’ve been asked a few times to point out some of the videos that I originally posted a while back about a former school brother who is apparently now teaching independently. I found his stuff on youtube, so here’s a sample video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2-MQAo2VM0

You can then click on the user name who posted the videos to youtube to find the rest of the stuff.

Best,

George

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November 23, 2007 by george.

Just thought I should give a shout out to all my students and friends who may read this.

I’m thankful for everyone who has and continues to grace my life. Cheers to you all and have a beautiful Thanksgiving!

George

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