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9 Responses to “Tony Jaa and light body kungfu!”

1. jleeger says:
   November 27, 2007 at 12:20 pm

   that guy is awesome!

   so is this guy! http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=D2kJZOfq7zk

   watch to the end…he does so many forward flips/handsprings/whatever in a row, it’s incredible!

2. george says:
   November 27, 2007 at 11:53 pm

   Yeah, those parkour types are insane too. I want to see some blooper reels though from their stuff, you notice none of them are putting up their failures on the net.

   I’ve known some gymnasts and none of them are feeling all that good when they get older, I wouldn’t want to think about what’s happening to these guys when they hit 30 or 40.

3. george says:
   November 28, 2007 at 12:27 am

   I saw this stuff the other day too. Impressive jumps.

   http://www.youtube.com/v/VUHXKSOvcgE

   http://www.youtube.com/v/aB5E8Z4aGMY

   http://www.youtube.com/v/7vL19q8yL54

4. jleeger says:
   December 1, 2007 at 2:19 pm

   Awesome jumps!!!

   I agree with you about the wear and tear issue. The real hardcore guys, like any athletes, put their joints through hell.

   That jumping stuff is great though, for explosive power. And balance! Getting to the top of that thing and landing lightly, without falling over or toppling those boxes…awesome!

5. george says:
   December 4, 2007 at 2:53 am

   Yeah, all the male gymnasts I’ve known had joint issues. One guy’s ankles were bad, but he did the rings in high school. He’s the only guy I’ve ever personally seen do 124 push ups in a row. My best ever max was 87. He was insanely strong.

   Their methods of rolling and falling are a big cause of some of their joint issues. Asian methods of rolling and falling are, I suspect, in the long run a lot more safe. My opinion though.

6. jleeger says:
   December 4, 2007 at 2:43 pm

   Hey George,

   Every athlete I’ve known has some joint problems. My buddy from High School who was a wrestler and ran track and cross country every year (9-12) sounds like a popcorn machine when he goes up a flight of stairs. His ankles snap-crackle-pop all the way up! GROSS!

   What rolling/falling techniques do you have in mind? They all seem to be a little different…I mean, Judo vs. Aikido falls…etc.

   I’m really interested in this, as it’s a key component of my everyday workout (workout, not training time). I do five minutes of rolls/falls before every workout.

   I’m really impressed by the level of conditioning achieved by DeFranco’s training methods. I spent a day on that site after you sent those box-jump links! Hahaha…

   I’m still not convinced of the need to do heavy weightlifting, though.

7. george says:
   December 8, 2007 at 12:35 am

   Yeah, I guess you’re right about the athletes and injuries thing. My issue now is that I know where I went wrong before. Not only do I not want to go down that path again myself, but I don’t want my students to as well.

   I guess my personal preferences in falling and rolling are a combination of things. I think a base of aikido rolls and judo breakfalls is the best way to describe how I currently teach falls/rolls (though I also incorporate other ideas as well).

   Successful rolling has saved my life, literally, many times. I’ve been hit hard while riding a motorcycle or scooter in Taiwan at least half a dozen times where my ability to roll out of the accident either saved my life or at the very least, a lot more damage than I could have taken. And I’d rather have road rash than broken bones.

   For martial arts at least, I’m not too keen on rolling over and along one’s spine. It doesn’t work well on unforgiving surfaces. Now that doesn’t mean that gymnastic type rolls aren’t good for mats or for learning the type of gymnastic exercises that you’ve been doing. They are probably great exercise as well, and certainly help the body to accomplish flexibility and coordination while in motion.

   I’m curious about your line above when you say “I’m still not convinced of the need to do heavy weightlifting, though.” You’ve done a lot of heavy lifting in your days and from seeing you and knowing how strong you are, it certainly has seemed to help…?

8. jleeger says:
   December 9, 2007 at 12:44 pm

   Thanks for that. I’ve been practicing a little of everything. The judo-type breakfall progression we followed in class is awesome - starting low and gradually working up to standing. Most of the rolls I do I end up coming off my shoulder obliquely, and not my spine. I think you’re right about that…not too good to train to put a lot of pressure on your spine…hahaha

   I go back and forth with the weights thing. They are so highly effective if used correctly, that I can’t discount them. But it’s SO easy to mis-use them and suffer - either direct injury or indirect through postural distortions (too much focus on the muscles on the front of the body is the most typical disaster) - that I just don’t know. The same periodization and resistance principles can be applied to bodyweight exercise, with the same effect, and I think you end up “learning” a lot more through those movements.

   For now, I’m still training clients with weights. When you want immediate improvements in strength and muscular definition, weights are a much easier way to go. It’s funny how stressful it is for people to deal with their own bodyweight. Give them a pushup and they say “I can’t do a pushup” or “Man, this sucks…” Give them a barbell (maybe even with their bodyweight on it!) and they rep the set out without half as much of a complaint. Hahaha…not sure why that is…

9. george says:
   December 9, 2007 at 8:28 pm

   For the rolls I do, its probably a combination of these types of rolls:

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OnrS3awx4Q

   and

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0Eh_H6uheE

   The biggest difference is the placement of the front arm(s) in initial contact with the ground. My teacher and apparently Hong Yixiang would generally teach the type found in the first video (parkour type one). I, personally, although using that type myself, tend to teach the aikido type first (second vid). I think a greater emphasis in the beginning on full extension and being round throughout the whole body is important. As a student advances, you should be able to have better control over impact, and be able to make initial “contact” at any point in the sphere.

   LOL about people thinking weights are easier than bodyweight! I guess because I grew up in the martial arts doing the bodyweight stuff, I’ve always had a harder time with the weights!

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