January 14, 2008 by jleeger.

Ok, we did the four-day split for a couple of months…now we’ll change it up

In order to more effectively use your time, we’ll structure workouts like this for the next two weeks:

Mondays and Wednesdays - Mondays - GPP at class.  If you don’t go to class, do one of the following -

pullup burpees - 5 sets of 1 minute, with 2 minutes rest between

pullup burpees - as many as you can do in five minutes, resting as little as possible

pullup burpees - 1 max set

On Mondays, you should also be doing some abdominal or lower-back work.

Tuesdays - Explosive Work - jump training, plyometric training, etc.

Thursdays - Strength Work - high-intensity strength work

Fridays - Repetition Work - low intensity, high volume work

Today, do the Monday workout.  ENJOY!

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January 14, 2008 by george.

I was speaking with a student the other day and explaining one of the most helpful things that solo practice does for me nowadays.

Since much of my efforts these days are directed towards teaching, when I am reviewing forms and drills I am most often reviewing those that I am currently teaching or will soon teach.

When I am practicing these solo exercises, I often find that I am getting those type of deja-vu flashbacks. I will be practicing kai zhang for example, and then often these images or impressions of something that I learned years ago in class will come up for me in my mind. Much as in hypnosis where you have that watch that helps you get to the mind, kai zhang and all the other solo drills help to rekindle buried moments and memories for me.

I have found that buried thoughts, memories, and feelings will come up of their own accord during meditative type practices, whether sitting or standing. It is no longer hard to get to that mental state where these vestiges of thought buried on my mental hard drive can suddenly pop back up into my more immediate random access memory. One of the things I found interesting though is that these physical movements can help to influence what type of “memories” are recalled. When I am quiet and meditating I am not focusing on anything (other than say breathing or being aware at the start of the sessions, before my mind has calmed) and therefore it seems to me that what comes up is more random. But I don’t have the same experience when focusing on my own solo practice these days, it is not, seemingly, random.

I don’t think I quite thought of the link between how physical motions can also direct the mind in this way before. I wasn’t aware of this benefit while I was practicing in Taiwan. What I am not sure of is why. One possibility is that my mind/body connection has grown somewhat deeper and that this directed recall through physical motion is a consequence. The other possibility is that my “purpose” and mental energies are directed differently now than they were before.

Nonetheless, I found it an interesting benefit that in my case helps to preserve these physical and mental traditions.

Posted in General Info | No Comments »

January 14, 2008 by george.

Just thought I would throw this out there hoping for some comments. I’ve been thinking about this a lot the last few years - how to explain Baguazhang to those with no background knowledge in martial arts.

I remember Nima came up with some composite explanation shortly before he left for med school. It was something like saying Bagua was sort of like a combination of yoga, taiji, wrestling, kickboxing, etc. Maybe he could chime in when he gets a chance between dissections or tests or whatnot.

Before I chime in, what are your thoughts?

Posted in Baguazhang, General Info | 8 Comments »