training equipment

[mantis]

what would you use for training if you live in a small apartment?
i cant hang a bag, and i cant keep a huge water-filled punching "BOB"!
i use mitts to train with my brother, but my face ends up blue afterwards coz he gets kinda energetic!

[Flying Crane]

maybe go outside to the city park?

If the room is really cramped, you can still do one-on-one applications and technique practice, or take up a compact style like Wing-Chun sans Wooden dummy (that will take some space to set up).

[Miles]

Mantis,

You can wear a coaches' hogu (or simply 2 hogu at the same time) or you can get this sort of shield that your brother/training partner can wear:

http://www.xplosivetkd.com/detail.asp?product_id=10460

The advantage of this is that the shield moves like a human would move and you can go full-power without fear of injury.

Good Luck in your training!

Miles

[MJS]

what would you use for training if you live in a small apartment?
i cant hang a bag, and i cant keep a huge water-filled punching "BOB"!
i use mitts to train with my brother, but my face ends up blue afterwards coz he gets kinda energetic!

If there is a basement or laundry room thats big enough to allow movement, you might consider that as an option. Working out outside is good also. Can you go to your brothers house to workout?

As far as the focus pads go...don't hold them in front of your face.

Mike

[arnisador]

I recall using both a basement and a laundry room at different times.

It's tough in a small apartment! You may have to focus on just certain aspects, like stance training or isolating the mechanics of some punches.

[terryl965]

My response is train at a city park, back in the seventies we did this alot and it seemed to work for us now a days people may look at you wierd but who cares your traing with the room you need.
Terry

[OnlyAnEgg]

I do some work in my living room. Mostly, there, I work on stance, blocks and strikes. I also do a space-limited variation of my kata, a kata-in-place, if you will. Then, too, I do light weight work while the boy does homework or my wife talks. There's a lot that can be done in a small space.


egg

[Navarre]

I certainly agree that moving outside is best. But, no matter where you are, train in everything you're doing.

My instructor had a job in high school at a fast food place. Part of his job was to scrape the flat grill for cleaning. He'd hold the scrapper double-handed and work on a two-handed punching action to clean the grill, switching grips occasionally.

He lived near a railroad track and would work on spinning along one track or doing spin kicks down the rail. (Don't try this training method if you are deaf, blind, and have poor sense of vibration!)

I never had a speed bag. I had a basketball. I stood a few feet away from a solid wall and popped the basketball into the wall with a "three-inch" punch, then repeated the action with the opposite hand as the basketball recoiled to me. I would see how many repeat hits I could get in a row. Good for timing, force control, and knuckle conditioning.

I have mentioned elsewhere about lighting a candle and throwing reverse punches or backfists at it. The goal is to suck the flame out *toward* you instead of pushing it away. The same drill can be done with a styrofoam cup sitting upside down near the edge of a table. This works on speed of recoil and economy of motion.

You can work on any technique where you have room. I learned the difference as a yellow belt when I started swinging some nunchakus in a room with a low ceiling. I was standing right under a light bulb which I shattered.

It doesn't take fancy equipment, just hard work and creativity. By applying imagination and variety to your workout, whether it's a question of available space or not, you will find your training to be much more enjoyable and effective.

[Flying Crane]

My response is train at a city park, back in the seventies we did this alot and it seemed to work for us now a days people may look at you wierd but who cares your traing with the room you need.
Terry
Depends on where you live. Here is San Francisco, it is rare to find a park without someone training in it. Golden Gate Park is where many groups train on Saturday and Sunday morning, all over the park. Many are Tai Chi groups, but there are some external kung fu people as well.

[Flying Crane]

I I also do a space-limited variation of my kata, a kata-in-place, if you will.
egg
This is good. Figure out how to make the art fit you and your circumstances. Sometimes we get bogged down in thinking we need certain facilities to do our stuff, but we really need to figure out how to make our stuff fit our reality. This is owning your art, making yours for real.

[FearlessFreep]

I rarely have room in my house to do my forms full out so I'll do a number of things. One thing I do is 'arms only'; basically stand in place and go through the arm/hand/head motions without the feet. Sometimes I just go through a few motiones, stop and reset myself, go through a few more, etc...

[mantis]

If there is a basement or laundry room thats big enough to allow movement, you might consider that as an option. Working out outside is good also. Can you go to your brothers house to workout?

As far as the focus pads go...don't hold them in front of your face.

Mike i live and work with my brother
unfortunately I cant fix any thing to hang from the roof.. i can have some space, but definitely not a "punching bob"..
and yes i hold them away, but he gets excited after a while and he starts hitting everywhere...
fair enough, i use his shoulder when im at work too!

[mantis]

you guys are sure full of great ideas
im glad i asked!
thanks to all of you guys!

[FearlessFreep]

Don't underestimate the mental side. Believe it or not, just closing your eyes and going through your form(s) in your mind in regular real time nad envisioning all of your body motions done properly can really help

[Marginal]

I got a Cobra Reflex bag from ringside.com a while back, and I'm still liking it. Handy since it doens't take up a whole lotta room, and doesn't need a big water filled base to secure it. (Uses two "rocks" filled with sand, but it's not the kinda thing that skips around the floor like a Wavemaster would)

[AdrenalineJunky]

Mantis,

You can wear a coaches' hogu (or simply 2 hogu at the same time) or you can get this sort of shield that your brother/training partner can wear:

http://www.xplosivetkd.com/detail.asp?product_id=10460

The advantage of this is that the shield moves like a human would move and you can go full-power without fear of injury.

Good Luck in your training!

MilesIf I may respectfully chime in, if you are expecting to spend that kind of money, may I suggest buying from Fairtex? Almost all my gear is Fairtex and, with the exception of twins, I have found the quality to be unrivaled and worth the little-bit more you'll pay.

http://www.fairtexgear.com/html_documents/gear/gear_item.asp?p_id=70

Bows humbly.

[AdrenalineJunky]

My response is train at a city park, back in the seventies we did this alot and it seemed to work for us now a days people may look at you wierd but who cares your traing with the room you need.
Terry
I agree, this is what I do currently. Over the summer I have acheived quite a gathering; one large enough, actually, to attract the attention of a local MA gym owner, who is allowing us to meet and train at his gym--on the days he's closed--during the winter. No doubt a promotional tactic, but it beats training in a garage.

[Miles]

AJ-thanks for the link! The Fairtex version looks awesome.

I'd love to train in a park year-round, but for about 4 months out of the year it is too icy/slushy here. Great for practicing breakfalls.....

Miles

[mantis]

Depends on where you live. Here is San Francisco, it is rare to find a park without someone training in it. Golden Gate Park is where many groups train on Saturday and Sunday morning, all over the park. Many are Tai Chi groups, but there are some external kung fu people as well. yah i know
i saw people training before
i actually live on the other side of california, in Irvine, where as soon as you start practice with like 2 people the cops will kick you out!
yes, cops are more than civilians in this town

[mantis]

thanks everybody
i just got me a bag.. just trying to be independent from the need to have a partner
i'll try the bag until something disastrous happens
then i'll try the next thing :)

[Flying Crane]

yah i know
i saw people training before
i actually live on the other side of california, in Irvine, where as soon as you start practice with like 2 people the cops will kick you out!
yes, cops are more than civilians in this town
Wow. Even if you are just practicing forms? I guess it's better to leave the weapons home then. Here in San Francisco, we use swords, spears, staffs, you name it, and nobody really bothers us.

[mantis]

Wow. Even if you are just practicing forms? I guess it's better to leave the weapons home then. Here in San Francisco, we use swords, spears, staffs, you name it, and nobody really bothers us. oh no no no.. no weapons for sure!
and yes, it does have something to do with the skin color!
have you ever seen the show called "The O.C."? let me know if you ever seen a colored person on that show!

[arnisador]

Weapons in the park is a real risk. I remember when a woman was arrested for Tai Chi sword near us. I'd be wary of trying that, unfortunately.

[Flying Crane]

oh no no no.. no weapons for sure!
and yes, it does have something to do with the skin color!
have you ever seen the show called "The O.C."? let me know if you ever seen a colored person on that show!ahh, that's really too bad. Sorry to hear it. well, guess ya gotta find a way to keep a low profile then, unless you can talk with the cops a bit, so they get to know you maybe, and they know you are not looking to cause trouble. Maybe after a while they might ease up, once you become a common sight? Just thought there might be a way to build some trust.

[Flying Crane]

Weapons in the park is a real risk. I remember when a woman was arrested for Tai Chi sword near us. I'd be wary of trying that, unfortunately.
Well, I know it can happen, even around here. I think it depends a lot on where you are. If you are in the areas of the parks where kung fu practice is common, I think they tend to not hassle you, but if you were walking around in the neighborhoods carrying your weapons in plain sight, you are asking for trouble. Most people are using the featherweight Wushu weaponry, so if the cops really looked at them it's pretty obvious that they are not real. My stuff is very real, however, so I am careful about where I practice, and I haven't needed to use the park in a while, actually. Probably better if I get a set of lighter stuff for use in the park, now that I think about it. Some of my stuff would be hard to replace if it was confiscated. I actually rebuild swords and spears so they are much better than the general crap that is readily available. I take better quality blades and build solid hilts for them. Nice hardwood grip, and solid bronze-cast guards and pommels. Handmade scabbards, too. Heavy grade spearheads on finished waxwood staffs. I keep my stuff wrapped up in cases and bags when I am transporting it, so if I ever get stopped for something, it doesn't look like I am trying to be threatening to anyone.