Solo Training

[JPR]

Some of my JKD training is solo. I work a heavy bag to develop fluidity in combinations, power, and structure of techniques, I use a tennis ball suspending on a cord to develop accuracy (bil gee, jik tek, o’ou tek, Ping Chuie, Ho Ping Chuie work as well as doing covers, bob and weaves, bil sau), jump rope and shadow boxing to develop footwork.

What tools / techniques / etc. do you use in solo training?

JPR

 

[getgoin]

The standard stuff for the most part, heavy bag, speed bag, double end ball. But I also use some different things than most people probably do. I use a 7 foot long and 6 inch wide rope and a tire hung from the roof for stick work. I also use weighted sticks, pvc piping filled with buckshot, weighing 2, 4 and 8lbs each for grip strength anlong with some other homemade devices.

 

[achilles]

If you can install it, a double end bag is awesome for solo training. Speed bags are good for coordination, timing and rhythm (you get a lot of benefit in your combinations indirectly), but the the double end bag (aka top and bottom bag) is phenomenal for timing and evasive movement. Both the latter and the former are also good for accuracy; if you hit them any way but square the ball goes every which way but where you want it. It is truly chaos theory in boxing form. A slip bag is also great for working your evasion; another use for your tennis ball on a string perhaps, but I like something with a little more mass myself. Another cheap and easy piece of equipment is the paper target. For developing form and accuracy it is pretty good. I reinforced my paper target with ducktape because it lasts longer and I prefer the feeling over regular paper. You can also tape record shadow boxing instructions to work on reacting rather than strictly volitional movement. Make sure that it is long enough that you can't simply memorize the program and try to break up the rhythm in the recording. Wing Chun Dummies are loads of fun, can be used traditionally as well as improvisationally (I'm not sure if I just made up a word or not) and are good for way more than trapping. Unfortuneately, they are expensive and require an investment of capital or time in building one that most people aren't willilng to make. Grappling dummies are also good training. You can even work on basic S-R type training while watching TV (e.g. punch whenever the scene changes). Mike Young had a book out which details how to make a lot of your own training equipment which you may want to check out. The next trick is knowing what to do with all this junk. That is a subject that could fill volumes.

 

[still learning]

Hello, It is nice to live near a beach or pool. Try training in the water, lots of resistance. You can do any kind of kicks, punches and maneuvers in the water. Try practice in the shallow and deep. Running in the sand gives your legs a mean workout. Cool down by jumping in the ocean. For us the beaches are just half-hour away, the whole family goes swimming too. Hapuna beach and Mauna Kea beach are our flavorite spots. .....Aloha

 

[Blooming Lotus]

really like the hanging tire concept for either stick or make shift dummy , but to make it a little more realistic I'd probably add some gutts ( like a board or padding to the middle) and throw on some arms and legs ( sand or soil stuffed stockings ).good tip.never heard that before, but I like it alot

btw : a sand + cotton mix filled sand bag is almost exactly the same as a traditional chinese punch bag and add another or two and hang them from your circular clothes line, and you're training shaolin style .

Tires and old wheels make good balance practice for your eight step bagua zhang stepping and if you can find something concave, all the better.

Detergent on some mediumish rocks while you work some forms good for balance

and any height will serve a different purpose dimension and muscle group.

in fact throw on some socks , lube up your bathroom floor, and do some forms ( alah shaolin slippery rock in river style training ) and kill 2 birds with one stone!! Your wife / girlfriend / mom and body will love you for it

I've seen and trained with folks who do their iron palm conditioning on steel basketball posts, have used my automatic garage door rungers for chin ups and pull ups ( or even my pantry doors or shower rail ) ( but do check weight allowance if try this yourself). Also used the corner of kitchen bench or hand rails on a path for elevated unanchored feet press ups ( also great for lower back isometrically ) , v holds and L holds, and my sofa back as a bridging / stretching aide.

Broomsticks make good makeshift poles for wrist / forearm conditioning and any elvated groove or mass a good leg / hip , and arm and core ( if you lean out and turn / twist from your grab ) stretch bar.

Trees are good to use as a dummy, different branches acting as different heighted limbs and if not too young , make a good quick chin/ pull up site

Sand and or water buckets make good make shifts weights if you can't afford any or can't transport yours easily, and a babys walker or stroller with a front wheel locking into position function ( or just an exercise ball ) coupled with a sofa or dining chair, makes a great split stretch assistance tool. ( just be sure iuf you get feet up there you have a bottle of dissinfectant handy )

Enough from me but looking forward to hearing what everyone else is doing .

A good tip is a good tip..........

and your own creativity your limit.

cheers

BL

 

[getgoin]

really like the hanging tire concept for either stick or make shift dummy , but to make it a little more realistic I'd probably add some gutts ( like a board or padding to the middle) and throw on some arms and legs ( sand or soil stuffed stockings ).good tip.never heard that before, but I like it alot

I thought about the arms thing, two problems. One they are real hard to mount, two they break off. The one thing I did figure out that would work is a dowel. Run it through the tire with about 18 to 24 inch arms. All you need it a hole drilling bit (to meassure) four bolts with washers and nuts. You would want to use the nuts and bolt to keep the dowel in place, instead of hot glue. You can also do the legs the same way, but instead of running them all the way through, bolt them to the dowel in the middle. Take the chain off of the bottom to let it swing freely ( usually keep it bolt on the top and bottom).

 

[kroh]

At the school where I train (I also train in the JKD program we have) we used to have a wooden dummy made out of PVC and secured to the floor/wall. It was a great tool for trapping drills and to toughen up the hands and feet. But alas... it was sold because no one was really using it and we do partner training that works the same thing (no one really hangs around to work out on their own once the classes are finished).

One of our fellow students got the plans from our instructor and has since made two of them (one for himself and one for a friend). He said it was very easy...

As for myself... I practice my trapping and my shadow drills against my Jack Russel at home. Once I can learn to pace him... I will be unstoppable...

Regards,
Walt

 

[Andrew Green]

Run, skip, swim, lift weights, ab work, etc.

Conditioning is very important, and doesn't require a training partner

 

[Marvin]

Mostly conditioning, shawdowboxing/heavy bag

 

[AC_Pilot]

How many of you also do Carrenza? I do, taking weapons off my dojo wall and just flowing with them, and shadow boxing with various techniques.. it's like graceful semi-formless (or formless) kata..

 

[achilles]

Something I do with my training is to put together different contingencies and work together in a systematic way. Take, for instance, the finger jab. You could approach it either from your follow up or from how your opponent reacts (which are really the same thing expressed in two different models), but use the finger jab as the central theme. How your enemy, or imaginary foe perhaps represented by a heavy bag or mook jong, responds to your initial finger jab leads you to adapt to different tactics and strategies. I usually use the five ways of attack as my model for simplicity. From the SDA you could go to another SDA/SAA, PIA, ABC, HIA or ABD. The finger jab "tells" you what to do next. You ask the question "what will you do if I finger jab" and your opponent/partner could respond with "I'd get hit," "I'd block," etc. This can be done freelance (most of your training should at certain stages), but it is also a good opportunity to address different variables in a more systematic way. It certainly adds more variety to drilling and is a good starting point for adaptive thinking.