Does anyone here spend 30(!) minutes on the first half of SLT?

[koenig]

Over the years I've talked to some people online who say they spent at least 10-30 minutes on the first part of SLT (the tan sao part) extending their arm super slowly, etc. They were almost fanatical about it as if doing it really slowly bestowed upon them some sort of magic power.

Does anyone here train that way?

I came from a combative school where emphasis was placed on power generation and none of this "move with your tendons, not your muscles" (which is physiologically impossible, anyway) voodoo. Our sifu could send you across the room using very little effort, but it wasn't "qi" or other magic powers, he just had an incredible understanding and application of physiology, leverage, and body mechanics.

I just can't help but think that I could come up with more effective ways to spend time training than doing a 30 minute long tan sao extension.

Alright, upon rereading that it sounds a bit hostile, so sorry if anyone took offence.

Focus: Do you perform any techniques super slow (such as 30 min on the first half of SLT) on a regular basis and if so, why?

 

[mook jong man]

I used to do it years ago not as long as 30 minutes though.
It probably works on your stance , but as far as the movements in the form go I would say no.

Once I got one of Sigung's top women students to watch me and correct my SLT . After that I asked her that very same question you are asking , and she said if you are going very slow like that you are using muscle to force the movement instead of using your mind to do the movements freely .

At least thats the way I understood her to mean , and you can take from that what you will . She said it takes her 5 minutes to do the form , so thats what I do as well .

Rather than spend extensive periods doing SLT , I prefer to do it for 5 minutes and then practice pivoting in front of the mirror or combining the pivot with certain movements , or chum kiu stepping , hitting wall bag , kicking heavybag etc.

 

[matsu]

hi.
one of our top sifu's told us recently to break the form into its intergral priciples.
for example.....
going slow in the first part allows for correct body positioning and alignement- encouraging muscle memory so it is engrained into your system.
the second part is the snappy crispness of the movements to allow you to control your oppponent esp with jums and in chi sao in later training so we practise that at speed with extreme precision and dead stops at end of every technique.

and we are encouraged to do the form into set moves so they all flow together. in preperation for real life applications of each move.
there is no point doing the form really well without knowing the many applications of the individual moves, however obvious or otherwise.

thats how i now approach my form practise as a beginner, a year into training!
hope that helps some?
matsu

 

[paulus]

Do you perform any techniques super slow (such as 30 min on the first half of SLT) on a regular basis and if so, why?

At the moment I mainly do SLT for around 20 mins, but when I've got time I'll do it for 30 mins. The issue, always is time, because there are other things to train.

You can answer the "why" bit yourself probably. If you stand in the chicken stance )) for 30 mins, how do your legs feel? It works them, doesn't it? So doing SLT like this is one way of training your legs.

Extending your fuk sau very slowly whilst pulling your elbow in is a good way to develop a 'strong' fuk sau. How do your shoulders feel when you've extended fully and you are still trying to keep your elbow central? It's hard work and they may feel sore at first. The more you do it slowly like that, the more you'll be able to withstand someone's forward force with your fuk sau without using strength.

This is my understanding anyway. It was really hard at first to get out of the mindset of jumping around and doing loads of cardio in my training, because that's the way I trained in other arts, and I've always been a runner/weight trainer. It's weird to just give that up and... stand there. But I can feel the benefit in myself because my legs are definitely stronger and my chi sau is actually better. It's harder for people to pak my hand out of the way now, for example, because there is some kind of 'resting' strength there.

 

[Hagakure]

I'm a five minute man myself. SLT that is.

I like to train it, I train it slowly, but it just seems a little pointless to me. I have kids, I get home from work late, I have many things to occupy my time with. When doing WC stuff, wallbag, punches, fitness related exercise all compete with the SLT, so I like to ensure I get a little bit of everything.

Just my tuppence.

 

[Hagakure]

I'm a five minute man myself. SLT that is.

I like to train it, I train it slowly, but it just seems a little pointless to me. I have kids, I get home from work late, I have many things to occupy my time with. When doing WC stuff, wallbag, punches, fitness related exercise all compete with the SLT, so I like to ensure I get a little bit of everything.

Just my tuppence.

I'd like to clarify and say I don't think that doing the SLT is pointless, far from it, just not spending 30 mins doing it.

 

[geezer]

Do you perform any techniques super slow, such as 30 min on the first half of SLT?

no.

 

[bs10927]

hell no. lol. i'll perform it relaxed and snap out the strikes.

 

[qwksilver61]

Slow, but I don't know about 30mins.and only after a good stretch.I can definitely feel my palms heat up rapidly while holding the adduction between the knees and breathing deep and slow.

 

[Ben Grimm]

I'm insane. I usually spend 30 minutes just on the 1st section. But as I said I'm insane.

 

[paulus]

I'm insane. I usually spend 30 minutes just on the 1st section. But as I said I'm insane.

I did a 30 min one this morning. My legs are still like jelly.

 

[Ben Grimm]

But it's worth it isn't it.

 

[futsaowingchun]

I used to years ago spend a lot of Time doing S.L.T. now only around 5 mins.

 

[naneek]

if i training it slow then it takes me about 12 - 15 mins max for the whole form not just the first section.