Just a random thought on my own training...

[wingchun100]

In my absence from the board, I have been refining my own home-based training routine. Two of the things that feature in my training are 15 minutes of "improvisation" time on the wooden dummy on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and 15 minutes on the heavy bag on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Then I also do my forms and another 15 minutes or more of Shadow Boxing.

My point is this: on the days that I am supposed to do the wooden dummy improvisation, I find myself approaching it as if it were something I HAVE to do...not something I WANT to do. I feel like it is more exciting and fun to do the heavy bag routine.

Then again, there are those days where I will do my wooden dummy improv, but WITHOUT the wooden dummy. On those days, I love it just as much as I ever did. It is so strange, and I'm not sure what I am going to do about it at this point. I'd hate to cut it out, but my philosophy has always been: once it bores you or feels like a chore, then it's time to go!

Anyone else have a similar struggle with their training?

 

[Martial D]

In my absence from the board, I have been refining my own home-based training routine. Two of the things that feature in my training are 15 minutes of "improvisation" time on the wooden dummy on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and 15 minutes on the heavy bag on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Then I also do my forms and another 15 minutes or more of Shadow Boxing.

My point is this: on the days that I am supposed to do the wooden dummy improvisation, I find myself approaching it as if it were something I HAVE to do...not something I WANT to do. I feel like it is more exciting and fun to do the heavy bag routine.

Then again, there are those days where I will do my wooden dummy improv, but WITHOUT the wooden dummy. On those days, I love it just as much as I ever did. It is so strange, and I'm not sure what I am going to do about it at this point. I'd hate to cut it out, but my philosophy has always been: once it bores you or feels like a chore, then it's time to go!

Anyone else have a similar struggle with their training?

Not really, everything I train is because I find it helps my game.

Do you feel like wooden man freestyling helps your skills improve?

 

[drop bear]

The grind.

 

[jobo]

In my absence from the board, I have been refining my own home-based training routine. Two of the things that feature in my training are 15 minutes of "improvisation" time on the wooden dummy on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and 15 minutes on the heavy bag on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Then I also do my forms and another 15 minutes or more of Shadow Boxing.

My point is this: on the days that I am supposed to do the wooden dummy improvisation, I find myself approaching it as if it were something I HAVE to do...not something I WANT to do. I feel like it is more exciting and fun to do the heavy bag routine.

Then again, there are those days where I will do my wooden dummy improv, but WITHOUT the wooden dummy. On those days, I love it just as much as I ever did. It is so strange, and I'm not sure what I am going to do about it at this point. I'd hate to cut it out, but my philosophy has always been: once it bores you or feels like a chore, then it's time to go!

Anyone else have a similar struggle with their training?

The best way to train is to find something you enjoy and do it as fun, if you find it a chore, then stop doing it Put the dummy up for sale and move on, most arts get on just fine with out it,

 

[_Simon_]

That's a great thread to bring up actually wingchun100. Because whilst it's best to train things you enjoy, sometimes to benefit your knowledge and skills your art may require you to do something that you don't necessarily enjoy.

Let's face it, not every aspect of martial art is glamorous or exciting to us. (The glamorous, glamorous... for the glamorous.. Sorry couldn't help it...)

There are going to be drills, exercises, forms that aren't as thrilling to us. I never found wrist locks, takedowns etc all that interesting and would semi do an internal 'ugh' when we partnered up for them. BUT, I was also not very good at them so it was probably that I needed to train those anyway.

So it's an interesting thought, and I'd say there probably needs to be a balance here. Or even some sort of percentage devoted to enjoyable and non-enjoyable training. Or even when training at home, it's a good practice to do even only a couple of minutes of something that you're not too fond of. At least you're still keeping it in your training and maintaining a bit of it. Set 5 minutes of doing it, and often times before you know it you end up doing 20 minutes haha.

Anyone care to come up with a percentile of enjoyable to non-enjoyable? this could be amusing..

 

[wingchun100]

The best way to train is to find something you enjoy and do it as fun, if you find it a chore, then stop doing it Put the dummy up for sale and move on, most arts get on just fine with out it,

I think suggesting to sell the dummy is a bit extreme. LOL And as I said at the end of my OP, whenever something becomes a bore, I do cut it out. However, the dummy is far too integral a part of Wing Chun training to completely abandon it.

 

[wingchun100]

Not really, everything I train is because I find it helps my game.

Do you feel like wooden man freestyling helps your skills improve?

Yes. Also, I don't think it makes much sense to sink a bunch of money into the dummy and then use it ONLY for the form, which takes less than 90 seconds to perform. LOL

 

[Danny T]

What is the purpose of the wooden dummy in wing chun training?
What is the purpose of the wooden dummy in 'your' training?

 

[jobo]

I think suggesting to sell the dummy is a bit extreme. LOL And as I said at the end of my OP, whenever something becomes a bore, I do cut it out. However, the dummy is far too integral a part of Wing Chun training to completely abandon it.

Well then you have answered your own question, if it's that intIGRal you need to force yourself to do it, if it's not that important that you can Mostly ignore it, then it's not important.

I'm reminded of people I know who own and very rarely use exercises bikes, they can't use them as it's Boring as hell, and they can't sell them as then they can't excersises if they do and they lose money, something of a parodox, so they use them as very expensive clothes hangers just in case it ever becomes less boring. Then again the wooden dummy would make a very flash tIe rack

 

[Gerry Seymour]

In my absence from the board, I have been refining my own home-based training routine. Two of the things that feature in my training are 15 minutes of "improvisation" time on the wooden dummy on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and 15 minutes on the heavy bag on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Then I also do my forms and another 15 minutes or more of Shadow Boxing.

My point is this: on the days that I am supposed to do the wooden dummy improvisation, I find myself approaching it as if it were something I HAVE to do...not something I WANT to do. I feel like it is more exciting and fun to do the heavy bag routine.

Then again, there are those days where I will do my wooden dummy improv, but WITHOUT the wooden dummy. On those days, I love it just as much as I ever did. It is so strange, and I'm not sure what I am going to do about it at this point. I'd hate to cut it out, but my philosophy has always been: once it bores you or feels like a chore, then it's time to go!

Anyone else have a similar struggle with their training?

I get bored easily, and much more so when training solo. I've never developed a good rhythm at staying on task doing improvisational work by myself, whether heavy bag, shadow work, or whatever. I do better when I'm following a specific routine (forms, workout circuit, etc.). When improvising, I often find a concept I want to work on and start planning how to teach it better, losing track of my own training.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Well then you have answered your own question, if it's that intIGRal you need to force yourself to do it, if it's not that important that you can Mostly ignore it, then it's not important.

I'm reminded of people I know who own and very rarely use exercises bikes, they can't use them as it's Boring as hell, and they can't sell them as then they can't excersises if they do and they lose money, something of a parodox, so they use them as very expensive clothes hangers just in case it ever becomes less boring. Then again the wooden dummy would make a very flash tIe rack

I've wanted a dummy for ages, but never had an excuse, because I've no idea what I'd actually use it for. Now I know.

 

[pdg]

I've wanted a dummy for ages, but never had an excuse, because I've no idea what I'd actually use it for. Now I know.

Or, you could use it as a nice display for all your colour belts

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Or, you could use it as a nice display for all your colour belts

Maybe if I hang all of those on one of the arms, there'll still be room to "display" some of the old uniforms I have lying about.

 

[wingchun100]

I get bored easily, and much more so when training solo. I've never developed a good rhythm at staying on task doing improvisational work by myself, whether heavy bag, shadow work, or whatever. I do better when I'm following a specific routine (forms, workout circuit, etc.). When improvising, I often find a concept I want to work on and start planning how to teach it better, losing track of my own training.

I hated doing the heavy bag until I came up with the ideas to work one technique per minute. I start with solo techniques (jab, cross, hook, etc.). Then, after I have done a minute each of those, I move on to combos, starting with the standard jab/cross and then moving on from there. Sometimes I do 30 seconds in both southpaw and orthodox stance; sometimes I double the length of my workout by doing the entire minute in one stance. I need an end game in mind, because if someone told me to just punch the heavy bag for 15 minutes, I would abandon it.

I had a similar setup with my improvisation on the dummy, but...I don't know. Sometimes it still feels like a grind, even with a plan set up.

 

[wingchun100]

That's a great thread to bring up actually wingchun100. Because whilst it's best to train things you enjoy, sometimes to benefit your knowledge and skills your art may require you to do something that you don't necessarily enjoy.

Let's face it, not every aspect of martial art is glamorous or exciting to us. (The glamorous, glamorous... for the glamorous.. Sorry couldn't help it...)

There are going to be drills, exercises, forms that aren't as thrilling to us. I never found wrist locks, takedowns etc all that interesting and would semi do an internal 'ugh' when we partnered up for them. BUT, I was also not very good at them so it was probably that I needed to train those anyway.

So it's an interesting thought, and I'd say there probably needs to be a balance here. Or even some sort of percentage devoted to enjoyable and non-enjoyable training. Or even when training at home, it's a good practice to do even only a couple of minutes of something that you're not too fond of. At least you're still keeping it in your training and maintaining a bit of it. Set 5 minutes of doing it, and often times before you know it you end up doing 20 minutes haha.

Anyone care to come up with a percentile of enjoyable to non-enjoyable? this could be amusing..

I have taken to doing something like what you suggest at the end here. Let's say I have 15 minutes to do on the dummy, and I also have (let's say) 5 other tasks to do around my house. I will do 3 minutes on the dummy, go complete a task, 3 minutes on the dummy, a task, and so on back and forth until I am done.

It might make it take longer, but it can sometimes work to cure the boredom/grind-y feeling.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I hated doing the heavy bag until I came up with the ideas to work one technique per minute. I start with solo techniques (jab, cross, hook, etc.). Then, after I have done a minute each of those, I move on to combos, starting with the standard jab/cross and then moving on from there. Sometimes I do 30 seconds in both southpaw and orthodox stance; sometimes I double the length of my workout by doing the entire minute in one stance. I need an end game in mind, because if someone told me to just punch the heavy bag for 15 minutes, I would abandon it.

I had a similar setup with my improvisation on the dummy, but...I don't know. Sometimes it still feels like a grind, even with a plan set up.

I have some timer apps on my phone. I’m most consistent when I use those, to break it into chunks. I also work a consistently higher intensity when I know the intervals.

 

[_Simon_]

I have taken to doing something like what you suggest at the end here. Let's say I have 15 minutes to do on the dummy, and I also have (let's say) 5 other tasks to do around my house. I will do 3 minutes on the dummy, go complete a task, 3 minutes on the dummy, a task, and so on back and forth until I am done.

It might make it take longer, but it can sometimes work to cure the boredom/grind-y feeling.

Yeah that's a good idea, helps to break it up so it doesn't feel like a long slog with the dummy. Or even just within the training session to do a few minutes with the dummy, then train something, then back to the dummy, or even circuit-style with stations would be fun

 

[wingchun100]

I have some timer apps on my phone. I’m most consistent when I use those, to break it into chunks. I also work a consistently higher intensity when I know the intervals.

There is a gentleman who runs a website called Precision Striking, who has free apps too. They are Western boxing apps, but with a little tweaking I could use it for Wing Chun training, even on the dummy. They call out numbers so 1 is a jab, 2 is a cross, etc. I could adapt the numbers to mean different Wing Chun techniques on the dummy, or in the air, or wherever (on the neighbor, etc.). LOL

 

[wingchun100]

Yeah that's a good idea, helps to break it up so it doesn't feel like a long slog with the dummy. Or even just within the training session to do a few minutes with the dummy, then train something, then back to the dummy, or even circuit-style with stations would be fun

Circuit style with stations...hmm, now that is a thought I never had before! All I have been doing is this:

*Forms
*15 minutes or more of Shadow Boxing (five 3-minute rounds)
*Alternating days, I do 15 minutes or more on the Mook Jong or the Heavy Bag

I am also about to add exercise back into that mix, starting slowly with just 10 minutes per day and moving upward from there.

The closest I ever did to circuit training before was to do a form, then a round on the dummy or the bag, form, bag, etc. How did that work? Well, I know 5 out of 6 Wing Chun forms. So I did 3 minutes on the dummy or bag, then a form, and back and forth until both were completed.

But that circuit training...now that is a thought. The thing is, that might be something where you need another person to avoid boredom too. LOL I went to a Western boxing gym where they ran you through a circuit. Most of it involved working solo on gear (heavy bag, speed bag), and then you would take turns hitting focus mitts while the person holding them called out what punches you would do.

This is worth investing thought in though. Thanks!

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Circuit style with stations...hmm, now that is a thought I never had before! All I have been doing is this:

*Forms
*15 minutes or more of Shadow Boxing (five 3-minute rounds)
*Alternating days, I do 15 minutes or more on the Mook Jong or the Heavy Bag

I am also about to add exercise back into that mix, starting slowly with just 10 minutes per day and moving upward from there.

The closest I ever did to circuit training before was to do a form, then a round on the dummy or the bag, form, bag, etc. How did that work? Well, I know 5 out of 6 Wing Chun forms. So I did 3 minutes on the dummy or bag, then a form, and back and forth until both were completed.

But that circuit training...now that is a thought. The thing is, that might be something where you need another person to avoid boredom too. LOL I went to a Western boxing gym where they ran you through a circuit. Most of it involved working solo on gear (heavy bag, speed bag), and then you would take turns hitting focus mitts while the person holding them called out what punches you would do.

This is worth investing thought in though. Thanks!

I've worked out some station-style training for students (now I need enough students in a class to make it worth doing). I like the idea that they can go hard at one station, knowing the next station they can catch their breath. Or they use their arms hard at one station (bag work with heavy gloves, for instance) and their legs at the next one, then kill them with shrimping on the third.