For most people, those words mean the same. However, if you can articulate the differences, it may help you reflect on your own training and see if it can benefit from some fine tuning of emphasis. gong(功) – This is
Taking the long route
A lot of people argues that you should always take the shortest route from point A to B which is a straight line. Therefore, attacks involving swings and spins are almost guaranteed not-to-work. The bottom line is that anything can
Names of phrases within Zhú Jī 築基
Names are not too useful in my books. However, to make reference to a specific phrase within the form, names can be handy. Furthermore, when you ask me where we are within the form, using the phrase count is a
All in the details
Training gymnastics, or any high performance sport, can be rewarding as well as frustrating. You see the joy on a kid’s face the first time they do a cartwheel or flip. Yes, that is all part of the fun of
Tools for taking notes
Did you see my handwriting and notes from many years ago? (Click here). It is always interesting to look back. The problem is that because it was handwritten in a notebook, it is not really that assessable and I hardly
Dog poop
If self defense is just about punching, kicking and fighting, it is like learning ONLY how to clean your shoes AFTER you step into dog poop. Furthermore, to gain experiences in this ‘cleanup’ process, one should look for more dog
Training aids
If we are playing Family Feud, the most popular answers for martial arts are probably punching bags, gloves, weights, chin-up bar, tensor bands, ankle weights, etc. There are a whole list of non-conventional training aids for us: – ball –
Postures and you
“Fake it till you become it” Those that have lower back pains, neck stiffness, tight shoulders often need to change their daily working postures to solve the culprit of their problems. Furthermore, postures affect how other people sees you and
Training slow
Taichi trains slow and most people think it is just for old folks and for health. While this may be true for some, training just for health is certainly not the goal for all practitioners. When I went to learn
I know this already…
‘Knowing’ is not good enough, most ideas and movements take practice to really own it. Lots of people attend seminars to become millionaires but not too many actually became millionaires. Thinking that you know it all means that you will