How do you train?

Geeky confession of the day: I love training. I love the fact that my body becomes more adaptable and stronger every time I move. Sure, I get injured, get sweaty, get sore to the point where it pains me to roll out of bed sometimes. There are definitely days where I just want to melt into the sofa cushions and be left alone with my video games and a pot of tea. But nothing beats that energy-rich adrenaline that rushes through your system during a sparring match, or the relief and satisfaction you feel after completing the final ten minutes in your workout. Whether I'm doing a straight hour of kung fu forms, weight lifting, plyometrics, or running frantically to the bus stop, I enjoy moving.

That's why I'm really excited for the next article I'm working on. As mention on Day 1, the goal of this blog is to have an overall perspective of the martial arts, which includes life philosophy, self-defense techniques, and training strategies. Some of the upcoming articles I'm working on will talk about how to build on your own natural flexibility, increase your fighting stamina, and any other ideas which can better your martial arts practice.

But before I go on, what do you do to improve your training? Are you a long-distance jogger, or a sprinter? Do you prefer to lift weights at the gym, or train Rocky-style by climbing stairs and tossing snow tires? Or maybe you train real-old school Shaolin style by doing your forms and your kung fu drills for hours upon end. I'm even asking all the yogis, the dancers, the urban runners, the sports players, anyone and everyone who wants to share how they train to move better.

Note To The Form Hungry

This is not designed to be a reprimand or wagging finger but rather a humble reminder. Many people in the arts are form hungry, by which I mean, they want more forms. From my perspective, there is nothing inherently wrong with this, but I would like convey the importance of not neglecting the forms they've already learned.

2012 and You

Surprisingly, the most popular question asked to Sifu Hill isn’t about the mystical nature of kung fu, or insight into the human soul. Many people are asking him about his thoughts on 2012.

"2012?! The prophetic year of death and destruction, as predicated by  ancient civilizations long before us?!"

A dark, cynical part of me is skeptical about the end of the world  coming up in less than a year. I’m a Y2K survivor, so I’m a bit more aloof when it comes to doom-and-gloom discussions on 2012. I tend to agree with the other side of the argument, where nothing major would happen: just another year, another set of seasons.

Whichever way you argue, there is a universal concern about the topic of 2012 because that specific year represent some unknown, ominous, oncoming change. What IS going to happen next year? How will it affect my family/my friends/ my job/ my life? What if nothing happens, but I already prepared for the worst?