As the class I attend is Manchester Bagua, I thought I'd have some fun with some classically Mancunian lyrics:
Bagua Supernova
By Oasis - with some help from me
Wake up at dawn, and then gyrate
With arms that are not bent/not straight
Coil and twist as smoothly as you can
Slowly circling 'round the hall
Inside an imaginary ball
Where were you while we were doing ban?
Someday you will find me
Swimming like a dragon
In a bagua supernova in the sky
Someday you will find me
Swimming like a dragon
In a bagua supernova
A bagua supernova in the sky
'Cause people believe
That their ch'i is gonna make them a winner
But me and you, we train hard too
The world's still spinning 'round, when we do what we do
Do, do, do, do...
Facing north, then facing south
Staring past the tiger's mouth
Where were you while we were doing ban?
Slowly circling 'round the hall
Inside an imaginary ball
Where were you while we were doing ban?
Someday you will find me
Swimming like a dragon
In a bagua supernova in the sky
Someday you will find me
Swimming like a dragon
In a bagua supernova
A bagua supernova in the sky...
'Cause people believe
That their ch'i is gonna make them a winner
But me and you, we train hard too
The world's still spinning 'round, when we do what we do
Do, do, do, do...
Facing north, then facing south
Staring past the tiger's mouth
Where were you while we were doing ban?
Showing posts with label manchester. Show all posts
Showing posts with label manchester. Show all posts
Thursday, 25 July 2019
Monday, 16 January 2017
Keeping naturally fit & "alternative exercise"
Article excerpts taken from:
http://www.manchesterconfidential.co.uk/health-and-beauty/fitness/hate-the-gym-10-alternative-ways-to-get-fit-in-manchester
While pondering my own fitness story, my mind returned to that old bugbear, motivation, yet again. As I often tell my friends and fellow mid-lifers, gym membership doesn't automatically bestow fitness and a gym isn't a requirement in order to exercise.
I am a big fan of the idea of keeping 'naturally fit'. That is my term for not really scheduling any exercise routines, but instead having an active lifestyle. Whether that be running around with the kids, working hard in the garden or simply going on long walks and taking the stairs rather than the lift.
Having said that, without any exercise time specifically scheduled, it is easy to descend into laziness. That goes double for martial arts training. But perhaps there is a halfway house? The article I read included a number of examples of 'alternative fitness classes'. Different ways to crowbar some exercise into your week. Hopefully, the novelty will result in regular attendance, unlike boring old gyms with their bland decor, bouncy pop music and vacuous clientele.
Hate The Gym? Here's 10 Alternative Ways To Get Fit In Manchester
Between twerking and quidditch, the budding fitness freak need never step foot in a gym again
HOW’s the gym going? Good? Not so good? Have you actually stepped foot in the place yet? It’s okay, no matter how far along you are in your fitness journey, there’s always more to life than the gym. Although, that’s not to say staying active isn’t important. You won’t be getting away with sofa-slothing that easily.
The NHS urges adults to do at least two types of physical activity per week - up to 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity and strength training at the very least - to maintain good health. It has to be done. Gym or no gym.
But away from the monotony of treadmills, cross trainers and spin bikes, there's a whole world of physical activity to be enjoyed and not just endured.
So here's a list of alternative fitness classes to try in Manchester (and yes, twerking qualifies as a fitness class):
BEAR GRYLLS ADVENTURE COURSE
Launched in early 2017, Britain’s most fearless explorer and ultimate Boy Scout will be uniting with Oxygen Freejumping Trampoline Park in Manchester to create a unique indoor fitness programme based on his tried and tested survival techniques (without any of the death-defying stunts or having to drink wee, thankfully). Grylls says the high-intensity adventure course will be ‘very dynamic’. Currently being built in the Trafford Park trampoline studios, it will have up to four lanes per course, varying in difficulty - allowing people to challenge themselves and work up to progressively harder obstacles.
Oxygen Freejumping Trampoline Park, Manchester - £6.75 - £9
HULA-HOOPING
Ah, hula-hooping. A fond memory from primary school days. At ten years old, it was a fiercely competitive sport. "Oh, you can hoop two at a time? Well, watch me swing ten hoops around my neck". Very fun, and no need to give it up now we’re adults. Part dance class, part nostalgic fun, the Dancehouse runs a hula-hooping class (or ‘hooping’ as the kids call it) as a great alternative to aerobics. The class teaches you new tricks (ones to get out at the office party, maybe?) and choreography for a range of skill levels. With much practice, you could even get into the hooping biz’. "Some former students are now professional hoop performers," say the Dancehouse, "often hooping with LED or fire." Maybe we’ll just try getting the hoop to stay up first…
Hula-Hoop, 10A Oxford Road, Manchester, M1 5QA - £5
CIRCUS SKILLS
While those bendy folks at Cirque Du Soleil make their death-defying tricks look effortless, it most certainly doesn’t look easy. It doesn’t stop us fantasising about dangling from a trapeze while a mesmerised crowd looks on, though. But let’s start small. The Circus House in Longsight offers acrobatics, tumbling, Chinese pole, trapeze classes and more for those wanting to stay active while learning thrilling tricks. Tumbling – cartwheels, somersaults and acrobatics – is a great way to build strength and stamina, while the trapeze is a challenging way to build upper body and core strength.
The Circus House, Unit 41, Longsight Business Park, Hamilton Road, M13 0PD - class prices vary
TWERKING CLASS
Don’t be fooled, bouncing your posterior up and down to a beat takes a lot of skill and physical endurance. It’s like doing 100 squats a second - well, that's how it feels. The highly provocative ass-shaking dance, seen everywhere from the dancehalls of the Caribbean to Nicki Minaj videos and drunk girls wiggling in front of DJ booths has encouraged a mainstream appreciation of the rear. Regular twerking can help you tone both your bum and thighs. Now, before you go shaking your bum like a pneumatic drill, there’s a technique to getting in right. Bodybarre is holding twerking classes, promising an active, body positive and liberating experience.
Twerking, 35-37 Thomas Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester, M4 1NA - £5
QUIDDITCH
In JK Rowling’s wizarding world, a game of quidditch would be equivalent to the FA World Cup; it’s a fiercely competitive sport consisting of broomsticks, lethal ‘bludgers’ and a flying golden snitch. Diehard fans of the books have encouraged Harry Potter’s favourite pastime to take off here in the world of muggles. OK yes, we know what you’re thinking: ‘we can’t fly’. Quidditch, for muggles, requires a regular house broom, a deflated volleyball and, we’re guessing, a lot of imagination. Across the UK, it’s taken as seriously and competitively as in the books, with a Quidditch Premier League now in the pipeline. Manchester University (although not yet in the league) has its own team - made up of eight keepers, chasers, beaters and seekers. Score points by getting the quaffle in the hoop, avoiding the bludgers and catching the all-important snitch. A mix-gender sport, it’s also open for non-students. The team train at Whitworth Park.
Manchester University Quidditch Club - more here
FOOTGOLF
Most would consider football and golf worlds apart in the land of sport. As you may have guessed, footgolf combines both disciplines. The hybrid sport, played over nine or eighteen holes, uses the power and brute force of football while applying the strategic accuracy of golf. The object of the game is to get the ball into the hole using only your feet in the fewest number of shots possible. What’s more, you don’t have to be a strapping twenty-something or member of a country club to play, as the sport is open to everyone.
Prestwich FootGolf, Hilton Lane, Prestwich, M25 9XB - £15
RABBLE
‘Stop exercising, start playing’ say Rabble. Bored of the treadmill? Us too. Rabble’s team created a series of immersive, adrenaline fuelled games designed to help you get fit while enjoying yourself. Dodgeball, British Bulldog, Capture the Flag and more legendary school playground games are to be expected at a Rabble session. Founded by an ex-triathalon athlete, Rabble focuses on fun first yet still boasts excellent fitness benefits; including an increase in speed, agility, coordination, strength and endurance. You could also burn up to 1000 calories in one game. Far better than powering through 50 burpees and wishing a meteor would end your misery.
Rabble, Didsbury Park - from £5 per game, book here
YIN B4 GIN YOGA
We’ve already shared our list of weird yoga classes in Manchester; gin yoga is by no means the weirdest one. Yet, depending on your stance it’s the class with the greatest rewards. If incentive is what you need to give exercise much more of a commitment, then this class gives you an incentive in a glass. At The Wonder Inn, you practice a Yang Vinyasa Flow yoga class before being treated to a cheeky G&T or green juice. The class aims to ‘rejuvenate the body and still the mind.’ Gin yoga is to return late January 2017.
Yin B4 Gin Yoga, The Wonder Inn, 29 Shudehill, Manchester, M4 2AF - £10
POLE DANCING
No need to source the nipple tassels, pole dancing has long left the confines of the strip and gentlemen clubs, and is now seen as a fun and legitimate form of exercise. And, of course, it still can be extremely sexy. Using a great deal of upper body and core strength, pole dancing requires both agility and flexibility – and, if you do it to a sexy tune, you’ll need rhythm too. Both liberating and physically challenging, pole dancing is a great way to tone up. Find classes throughout Manchester including Bodybarre or Pole Tastic at Airborne Studios, both based in the Northern Quarter, or at Polefire near Salford Central station.
Various locations
TRAMPOLINING
You’re boundless, airborne and feeling like a featherweight - trampolining is certainly a freeing exercise, pure unbridled fun. And, in recent years, it appears we’ve become particularly hooked on bouncing around, because Manchester now boasts three purpose-built trampolining parks, where you can pretend you’re Simone Biles leaping for Olympic Gold. For more structured jumping, Trafford Park’s Jump Nation offers a wide range of fitness classes: from high-intensity interval training to Jump Camp, a boot camp style trampolining class. Trampolines can help burn much more calories than jogging, with up to 1000 calories burned in an hour’s session.
Jump Nation, Trafford Park, Textilose Road, Stretford, M17 1WA - £8.95 adult classes
The first Google search I did for 'alternative fitness classes' gave me 'alternative fitness classes IN LONDON'. Clearly Google has no sense of the north-south divide here in the UK. Hence I took the liberty of limiting the search to such classes in the Greater Manchester area. This is not to say that similar things aren't available in other areas, but I felt that a more local focus would be beneficial (for me, at least).
After the whole regional thing, the next thing that sprang to my attention was how very fad-dy most of these are. Can't imagine many people will be playing Quidditch in 10 years' time. Not to mention 'twerking'! That said, it is novelty that we are looking for in this. The novelty will bolster enthusiasm and get people off their sofas when otherwise they'd be worshipping at the altar of Netflix. Even if you have to change your chosen exercise activity as one set of fads dies out and another grows to prominence. That might well prove a benefit for overall fitness in the long-run.
Still think I'll stick with Bagua, though. ;)
http://www.manchesterconfidential.co.uk/health-and-beauty/fitness/hate-the-gym-10-alternative-ways-to-get-fit-in-manchester
While pondering my own fitness story, my mind returned to that old bugbear, motivation, yet again. As I often tell my friends and fellow mid-lifers, gym membership doesn't automatically bestow fitness and a gym isn't a requirement in order to exercise.
I am a big fan of the idea of keeping 'naturally fit'. That is my term for not really scheduling any exercise routines, but instead having an active lifestyle. Whether that be running around with the kids, working hard in the garden or simply going on long walks and taking the stairs rather than the lift.
Having said that, without any exercise time specifically scheduled, it is easy to descend into laziness. That goes double for martial arts training. But perhaps there is a halfway house? The article I read included a number of examples of 'alternative fitness classes'. Different ways to crowbar some exercise into your week. Hopefully, the novelty will result in regular attendance, unlike boring old gyms with their bland decor, bouncy pop music and vacuous clientele.
Hate The Gym? Here's 10 Alternative Ways To Get Fit In Manchester
Between twerking and quidditch, the budding fitness freak need never step foot in a gym again
HOW’s the gym going? Good? Not so good? Have you actually stepped foot in the place yet? It’s okay, no matter how far along you are in your fitness journey, there’s always more to life than the gym. Although, that’s not to say staying active isn’t important. You won’t be getting away with sofa-slothing that easily.
The NHS urges adults to do at least two types of physical activity per week - up to 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity and strength training at the very least - to maintain good health. It has to be done. Gym or no gym.
But away from the monotony of treadmills, cross trainers and spin bikes, there's a whole world of physical activity to be enjoyed and not just endured.
So here's a list of alternative fitness classes to try in Manchester (and yes, twerking qualifies as a fitness class):
BEAR GRYLLS ADVENTURE COURSE
Launched in early 2017, Britain’s most fearless explorer and ultimate Boy Scout will be uniting with Oxygen Freejumping Trampoline Park in Manchester to create a unique indoor fitness programme based on his tried and tested survival techniques (without any of the death-defying stunts or having to drink wee, thankfully). Grylls says the high-intensity adventure course will be ‘very dynamic’. Currently being built in the Trafford Park trampoline studios, it will have up to four lanes per course, varying in difficulty - allowing people to challenge themselves and work up to progressively harder obstacles.
Oxygen Freejumping Trampoline Park, Manchester - £6.75 - £9
HULA-HOOPING
Ah, hula-hooping. A fond memory from primary school days. At ten years old, it was a fiercely competitive sport. "Oh, you can hoop two at a time? Well, watch me swing ten hoops around my neck". Very fun, and no need to give it up now we’re adults. Part dance class, part nostalgic fun, the Dancehouse runs a hula-hooping class (or ‘hooping’ as the kids call it) as a great alternative to aerobics. The class teaches you new tricks (ones to get out at the office party, maybe?) and choreography for a range of skill levels. With much practice, you could even get into the hooping biz’. "Some former students are now professional hoop performers," say the Dancehouse, "often hooping with LED or fire." Maybe we’ll just try getting the hoop to stay up first…
Hula-Hoop, 10A Oxford Road, Manchester, M1 5QA - £5
CIRCUS SKILLS
While those bendy folks at Cirque Du Soleil make their death-defying tricks look effortless, it most certainly doesn’t look easy. It doesn’t stop us fantasising about dangling from a trapeze while a mesmerised crowd looks on, though. But let’s start small. The Circus House in Longsight offers acrobatics, tumbling, Chinese pole, trapeze classes and more for those wanting to stay active while learning thrilling tricks. Tumbling – cartwheels, somersaults and acrobatics – is a great way to build strength and stamina, while the trapeze is a challenging way to build upper body and core strength.
The Circus House, Unit 41, Longsight Business Park, Hamilton Road, M13 0PD - class prices vary
TWERKING CLASS
Don’t be fooled, bouncing your posterior up and down to a beat takes a lot of skill and physical endurance. It’s like doing 100 squats a second - well, that's how it feels. The highly provocative ass-shaking dance, seen everywhere from the dancehalls of the Caribbean to Nicki Minaj videos and drunk girls wiggling in front of DJ booths has encouraged a mainstream appreciation of the rear. Regular twerking can help you tone both your bum and thighs. Now, before you go shaking your bum like a pneumatic drill, there’s a technique to getting in right. Bodybarre is holding twerking classes, promising an active, body positive and liberating experience.
Twerking, 35-37 Thomas Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester, M4 1NA - £5
QUIDDITCH
In JK Rowling’s wizarding world, a game of quidditch would be equivalent to the FA World Cup; it’s a fiercely competitive sport consisting of broomsticks, lethal ‘bludgers’ and a flying golden snitch. Diehard fans of the books have encouraged Harry Potter’s favourite pastime to take off here in the world of muggles. OK yes, we know what you’re thinking: ‘we can’t fly’. Quidditch, for muggles, requires a regular house broom, a deflated volleyball and, we’re guessing, a lot of imagination. Across the UK, it’s taken as seriously and competitively as in the books, with a Quidditch Premier League now in the pipeline. Manchester University (although not yet in the league) has its own team - made up of eight keepers, chasers, beaters and seekers. Score points by getting the quaffle in the hoop, avoiding the bludgers and catching the all-important snitch. A mix-gender sport, it’s also open for non-students. The team train at Whitworth Park.
Manchester University Quidditch Club - more here
FOOTGOLF
Most would consider football and golf worlds apart in the land of sport. As you may have guessed, footgolf combines both disciplines. The hybrid sport, played over nine or eighteen holes, uses the power and brute force of football while applying the strategic accuracy of golf. The object of the game is to get the ball into the hole using only your feet in the fewest number of shots possible. What’s more, you don’t have to be a strapping twenty-something or member of a country club to play, as the sport is open to everyone.
Prestwich FootGolf, Hilton Lane, Prestwich, M25 9XB - £15
RABBLE
‘Stop exercising, start playing’ say Rabble. Bored of the treadmill? Us too. Rabble’s team created a series of immersive, adrenaline fuelled games designed to help you get fit while enjoying yourself. Dodgeball, British Bulldog, Capture the Flag and more legendary school playground games are to be expected at a Rabble session. Founded by an ex-triathalon athlete, Rabble focuses on fun first yet still boasts excellent fitness benefits; including an increase in speed, agility, coordination, strength and endurance. You could also burn up to 1000 calories in one game. Far better than powering through 50 burpees and wishing a meteor would end your misery.
Rabble, Didsbury Park - from £5 per game, book here
YIN B4 GIN YOGA
We’ve already shared our list of weird yoga classes in Manchester; gin yoga is by no means the weirdest one. Yet, depending on your stance it’s the class with the greatest rewards. If incentive is what you need to give exercise much more of a commitment, then this class gives you an incentive in a glass. At The Wonder Inn, you practice a Yang Vinyasa Flow yoga class before being treated to a cheeky G&T or green juice. The class aims to ‘rejuvenate the body and still the mind.’ Gin yoga is to return late January 2017.
Yin B4 Gin Yoga, The Wonder Inn, 29 Shudehill, Manchester, M4 2AF - £10
POLE DANCING
No need to source the nipple tassels, pole dancing has long left the confines of the strip and gentlemen clubs, and is now seen as a fun and legitimate form of exercise. And, of course, it still can be extremely sexy. Using a great deal of upper body and core strength, pole dancing requires both agility and flexibility – and, if you do it to a sexy tune, you’ll need rhythm too. Both liberating and physically challenging, pole dancing is a great way to tone up. Find classes throughout Manchester including Bodybarre or Pole Tastic at Airborne Studios, both based in the Northern Quarter, or at Polefire near Salford Central station.
Various locations
TRAMPOLINING
You’re boundless, airborne and feeling like a featherweight - trampolining is certainly a freeing exercise, pure unbridled fun. And, in recent years, it appears we’ve become particularly hooked on bouncing around, because Manchester now boasts three purpose-built trampolining parks, where you can pretend you’re Simone Biles leaping for Olympic Gold. For more structured jumping, Trafford Park’s Jump Nation offers a wide range of fitness classes: from high-intensity interval training to Jump Camp, a boot camp style trampolining class. Trampolines can help burn much more calories than jogging, with up to 1000 calories burned in an hour’s session.
Jump Nation, Trafford Park, Textilose Road, Stretford, M17 1WA - £8.95 adult classes
The first Google search I did for 'alternative fitness classes' gave me 'alternative fitness classes IN LONDON'. Clearly Google has no sense of the north-south divide here in the UK. Hence I took the liberty of limiting the search to such classes in the Greater Manchester area. This is not to say that similar things aren't available in other areas, but I felt that a more local focus would be beneficial (for me, at least).
After the whole regional thing, the next thing that sprang to my attention was how very fad-dy most of these are. Can't imagine many people will be playing Quidditch in 10 years' time. Not to mention 'twerking'! That said, it is novelty that we are looking for in this. The novelty will bolster enthusiasm and get people off their sofas when otherwise they'd be worshipping at the altar of Netflix. Even if you have to change your chosen exercise activity as one set of fads dies out and another grows to prominence. That might well prove a benefit for overall fitness in the long-run.
Still think I'll stick with Bagua, though. ;)
Saturday, 30 April 2016
I fear not the man who sends 10,000 tweets once...
I had occasion to post the following tweet just now:
Only problem is now that I stink of smoke, having (circle)walked past the aforementioned chiminea a few dozen times.
Shower soon, I think.
Only problem is now that I stink of smoke, having (circle)walked past the aforementioned chiminea a few dozen times.
Shower soon, I think.
Friday, 10 July 2015
Saturday, 4 July 2015
Dealing with inevitable lapses and obstacles
Returned to class at Manchester Bagua last night after quite a few lessons missed. A number of things have hampered my attendence - not least of which the closure of a whole train line which increases my travel time home considerably. Now, however, we have a car and the classes are back on!
It really felt like a homecoming. It felt so right to be back in class and I was pleasantly surprised both by how much I still knew and how much strength/technique I'd still maintained.
It was a relatively small class last night, this heat wave here in the UK is, after all, "beer garden weather", as they say. While disappointing to see, that was cool in some respects as it made the class more personal and, of course, made for more one on one attention from teacher for those of us who had turned up.
Now I'm settled into our new house, I have a much better situation for training at home. I have a large living room (which has room enough to walk a decent circle), a spare room (currently full of boxes and assorted stuff - but it has potential), a garage (again full of detruitus, but with enough room left for some practice) and even a garden for when the weather allows outdoor practice/scaring the neighbours.
The garage even has my wife's new crosstrainer (useful for warmups, maybe?) and my new 5ft heavy punchbag. It hasn't been hung yet, but leans provocatively against the garage wall. Soon, then, I hope to have something close to a personal training space. Once I pull my finger out and clear the garage before hanging the bag.
Still, first priority is to reinstill my daily training habits at this new address.
Watch this space!
It really felt like a homecoming. It felt so right to be back in class and I was pleasantly surprised both by how much I still knew and how much strength/technique I'd still maintained.
It was a relatively small class last night, this heat wave here in the UK is, after all, "beer garden weather", as they say. While disappointing to see, that was cool in some respects as it made the class more personal and, of course, made for more one on one attention from teacher for those of us who had turned up.
Now I'm settled into our new house, I have a much better situation for training at home. I have a large living room (which has room enough to walk a decent circle), a spare room (currently full of boxes and assorted stuff - but it has potential), a garage (again full of detruitus, but with enough room left for some practice) and even a garden for when the weather allows outdoor practice/scaring the neighbours.
The garage even has my wife's new crosstrainer (useful for warmups, maybe?) and my new 5ft heavy punchbag. It hasn't been hung yet, but leans provocatively against the garage wall. Soon, then, I hope to have something close to a personal training space. Once I pull my finger out and clear the garage before hanging the bag.
Still, first priority is to reinstill my daily training habits at this new address.
Watch this space!
Wednesday, 10 June 2015
Shameless promotion (www.manchester-bagua.org)
Just had someone ask me about my martial arts training.
We had a nice chat about internal martial arts, Tai Chi, Xing Yi and Baguazhang.
But I found it rather hard to stop myself from saying something like:
"Hey, why don't you come to our class. It's great! You'll love it. Come on... Come to our class this Friday!"
Thankfully, I just about managed to preserve my dignity and prevent myself from blurting it all out.
That said, he is still sitting across from me. Got about an hour to last til we finish work.
Maybe this is what televangelists feel like? Gotta spread the Bagua-love whereever I go!
Speaking of which! - www.manchester-bagua.org
We had a nice chat about internal martial arts, Tai Chi, Xing Yi and Baguazhang.
But I found it rather hard to stop myself from saying something like:
"Hey, why don't you come to our class. It's great! You'll love it. Come on... Come to our class this Friday!"
Thankfully, I just about managed to preserve my dignity and prevent myself from blurting it all out.
That said, he is still sitting across from me. Got about an hour to last til we finish work.
Maybe this is what televangelists feel like? Gotta spread the Bagua-love whereever I go!
Speaking of which! - www.manchester-bagua.org
Tuesday, 23 July 2013
Nostalgic buffet supper
Enjoying a tasty meal. Used to dine here all the time a few years back. Nice food and really friendly service. We must come back when we have Freyja with us...
Peking Court buffet, Manchester
Friday, 16 November 2012
Long live meatspace!
Most mornings, when I am enduring the tram ride to work, I notice that the vast majority of my fellow commuters* are somehow 'tuned out' of what is going on around them. Either they are tickling their smartphones, their ears are plugged into some music device or they are lost in an e-reader.
Somehow, as a people, we seem to have lost the desire or ability to connect to the environment immediately around us. Preferring instead to talk to someone miles away who isn't even a good enough friend to be with them in person. Personally, I would prefer to witness and react appropriately to what is going on around me. The driver's announcement being a convenient case in point this morning. The line was down for a while. Not that most of my fellow passengers would realise, as it was back up again fairly soon.
This doesn't just happen in the mornings, either. At any time of day, the number of people around me either literally or figuratively 'plugged in' to some electronic device, draining their attention, is considerable.
I read something on a lifting site that said, "If you've got time to Facebook, then you've got time to train...". This paraphrasing my earlier sentiments that I would now rather train than watch something I don't particularly like on tv.
What do each of us actually get from spending more time online? The illusion of a social life? How social are you if you hardly ever actually see your friends? If I train, it might not be very rock and roll, repeating the same action again and again ad nauseam. But I do get something at the end of it all - eventually.
That's why I'm shifting more and more of my endeavours into 'meatspace' (and why I'm posting on here less and less - sorry!)
Somehow, as a people, we seem to have lost the desire or ability to connect to the environment immediately around us. Preferring instead to talk to someone miles away who isn't even a good enough friend to be with them in person. Personally, I would prefer to witness and react appropriately to what is going on around me. The driver's announcement being a convenient case in point this morning. The line was down for a while. Not that most of my fellow passengers would realise, as it was back up again fairly soon.
This doesn't just happen in the mornings, either. At any time of day, the number of people around me either literally or figuratively 'plugged in' to some electronic device, draining their attention, is considerable.
I read something on a lifting site that said, "If you've got time to Facebook, then you've got time to train...". This paraphrasing my earlier sentiments that I would now rather train than watch something I don't particularly like on tv.
What do each of us actually get from spending more time online? The illusion of a social life? How social are you if you hardly ever actually see your friends? If I train, it might not be very rock and roll, repeating the same action again and again ad nauseam. But I do get something at the end of it all - eventually.
That's why I'm shifting more and more of my endeavours into 'meatspace' (and why I'm posting on here less and less - sorry!)
Monday, 27 February 2012
Forthcoming seminar
http://www.yizong.org/uk/classes-seminars-information.htm
The above is a link to the english language version of Luo Dexiu's website, detailing his itinerary for this year's seminars.
Just as last year, he will be giving seminars in both Manchester and London, though earlier this time, due to the timing of the Olympics.
Please note that the Manchester seminar will be closed-door, so only Yi Zong school students and instructors will be allowed to attend. The London dates, however, are open to all.
I was lucky enough to attend last year and found Luo Laoshi to be a very gifted and yet amazingly accessible teacher. Despite my being a newcomer (at that time, training at the Manchester classes for less than a year), I found him happy to demonstrate techniques to/on me and he took great pains to communicate some very valuable tips and concepts to both myself individually and the class as a whole.
Anyone interested should use the contact details on the site to contact the instructors/organisers of the classes to arrange either a class or attendance at one or more of the seminar sessions.
The above is a link to the english language version of Luo Dexiu's website, detailing his itinerary for this year's seminars.
Just as last year, he will be giving seminars in both Manchester and London, though earlier this time, due to the timing of the Olympics.
Please note that the Manchester seminar will be closed-door, so only Yi Zong school students and instructors will be allowed to attend. The London dates, however, are open to all.
I was lucky enough to attend last year and found Luo Laoshi to be a very gifted and yet amazingly accessible teacher. Despite my being a newcomer (at that time, training at the Manchester classes for less than a year), I found him happy to demonstrate techniques to/on me and he took great pains to communicate some very valuable tips and concepts to both myself individually and the class as a whole.
Anyone interested should use the contact details on the site to contact the instructors/organisers of the classes to arrange either a class or attendance at one or more of the seminar sessions.
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
About Bagua
Stolen from the website of my baguazhang class in Chorlton, Greater Manchester
(see http://www.manchester-bagua.org/)
(see http://www.manchester-bagua.org/)
Baguazhang is an "Internal" Chinese martial art that has constant change as it's defining principle. It is one of the 3 main styles of internal martial art along with Xingyiquan and Taijiquan. Bagua involves training various types of stepping on a circle with changes of direction called "palm changes" that involve twisting, turning and spiraling the body in order to challenge the practitioner in different ways. Emphasis is placed on developing fluid connected movement, mental calmness within that movement and on building structure and "whole body power".
There is much more to a complete system of Bagua than this classic circle walking practice however, and more "external" body strengthening exercises, single movement drills, angular stepping, fast mobile footwork, standing grappling, throwing and striking must all be trained and properly developed.
Indeed, the particular style of Bagua we study is called Gao style and comes to us fom Gao Yisheng - a Bagua practitioner who explicitly separated his training into Xiantian or "Pre-heaven" practices (the circle walking, palm changes, swimming body practices etc) and Houtian or "Post-heaven" practices (short linear "forms" similar in approach to Xingyiquan which more obviously address combat application and are concerned with developing solid structure and whole body strength) it is through training both the Xiantian and Houtian approaches that we develop both a strong , supple and healthy body and also develop usable combat ability.
This material was learned from Gao Yisheng by Zhang Junfeng to whom he gave the generation name Yizong. This was also the name of the school where he taught many students on Taiwan including the Hong brothers - Hong Yixiang, Hong Yimian and Hong Yiwen. It was in Hong Yixiang's Tang Shou Tao school that Luo De Xiu was introduced to the Internal martial arts and he became one of Hong's top fighters in full contact fighting competitions. Later he studied with the other Hong brothers as well as seeking out as many of Zhang Junfeng's original students as possible. Luo Laoshi also studied with Lui Qian a direct student of Sun Xikun in his investigation into baguazhang and is now regarded as one of the foremost practitioners of internal martial arts in the world.
Luo Laoshi continues to teach the Yizong material of Gao Baguazhang, Hebei Xingyiquan and Chen Pan Ling TaijiQuan in Taipei Taiwan and travels to England regularly to teach seminars.
For general information and links regarding more styles of Baguazhang, its history and practitioners please refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baguazhang
There is much more to a complete system of Bagua than this classic circle walking practice however, and more "external" body strengthening exercises, single movement drills, angular stepping, fast mobile footwork, standing grappling, throwing and striking must all be trained and properly developed.
Indeed, the particular style of Bagua we study is called Gao style and comes to us fom Gao Yisheng - a Bagua practitioner who explicitly separated his training into Xiantian or "Pre-heaven" practices (the circle walking, palm changes, swimming body practices etc) and Houtian or "Post-heaven" practices (short linear "forms" similar in approach to Xingyiquan which more obviously address combat application and are concerned with developing solid structure and whole body strength) it is through training both the Xiantian and Houtian approaches that we develop both a strong , supple and healthy body and also develop usable combat ability.
This material was learned from Gao Yisheng by Zhang Junfeng to whom he gave the generation name Yizong. This was also the name of the school where he taught many students on Taiwan including the Hong brothers - Hong Yixiang, Hong Yimian and Hong Yiwen. It was in Hong Yixiang's Tang Shou Tao school that Luo De Xiu was introduced to the Internal martial arts and he became one of Hong's top fighters in full contact fighting competitions. Later he studied with the other Hong brothers as well as seeking out as many of Zhang Junfeng's original students as possible. Luo Laoshi also studied with Lui Qian a direct student of Sun Xikun in his investigation into baguazhang and is now regarded as one of the foremost practitioners of internal martial arts in the world.
Luo Laoshi continues to teach the Yizong material of Gao Baguazhang, Hebei Xingyiquan and Chen Pan Ling TaijiQuan in Taipei Taiwan and travels to England regularly to teach seminars.
For general information and links regarding more styles of Baguazhang, its history and practitioners please refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baguazhang
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