1,000 Days of Bagua: Day One

Managed to practice my baguazhang during my lunchbreak at work today. Or, rather, at the park near my work. It was pretty windy and cold, despite the bright sunshine. So I had to keep my overcoat on for the full five minutes of basic hand movements and single palm change.

Doesn't really match the iconic image of the internal martial artist that I have gained from watching way too many martial arts, herioc swordplay and chop sockey movies. Call it is misspent youth, if you will, I consider it a valuable education.

The movies, though, really hammer home the idea of an internal practitioner, honing their art for hours on end. Usually at sunrise and probably while sporting an impressive pair of pajamas (possibly shiny).

I, on the other hand, was wearing a pair of camouflaged combat trousers, a t-shirt, fleece and overcoat and a pair of Everlast trainers. Not exactly iconic, is it?

Still, it was good, focused practice and I must have been doing something right, as my be-trainered feet were slowly drilling down into the muddy, sodden grass.

After that, I went on with my usual, lunchtime walk. It felt really good to take a break and do something I actually enjoy in that time of day normally reserved for the drudgery of work.

First day of 1,000 Days of Bagua has been a success. Roll on tomorrow's practice.

1,000 Days of Bagua: The Preamble

Okay, so elsewhere on the information superhighway, you may have come across the concept of "100 Days of Bagua". Not sure who came up with the concept, but essentially, it requires you, the bagua player, to commit to training Baguazhang at least once a day, every day for a continuous, 100 day period. Usually starts with the new year in a resolution type way.

Really good idea, and a task I have undertaken a couple of times. Both times failing a few weeks down the line. So, perhaps hoping to redeem myself, or maybe by way of punishment, I have corrupted the idea into 1,000 Days of Bagua.

Essentially, on April 6th (in a few days - this Wednesday, to be precise), there will be 270 days left of the year. 270 + 365 + 365 = 1000 (days).

So, if I begin on Wednesday, April 6th 2016 and train Baguazhang each and every day until 1st January 2019, then I will have completed 1,000 continuous days of Baguazhang training.

Why am I deciding to do this? Well, weirdly, for me it sounds like the kind of thing I would find easier to keep going. And, anything that encourages me to train more can only be a good thing, right?

So, to add a little detail, to avoid making my training a chore, anything more than 10 mins counts. However, it has to be focused, good quality training. And, after a few weeks, I will work out my average training time per week and make adjustments to improve upon that on a monthly basis - where possible.

As often as possible, I will try to log or at least recount in retrospect what training I have managed that day/week.

Watch this space.

Afterglow. Ermm...?

Last night,  after practicing single palm change for perhaps as little as 10 minutes, I experienced something of a revelation.

At class just the Monday before,  teacher had mentioned a curious sensation often felt after walking the circle.  The sensation of aliveness of the limbs and big hands.

I had dismissed it as something people of greater ability would perhaps feel, but didn't expect it to happen for me.

Yet I did, indeed, feel just that.  Could have been my minds creating an experience I wanted to share.  But I'd like to feel that, on that night, at least, I was "doing it right".

Making a sandwich...

Excellent class tonight.

Discussed the idea of quality and quantity of daily training.  Something I've mentioned on this blog before. 

The analogy of having a sandwich was used.  While it is possible to make the perfect sandwich (steak and onions with lettuce, tomato and English mustard, on a granary baguette, maybe?) with the right amount of time and resources, sometimes a piece of bread and dripping is all you can manage.  Or maybe a helman's sarnie spread butties?

If all you can manage is 10 mins, that's.  If you've got the time but can't be arsed,  just do something simple.

Doesn't matter what you do...  Only that you do.

Makes it much more enjoyable,  too - and creates a playful mindset.

Slendertone Flex: Unisex Ab Toning belt - product review

We've all come across this or similar products and we all have a fair idea of what the [[ Slendertone Flex Unisex Ab-Toning belt ]] is supposed to do, so I will skip all that and get to the nitty-gritty - does it work?

First of all, the product needs to be used maybe 2-3 times daily to see any results in any perceivable timeframe. Of course, if you are reading this blog, then you are likely a martial artist and are already training daily (or thereabouts). As such, regular use shouldn't be such a problem.

With persistent, regular use, results will be seen. The same can also be said for exercise, though. Having said that, this is much easier and can be worn while doing other tasks with only slight discomfort.

Having said that, in my experience, the product can be correctly used standing up and laying down. However, wearing the product and having it going while sitting down hurts too much or otherwise doesn't seem to work. That is a great shame. For those of us with a desk job, being able to train your abs at your desk would be a godsend.

Despite that, the product is well worth considering if you have more important things to concentrate on in your training than making sure your six-pack is up to scratch.

Working Bagua into your day.

The most difficult obstacle to daily practice for me has been the idea that I need to train all in one go.  For the average, western bagua player with a family, taking 60 minutes or more out of your day to train isn't really viable.  Not all in one go, at least.

I find that I can manage 20 mins after I get up in the morning or alternatively before work sometime.  10-15 mins can be racked up during my lunch hour at work.  Then maybe 40+ mins before bed.  So, on a good day, I can manage well over an hour of practice.

Even being more conservative than that, 5 or 10 mins here and there is much better than nothing.  Who can't spare 5 mins a few times a day?

So, really, even at my busiest or laziest times, there is no excuse for not practicibg Bangazhang every day.

Work-induced stress: Could internal martial arts help alleviate my woes?

At the moment, I am labouring under a cloud. I am stuck in a job I hate with a career going nowhere. Every day at work is like hell on earth. Home is an all to brief respite from the drudgery of a day spent at a company that grinds me down at every opportunity.

Should I be using this, though, as motivation to encourage me to train every evening. Our classes are very fighting/sparring based with lots of applications and two-man drills. But we are occasionally shown the more meditative sides of Gao style baguazhang. I know a few exercises that are purported to reduce stress, so why don't I use these to help combat my crappy workday woes and stresses?

Could be just one more way that my baguazhang training can improve my life. Here's hoping...

Training

Not strictly training today per se, but suffice it to say that my upper body has well and truly been worked. Upper arms and shoulders caining as I go to bed after having oiled the decking in our garden.

Sounds like a deleted scene from the Karate Kid!