Hi there fellow Wing Chun fanatic —

It’s Rob here at WingChunLife.com and I’ll be honest…

I’ve missed a lot of Wing Chun training this month. I have not made it to class often. I think my pants are fitting a little tighter because of it, too.

Isn’t it amazing how fast the body goes, if you let it go? I have some tips to help you keep up your skills and fitness if you run into the same problem of missing many days (or weeks) of training like I sometimes do.

 

When you don’t make it to class… workout at home

 

1) Keep up your cardio

One of the most important things to do is keep up your cardio. If you can last a bit longer than the other guy you’ll probably get by with less injury to yourself.

It’s kind of like the saying… if you and your friend are chased by wolves, you don’t have to run faster than the wolves; you just need to run faster than your friend.

In sparring class and in organized fights you know someone is going down when the fight gets sloppy. It gets sloppy because one or both of the fighters are tired. When you’re tired you make mistakes like lowering your guard… not to mention lacking power and technique to pose a threat your opponent.

Good cardio is good for your heart, helping you live longer. And cardio workouts raise your metabolism which helps burn excess fat.

I’ve been using this lately: http://e.ggtimer.com/morning. It’s simple, fast, and really helps get my heart pumping. It takes less than 7 minutes to do so I can carve it in my schedule no matter how busy I am. And I don’t need a lot of room either. I just stand behind my desk in a little spot and get it done. Try it out and let me know how you like it.

 

2) Stretch and stay limber

You wanna get faster? Do you want more mobility? Want better interruptability? Stretch your muscles. It’s hard to be lightening fast if your muscles are twisted like a corkscrew.

Whatever stretches you do in class you can do at home or the office.

Stretching is also good for your overall health. It helps get blood into the tight areas of your body and it even forces lymph fluid to circulate around your body. Lymph fluid is important for keeping your immune system strong. All it takes is some stretching.

 

3) Practice your forms

Drilling the forms builds good habits. Do them on your own as often as you can. The more you do it, the deeper it gets soaked into your muscle memory.

And play around with how you do the forms, too. For instance, sometimes I’ll do the forms extra slow, like doing tai chi. Sometimes I do it fast and with extra power behind each move. Each method gives me a completely different experience.

I also do the forms with my eyes closed.

I find that it improves my balance. Most of us depend on sight for equilibrium. Test out the forms with your eyes closed, but make sure to clear the area around you so don’t trip or break anything.

—

MEMO

From: Hog

To: Rabbit

Re: I Love You, Happy New Year!

What a month! Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year together.

If you missed out on some of the Chinese New Year parades or festivities (more accurately it’s known as “The Spring Festival” in China) you can use the following list to plan a few trips next year.

–> I think France is a great country to visit. And who wouldn’t want to practice a little French and check out Chinese New Year in Paris?

–> London is a happening place. Why not check out the Chinese New Year parade in London?

–> But if London is too uptight for you (they are the capital of the Nanny State after all) head a little north and experience Chinese New Year in Manchester.

–> How about a little maple syrup with your Peking Duck? You have two choices in Canada. Either Chinese New Year in Vancouver or Toronto.

–> Too bad there’s no such thing as the Year of the Kangaroo or Koala. That would make Sydney’s Chinese New Year experience so much nicer.

–> What would America be without it’s railroads? Visit the Los Angeles Golden Dragon Parade for Chinese New Year or San Francisco’s Chinese New Year parade. In fact, if you hop on California’s highways you could probably make both parades in the same weekend.

Last but not least, you could drop by Hong Kong, Taiwan or China during the New Year… so start making your plans now.

 

Rob