Social Distance Training Ideas (Part 4)

Contactless training

Although I do keep adding new methods to distance training within my classes, I guess at some point this particular series of blogs has to end, therefore here is a quick recap on just a few of the ideas I have shared so far.

Dan Chi Sau, this can be trained without contact as a way of checking your hand positions to be correct, and also your strikes on target, and speaking of targets, if the Jum is not used at the time of the palm strike being executed, do not stop the palm strike.

Lap sau Exercise, this can also be used in this same method and in particular is a great way of checking that your punch is true and not simply being ‘lifted‘ by your partners Bong Sau.

Mirror stepping in Biu Mar, this is a fantastic tool to use in reading the incoming body weight of your opponent, not just for your getting out of the way but also for making sure that you are in the correct range to be able to counterattack.

Mirror stepping can also be trained using the Sarm Bok Mar footwork by reading the shift in weight of your partners shoulder and stepping with the opposite leg, (if they shift the weight to their left side, you will step with your left leg) wether this step is to be forwards or backwards.

Attack and Defence Distance Training;

Where one trains a turning punch and the other trains a Tan and Punch, or Bong, or Jum, or whatever you choose (at distance of course), this is the perfect solution for training your reaction to an attack.

Sets of Punches, (usually best to keep to 3’s or 5’s) these can obviously be trained to counts, which a great tool for training your audio reactions, however, how about messing this around by changing the number sequence. By this I mean only punching on the next number in sequence, if it is not the next number called out, do not punch.

The reason for this is simple if we look at three options:

Reaction training is good for when you need to defend against an attack.

Reacting to counts is good for timing an opportunity should you need to attack first (If there’s no other choice than to fight, why wait?).

BUT, what if you feel you will need to attack first but there is still a possibility of getting out of this situation, what if you didn’t actually NEED to strike at all?

This is where changing the counts comes in, making sure that beyond all doubt, THIS WAS the time to hit, however when on the wrong counts, this was NOT the time to hit.

I’m referring to the fact that the person you are dealing with may not be alone for instance.

Reading a situation also relies on ready the body’s movements, tell tale signals if you like?

This can be trained at distance by mirroring your partners moves, either from a single stationary position or in continuation from one technique to the next.

It is all well and good to run the moves as your instructor calls them out, but what if they were just shown to you?

Is it really that difficult?

Surely this is the oldest method of training there is, what ever the Master does, you do?

This was certainly the case thirty years ago in Hong Kong with Sifu Ip Chun, his English was poor and so was my Chinese, therefore I was trained through the watch – follow – repeat method.

In fact, isn’t this is how the styles themselves were actually created,

by the Masters studying the animals and following their movements.

Here is an example of how this works in class:

I do hope these videos have helped you in some way, and as for these restrictions, it is only temporary, we WILL get through this.

Stay safe and happy training everyone.

Thank you