# Having no training/drill partners



## Colibri (Oct 6, 2010)

Hey guys, I'm new here. My name's Aaron and I'm from Ireland, studying under Sifu John O' Riordan.

What do you guys usually do when you can't meet up with anyone in your kwoon to do some light drills/form practise? Most of the guys who train with me are living a good bit away and I can only meet up with one guy once a week at best  

Thanks


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## cwk (Oct 6, 2010)

hello Aaron, welcome to the forum.

I've had this problem before and still do to some extent. It's ok at the moment but I've gone long periods without a decent training partner. 
what I did was train my stance and forms and spend most of my time doing conditioning stuff like calisthenics and plyometrics exercises. Also I spent everyday on the heavy bag building up power in my strikes and worked on the mook jong and did a lot of forearm/wrist training.

hope this helps


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## Colibri (Oct 6, 2010)

cwk said:


> hello Aaron, welcome to the forum.
> 
> I've had this problem before and still do to some extent. It's ok at the moment but I've gone long periods without a decent training partner.
> what I did was train my stance and forms and spend most of my time doing conditioning stuff like calisthenics and plyometrics exercises. Also I spent everyday on the heavy bag building up power in my strikes and worked on the mook jong and did a lot of forearm/wrist training.
> ...




Hi cwk,

Thanks for the help. I'll be working on my stances and footwork so (they need the most work lol) and just do a bit each day. Do you have a mook jong at home or do you practise in your kwoon?

 Thanks


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## KamonGuy2 (Oct 6, 2010)

Get a Bob!!! Or wall bag!! It will help improve your movement and striking power


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## Colibri (Oct 6, 2010)

Kamon Guy said:


> Get a Bob!!! Or wall bag!! It will help improve your movement and striking power




Can I ask, what's a bob? lol


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## cwk (Oct 6, 2010)

Colibri said:


> Hi cwk,
> 
> Thanks for the help. I'll be working on my stances and footwork so (they need the most work lol) and just do a bit each day. Do you have a mook jong at home or do you practise in your kwoon?
> 
> Thanks



I have a mook jong at home. I have modified it by cutting off a leg from an old pair of jeans (from the hip to the knee),sewd up one end,half filled it with green soy beans,folded it over and sewed up the other end. Then I've used an elasticated strap to fix it on the dummy where an opponents face would be.


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## cwk (Oct 6, 2010)

Colibri said:


> Can I ask, what's a bob? lol


  to my knowledge, a bob is one of those rubber head and torsos on a large weighted stand.


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## Colibri (Oct 6, 2010)

cwk said:


> to my knowledge, a bob is one of those rubber head and torsos on a large weighted stand.


Aha, thanks for the bob info. That's a fantastic idea (the denim bag), i'll try that sometime


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## seasoned (Oct 6, 2010)

http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=89&pictureid=1292

Click on link for a picture of Bob.


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## Drac (Oct 6, 2010)

*The Bob* is an excellent training device. They were in the process of making a padded wrap around for the part of the stand that is visible when its extended. That way you can perform knee strikes without injury.


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## Colibri (Oct 6, 2010)

Thanks guys! Looks like i'll be getting me some gloves and a sand bag


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## mook jong man (Oct 6, 2010)

Colibri said:


> Can I ask, what's a bob? lol


 
He's the owner of this web site and I don't think he would appreciate you practicing your punches on him.


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## Colibri (Oct 7, 2010)

lolz


Thanks for the help guys


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## Nabakatsu (Oct 7, 2010)

Hey there, I have had this issue myself, for the past 4-6 months it's been getting much better, woohoo! anyways..
I trained footwork for an hour, form for an hour, chain punching the air.. shadow boxing with wing tzun.. ect ect.. 
I've done single sticking hands drills by myself, FEELING the "opponent" pushing this way or that, there's a lot of stuff you can do, even using your imagination with your eyes closed will help. Find what works for you, and hang in there, training partners are bound to show up for ya!


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## geezer (Oct 7, 2010)

Nabakatsu said:


> Hey there, I have had this issue myself, for the past 4-6 months it's been getting much better, woohoo! anyways..
> I trained footwork for an hour, form for an hour, chain punching the air.. shadow boxing with wing tzun.. ect ect..
> I've done single sticking hands drills by myself, *FEELING the "opponent"* pushing this way or that, there's a lot of stuff you can do, even using your imagination with your eyes closed will help. Find what works for you, and hang in there, training partners are bound to show up for ya!


 
When I try that, I find that I'm just fooling myself. Imagining _"feeling"_ is a poor substitute for the real thing. So I do all this solo stuff and just get worse and worse. Except at solo stuff.

On the other hand, my local training partner took a job in another state for six months and was only able to train solo for most of that time, while I was practicing pretty regularly with the rest of our group. And guess what? He comes back and kicks my sorry **** worse than ever! And he's and old guy like me. Some things just defy explanation.


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## qwksilver61 (Oct 7, 2010)

I have had that very sharp pain for some time now....having been very well grounded,a lot of desire as well as enthusiasm,a guy I trained for nearly two years who produced almost no results (siu nim tau very well,no application,but wanted to drive the ship most of the time),the nearest school 250 mi.away,it has been extremely frustrating to say the least,my brain is full of Wing Tsun.All I can say is keep plugging along,and maybe some day your Wing Tsun Genie/ship will arrive...hell... I just bong-pak punched someone today without trying or thinking,hey if anything you will get in shape all on your own! my two friggin' cents......Laugh if you want,some people know how it is.....we can't all be on the top.....later.....


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## KamonGuy2 (Oct 8, 2010)

mook jong man said:


> He's the owner of this web site and I don't think he would appreciate you practicing your punches on him.


 
Genius...


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## Gurokevin (Oct 10, 2010)

I would say to focus on building certain attributes like Speed, Power, Endurance, Mobility / Agility, Balance, Coordination, Stamina. Things like that. The contact reflexes / Sensitivity will come when you do have a partner. 

Hit things, Kick things, build power and speed in them. Use your imagination. Imagine that you hit your opponent and he blocks. Dont try and bong, or taan, or paak. Just imagine he stops your attack, then look and find out where your next attacking line is. VT is not about deflecting your opponents attacks, its about hitting your opponent. Keep that in mind.


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## geezer (Oct 10, 2010)

Gurokevin said:


> . VT is not about deflecting your opponents attacks, its about hitting your opponent. Keep that in mind.



Overall, good advice, but I'd qualify the quote above. Good VT/WC/WT is about both hitting _and_ effectively evading, deflecting or avoiding getting hit. What do you gain if you and your opponent hit each other square on the nose? That's not a martial art! But if you hit him without receiving equal damage, then you are on the right path. That said, I'd agree that offense is indeed your best defense, and a simple straight punch that hits hard and simultaneously deflects the opponent's punch is the most efficient technique of all.

On the other hand, my old Chinese sifu used to say something a lot like what you said above when talking about _chi-sau_ vs. fighting. It went something like this, "Remember, in fighting, the goal is not to stick... it is to hit! hit! hit!"


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## mook jong man (Oct 10, 2010)

Colibri said:


> Hey guys, I'm new here. My name's Aaron and I'm from Ireland, studying under Sifu John O' Riordan.
> 
> What do you guys usually do when you can't meet up with anyone in your kwoon to do some light drills/form practise? Most of the guys who train with me are living a good bit away and I can only meet up with one guy once a week at best
> 
> Thanks


 
The training of the reflexes and the development of sensitivity  are very important components of Wing Chun , but they are only one piece of the puzzle.

Its no good having great reflexes if you haven't got the stance and structure to back it up , and this is where a lot of solo training at home can help a great deal in maximising your progress.

The first thing you should be doing is practicing your Sil Lum Tao form regularly , performing it as correctly as you can.

Then you might want to devote some time to working on your stance , you can do this by standing stationary in your stance for a certain amount of time , say 10 mins , focus on relaxing your thighs.

While you are doing this it might be a good time to practice your punching , not too fast , concentrate on relaxing the shoulders , driving them out from the elbow , every punch hitting the same spot in the air.

Don't forget to practice your pivoting , have your hands up in the guard or both fists pulled back level with your chest .

Pivot slowly from side to side , going to 45 degrees each side , stay locked in at the waist and keep your hips forward.

Pivoting is a very important supplementary exercise for the stance as it helps you to find your center and also works on your balance.

Next thing you would want to do is work on your mobility whilst remaining in your stance , do this next exercise in your stance and with your guard up.

What I usually do is get my people to take a step forward , then take a step to the right , then take a step back , then take a step to the left.

Now we are back to where we started and we can see that our footsteps have moved to the four corners of an imaginary square.
(keep your body square on and facing the front)

Now just keep going around that square continuously to each corner in a clockwise direction for a few minutes , then reverse the direction and go counter clockwise for the same amount of time.

Then start moving randomly in different directions , forwards and back , side to side , diagonally forwards 45 degrees left and right.

This is pretty basic , but it will stand you in good stead for later on when you learn the more complicated stuff.

Focus on keeping your thighs relaxed and springy , back straight , body weight centered and no leaning.

Lastly you might want to get in front of a mirror and take any of the piercing up or cutting down motions from the form , check first that your wrist is on center , and just continously raise and lower your arm .

What we are working on specifically is the angle of the arm and making sure that we are maintaining that angle through out the raising and lowering motion of the arm.

We should also be striving for a relaxed rotation of the arm from the shoulder joint , raising the arm from the elbow and sinking it from the elbow.

There should be no involvement of the forearm at all , forget the forearm is even there , just think of the elbow.


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## Svemocn1vidar (Mar 4, 2011)

Solo training :

- Footwork,footwork,footwork. Forward steping,Burst from neutral to forward stance with a straight punch,left and right side. Side/Circle step to get used to it.
- Legs -- > Kicks,all of them,snap them,combine them,but don't snap your side-kick too much without a bag to deliver the force to. Do leg raises,frontal and side ways. It will improve your kicks and flexibility.
- Chain punching -- > On a wall bag,as much as possible and without gloves. It will hurt,but you will gain alot in the long run. You can't condition your knuckles well enough with gloves. Also,do alot of shadow boxing. 
- Forms
- Muk Yan Jong - If you have one and know 'How to'.
Cheerz.


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## geezer (Mar 4, 2011)

You training fanatic, you! Where do you live? We need more WT people like you out here! Of course, "officially" we won't even speak to you, you EBMAS heretic! Unofficially, we exchange phone numbers and train when whenever we can. Viva WT! Viva LWS! Viva!


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## yak sao (Mar 4, 2011)

geezer said:


> You training fanatic, you! Where do you live? We need more WT people like you out here! Of course, "officially" we won't even speak to you, you EBMAS heretic! Unofficially, we exchange phone numbers and train when whenever we can. Viva WT! Viva LWS! Viva!


 

Oh sure, hog him all to yourself!


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## Svemocn1vidar (Mar 5, 2011)

geezer said:


> You training fanatic, you! Where do you live? We need more WT people like you out here! Of course, "officially" we won't even speak to you, you EBMAS heretic! Unofficially, we exchange phone numbers and train when whenever we can. Viva WT! Viva LWS! Viva!



Hehe,thank you for your kind words! I am from Serbia,we are a small group but let me tell ya,we work our asses off. Serbia is in a difficult situation,so lately,we were unable to call Emin for further seminars. My instructor worked under Emin for 4 years or so.
I love WT for what it is,don't care about organisations and stuff  we are all Kung Fu brothers! Respect.


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