Intensive martial arts programs

[Kittan Bachika]

What do you all think of intensive martial arts programs?

There is this course.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senshusei_course

This was also on the internet
http://www.scicbeijing.com/MartialArts/MartialArts.asp?id=34

After a year of intensive training and depending on how it is taught, someone is going to come out really tough.
But are they better than someone who has had 5 years of consistent part time yet intensive training?

 

[Buka]

I'll bet both those year long courses are really fun.

 

[jks9199]

I can't address the skill of a person, since I've never had a chance to work out with someone who's done anything nearly that long. But you can read one account of the Senshusei program in the book Angry White Pajamas. Makes it sound like a pretty powerful experience, overall... but a lot being simply about doing it.

 

[Kittan Bachika]

I can't address the skill of a person, since I've never had a chance to work out with someone who's done anything nearly that long. But you can read one account of the Senshusei program in the book Angry White Pajamas. Makes it sound like a pretty powerful experience, overall... but a lot being simply about doing it.

I read that book also. That is where I found out about that course. It sounded like he was a badass after the program.

 

[chinto]

I can not say not having known any one who did the courses listed. But that said, I think they provably are intensive, changing and fun.

 

[WingChunIan]

IMO you can break it down into hours trained, repetitions performed and distractions avoided (assuming the intensity is equal in both cases). Full emersion in training will deliver superior results because it enables psychological as well as physical learning. Unfortunately not everyone can afford to study full time and not every martial art is available in such formats. The downside to such intense training is always the risk of physical and emotional injury coupled with a lack of time out to actually digest anything. Most people can't survive 12 months of such training let alone any longer and many burn out or have their fill and lose their desire so the ultimate benefit is limited as ideally you should be embarking upon a life time journey.