Best Practices in Martial Arts Training

Below is an excerpt from an article appearing in the online magazine, Jade Dragon. The topic is best practices in martial arts training. Whether you agree or disagree with the article, you have to stop and take a look at one's own training. The full article may be read here.

Best Practices of Internal Martial Arts

The following internal martial arts best practices can be useful for strategists:

• Practice the various internal martial exercises before the sun rises
• The key to internal martial arts is to develop the skill of feeling
• When practicing, focus on feeling your entire body and your settings in terms of yin and yang
• Practice the alignment of your whole body in terms of center, relax, ground, calm and whole
• Where the attention goes, the energy flow
• When exercising, revel in the process not the pace. Indirectly, it is also a test of your concentration
• Always quietly practice your exercises at the same place and at the same time. Silence is golden. Positive consistency and continuity is important to the mind and body.
• The quiet practicing of stances allows you to gain the feeling of stillness
• Understand the practice of stillness to gain insights
• When training, ensure that one of your ligaments is always connected to the ground
• There is greater value in the practicing of a single- to double-motion exercise than in the practicing of multiple-motions exercise
• Begin all practices with a series of deep breathing and stretching exercises without stressing the body
• Start the stretching process by using low-level and deep stances. Continue by focusing on one-legged stances.
• Wear a weighted vest while practicing (a training tradition of some Cheng Ting Hua’s Bagua players)
• You should always stand than to sit.  We recommend the use of the standing table for work
• Learning Yi Quan is a good way to gain a grand insight into the benefits of standing and stilling the body
• "When one is relaxed, the body comes flexible (lively), the qi circulates throughout the body, and the body now becomes whole. ..." (Yi Quan training quote)
• Practice within the training stages of static, active, and changing
• When practicing Taijiquan, Baguazhang, or other forms of internal art systems, learning and practicing Push Hands (or similar "one on one" sparring exercises) is very important in the development of body sensitivity
• Always have a good "above-average" skilled training partner to practice the "Push Hands" exercises
• Practice circle walking everyday (a training tradition of Baguazhang players)
• Focus on evading, encircling, and entrapping your opposition (a practice of Baguazhang players)
• Understand the quintessence of Yang Taijiquan through the practice of the Yang Taiji 13 postures
• Perform the Taiji long form with a fast rhythm. Then practice the Taiji short form with a slow rhythm.  While the practice of the long form in a quick rhythm develops aerobic and endurance, the pace of the short form develops the feeling of patience and steadiness (a training tradition of Taiji players)
• The circular motion of the moving body should never break. (One should always deploy the circular motion before implementing a linear motion.)
• Never practice internal martial arts exercises in a cold, windy and noisy area
• Unless it is absolutely necessary, never travel in an extremely cold and windy area without the proper clothing. If possible, avoid those areas
• Serious martial art players should have at least one high-quality, customized implement. The customization of your implement enables you to develop a bond with it
• Never be the martial art player who has the best gear without the skill and the drive to practice with it