Single Focus Part 3

A few weeks ago I started a series on key areas you should focus on as a martial artist.

You read about Speed development and its importance in Single Focus Part 1.

Then you learned how injecting Emotional Intensity into your training guarantees results and drives you to follow through on the goals you've set in Single Focus Part 2.

This next key area of development is one that requires your full attention.

When you've acquired it, it will make everything else you do that much easier and effortless.

It is the root of power.

Have you guessed what it is?

Yes, it is none other than Flexibility.

A loose, pliable and flexible body can generate more power.

It has less chances of getting injured.

You'll learn faster. What? How can flexibility help with that?

One of the challenges most beginners have to face when starting any area of martial arts, be it standing up, on the ground or with weapons is dealing with stiffness.

By learning to relax and avoid being rigid when first learning the techniques, you'll be teaching your nervous system and muscles faster and in a more effective manner so you can integrate the techniques and start using them with more speed and power.

Learning to stretch and acquire joint mobility is also a natural stress reliever.

What you can do mentally when stretching is think of stress as being trapped in a sponge. The sponge being your muscles.

As you stretch, you feel and visualize stress being squeezed out of your body until the last drop. Continue to do this with each body part that you are stretching. I've found this method to be highly invigorating while also feeling like you've had a weight lifted off your shoulders.

When cooling down after a workout and going through some of the exercises covered in our Flexibility Series DVD, the mental clarity and calmness you feel should be something everyone gets to experience.

This key area of development needs to be part of your training routine but not any kind of stretching, learn how to stretch your whole body and double your flexibility over night by following some of the steps outlined in our Flexibility Series.

Make this one of your main focus areas and everything else will suddenly be much easier.

Master Yourself,

Sibok M

P.S. The Flexibility Series is one of our best products and is one area that most people struggle with. Make stiffness, pain and lack of mobility a thing of the past when you order: Flexibility: How to become as flexible as you were as a Child"

The rule for hand speed

If you've been training in martial arts you've surely asked yourself: "What I can do to get faster?"

If you've been working on increasing your speed as long as I have, you've come to realize "being fast is only part of the equation".

The same is true with power.

There's one element that cannot be over-looked, it needs to be addressed and that is...

TIMING.

If you cannot apply that speed or that power at the right time it is utterly useless.

Kinda like the same idea of owning a real fast and powerful car but being bound by a 100 km/h limit. Why buy that car in the first place?

You find a testing ground. A race track. The autobahn. A secluded street. A deserted highway late at night.

As Martial Artists we use 2 tools: Sparring and Speed Drills.

In FSD we break down speed into 4 components:

1) Perception Speed
2) Speed of motion (Execution)
3) Reaction Speed and ...
4) Timing.

Here are quick points to keep in mind:

-One must have sharp perception speed through sight, hearing and touch.

-Clear knowledge of how to execute the technique so there is no wasted movement and to guarantee maximum efficiency.

-And instant reaction to the outside stimulus (using perception speed) and cutting down the hesitation time between seeing, hearing, or feeling and actually responding to the threat.

-Timing will actually make someone who is "average" when it comes to speed and make them seem pretty fast just by understanding this principle.

We took on the painstaking job of collecting, recording and developing the most efficient speed drills for our students.

I love working on my speed and you should too. It's not just about being fast, the more you train our drills the more you feel like you're doing a "systems check" on your own body. Guaranteeing that your brain and nervous system is in perfect working order.

Make your brain and body a finely tuned machine, just like your computer needs a clean-up and an upgrade every once in a while to guarantee performance, acquiring our Speed Training DVD will have the same effect on your body and mind.

Master Yourself,

Sifu Martin

P.S. Many of the drills can be done on your own in the comfort of your own home. You might not realize it but you're surrounded with everyday items you can use to build your speed. See what I mean here.

P.P.S. Another group that is famous for speed are the Shaolin Monks, catch them in Montreal on Feb.10th at my school on St-Denis.

To register:

FSD members

Non-members

How to instantly accelerate your progress

If you're serious about getting results, today's tip will serve you well.

Let's face it we're all motivated by progress. We want it sooner, better, faster.

Some things need time, like Power and Endurance.

If you stay consistent and gradually increase the demands you put on yourself during your strength training you will see results over time.

That's just the way it is.

But in the areas of skill, flexibility and speed that's a whole different story.

Progress can be accelerated in those areas if you find someone better than you.

Skill wise, one round of sparring with someone better than you will yield faster results in 3 minutes than maybe 1 year of training.

Same thing with speed. Working speed drills with a high caliber training partner will set your reaction time into high gear.

Flexibility is no different. There is a science behind stretching, if you apply the proper exercises with the right knowledge you can make substantial gains in 30 minutes or less.

Someone's better than you for a reason, find out what they're doing and copy it exactly.

Follow this advice in all areas of your life. Everyone you meet is superior to you in one way or the other.

Aim Higher,

Sibok Martin

The lost art of speed training

Ever wonder why some people are slow and predictable while some are fast and accurate?

If you could double your speed right now what difference would that make in your martial art training?

There is one method for increasing speed that I especially like: Hitting Paper.

Most martial artists either don't spend enough time training speed or don't train speed period.

This method for training speed has been around for a long time but made popular by Bruce Lee himself.

At first glance most people seeing someone doing this type of speed training might cringe and discard it. You would be wise not to. If it was good enough for Bruce Lee it's good enough for me.

What is Bruce Lee most recognized for?

You guessed it.

Lightning Speed.

In many areas Bruce Lee was ahead of his time when it came to his training methodology, training equipment, and combat philosophy.

Even being the first martial artist to use reaction timers to time one's reaction speed to an outside stimulus. It is rumored that Bruce had a 0.07 second reaction time. Although timers are faster today compared to the ones used in those days it is still an impressive feat.

We've kept many of his speed drills alive in our own training system. You can pick up our speed training system right here.

Master Yourself,

Sibok Martin

Get fast now!

If you're a martial artist, what would you do without speed?

If you ask me : Not much!

Speed isn't just a PIECE of the puzzle. It's something bigger than that.

It's the cardboard mat you glue the pieces on when framing one.

If you need to understand the principles behind speed.

If you need to increase speed.

If you need to add speed training drills to your routine.

And if you want to get fast and you want it now, you'll find a detailed article on the subject of speed worth checking out right here. It's titled Speed: The Holy Grail of Martial Arts

Enjoy,

Sibok Martin

2 special martial art seminars in Ottawa

There's always something happening in our schools every month. And this month is no different.

This Sunday (March 16 th) at 10:00 am we're holding not one but two highly anticipated seminars at our Ottawa Kung-fu School.

Our always dynamic and fun Speed Training Seminar focuses on speed drills, secrets to speed, how to increase speed, how trying to move fast will actually slow you down, 2 man drills to increase reaction time, the rule for hand speed, and the best exercises to get your muscles ready for action.

You must be thinking you need alot of experience to attend one of these seminars?

You don't.

Because we're not teaching techniques, we're showing you the principles to increasing speed and reaction as well as getting you doing the drills which will ultimately get you moving faster by the end of the seminar.

The other seminar transitions well with the speed training seminar because it uses some of the same principles and helps develop speed and finesse while combining all of that with power.

We're talking about the one and only Wooden Dummy Seminar.

Held right after the speed training seminar, students learn the quickest and most effective ways of learning the original wooden dummy sets, the real reasons for using the wooden man, what you can expect to develop from training with this device, finding an equilibrium betwen Jing and Flow, how learning the different "blocks" leads to mastery and all that within a few minutes.

You can get a heads start by ordering the Speed Training DVD right here, that way you'll have a good idea of which drills to do prior to attending the seminar.

You can also put in an e-mail request for our brand new 2 disc, top & bottom camera angle, Wooden Dummy DVD just released last week at montreal@fangshendo.com and we'll ship you a copy immediately.

Let's get to work this weekend,

See you there,

Sibok Martin

Get fast by watching TV?

Yes it's true.

But not by watching TV the way most people do.

Most people flop on the couch and stay there in a lethargic state an average of 5 hours a day accompanied by their best friend: the bag o' potato chips.

There is a way to use the Zombie Box constructively to increase your reflexes. To cut down your thinking time (that moment of hesitation) before reacting.

This was shown to me by Sijo (my father) a long time ago. You will use the television as your visual stimulus and the main tool in your speed training.

Stand in front of the TV set with your hands up (there are lots of variations but lets start with this one). Far enough that you don't hit the screen! You start by choosing a technique, example: a straight punch.

Sibok  Martin doing TV Speed Training

Put on a channel, preferably a news channel where the images change often.

Your "cue" will be to strike out every time the image changes. The images will be changing sporadically and this will keep you on your toes.

You can change to kicks, other hand combinations, elbows, knees, every minute or so. Anything you want to sharpen.

You're training your mind to not hesitate and not calculate. This is one way Fang Shen Do uses every day items right in your house to increase your martial art ability.

Even if you don't train in the martial arts this simple drill helps you stay focused and mentally alert.

Remember "use it or lose it" and when it comes to reflexes you want to keep those for as long as possible.

Do it for 5 minutes you'll see it's also a great workout.

This is just one way to get your speed training started, you'll find this drill and dozens of others on our newly released speed training DVD.

Get yours here,

Master Yourself,

Sibok Martin