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7 principles of 6 Dragons Kung Fu to boost martial growth

In martial practice, we often lose sight of our goals due to:

Difficulties
Defeats
Frustrations
Malaise / illnesses
…

In these cases are the basic principles (those that distinguish the quality from the scarcity) that can guide us out of the shoals in which we stranded. As the lighthouse for the ships, the fundamentals can indicate how and why to face all the hard work and sacrifices of serious training.

In this article, we want to list some of the most important points of reference on which to focus our martial growth.

1. Passion is nothing

Anyone who thinks that passion is enough to build a true Kung Fu practitioner or true skills is completely wrong:

Passion offers a “boost” to the practice but alone, it lasts no more than a few months
Passion is only the starting point of any kind of martial career (practitioner, instructor, fighter, etc.)
Passion simply offers us the time and the opportunity to start building self-discipline (read Having discipline: do not contradict ourselves)
Daily training does not necessarily give us pleasure each time, it must simply be a part of our life
Our workout, like water or food, must become a natural function of our body and mind
Passion leads to the pursuit of pleasure and when this fades (even temporarily), it abandons us
…

2. The goals are not the Goal

The only goal that is worth to be pursued is to overcome our limits:

Setting ourselves goals (momentarily) out of our reach is foolish and quickly leads to renunciation
It is good to set a lot of small goals but we must aim for the right graduality and organize a path with reasoning (read How to acquire special abilities)
The only real Goal that can allow us to reach our maximum martial expression is to try, each time, to do better than before
At every repetition, every punch, every kick, we must be faster, more precise, unpredictable, powerful, (etc.) than the previous execution
Our guide is the error, it is only through its experimentation that we can move forward (read Measure ourselves with errors)
…

A note by Master Kongling – Practicing 6 Dragons Kung Fu is like being time travelers: at every repetition, we have the opportunity to return to the past and do better (read Measure, analyze and eliminate defects).

3. People do not become good at doing what they do not do

Like everything else in life, we have to be dedicated and work hard if we want to pursue concrete results:

As you cannot become good at Bowling by doing all the possible workouts, except actually playing it, the same thing happens for martial arts
If you never fight, you will never learn to fight, the more you fight the more you learn (read Why martial arts do not work: 5 reasons)
Without practice, the classical gym approach (theory, forms, controlled application, etc.) are purely useless (read The 6 types of martial clash)
It is not only a matter of sparring (read The meaning of sparring fighting in martial arts), we are talking about constant discipline, preparation and concentration, these are the keys to achieve the result
If our practice is distracted, inconstant and full of gaps, so will it be in combat and (worst) in life
The determination is that unstoppable force that, beyond all difficulties, inevitably leads us to our Goal
…

4. A precise development order: instinct, technique, precision, speed, strength, customization

In 6 Dragons Kung Fu, we start developing the instinct, then the technique, then the precision, then the speed, then the strength and finally the customization (read /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///)
First, we need to give space to our instinct, to build that base of “personality” that the premature imposition of a too detailed technical baggage would cancel
After having prepared mind and body, we move on to a deep and more detailed technical study, to build a solid martial base
When our body is ready and we know what we have to do, we must learn to do it in the right moments and spaces
Once we understand what to do, how and when, we just have to smooth the corners and eliminate everything that slows us down
When our ability to apply the technique is impeccable, we can concentrate on increasing the power (only now that we know how to not affect the quality of the execution)
Finally, when we have a more than complete picture of what we can or can not do, it is possible to adapt the technique to our specific characteristics / intentions
…

A note by Master Kongling – The best fighter is not the one who best adheres to the martial art, he is the one that derives from its principles build a style that is totally personal, natural, perfect for his body and mind (read The difference between 6DKF and other martial arts).

5. Work on timing and spatial intelligence

In any kind of combat, the fighter who dominates timing and spaces cannot lose (read The most important skill in combat)
If we are constantly able to impose our mobility and pace to our opponents, they will never be able to catch us
Power, speed, technique (etc.) are secondary abilities if we master space and time
It is not a question of neglecting all other skills but of dedicating (constantly) specific training exercises for these abilities (read /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///
The 6DKF’s skills related to space and time (quick reasoning, reflexes, precision control, etc.), deserve a privileged space in our daily sessions)

6. A strategic plan is made of various (interchangeable) tactics

Whether in combat or in everyday life, the only way to consistently have at least one chance of winning is to have a plan (read How to solve any kind of life problem)
A good plan cannot be designed in times of need, it must be thought calmly and patiently (let’s take our times)
A good plan has a general strategy and a good strategy is composed of various interchangeable tactics
Each tactic must be chosen and adapted to the current scenario but never forced in a context that is completely not suitable
Never try to force an unsuitable tactic or (worse) to continue to use it repeatedly, let’s try to be flexible and creative
Seeking endlessly to achieve the same goal with the same (unsuccessful) method is the perfect recipe for defeat
…

7. Learn to know and listen to our body and mind

Our body is constantly talking to us, we must learn to decipher its language
A big part of what we think is caused by what happens outside our body (exhaustion, mood swings, etc.) finds instead its origin within us
What we introduce into our body and what we force into our mind, condition most of our life (martial and every day)
The first step is to start respecting our body (read for example Qi and proper nutrition)
The second is treating the well-being of our mind (read for example Meditation method 1)
It is through the scrupulous attention of the variations between conditions of well-being and malaise that we can begin to build a communication channel with ourselves
Everything has causes / effects and if we learn to take on our responsibilities, we also learn how to free ourselves from what oppresses and / or limits us
Thinking is not enough, we should keep a daily diary of possible causes, effects and we should do split tests to choose what works best
…

In-depth articles

Resume training after a period of inactivity – A few tricks and methods to rapidly recover from a training interruption
How to train with perseverance – How to correctly integrate a good level daily workout within daily life

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

What is the most useful principle in your opinion?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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