Iron Palm development A lot of people write us asking how to develop the Iron Palm skill: Sometimes they have already started (eg. after having watched a Shaolin movie) Sometimes they have already bought training tools (in most cases very expensive, useless or even counterproductive) Sometimes they have already damaged their hands (in many cases […]
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What is the main purpose of Yoga? The goals of Yoga have a lot in common with some of the Kung Fu’s ones: Body harmony – Flexibility, health, wellness, etc. Mental harmony – Centeredness, detachment, etc. Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to […]
Combat training (from beginner to expert level) An execution example of 32 trapping drills In this video (connected to Trapping: 4 EASY to LEARN Techniques (video)), we show 32 practical examples of training drills for trapping (in the particular case, Master Kongling uses the 6 Dragons Kung Fu’s wooden dummy, read The 6 Dragons Kung […]
Combat training (intermediate level) An example of execution of Poles exercise In this video, we show a practical example of the Poles practice (in the particular case, Master Kongling performs the intermediate version of the exercise against 8 door’s jambs). This training is one of the fundamental technical exercises of 6 Dragons Kung Fu (read […]
Combat training (intermediate level) An example of execution of Hanging Speedball exercise (with the staff) In this video, we show a practical example of the Hanging Speedball practice (in the particular case, Master Kongling performs the intermediate version of the exercise with the long stick). This training is one of the fundamental technical exercises of […]
The primary goal for a beginner The first goal we have to think of is to learn to train every day. If we are beginners, it is totally wrong to start focusing our efforts on reaching advanced martial skills: it is simply impossible. If (as many do) we let ourselves be enchanted by the final […]
A ridiculously simple exercise to start to build fingers dexterity The one we are going to describe is an unorthodox (read The use of unorthodox methods) but effective exercise that: We can perform everywhere and every moment during our day It is completely safe and easy to learn It has to be executed with a […]
How to face a punch in the abdomen The first thing to say is that breathing is one of the most important tasks in the economy of any kind of fight: While moving While attacking While defending … It helps us to: Increase power Cool our body Manage timing Limit the damages Economize the energies […]
What is standing stamina? In our Kung Fu, with “standing stamina” we refer to the capability to maintain static positions: it is the complementary opposite of what we call “dynamic equilibrium” (read The concept of Dynamic Equilibrium). To possess a good standing stamina skill means to be able to: Remain in a specific position without […]
Why is important to learn to dodge punches Unlike the kick (read The use of legs in a real fight), the punch (read How to punch (simple explanation)) is the most diffuse and implemented combat technique: The practitioner of martial arts – Despite the level of experience, he uses it because it is simple (and […]
Combat training (basic level) An example of basic execution of Fabric Cloth exercise In this video, we show a practical example of the Fabric Cloth practice (in the particular case, Master Kongling performs the basic version of the exercise). This training is one of the fundamental technical exercises of 6 Dragons Kung Fu (read ) […]
Combat training (advanced level) An example of execution of Fabric Cloth exercise In this video, we show a practical example of the Fabric Cloth (read Basic tools: the cloth) exercise (in the particular case, Master Kongling practice with a Japanese weapon, the Ninjato, ideal for advanced practitioners). This training is one of the fundamental technical […]
Combat training (intermediate level) In this video, we show a practical example of the 6 Dragons Kung Fu’s reactive dummy training (read The 6DKF’s PVC wooden dummy). In the particular case, Master Kongling practice with an advanced configuration, ideal for intermediate / advanced practitioners (without the forearms covers, protections made of foam). This exercise does […]
What is the makiwara, how it works and what is it for? The Makiwara is a Karate training tool: It is basically a flat and smooth wooden board that develops vertically; in most cases, it is fixed to a wall or to the ground (with a stable base) It is made to do not move […]
What is the Soft Touch in 6 Dragons Kung Fu? The Soft Touch is the capability to instinctively regulate the type of “state” of our body structure (solid, liquid, etc., read 6DKF’s interactions: from the strong blow to the light touch) and the intensity of the contact with an element of the fighting scenario. It […]
Shaolin conditioning secrets Many of the modern equipment that is used nowadays (bodybuilding, MMA, other sport, etc.) often have correspondents in the ancient methods of body conditioning of Shaolin monks (read Physical conditioning: how it works). The reason is that in the temple of Shaolin, the monks spent whole days, whole lives training and thinking […]
How to minimize the damage of a fall Continuing the discussion about the basic principles of controlled fallings (read The fundamental concepts of the fallings) we go a step forward to talk about breakfall technique. Breakfalls are the first fighting techniques that are taught in 99% of martial arts courses, they are specifically created to: […]
Stretching for intermediate practitioners After seeing the basic exercises for stretching the whole body and the correct modalities of execution, let’s go to the next step with our tendons transformation path: the intermediate level exercises for flexibility. In this discussion we talk about lower limbs dynamic elongation, it is however fundamental to repeat that it […]
Stretching for intermediate practitioners After seeing the basic exercises for stretching the whole body and the correct modalities of execution, let’s go to the next step with our tendons transformation path: the intermediate level exercises for flexibility. Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how […]
What is rooting in Kung Fu? The 2 crucial aspects related to rooting In 6 Dragons Kung Fu, when we talk about rooting (as in Tai Chi or in Wing Chun) we refer substantially to two things: Resist – The ability to resist the opponent’s interaction (thrusts, projections, etc.) without losing balance Express power – […]
Why is flexibility so important for a fighter? Let’s see the principal reasons why flexibility is so useful in martial arts (in combat and not only): All the fighting movements become more fluid, powerful and fast (because they do not find the slowdown of limited joints) The body becomes more resistant and less predisposed to […]
Is the iron palm practice good for a woman? Hands conditioning is not a matter of gender, we have to choose our training path in relation to our specific goals: Gain breaking-related abilities Be able to sustain a real self-defense situation … The problem is not being male or female, Kung Fu does not make these kinds […]
Bring the benefits of meditation outside its direct practice 6 Dragons Kung Fu’s 5th Meditation Method can be considered as a part of the 4th Method (read Meditation method 4). While the previous one is a complete meditative oriented activity, this extrapolation can be considered its “portable version”; it serves to bring its type of […]
The Iron Palm skill What Iron Palm is A note by Master Kongling – Iron Palm is included in the original 72 arts of Shaolin temple. Even if many martial arts have similar practices (Karate, etc.), only in Kung Fu it reaches the highest levels of effectiveness (through a painstaking path). In Kung Fu terms, […]
The origin and consistency of the body control methods of 6 Dragons Kung Fu In 6 Dragons Kung Fu, we teach various body control methods and they are inspired by: Yoga Ancient Shaolin methods Qi Gong (read ) TCM (traditional chinese medicine) Modern medicine Direct experience … In our school, we do not teach anything […]
In this article, we want to see 5 type of jumping exercises for beginners. Important premises: Do stretching before starting (read Basic soft stretching and How to correctly perform stretching) These exercises can be performed as a warm-up (read Basic warm-up and How to correctly perform warm-up) Train safely, do not train what is in pain (read […]
Basic push-ups alternatives In this article, we want to see 5 type of push-up exercises for beginners. Important premises: Do stretching before starting (read Basic soft stretching and How to correctly perform stretching) If we are already able to do more than 10 push-ups and if we do not exaggerate with the intensity (repetitions, etc.) […]
Stretching is a fundamental part of our conditioning Stretching is at the base of every kind of training (martial arts, sports, etc.), for this reason, we want to give some basic indications on how to perform it correctly: It improves our performances It allows us to train with a regular cadence It prevent and limit […]
What is it? The Poles Training is one of the most important trainings in 6 Dragons Kung Fu. It consists basically of hitting one or more wooden poles. What is it for? In our style the poles are used: As a target for kicks, punches, etc. As a target for weapons (training versions, not sharpened, […]
Prepare the body for the maximum performace Without any pretense of completeness, in this tutorial, we want to share a basic full-body soft stretching session ideal to be prepared for a 6 Dragons Kung Fu training session. Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how […]
An exercise for rooting development: preparation One of the most important and difficult things to get in martial arts is balance / rooting (read The concept of Dynamic Equilibrium). An excellent exercise is to train to balance ourselves on car tires, let’s see how to do it. What we need: We need 2 or 3 used […]
Explosive movements: how to keep our body active Reconnecting to the topic of the effectiveness of martial arts (read Why martial arts do not work: 5 reasons), we want to give those who want to approach our discipline a starting point in the development of real physical abilities. For a good martial arts practitioner it […]
How to master flexible weapons Before proceeding with the study of flexible weapons (read Learn to use basic weapons) we must emphasize that: This path must be consistent and absolutely gradual, not rigid weapons are 10 times more difficult to manage in relation to the others The rudiments that we are going to illustrate may seem trivial but […]
The first thing to learn in order to exploit our emotions in our favor is to understand the basic setting of the “switch technique”: Emotion activated Emotion disabled We have to handle our mental flow. To effectively use the force of moods (and not to be their victim) it is necessary to follow a precise […]
Perceive the fighting scenario When in self-defense we talk about constant attention (read How to develop the constant attention), we refer to the collection, analysis and processing of the information that governs the scenario within which we are. Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see […]
How to execute the Chin Na techniques The learning path A complete study of Chin Na (read A free home study Chin Na course for beginners) includes: The learning of the theory behind the techniques The practical application in gradually less cooperative contexts The study of the methods to resist / counterattack Note – This […]
A beginner-level physical approach to body strengthening One of the first and simplest body conditioning exercises for the impacts (read Conditioning check for the impact) is the practice of the slapping; this practice is in fact indicated (with the right caution) also for novices. Basic benefits: Mental and physical preparation – It establishes the basis […]
The advantages of good flexibility in martial arts Good conditioning for flexibility requires long times, constancy, commitment and remarkable patience: it is for this reason that many aspiring practitioners tend to underestimate (if not even completely avoid) these kinds of activity. The fact is that a flexible body offers crucial advantages in terms of combat […]
Reconnecting to the article “Earth movements: the sand whirls exercise” (and all the others related with the sandbox training) we would like to point out some useful details to optimize the quality and safety of the practice: The raw material: The ideal type of sand is that of construction (better the refined one, costs a […]
Why impact conditioning is important As we have seen, there are various types of conditioning (read Physical conditioning: how it works) but the impact related ones can gives us incredible advantages. The more we are conditioned: The more techniques we are able to execute The more techniques we are able to withstand to The longer […]
As we have mentioned, there are many types of bodily conditioning (for hands, abdominal, legs, etc.) and to each of them corresponds more and more effectiveness tests: Breaking (eg. of bricks) Flexion (eg. splitting) Resistance (eg. stick strokes) Spatial intelligence (eg. handling two flying objects simultaneously) Balance (eg. running fight movements with a bowl of […]
What is conditioning for? In 6 Dragons Kung Fu, for each practitioner, physical conditioning has the goal to: Become able to perform the most advanced techniques (acrobatic, complex, etc.) Become able to perform the basic techniques more effectively (in terms of coordination, flow, etc.) Better resist to opponent’s attacks (joints’ twists, impacts, etc.) Achieve higher performance […]
We have already talked about 6DKF’s pencil training (read the article “A pencil dexterity exercise for the use of knife”), let’s see now some more advanced versions of the same practice through some variations. Variation 1: Let’s throw the pencil in the air as before but Let’s recover it only when it is at a […]
Short rods exercises for beginners: the benefits After quickly describing the didactical stance (read The basics of short sticks: safety and grip) and the 3 most important typologies of strokes (read The basics of short sticks: base strokes and stance), we are going to explain 5 useful starting exercises. The benefits of the exercises we are […]
Is it possible to be ready to fight at any moment? After dealing with the psychological aspect of mental preparation to combat (read Always be ready to fight: the mind), we move on to the rudiments of the physical aspect. Before proceeding we need to do a small premise, if 0 represents the worst possible […]
After seeing the first exercise of the earth movements, we move on to a new one relative to the fire movements. The practice that we are going to describe, in its early stage is very simple, it is focused on strengthen, speedup and concentrate the intensity of our soft movements. To start it is necessary […]
After watching the first exercise of the water movements, we pass to a third one relating to the movements of the earth. The practice we are going to describe has the intent to make our soft movements unstoppable (beyond the execution speed). To start we need: A vase / pail that can withstand a certain […]
After watching the first exercise to control the soft power (belonging to air movements category), we pass to a second one related instead to the water movements group. The practice we are going to describe does not involve incredible difficulties but requires access to a body of water (a lake, a river, the sea, a […]
As we have seen, there are several categories of exercises for the development of the “soft power”, the first one we analyze belongs to the group of air movements. The practice we are going to describe is called “wind wake” and it is (initially) simple: Let’s take 2 strips of cloth with a length equal […]
A skill is acquired if we don’t realize to possess it Each skill that we do not possess appears to us as special. However, what distinguishes a simple amateur from a real martial artist is being able to express one or more abilities: That cannot be acquired in a short time (see The first martial […]
Why is toes conditioning so important? In 6 Dragons Kung Fu , the principal uses for the toes are (in order of relevance): Improve explosive mobility – The most common, important and underestimated application (to move, hit, etc.) Help (partially) to “grab” – To do not allow the opponent to move (eg. blocking his foot to the ground), to […]
In this article we see a good exercise to strengthen the legs in the movements to the ground and lifting. Preconditions: This practice requires a certain kind of effort and if we are not in good physical shape it should not be performed for an extended time A quick warm-up and stretching are always a […]
We have already had occasion to introduce the swirling movements of the Dragon Motion ( “The 6DKF Dragon Motion: the swirling movements” and “The Dragon Motion: a first insight and 4 exercises”), we see now some details about how to improve our practice: We need to smooth out all possible angles and rigidity, the body […]
We have already spoken in the past about the concept of energy release ( “The metal sphere: how to release the force of a punch or a kick”) and persistent movements ( “Persistent movements: examples and learning”), in this discussion we want go over and explain directly how to develop the connection between power and […]
Manage the fighting rhythm in relation to that of our opponents is one of the fundamental keys to prevail in any fight. During each type of combat, the body of the contenders continuously passes from positions favorable to the defense / attack to positions “unfavorable” (in relation to the one of the others): Distance Dislocation […]
We continue the discussion of the previous articles related to speed and vibration to pass to their evolution. The idea behind the concept of vibrating our limbs at the highest possible frequency is to be able to extend and increase the maximum speed that our body can express. In fact, with the vibrations we gradually […]
We continue the discussion (started in the previous article) about speed with the asynchronous and circular vibrations. The basic asynchronous vibrations: 1) Let’s open our arms laterally and through our elbows, we have to vibrate our forearms up and down (the arms are bent at 90 and our hands are closed as “spoon” with the […]
The secret to build real speed After making all the necessary premises about the exercises related to speed development (read Find the maximum speed that we can express), we move on to describe the first: the vibrations one. Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see […]
Combat: when speed can make the difference Only when our technical level and our instinct start to become calibrated is time to think about speed development (read How to learn to fight: all the steps). Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend […]