Stealth walking: the basic physical preparation
The necessary body and mind capabilities
The first step to mastering the art of stealth walking is conditioning, in other words, a cyclical interconnection between:
- Balance – We need constant and precise control over our body stability (static and dynamic, read The concept of Dynamic Equilibrium)
- Strength – We need good standing stamina (read Standing stamina: what is and its development) and enough power to move / sustain even our entire body in the most complex contexts (with upper limbs only, in unbalanced positions, etc.)
- Advanced body control – The capability to regulate the level of tension of every single part of our structure (read The secrets of tactical combat interactions)
- Awareness – All the other skills are totally useless if our mind is not able to maintain focus, relaxation, patience, if it is not technically educated and especially, if it cannot count on a solid experience in realistic simulated scenarios (read How to simulate realistic self-defense scenarios)
Note – This article has been asked by one of our Core Course practitioners on Patreon (see how to attend our home study classes here Learn Kung Fu online: a beginner-to-expert course).
Let’s see some of the most effective practices to develop what we need.
A selection of gradual exercises to build the foundation
A note by Master Kongling – Naturally we will not include the practices that are already part of our normal martial training routine (read How to start practicing from scratch and /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///) nor the specific stealth walking techniques (that we will see in future tutorials).
Before starting, let’s read How to train without risks [MINI-GUIDE].
Exercises to improve balance
Let’s:
- Walk on a line (not necessarily straight)
- Walk on a rather thin wall
- Walk on a rope
- …
Let’s gradually do it:
- Both standing and on all fours
- In all directions (backward, sideways, etc.)
- Avoiding obstacles (progressively more complex)
- Bringing with us progressively bulky, unstable and heavy objects
- …
Exercises to improve strength
Let’s:
- Practice Kung Fu stances (read /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///)
- Do weightlifting (with arms and legs)
- Do lunges
- Do planks
- Do squats
- Do tractions
- Do push-ups (read 5 push-up exercises ideal for beginners / warm-up)
- Train our toes (read 4 exercises to strengthen our toes)
- Do isometric exercises in general
- …
Let’s gradually do it:
- With a weighted vest (read The weighted vest)
- At a progressively higher level (but without exaggerating, we are not culturists)
- At a practical speed (let’s try to make our preparation as functional as possible to our goals)
- In as much as possible practical contexts (not only doing static repetitions but in obstacle paths, etc.)
- …
Exercises to improve body control
Let’s:
- Practice dynamic stretching and Yoga (to open our hips, ankles and shoulders allowing us smoother, more complex and more fluid movements)
- Train our feet to the “cat step” without resistance or vibrations (substantially we have to learn to lean the entire sole starting from each side of the foot in a harmonious, slow and silent way)
- …
Let’s gradually do it:
- More precisely and faster (in the meaning of a real practical application)
- In progressively more complex contexts (jumping, on uneven surfaces, etc.)
- …
A note by Master Kongling – Let’s remember that silence starts from the ground up.
Exercises to improve awareness
Let’s:
- Practice controlled breathing (read Breathing exercises)
- Practice meditation (read A meditation mini-guide: how to start)
- Create safe but realistic training paths of invisibility (with people included)
- …
Let’s gradually do it:
- For longer sessions
- Forcing (again progressively) our normal limits of tolerance
- …
A note by Master Kongling – Let’s not forget something very important: the very fact of considering these exercises useless / facultative gives us the certainty of having an absolute need for them. If we want to reach a good level this is the path, there are no shortcuts.
Final notes
A few conclusive thoughts:
- The level of daily training must be proportional to our specific goals, the idea is that we must be ready to address something a 10-20% more complex scenario than the one we are sure to face
- For a normal generic self-defense preparation a technical preparation and our normal martial arts workout is more than enough; said this, it is obvious that the longer, complex and dangerous the path we want to be ready to overcome, the harder and longer our specific conditioning must be
- …
In the next article of this series we will see the introduction notions and a more practical exercise (read Stealth walking bases & 1 introductory exercise).
In-depth video courses
- Basic 6 Dragons Kung Fu exercises – Our core workout (functional to martial skills development)
- Basic stealth techniques – A video course about our invisibility methods
- Static and dynamic balance: how to – A specific explanation of how to improve equilibrium
- Breathing methods and exercises -Mastering breathing for specific life, combat and stealth goals
- Meditation: how to start – An easy path for those who need meditation but do not know how to start
In-depth articles
- Ninja (shinobi): who they were and how they acted – The historical figure, far from movie depiction
- How to climb over a wall – How to develop an apparently incredible capability
Questions
Reply in the comments and share your experience:
- What is the exercise you find more complex?
Author: Master Kongling
Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.How to master 6 Dragons Kung Fu?
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