Timing Calisthenics with Internal Arts Training? Q&A

Several month ago someone left the following questions on one of my YouTube videos: 

Q:

"...I have a few questions I was hoping you could help me with. When you do incorporate calisthenics into your training, do you do them before or after your internal arts training? Do you think it makes a difference doing them before or after? Do you do any extra cardio to supplement your internal arts training?..."

There are many different opinions out there about whether or not it is acceptable to practice calisthenics, cardio, or strength training exercise routines while training in internal martial arts like Tai Chi (Taiji) or Qigong (Chi Kung).  Because I have received several questions similar to this one in the past, I have copied my response to this viewer's question below.  It is my hope that this response will be helpful to those of you who have struggled with the same question. 

A:

"Those are great questions. There are times when I practice calisthenics, strength training, or cardio before I do internal training and times when I practice those things afterwards. I do not often practice them during the same training session though. 

Typically I start my day with internal training, so any other training I do that day comes afterwards. If I am going to train them during the same session, the order entirely depends on what training I will be doing and what my goal is, because the order does make a difference. There are a couple of benefits to starting with strength training, calisthenics, or cardio prior to internal training. 

The first is that it can act as means of priming the pump. It get your blood flowing, gets you breathing deeply, increases alertness, etc. and often, if someone feels stuck in their training or like their energy is blocked, a little cardio prior to internal training can help get things moving. 

For something like Zhan Zhuang, especially if the practitioner is having trouble holding good alignment and they tend to use excess muscular strength and finish their sessions more tense than they started, doing some strength training ahead of Zhan Zhuang training (to make the muscles tired) forces them to rely on good structure to hold Zhan Zhuang because their muscles are too tired to do the extra work that poor structure requires. Someone has to have a good understanding of good structure prior to trying this and they have to be able to really pay attention to their alignment to avoid injuries from over-stressing joints due to poor alignment. 

A similar approach can be used to solo form and push hands practice, but with the increased complexity of movements the risk of injury increases when following this approach and it is not really a necessary approach. I typically only use strength training ahead of internal work when I am going to be doing an extended Zhan Zhuang session, because it really helps me find errors in my structure that I might not notice easily otherwise.

Doing other types of training, following internal training, can be useful if a practitioner is wanting to practice transferring the body connection, alignment, and awareness that are developed with internal training, into other exercises/movement patterns. This can be more useful for reducing risk of injury in the other exercises. So the goal of this practice is not to enhance the internal training, but to enhance other movement patterns using the internal training as a tool. 

Aside from those uses for combining internal training with other forms of exercise, it's usually best to train them at separate times. The down sides or benefits of training them too close together is going to very from person to person. Right now, I have very little time for extra training, so I have not been doing as much cardio as I used to, but when I do cardio it typically comes in the form of bag work, since it is directly applicable to skills that I do not want to lose/want to develop further. So it takes care of two things at once and that is best for my schedule right now..."

If you have not visited my Youtube channel and you are looking for a great source of free Tai Chi and Qigong training videos, go to YouTube.com/AndrewPlitt and start learning today. 

Should I Practice Other Martial Arts if I Cannot Practice Tai Chi? Q&A

A few years ago someone posted the following question on one of the videos on my YouTube channel:

Q: "...In your opinion, even though Wing Chun is an external art, would it be a good complimentary art for someone who has no access to a Tai Chi school? Thank you!"

This is a very common question and I have received several questions along these lines from people who are stuck without their ideal martial arts school in their local area.  I have copied my reply to this question below and I hope it helps some of you who may be stuck in a similar situation. 

A: "That is a great question. The external vs. internal aspects of Wing Chun really depend on from whom you are learning the art. In my experience Wing Chun and Tai Chi actually complement each other very well depending on how Wing Chun is practiced. I learned Wing Chun from a master who also taught Tai Chi, which is probably why I have this perspective.

I found that training Wing Chun deepened my understanding of Tai Chi and Training in Tai Chi deepened my understanding of Wing Chun, but I had a master who could help me build the bridges between the two arts. Ip Man was a proponent of training the Siu Lim Tao form in a slow, relaxed manner, similar to the way Tai Chi forms are practiced, to develop a deeper understand of the structure, the power generation, and the art of Wing Chun. That seems to suggest the presence of an important internal component to Wing Chun. 

I do not think most Wing Chun schools focus on that internal component, though. There are schools that do a good job of teaching the appropriate mix of hardness and softness in Wing Chun so a person can move fluidly and adapt to an opponent. Those are the schools that will most likely aid in your Tai Chi training. 

There are also schools that get very hard and rigid with their Wing Chun and that rigidity can come at the expense of sensitivity to what the opponent is doing. That type of training would be the opposite to what you would do in Tai Chi training. However, that harder training would give you a perspective that you may not encounter otherwise. 

When I was first starting in martial arts, I really wanted to learn Shaolin and be the next Jet Li (such are the dreams of adolescent boys), but the only martial art school near me was an Aikido dojo. The difference between Shaolin and Aikido is huge, but I trained there because my grandma got me a gift certificate for Christmas one year and that was all I had available to me. The Sensei was very skilled with a background in other martial arts. He had great fighting skill from previous experience in addition to his understanding of Aikido. 

Training with him and the other instructors/students at that dojo gave me an excellent foundation upon which to build the rest of my training in other arts. I can honestly say I would not want to change anything about my first venture into the martial arts beginning at that dojo. It was at that dojo where I got my first introduction to practicing Tai Chi. In other words, if you are wanting to study a particular martial art, but it is not available, do what is available. 

You will gain experience and perspective that you probably will not encounter otherwise and those experiences will deepen your understanding when you finally get to practice the art you really want to practice. Even if the experiences you have are not necessarily what might be considered "positive" experiences, they are still experiences and they are still a source of growth and deeper understanding for future practice. That was a very long winded way of saying, "yes". I think training at the Wing Chun school near you will be beneficial for your future Tai Chi training even if that benefit is not directly linked to Tai Chi theory or movement principles. I hope that was helpful and I wish you all the best in your training! Keep me posted on your training experience."

(5) Silk Reeling: Basic Concepts Part 3.1 | Tai Chi Basics

This is the 5th video in a series which describes Silk Reeling (Chan Si Jin and Chan Si Gong), which is a vitally important aspect of Tai Chi training. The first videos of this series discuss the theory and concepts of Silk Reeling. Later videos will demonstrate Silk Reeling exercises and explain how to incorporate Silk Reeling into Tai Chi form training. There are a lot of videos out there that teach Silk Reeling exercises without giving any in-depth understanding of what makes those exercises useful. This video series is meant to fill in the gaps. If you know anyone who would benefit from this video, please share it with them. If this video was helpful for you, leave a Super Thanks by clicking the "THANKS" button next to the "like" and "dislike" buttons under this video and leaving a donation. 🌟 Donate to Support my YouTube Chanel🌟: paypal.me/andrewplitt 🔥Become a Channel Supporting Member of my YouTube Channel🔥: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr9shfS_qL2AsefjiUejrqA/join For more information about Andrew Plitt: http://AndrewPlitt.com #taiji #taichi #taijiquan #taichichuan

(3) Silk Reeling: Basic Concepts Part 2.1 | Tai Chi Basics

Here is the third video in a new series all about the basics of Silk Reeling. These videos cover what Silk Reeling is, how to incorporate it into the exercises that are often called Silk Reeling, and how to apply it during your Tai Chi training. In this video a common misconception in the concept of gathering energy to the inside of the foot and releasing it to the outside of the foot is discussed. I also discuss how this concept relates to Silk Reeling. Stay tuned for the release of the second part of this video in the near future.