Martial arts

The staff, or as it used to be called, the "Eyebrow height stick" was the most popular weapon in ancient China. People always had to defend themselves against bandits or wild beasts and the stick as a part of domestic life was always on hand. And circumstances themselves made suggestions. Very soon the staff became the basic weapon. From that indefinite time the staff technique started to be developed in China. Cheapness and quick production are big advantages of this weapon. Another good thing is its length, because it is much safer to fight from the distance of 2 meters with an enemy than just 1 meter.

This article is dedicated to simply describe the interaction between the emotions and the internal organs according to the principles of Chinese medicine. You will know why you need to regulate the emotional sphere and how internal organs can be affected by your emotions.

In everyday life, we sometimes use body idioms such as "a heart filled by joy," or "butterflies in one's stomach" or "get it off your chest". These expressions were not invented without reason. According to Chinese medicine, each emotion corresponds to specific internal organs. For example: anxiety is in the stomach, which is why students cannot eat anything before an exam or a test. They do not have any appetite at all, and there is a huge concern about the outcome of the examination or test. Due to this reason, some students get gastritis during their education.
Other emotion-organ correspondence:

• Anger is in the liver. People who often become angry have liver disease, fatty hepatosis, liver dystrophy, cholecystitis.
• Fear is in the kidneys and bladder, if a person is suddenly frightened, the kidneys respond by causing urination.
• Sorrow is in the lungs. Sometimes when a person is very sad or upset, his breathing cycles are disordered, you can hear deep breaths with long pauses.
• Sadness disrupts the normal activity of the lungs.
• Joy is in the heart, the only positive emotion which corresponds to the heart. But excessive joy can lead to a heart attack.

Push-ups are one of the easiest exercises for developing the shoulders, arms, back, abdominals, core muscles as well as other parts of your body. It is one of the most popular exercises among students at the "Golden Dragon" school. Let's see what makes this exercise such a favorite.

To start, let's deal with the initial position. It´s essential to keep your entire body straight. Don´t bend at the waist because it can transfer all your weight to the ligaments of the spine, and you won´t be working your muscles properly in this position. In fact, it can even be harmful because there´s the potential that any sudden or abrupt movement could pinch a nerve or dislocate a disc.

You should also avoid the opposite extreme of raising the pelvis too high.  This position will put an uneven load on the arms and shoulders, which is not good for their development.

Maintaining the correct position for push-ups, with the waist straight and in-line with the rest of the body, conditions and develops core muscles such as the abdomen.

Put simply, learning the correct position for push-ups is key, otherwise you won´t get the results you´re looking for.

In the standard position, hands and feet should be placed about shoulder width apart. There´s a widely held but mistaken belief that placing one foot over the other leads to quicker and better results.  This is a fitness myth, however.  Placing one foot over the other can lead to uneven or asymmetrical muscle development, because muscle groups that should be involved in push-ups aren´t worked.  It can also lead to less than optimal coordination.

Correct position:

There are many variations on the classic push-up.  For example, you can bend your elbows to the sides or keep them tucked in close to the body. Both options are useful, as they each work different muscle groups.  In the first position, your weight is mostly on your hands, and in the second position on the shoulders. Also you can perform push-ups with a narrow or wide hand position.

Here is series of stretching exercises for our students. Each description matches the corresponding number in the video and on the picture.

It is important that the exercises are done in the sequence indicated here.

All exercises should be done first on the left leg and then on the right.

Stretching Tips

Always warm up at least 15 minutes prior to stretching.

Move slowly when stretching. Take this time to relax and focus on your breathing.

Stretch to the point of medium tension. If something hurts, stop immediately. Stretching should feel good.

Try to stretch at least 3 times a week. This workout can take minimum 10 minutes, or as long as you'd like. Regular stretching exercises can improve your performance, prevent injuries and help you to relax.

At the initial level of learning kung fu the warm up is the most important part of the training; and just so you know, the initial level is the first 3-5 years.

Warm up consists of two parts:
- Joint workout;
- Gun-Fa (methods of workout – the exercises to develop strength, endurance, flexibility, and speed).
In modern times, we divide the workout into two parts to make practitioners more attentive to what they are doing and how they are doing it. The importance of warm up is that it develops the body with maximum efficacy, thus preparing it for further technique practice and subsequent overall body development. In addition it heats muscles and tendons, which reduces the risk of injury.

In China the Jian Sword symbolizes high skills, as its mastery is incredibly difficult. This weapon is for real professionals, its thin design requires much attention and leads to motions that are very elegant, fast, and lightning-like. That is why the sword Jian was held at a higher level in the hierarchy of weapons.

Power is nothing, technique is nothing, the main essence is the spirit. Dragon is a state of mind. Dragon is the suppression of enemy by spirit. Dragon never retreats.
He's like a river that never flows backwards, it flows only forward, bypassing everything on its way like water.

In the form of Crane there are a lot of kicks by the upper level and in the jump. High kicks are very energy-intensive, so the main quality of this animal is endurance. All movements must be executed with a wide amplitude. Strikes are done with the outer and inner edges of the palm, with the fingers, with crane's "wing", only single punches can be done with the fist. Strikes are circular, like the flapping of wings – cutting and ripping, open and straight.

Have you seen the Animal planet TV shows? Do you remember how snake bites its prey quickly and accurately? How it moves forward by evading movements? Snake utilizes precision and flexibility. Therefore, its strikes are precise, but not powerful. This is about punches and kicks. All strikes should be light and quick, they can be single or used in a series.

Key word is speed. Leopard plays with its prey, as a cat with its toy. Leopard is not as strong as a tiger, but the absence of hard, powerful strikes allow him to move much faster. Positions are long, but frequently changing. Leopard uses a counterattack, therefore it applies simultaneous block and attack, which is very effective. Levels of strikes, as well as positions, change frequently. 

That is why top level attacks can be rapidly replaced by sweeps, and after that you attack the top or medium level again. Leopard punches with fist, by “eye” of the fist and "leopard paw" - it is not as strong as a fist, but has the advantage of speed and accuracy.