RANDOM THOUGHTS ON MODERN WUSHU TRAINING METHODS

PART I

Most visitors of my blog will probably know that I’m also working as a Wushu coach here in Germany.

Because of this side job, I get confronted with one particular topic almost on a daily basis, and it’s gotten to a point where I’m just a  hair’s breadth away from losing my famous North German cool.

I’ve been talking myself blue in the face on this topic (my poor students can tell you a thing or two about it), but I still get those doubting looks from otherwise quite intelligent and reasonable  folks... which, to be perfectly honest, drives me nuts!

That's my Wushu class... on a good day

Yeah, I’m talking about some of the training methods common in modern Chinese Wushu. Methods that are about as modern as The Witches’ Hammer and are nonetheless still in practice in Wushu training centers across China (and are thus mindlessly copied by eager martial arts students of all ages, nationalities and training levels all over the world).

The things I’ve seen... the horror... the horror...!

COMPETITIVE WUSHU TRAINING – UP TO DATE OR HOPELESSLY DATED?

I know a lot of people will hate me for saying this. Nobody likes to hear: “Hey, dawg... what you been doin’ for the past 10 years been nothin’ but a load of major bullshit. You coulda achieved the same or better results with much less toil, less injuries and less negative impact on your health.”

Nobody likes to hear that.

It’s hard to admit a mistake, man.

I’m no exception there.

"Hey, gramps! What you've been doing for the past 65 years has been nothing but... uh, forget it!"

As a coach, however, I have the friggin’ responsibility for my students. It’s my goddam duty to get them the best training program available, up to the latest standards in modern science of sport. Shoot me for it.

And yet, watching any given Wushu training class anywhere on this planet makes you wonder if those coaches and athletes have actually ever heard of the latest  perceptions in modern sports medicine at all. And if they have, do they give a damn?

Training methods and exercises debunked as health-hazardous and counterproductive -- and therefore trashed by sports scientists decades ago -- are still in use in the average Wushu gym as if time hadn’t moved on since the 36 Chambers of Shaolin.

It’s fairly easy to see why a chief coach of a professional, government-funded sports squad  in a country like Russia or Mainland China doesn’t get all weepy when it comes to the welfare of his wards. No-brainer. “So you busted your cruciate ligaments, champ? Err, tough tittie... but there’s about 20 athletes waiting in line for your place in the team. Have a nice life and shut the door on the way out!”Why a sophisticated and committed sports instructor (and let’s make no mistake about it: modern competitive Wushu is a sport, just as much as gymnastics or figure skating) with free access to the Internet or the public library keeps clinging to these prehistoric torture... pardon, training methods ... frankly, that’s beyond me.

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uXxI1s4J3o

If Wushu is just a hobby for you, don't try this at home!

ACTING AGAINST ONE’S BETTER JUDGMENT – A HUMAN TRAIT

The way I see it, there are two major forms of stupidity. The first one is simply a lack of knowledge due to insufficient information. In other words: “I screwed up, cuz I didn’t know any better.”

The second option is far worse and much harder to forgive. It’s when the information is actually available, but – for some reason -- we choose to ignore it.

In modern Wushu training we are mostly dealing with the latter.

I know what you’re going to say (I get to hear it from my students all the time): If those well-tried, time-honored martial arts training methods are that bad, why have they produced all those world-class champions?

This is a prime example of crooked thinking. Let me ask you a few questions in return:

1. Just because something works (for some people in some situations), does this automatically mean that something else won’t work just as well? Or even better?2. How much of their success do top athletes really owe directly to the often bizarre training methods imposed on them? Can you number that? Is there empirical data to back it up?

1. If the training method is not the decisive factor regards their athletic performance ... what is?

After tracking the available info on these questions for many years, I can’t help suspecting: Most top athletes are at the top DESPITE their training methods rather than BECAUSE OF them.

Plus, for every success story, there are thousands of others who fall by the wayside – but those are never mentioned, naturally.

Fruitful training or useless torture?

I’m not saying those musty Communist-block training systems don’t work. They do... for a small percentage of prepubescent, genetically super-gifted kids. I’m simply saying that today we have way better methods. Methods that work for everyone. And then some.

Just look around. Most professional coaches and athletes in other sports – even martial arts -- have already employed them. But for reasons unknown to the world of sports, Wushu coaches (and students) are still hemming and hawing.

I have a hunch what those reasons might be, but I'm not sure whether it's a wise strategy to go to deep into that. That'd be like opening a can of worms, bro...

Anyway, next time I’m going to take a closer look at the vital factors that actually make a champ a champ. Moreover, I will point out the gravest & most dangerous mistakes of “modern” Wushu training and make suggestions how to avoid them by implementing a few simple but effective modifications.

Stay with me, folks... why should I suffer alone?