Kung Fu and the Saxophone

When I was in 5th grade, I took up playing the saxophone.  Why?  To rock out like Huey Lewis and The News, of course.  After awhile, the novelty of playing the saxophone wore off.  My parents kept me on a strict practice regimen.  Everyday, 6 days a week, I would have to spend 20 minutes practicing.  On the day of my lesson, I was allowed to take a break from practice.  I did not always want to practice and my parents and I butted heads many times.  The rule was that if a day were missed, that time needed to be made up with the next practice session.  So if one day were missed, the next practice session would be 40 minutes in length.

Although I never made it to the point of being able to belt out tunes a la Huey Lewis, I always made second chair in the school band.  (There was a girl who practiced more than I did in my grade level.)  My passion for the saxophone waned but it was not until later in life that I realized the gift my parents had given me.

As Applied to Kung Fu Training

The practice system my parents put me on can easily be applied to kung fu.  Passion for kung fu will drive students in their home training regimens.  In some periods of life, finding time to train becomes more difficult.  Committing to this sort of regimen will help one ensure consistency and push through times it might be easier to skip kung fu training.  Setting this up is relatively easy:

1)  Pick the amount of time you would like to spend each day playing your kung fu outside of class.  Make sure the amount of time you choose is reasonable given your situation.
2)  Determine how many days per week you need to train outside of class.  You may choose not to train on the days you will be going to class, then again, you might.
3)  It’s good to have at least one rest day.

Give the program a go for two weeks to see how it works for you.  Adjust as necessary after the two weeks or as changing circumstances require.  Remember that for each session you miss, it needs to be made up.  Use this system as long as you wish and discard it when it is no longer needed.  This program can provide consistency to the kung fu training you do outside of class.  It is but one method of implementing a training schedule.  Modify it as you see fit and rock your kung fu like Huey Lewis.

Train hard.  Relax hard.