A well worded first post, Choppa - I hope my reply helps in some wayā¦
recently joined a Nam-Pai Chuan school of kung fu which amongst other styles teaches snake + white crane, the teacher is a 5th dan black belt and has been traing for 30 years or more and is very big on the philosophy and tradition
Ok Firstly I would like some comments on Nam-Pai Chuan is this still a traditional shaolin kung fu ? And your thoughts on white Crane and Snake Style.
Well - ā5th Dan Black Beltā is a Japanese affectation. Iāve heard of Chinese martial arts adopting belt systems, but they tend to use the term ādegreeā or ālevelā or something similar, because āX Danā black belt really implies a Japanese style (this is just a FWIW - any āShaolinā stylist who told me he was a ā5th Dan Blackbeltā would raise an eyebrow for me, but he may have simply decided to use that type of grading structure - who knows)
Nam-Pai Chuan is not a name Iāve ever heard of, but Iām sure someone from the UK will be able to provide some info.
There are several different āWhite Craneā styles of Chinese martial art, from Tibetan White Crane, to Fujian White Crane. It should be relatively easy to identify the particular style your teacher does with a bit of information as to who taught him, and whereabouts in China the art came from. Iām sorry I donāt know anything about any āSnakeā styles.
I will be honest with you and admit that i am 28 years old and have litterally sat on my arse for 10 years and so although i am tall 6ā2 and slim i do have a bit of a pot belly not excessive i might add but i am unhappy with it all the same. I also gave up smoking this week on monday 8th may i used to smoke about 5 - 10 a day.
Well if you are walking 6-8 miles a day for your job, you arenāt exactly sitting on your arse all day, but maybe you do need to do some more exercise. Congrats on quitting smoking by the way - all the best with keeping it up (I know how hard it is believe meā¦)
Secondly as i am a complete novice would like some info on geting into shape without burning myself out. what types of exercise are good to start out with and how often should the be done i.e every day every other day taking into consideration i like most ppl have to work 5-6 days a week. Also i might add that my job requires me to walk approx 6-8 miles a day is this beneficial?
Of course walking is beneficial, but perhaps you would do well to start doing some cardio training, as well as some basic introductory strength training, by way of creating a foundation to work with as you get fitter and stronger.
If you want to get yourself in decent shape, and are prepared to put in the time and effort required, I personally have separate strength training and cardio training routines which I do as well as my martial arts training.
If I was you, Iād probably start jogging three or four days a week (wake up and go for a run, do some stretching, crunches, push ups etc.) build it up to doing interval runs, still doing lots of core strength training (pilates, ab work etc.) and stretching.
I would also begin doing some form of strength training three or four days a week.
But of course this all depends on how much time you have available, how much effort you want to put in, and how much you are willing to inconvenience yourself to do it.
I had a friend begin training at the same gwoon as me, telling me he was in love with the art, and would be a dedicated student. I just laughed (knowing heās a bit of a flake anyway, and he has no car) and said wait till it gets boring, and you canāt be bothered catching the three buses youāll need to to get to training. Despite his assurances, within a month he was nowhere to be seen (and began talking about "what do you think about me training once a week?)
