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| - I came here for a trial class and was quite impressed. I used to take kick-boxing and tae kwon do and kung fu was completely different. Not just the stances and techniques but the conditioning was intense. Some people prefer getting straight into fighting but I found the way that they train is the best way.
It starts with a somewhat religious ceremony of gratitude and respect. Then it follows with proper stretching for about 20 minutes. Stretching before and after a workout is so vital and I find that people rarely do it correctly, that's how injuries happen. But no injuries that day, despite one of the most intense conditioning workouts I have done in a long time.
Then the real challenge begins, its about 1.5 hours long. You must hold your stances at all times and you go through a series of exercises, including the "plank snake." Everyone lines up in plank position and the person at the end must crawl under all the human planks, only to begin forming the next plank line. You do this as the line "snakes" across the room. Its about 15-20 minutes of planking. Pretty intense for a first class. And that's only the beginning. Oh and be warned, they stick to tradition so even grabbing a sip of water or putting on chapstick is NOT allowed. You must breathe through your nose to allow your saliva to hydrate your mouth. That is something that scared me a little, I panic if I don't have water or lipbalm. But hey, it's just part of the training, suck it up :)
I had an injury so I couldn't do some of the exercises but they were accommodating. They gave me squats to do instead. I honestly loved this class and would happily join. Only that, at the moment i'm getting back into kickboxing and the difference in techniques can be counterproductive to learn at the same time. If you are learning another martial art, I wouldn't recommend this. But if you are skilled at another martial art, this will be a very fun challenge for you. I plan on joining next year.
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