In the book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, the author summarized the conclusion of an article “The Mundanity of Excellence” which examines the excellent performance of competitive swimmers as “….the most dazzling human achievements are, in fact, the aggregate of countless individual elements, each of which is, in a sense, ordinary.“

In the next paragraph the author continued :-

Dan Chambliss, the sociologist who completed the study, observed: “Superlative performance is really a confluence of dozens of small skills or activities, each one learned or stumbled upon, which have been carefully drilled into habit and then are fitted together in a synthesized whole. There is nothing extraordinary or superhuman in any one of those actions; only the fact that they are done consistently and correctly, and all together, produce excellence.”

The above basically tells us that if we strive to be excellent in our choice of martial arts study we need to break down the learning and practice the hell out of each segment.

However, don’t just blindly practice. As pointed out by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who wrote the classic “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience” it is deliberate practice that we desire, not just 10,000 hours of blind practice.

For example, if you desire to be soft in your practice you can’t just will yourself to be soft. More often than not, such wishful thinking leaves one with limpy and floppy arms that collapse under strong pressure.

Reading about how soft should be conceptually is useful, but only just a tiny bit. Instead, what we need is the method.

Yes, there are methods (with varying results) that can help us to attain our goal. The method starts us on our journey and the landmarks indicate if we are on the right path. The baseline references tells us if we have reached our destination.

Every little bit moves us along the path to mastery. The sum of the parts defines our level of skill. So the clearer and more defined your learning is, the higher the chances of you getting it.

For example, it is not useful to just train to be soft. We need to ask why be soft, what is its usefulness, what are the characteristics of functional softness, how do we train it, how do we benchmark our training attainment, how do we know when we have reached the baseline (which begs the question what is the baseline), how do we apply it, how do we refine the softness gained, and so on.

When you treat the study this way sans the style, lineage, personalities, politics, verbiage that typically infests a gathering of humans, you filter out the factors that cloud and confuse the learning.

If you can infuse the learning with science it will give you an independent source to verify against. You may be surprised to know that for all the claims of being scientific, effective, etc many practices are in fact not that scientific nor effective when held up against the light of published knowledge relating to the human body.

At one time I used a work van to do delivery. One day the transmission suddenly lost power and pumping the pedal just won’t increase the speed. I sent in the van to the authorized workshop for repair.

The problem was solved……. momentarily. It came back again and the 2nd repair involved changing a more expensive part. So I thought problem solved, right?

Nope, the problem was not solved. In the third visit it was suggested that a more major repair might be required. I asked if this major repair was carried out would it fixed the problem once and for all. The workshop could not say for sure so the repair was out.

This major repair involved replacing the engine and if this will not solve the problem there could be other unknown issues. The repair could turn into a black hole in which we can keep throwing in money but never solve the root cause. In the end, the van was sold off.

I mentioned this as a parallel example of fixing our martial arts practice. Some of the problems with our practice can be fixed easily by zooming in to the problem area and doing the remedy practice.

However, sometimes the problems are so many that trying to fix them all becomes a major challenge. Where should you begin the remedy? Would fixing one problem create a different problem? Or would fixing a few related problems be a better approach?

I guess this depends on the individual. For some, a piecemeal approach works whereas for some it might be better to throw out the existing practice and start from scratch, not that the latter is any more easier. The reason is that it is not easy to stop the progress obstructing habits just because we decide to stop our existing practice. You simply cannot eradicate the habits acquired from previous practice just like that. More so, if you are continuing to attend class where you have to keep practicing the same habits because these habits are considered good.

Another possible consideration is to work on one’s existing strengths. However, one should not underestimate the pull of weaknesses that unaddressed continues to influence, even drag our attempts to make progress.

In wanting to make progress we should analyze what we know, what we do not know, and what we are not even aware that we do not know. We need to take a bias minimized examination of ourselves, ask how badly we want it, and what we are willing to give up to get it.

Recently I asked Paul to take a look at the Netflix reality series Physical:Asia. There are a number of lessons from the team challenge quests that we can apply to our own learning. For example, in one challenge the first part of the quest was made known, however, the second part was not informed.

The other known information is that each of the 4 teams had to put up 3 participants (out of a team of 6) to take part in the first part of the quest. It is interesting to watch how each of the teams decide who to put into the first quest. One team decided that they will put in their weaker members and keep their stronger members for the unknown second quest. This flew against the strategy of the other three teams to put in strong members to try to win the first quest.

As expected the team that put in the weaker members lost the first quest. However, for the second part their remaining members were now stronger relative to the members of the other three teams so they won the second part. If they had put in their stronger members for the first quest they would have lost the first and second quests. But knowing when not to try to win and where to concentrate their effort allowed them to go to the finals and this team eventually won the final quest as well to emerge champion.

Amongst all the teams in the challenge, the winning team was not the strongest team. Neither were they the weakest. Their only advantage was that the team members had taken part in the earlier two seasons of the Physical:100 challenge so that gave them experience even though in the earlier Physical:100 challenges the winner was one person who had to take part in solo and team quests.

The strongest team in Physical:Asia was Team Australia but they did not make it to the final 4 teams, a shocker considering how well they did in earlier challengers (they had members who were stronger, faster and bigger). Their end of the road came when Team Japan noticed a way they could enhance their winning odds in the battle rope challenge by switching the order of their team members around. Team Australia kept their team members in the same order in the second around. Using this strategy Team Japan beat Team Australia and they were out of the competition.

I would consider Physical:Asia as a textbook for learning how to apply strategic thinking, how to use your strengths and weaknesses, how to coordinate effort, manage timing, when to fight, etc. Use these lessons and apply them to analyse your own learning of your choice martial art.

Notes for the video lesson of 12 Oct 2025.

Titbits are what you go for when you get a case of the munchies, typically when watching movies.

Physical titbits is what we do when the hands get itchy for something to do especially when on a long bus journey, waiting for a bus in a desolated bus stop in an industrial heartland or if you want to diet instead of going for the chips when watching TV.

Sit and do the physical titbits. Or stand to do them. Add in some footwork for variety.

Physical Titbit 1
You might recognize this as the opening two movements from 6-ES-1. Think of the movements like resembling the wipers of a car with one arm opening and the other closing alternately.

For reference one hand does 6-Blk-1 as the other does 6-Blk-6. We use this movement quite a bit in the application of techniques.

You can practice two additional variations if you want to expand your understanding. As they say, variety is the spice of life.

Physical Titbit 2
This is a straightforward one. You might remember seeing it in the transition between some of the 6-Blk movements. Think of this as a mini 6-Blk exercise.

Think of the hand as a snake darting at a prey. One-two-three. One is a bridge or a distraction, two can be the poison hand or maybe its a trap, but three is certainly the fangs that sank in.

Physical Titbit 3
This is a trio of sequential movements. First, the wing of a bird bending or maybe think of it as a willow branch bending with the wind. This one can improve your application of 3-NS or 3-WS-5.

The second movement goes down to protect your ribs and can be thought of a arm crowding prevention. The third movement as a quick response to an unexpected low to high counterattack.

However. the third movement can also be executed before the second movement. So instead of 1-2-3, you can do it as 1-3-2. There is no right or wrong, merely how we can move to respond to an attack.

When you practice Physical Titbit standing up, allowing you to use your stance some of the points above will become more evident.

Physical Titbit 4
This is basically a combo made up of 6-Blk-1 and 3-WS-5 performed alternately on both sides.

Physical Titbit 5
The first two movements are from Physical Titbit 1, followed by a hook and detain as the hand that performed 6-Blk-1 changes to a 3-WS-5.

The last exercise is Physical Titbit 5 plus a second 3-WS-5. This is performed when the first 3-WS-5 is intercepted and the hand changes to a grab to counter the interception.

You then remove the opponent’s intercepting hand from the centre as you use the other hand to execute the second 3-WS-5.

Conclusion – practice these few exercises to enhance your ability to execute and eventually use 6-ES-1. None of the movements here are new so as long as you have been keeping up the practice of 6-Blk, 6-LH, 3-WS, 3-NS and 6-ES you will be able to easily get a handle on them.

When I first learned NGK my 1st teacher said that NGK is an Emei style and has elements of hard and soft. The foundation exercise requires that we hold a series of postures while tensing specific parts of the body.

We next move on to the second part of the learning which is to learn how to use the trained tension for power. A sample of the second part is in the 6-NGK solo techniques training. Refer to the video for visual example.

But first a warning. Never tense the chest muscles. Ever.

A second caution – if you feel that you are more hot-tempered after the training that’s normal. In the days of old quite a number of NGK students were gangsters so having a fiery disposition helped them in the world that they moved in. If you don’t like this development then you should stop the practice.

And now the practice. We will just do the first three postures. The chances of getting undesirable side effect is lesser if you do not practice for too long.

Step 1
Stand upright, hands behind.
Lift left leg, kick down and place on the ground.
Do the same of right leg.
Grip the ground with the toes and tense the legs.

Step 2
Squeeze the gluteus.
Lift and hang the solar plexus.

Step 3
Look ahead, chin tucked in
Both hands come up to armpit level and push down.
At the end of the pushing both index fingers point to each other.
Tense the arms and twist the muscles.
Each hand form a hand spear and use appropriate push / pull motion
This is the first pose.

Hold the first pose for 10 seconds.
Next suddenly release all the tension in the arms.
Relax the hands and flick the fingers to the side.
Quickly tense the arms again to hold the second pose.

Hold the second pose for 10 seconds.
Relax the hands, turn them inwards to form hook shapes.
Tense and hold the third pose.

You can repeat Step 3 for 5 sets.

After 5 sets relax and shake your arms and legs to loosen them.

Next practice 6-NGK series by alternating between soft and hard to generate power.

Have you learned and practiced martial arts for a long time and mastery still somehow eludes you?

We’ve all been there. Sometimes the more I know, the less I seem to know.

So how should you get to where you want to be? Should you train harder or train smarter? There is no one answer that fits all learning scenarios.

I am reading a book now on muscles. It is not so much a book on strength and conditioning but a book that covers the topic of muscles in literature, human movement and athletic training.

One interesting topic brought up is a paradox termed the sport-specific paradox. This paradox states that the more you try to be better at a specific sport, the more you overuse certain muscles in a certain range of movement, and the higher the risk of injury. If you examine the popular sports such as football, golf, soccer, running, basketball, weightlifting, and so on you can find examples of this paradox. And yes, it applies to the practice of martial arts too.

A coach that is highlighted in the book said that :-

You don’t need to do so much. Doing more is not better. Just do it smarter. And do it more effectively.

This came from his own experience of rehabilitation after suffering injuries from weightlifting twice. From his own research and the findings of other researches he concluded that :-

Muscles in the core need to be trained to be stiff and hold still, to practice what they are designed to do: hold stiffness over time.

Does the above sound familiar? Yes, it should because it basically describes one of the things practiced in zhanzhuang.

In Grandmaster Wei Shuren’s Tai Chi we do not practice zhanzhuang. However, we practice the Ancient Bell Body structure which in the light of what I read in this book can be framed as the practice of holding a zhanzhuang postural requirements throughout the practice of the form.

I find that this is a smarter way of training zhanzhuang, by not doing it just by standing there in a Zhuang because you can stand still a lot but the moment you start to move you lose the structure. By finding the structure as we move, we actually learn to maintain it whether we stand still or we keep moving.

Reading the above also brings to mind the individual postures practice of NGK. In this practice we don’t stand still to breathe and seek stillness. Instead, we use the stiffened postures to train muscular tension as a means of conditioning and power generation through states of tension and relaxation to practice motion and stop motion that can support the techniques of the style.

The 3rd video clip is on how to train coordination and F.O.G. sudden shocking power using 3-WS and the long pole.

You can do a contrasting study by not practicing the long pole first and just work on the following 3-WS movements first. Then later you can practice the two long pole techniques first before you do the 3-WS techniques.

3-WS Selected Practice
3-WS-1
3-WS-2
3-WS-6

Shaolin 6 1/2 point pole
Technique 6
Technique 5
Note – pay attention to the transition from Technique 6 to Technique 5 particularly the movement of the legs when changing stances.

The key here is to study the similarity in movement between the three selected 3-WS movements and the two long pole techniques.

With the emphasis on 6-NGK-3A one might think that 6-NGK-3B is not as important. Yet to any true blue NGK practitioner 6-NGK-3B is a bread and butter technique, full of F.O.G. to those who got a taste of it.

Our 2nd video lesson today is on the basics of 6-NGK-3B as follows :-

Exercise 1 – understanding the basics of using the rolling block which we can use the lesson of the three ways to step using two-shift stepping and index finger pointing as an aid to learning this.

When you learn the rolling block you can see the importance of stepping. If you don’t step quickly, you will have difficulty in using the rolling block.

But get the stepping part correctly you will end up in the position to apply the rolling block. At this point you learn how to do the rolling block by using the imagery of the steering wheel to understand the biomechanics.

Exercise 2 – we can use a simple exercise built on the analogy of the steering wheel to learn how to move the arms properly. This lesson is so simple that you can grasp it in like a minute.

Exercise 3 – put Exercise 1 and 2 together and that’s your basic rolling block and strike. That’s it. Its really that simple. What would be more difficult is to do the rolling block using the left arm with your right leg leading.

This is why the focus here is to do the rolling block with same hand, same leg leading since we can pick this up faster. But if you catch the lesson of Exercise 2 then you will find that you can just as easily do right hand rolling block and left hand rolling block with the same leading leg.

To be able to use the left hand rolling block with right leading leg study Exercise 1 carefully since the same principles apply.

For today’s video lesson we will focus on developing the speed for executing 6-NGK-3A.

Below are the notes to accompany the video :-

Exercise 1 – this 2-opening, 2-closing arm exercise comes from the long sequence we practiced for learn the applications of 5 Tigers Descending Mountain in SKD 2.0. If you have been keeping up with the training for this then Exercise 2 is a walk in the park.

Exercise 2 – this can be considered a variation of Exercise 1, however, we now have one arm opening and one arm closing at the same time. You might recognize this coordination as similar to the opening two movements in 6-ES-1.

Exercise 3 – this is also a variation of Exercise 1 except we now have an opening movement that is similar to the downward smashing technique of 6-NGK-3A.

Exercise 4 – once you are familiar with Exercise 3 you change the opening movement to that of the downward smashing technique of 6-NGK-3A. By now you should have built up a steady tempo and continuity of movement between the left side and right side for Exercise 3 which you can apply to Exercise 4.

Don’t worry too much about form first. Instead, work on keeping the flow. Pay attention to the closing hand and where it is positioned.

Exercise 5 – if you have a handle on Exercise 4 then add in the linear dragon fist punch that follows the downward smashing strike.

If you are confident in your timing you can do the exercise while moving forward and backward in a zigzag manner. With more practice you can throw in extra follow up strikes from the other training sequences.

Keep practicing until you can keep up a good flow. Then increase the speed. Once you can do it fast, slow down and work on proper form. When the form is proper, work on power.

Finally, work on both speed and power. If you have a training partner check your learning by working on application.

The first technique in 6-NGK-1 for the bottom hand is a rolling block.

The last technique in 6-LH-6 and 3-WS-6 is the same technique which is an open palm block.

Both techniques train a sudden, shocking force that inflicts the opponent with an F.O.G. feeling with your rolling block or open palm block when your block makes contact with their forearm.

A Wing Chun practitioner, Philip, once wanted to try Grandmaster Loong Poh’s NGK. The old master invited him to attack and he charged in with a punch. GM promptly blocked Philip’s forearm and he jumped back in pain as if a jolt of electricity has hit him.

Seeing his disbelieving look, GM invited him to try again. Philip couldn’t get his attack through and became a student of GM.

This disbelieving, scared, open-eye look on the face of people who first encountered this type of blocking is what I termed the fear of God (F.O.G.) look.

The easiest way to get a handle on this type of blocking is to practice the 6-LH-5 to 6-LH-6 sequence as follows :-

a) From 6-LH-5 position pull your striking hand to the position of 6-LH-6.

b) In 6-LH-5 your leading hand (we’ll use the right hand) is assuming a hook hand strike. Open up the right hand fingers as you whip the hand to the position of 6-LH-6. Imagine you are holding a marble between your fingers which you toss behind you as your right hand is moving to 6-LH-6.

c) You use a small waist turning to the right motion to whip the right hand to the position of 6-LH-6. This causes your entire upper body to get involved in the whipping motion.

d) The moment your right hand reaches 6-LH-6 stop moving your entire body at once.

The movements of (a) to (d) is what gives your right arm the power and solidity to dish out the F.O.G. feel.

These movements also lay the groundwork for the left hand strike which you deliver as you block as well as the follow up strike by the right palm.

In this post I will mention some points to take note of when practicing 6-NGK-3.

a) When doing 6-NGK-3-A Exercise No. 1 (ii) to (iii), turn your body slightly to the left when doing (ii), then turn back to the right when doing (iii) as this helps with the neutralizing and entering the opponent’s space.

Once you are nearing the end of the turn in (iii) you are poised to execute the right arm drop. Turn a bit more to face the opponent, and smash down and into opponent. Let gravity do its job even as you whip your right arm down.

Using the right dragon fist can help to focus your power.

b) When performing the right arm vertical smashing strike stop the right arm when it reaches the right side of your body and the dragon fist tip is pointing to the ground.

c) 6-NGK-3-B Exercise No. 2 (iii) – the right dropping arm acts like a trigger and mechanism to propel your left strike forward.

d) The stopping of the right arm mentioned in (b) acts to inject sudden power into the left punch.

e) Try doing the left punch with a normal fist as well as using a dragon fist. You should feel that the dragon fist helps to focus the power better in your left arm.

Yes, actually using a dragon fist to hit can be scary in that you may hurt your hand. It does take practice before you find how to use it while minimizing the risk of injury.

Another way is to learn how to focus and concentrate the power when using the dragon fist. Take the lessons from here and implement into the use of a normal fist. It can be done but need some thinking and experimentation to figure it out. That’s what practice is for.