Hi, how's it going?
I go to a JKD class once a week for 1 1/2 hours and this is the only time I get to train with other people. I practice for around 45 mins per day. What I have found is that initally I improved a great deal, but I really feel that I need other methods of training that can be done solo.
The thing that have worked for me so far are:
Heavy bag
Shadow fighting
footwork, head movement, punching and kicking drills.
Any ideas?
I've thought about adding more difficult techniques, but I know that basic movemnents are more important. With shadow fighting, I have learned to strike with power from any angle because I began at a snail's pace pausing to think after every movement to ensure I was using the quickest and most direct movement possible. The heavy bag has taught me how it feels to hit a solid target, and the drills have enabled me to move in any directon quickly.
What I really need, though is a method of making my lonesome training more realistic. I try things like hanging a tennis ball from the ceiling and moving out of the way pretending it is a punch, but I'm running out of ideas. I'll be more than happy to hear some of your ingenius methods of independent practice as well as some outrageous ones. Thanks

Do you lift weights or jog/sprints? these are some other physical exercises you can do on your own. Another good training tool is a double end bag in which you can practice speed cordination and accuracy on a moving target.

Personally, I'd be working on the strength and conditioning aspects. Work the bags like you said. Then hit the weights and run. Do standard jogging and windsprints. Push your anaerobic capacity. That is the best thing you could do when solo...just like all the pros. You don't have to BE a pro to train like one.

-John

I've been lifting wieghts for years and also doing aerobic conditioning and my diet is good as well. What I'm really looking for are methods for martial arts practicing that people do when not in class.

Try Hackey Sack. Not the normal MA excercise but its entertaining. Aside from that it gets your heart rate up, teaches you to kick at all angles and with a relaxed leg and foot, and it also challenges your footwork.

I truly wish that people would forget running; the impact is bad on your heart. I never run. Instead I shadow box and work the bag or spar for my aerobic excercise.Look at Pro Boxing. 3 minute rounds with a minute in between. 12 rounds. If you are throwing blows the whole three minutes of every round then it can be tedious.

Chen -

I am going to have to go with Dragonfire1134 here. Where have you heard that running is bad for the heart?

That is a new one for me.

Have you tried a mook jong?

http://cine-hk.chez.tiscali.fr/Hkcine/Images/lexique/mookjong.jpg

I'd have to say running is perfectly healthy, mainly because it is the second best form of exercise reccomended by doctors, the first being stretching.

a mook jong is not just a piece of equipment, you need instruction on it and you need to learn the wooden dummy form. There is no [point in using it like a punching bag/makiwara. You have bags and makiwaras for that. wooden dummy is supposed to teach you how to destroy someone guard.
It is a great training tool but you need instruction.