At six in the morning there is no motivation. There is only a decision made the night before, and an alarm to be obeyed before the part of your brain that negotiates wakes up.
That is both the biggest drawback of the morning slot and the reason it works better than any other.
Why mornings work better
Nothing can take it from you. An afternoon session falls to the first meeting that runs over, a sick child, a traffic jam or an invitation for a drink. At six in the morning there is no competition. If you come, you come; if you do not, that was your own choice and you know it.
The body is different. It is stiffer in the morning - and that is precisely why the practice works. The intervertebral discs have refilled with fluid overnight, joints are cold, muscles short. An hour of slow, deliberate opening does more for your spine than the same hour at seven in the evening, when the body is already warm from the day and pliable on its own. Which is why we start slowly and build - never the other way round.
The rest of the day is different. This is not a line about endorphins. It is that you have finished something before your first email. A day that starts with a promise kept to yourself runs differently from a day that starts by checking your phone.
Your evenings stay free. This often turns out to be the most important advantage. A practice that does not take your evenings is a practice you can keep for years.
What we train
The morning slot (Mon, Tue, Thu, 6:00-7:15) weaves Kung Fu, Qi Gong and Sanshou into one session.
We start with standing and breath - a few minutes for the body to wake and the head to arrive in the hall. Then a long, slow warm-up through the joints, longer in the morning than in the afternoon. Then basics and technique, a form, and towards the end Sanshou elements when the group is ready for them.
An hour and a quarter is enough to wake the body up and not enough to leave you drained for the day. That is deliberate. A morning session that leaves you dead by ten o’clock is a bad morning session.
The first week is the hardest
- Day one: pure willpower. Afterwards you feel excellent and are certain you will do this forever.
- Day two: your thighs ache and getting up is considerably less romantic.
- Day three: you do not want to. That is normal, and this is exactly where it is decided whether this becomes a habit. Go.
- Week two: your body starts waking a few minutes before the alarm. For the first time.
- Week three: it stops being a question. It becomes part of the day, like coffee - and like coffee, you notice it mainly when it is missing.
What actually helps
Practical measures that do more than all the motivation in the world:
- Lay your kit out the night before. Together with the bottle and keys, by the door. Morning-you should not be making decisions.
- Do not look at your phone until you leave the hall. A single message or headline pulls you into the day before you have entered it on your own terms.
- Go to bed earlier. Obvious and still the most commonly skipped step. A morning practice is not free; you pay for it with an hour in the evening.
- Do not eat before class. A glass of water is enough. Breakfast is better afterwards.
- In the first month, never miss twice in a row. One missed session is a break; two is the beginning of the end.
It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop.
Who the morning slot is not for
Let us be honest: not everyone.
If you regularly work night shifts, if you sleep less than six hours, or if you are in a period where sleep is already broken anyway (small children, exam season, shift work), the morning slot is not right. Training should add energy, not take away sleep. In those cases the afternoon slot is the better choice - and it is not inferior in any way.
It is also not right if you feel unwell in the first hour after waking for medical reasons. Tell us and we will find another option.
Practicalities
The morning class runs three times a week at €99 per month (≈ €7.62 per class), or €269 for three months. You can join at any point in the year.
Come ten minutes early, in comfortable clothes, barefoot or in thin shoes. You are out by 7:15 and can be at your desk by 8:00 - with the day only just beginning.
