I have just started another blog in which I will lay out the forms and other material in the Indoor Yang Family System:
http://indooryang.blogspot.com/
I have so far put up the first section of the Little Nine Heavens form. I should be able to put up one or two movements each day.
I will still be publishing the books. This will give you the opportunity to work with the material before the books come out, and it will help me to sort out any errors, missing information and to find which areas need clarification.
So far I have published the Wise Hammers form book. It's available from Lulu.com, and also for a much better price from Plum Publishing.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Rules and Fighting: The Paradox of Martial Arts Training
Here is a problem that is faced in every martial art:
1) At some point, you must train realistically (e.g. full-contact.)
2) Realistic fighting is dangerous, so you must either risk serious injury or develop rules.
3) Rules change the nature of fighting.
4) At some point, the practitioners forget that their rules-based fighting isn't real fighting.
Brazilian Jiujutsu fighters (who should be respected for their dedication to full-contact training) forget that outside the ring the ground is a bad place to be.
On the other end of the spectrum, Chinese wrestlers, knowing that the ground is death on the street, set rules so that you lose the fight as soon as anything knees or above touches the ground. For an Indo fighter like me, knees-on-the-ground means that I have two more ranges to fight in before I hit the ground.
Western boxers are famous for breaking their knuckles the first time they punch someone in a bar. Judoka are lost without lapels to grab. Karateka are easily defeated by a little grappling and stalking. HAve I left anyone out?
What to do? The obvious solution is to keep reminding ourselves that we are playing. I make a point to use the word play quite a lot in my teaching. I play the sword and spear, we play sambutan, etc. The Filipinos have a word, Labanlaro (I think), which means "Cubs Playing". The idea being that tiger cubs, for example, play with each other more-and-more roughly until one of the yelps, and then they separate and start over. Then the mother tiger drags home a slightly-injured wildebeast, and they take turns trying to take it down under her watchful eye, all in the safety of the den.
1) At some point, you must train realistically (e.g. full-contact.)
2) Realistic fighting is dangerous, so you must either risk serious injury or develop rules.
3) Rules change the nature of fighting.
4) At some point, the practitioners forget that their rules-based fighting isn't real fighting.
Brazilian Jiujutsu fighters (who should be respected for their dedication to full-contact training) forget that outside the ring the ground is a bad place to be.
On the other end of the spectrum, Chinese wrestlers, knowing that the ground is death on the street, set rules so that you lose the fight as soon as anything knees or above touches the ground. For an Indo fighter like me, knees-on-the-ground means that I have two more ranges to fight in before I hit the ground.
Western boxers are famous for breaking their knuckles the first time they punch someone in a bar. Judoka are lost without lapels to grab. Karateka are easily defeated by a little grappling and stalking. HAve I left anyone out?
What to do? The obvious solution is to keep reminding ourselves that we are playing. I make a point to use the word play quite a lot in my teaching. I play the sword and spear, we play sambutan, etc. The Filipinos have a word, Labanlaro (I think), which means "Cubs Playing". The idea being that tiger cubs, for example, play with each other more-and-more roughly until one of the yelps, and then they separate and start over. Then the mother tiger drags home a slightly-injured wildebeast, and they take turns trying to take it down under her watchful eye, all in the safety of the den.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Measurements of Practice
The old masters used to make their students swear to "always wear tattered sleeves."
I swear to always wear worn-out kung fu shoes.
I swear to always wear worn-out kung fu shoes.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
The three most powerful words in the world.
(No, they aren't "I love you," although they are a close second.)
I deal in uncertainties. Other martial artists are certain. They are certain that their teacher knew everything. They are certain of the history of their martial art, all the way back to the Paleolithic Era. Doubting either of these things will drive them to anger.
Me, I'm never more that 70% certain about anything in the martial arts. If I am more certain than that, it's a bad sign.
The reason the martial arts are dying these days is that people's egos are closing their minds. I'm out here setting aside my own ego, even reversing it. Every day, I try to prove what I think I know wrong. I'm delighted when someone pokes a massive hole in my theories.
This has cost me, and it will probably cost me more. I'm currently releasing books on "secret" styles. I expect to be ridiculed just for claiming Taiji lineage other than Yang Chengfu.
The only way the martial arts are going to survive is if we all get together and say the most powerful words in the world:
"I don't know."
I deal in uncertainties. Other martial artists are certain. They are certain that their teacher knew everything. They are certain of the history of their martial art, all the way back to the Paleolithic Era. Doubting either of these things will drive them to anger.
Me, I'm never more that 70% certain about anything in the martial arts. If I am more certain than that, it's a bad sign.
The reason the martial arts are dying these days is that people's egos are closing their minds. I'm out here setting aside my own ego, even reversing it. Every day, I try to prove what I think I know wrong. I'm delighted when someone pokes a massive hole in my theories.
This has cost me, and it will probably cost me more. I'm currently releasing books on "secret" styles. I expect to be ridiculed just for claiming Taiji lineage other than Yang Chengfu.
The only way the martial arts are going to survive is if we all get together and say the most powerful words in the world:
"I don't know."
Friday, December 18, 2009
Real Training in the Chinese Arts
I just ran across an interview of Yang Fukui, a member of the Yang family who is known for his fighting prowess in full-contact competitions. I was immediately gratified to read that his training didn't consist of long forms, but rather of the individual movements in different combinations. This supports my arguments that modern Chinese arts are too focused on memorizing the forms and often fail to escape them. Here's a quotation (He's talking about Yang Banhou and Yang Jianhou, second-generation masters):
"First of all, they devoted most of their practice to gongfu and martial arts, not to health or “spiritual development,” although these two latter aspects certainly underlied their practice. Their emphasis was different. For example, they never practiced more than a two or three form or movements in sequence, in order to develop fighting skill and gongfu, and they never linked more than five forms together. There were no such things as the 24 or 85 or 108 form Taijiquan."
The entire article can be read here.
"First of all, they devoted most of their practice to gongfu and martial arts, not to health or “spiritual development,” although these two latter aspects certainly underlied their practice. Their emphasis was different. For example, they never practiced more than a two or three form or movements in sequence, in order to develop fighting skill and gongfu, and they never linked more than five forms together. There were no such things as the 24 or 85 or 108 form Taijiquan."
The entire article can be read here.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
A New Book
I'm excited to announce a new book is available for order, and a revised version of an older book.
The Kunlun Green Dragon Form book is available in trade paperback format.
The Indoor Yang Wise Hammers Form is now available in trade paperback as well as workbook format.
Links have been added to the right.
The Kunlun Green Dragon Form book is available in trade paperback format.
The Indoor Yang Wise Hammers Form is now available in trade paperback as well as workbook format.
Links have been added to the right.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Spinal Awakening Sequence
I have been getting a lot of questions about the spine, and how to prepare it for Daoist martial arts training.
Here is a video clip of the general sequence Master Baaht used to use to warm up the spine at the beginning of class. I've found that it is a good all-around conditioning exercise for the spine. Practice it consistently, every day.
I will probably put together a short instruction document and put it on the website shortly.
Here is a video clip of the general sequence Master Baaht used to use to warm up the spine at the beginning of class. I've found that it is a good all-around conditioning exercise for the spine. Practice it consistently, every day.
I will probably put together a short instruction document and put it on the website shortly.
Daoist Naming Conventions: Hidden Meaning in Movement Names, Part 3
Section III:
Internal Medicine
One of the main areas of study in Daoism is health and longevity. The Daoists have developed quite a collection of tools in this area.
Above is a picture of the Neijingtu, or “Internal Classic Diagram.” On the surface, we see a stylized map of a mountain range. If you look closely, you will see a map of the human body (the mountains represent the spine). This diagram very cleverly hides the secrets of Daoist internal practices.
The general imagery you should be thinking of is simply of a mountain with a moon above it. The mountain represents the spine, and the moon represents the head.
So, movements with names like “Moon Knocking on Mountain Gate” might have new meaning for you. “Ride Tiger, Push Mountain” or “Ride Tiger Back to Mountain” might now mean taking advantage of your opponent’s aggressive attack to attack the spine. Hold Moon to Chest might involve holding your opponent’s head to your core and breaking the neck or choking the opponent out.
Other more cryptic names may be referring to the classical names of acupuncture points or channels.
It’s important to remember that to a Daoist, it would be wasteful and poor Dé (efficient use of power) not to merge your healing work with your fighting work.
Daoist Naming Conventions: Hidden Meaning in Movement Names, Part 2
Section II:
Animal Styles
Just like Shàolín, the Daoist martial arts have animal styles. They tend to be much less imitative than Shàolín arts, and these days you won’t see many specific animal forms. You will find many movements with animals in them; especially white animals. The white animals seem to originate in the Kunlun? mountains, between China and Tibet.
The two main animals you will see are Dragon and Tiger. These represent the two main fighting strategies of the arts. Often a third animal, usually a bird, will represent the third strategy of escape.
Dragon is counteroffensive and clever. This is your first strategy; to neutralize your opponent’s attack and then respond.
Tiger is preemptive and dominating. It starts the fight and keeps the opponent one step behind.
These two animals tend to create each other: Counteroffensive turns into offensive, for example, and when Tiger fails to keep the initiative, she falls back on Dragon.
The Daoist arts usually generate their power from the ground, but there are times when this is not a good option; you have to pick up your feet and move, or you just don’t have a good foundation. This is where the footwork of the bird styles come in.
White Crane’s lower body skills teach how to fight from one leg, a situation which may come up every time you take a step. Its upper body skills are perhaps the most sophisticated in the Daoist martial arts, which is why you will see so many movements in Tàijíquán with White Crane names.
Phoenix teaches fast, moving footwork rather like Bāguàzhăng (Not a coincidence), and fast targeted jabs.
Other animals you may come across are:
White Ape, which teaches stamping power and “loose arm” skills. This animal is the main reason the Daoist martial arts look like they have Xíngyìquán mixed in.
White Snake, which teaches throwing techniques and grinding entries. (Think of White Snake Creeps Down.)
Dragon Horse, which teaches trampling techniques.
Keep all this in mind when you look at a movement named “Dragon Wanders, Tiger Sits,” for example. The movements might not look much like the animals, but the names have meaning.
Animal Styles
Just like Shàolín, the Daoist martial arts have animal styles. They tend to be much less imitative than Shàolín arts, and these days you won’t see many specific animal forms. You will find many movements with animals in them; especially white animals. The white animals seem to originate in the Kunlun? mountains, between China and Tibet.
The two main animals you will see are Dragon and Tiger. These represent the two main fighting strategies of the arts. Often a third animal, usually a bird, will represent the third strategy of escape.
Dragon is counteroffensive and clever. This is your first strategy; to neutralize your opponent’s attack and then respond.
Tiger is preemptive and dominating. It starts the fight and keeps the opponent one step behind.
These two animals tend to create each other: Counteroffensive turns into offensive, for example, and when Tiger fails to keep the initiative, she falls back on Dragon.
The Daoist arts usually generate their power from the ground, but there are times when this is not a good option; you have to pick up your feet and move, or you just don’t have a good foundation. This is where the footwork of the bird styles come in.
White Crane’s lower body skills teach how to fight from one leg, a situation which may come up every time you take a step. Its upper body skills are perhaps the most sophisticated in the Daoist martial arts, which is why you will see so many movements in Tàijíquán with White Crane names.
Phoenix teaches fast, moving footwork rather like Bāguàzhăng (Not a coincidence), and fast targeted jabs.
Other animals you may come across are:
White Ape, which teaches stamping power and “loose arm” skills. This animal is the main reason the Daoist martial arts look like they have Xíngyìquán mixed in.
White Snake, which teaches throwing techniques and grinding entries. (Think of White Snake Creeps Down.)
Dragon Horse, which teaches trampling techniques.
Keep all this in mind when you look at a movement named “Dragon Wanders, Tiger Sits,” for example. The movements might not look much like the animals, but the names have meaning.
Daoist Naming Conventions: Hidden Meaning in Movement Names, Part 1
Daoist Naming Conventions:
Hidden Meaning in Movement Names
by
Jonty Kershaw
www.brokencircle.org
Introduction
There is a lot of lost information in the world of the martial arts. Those of us who study it face the prospect of having to gather as much knowledge as we can from the meager sources available and sift through it, trying to find the secrets that even our own teachers might never have learned. This article is intended to help the searchers in their search.
One area that should be explored is the meanings of movement names. There is a rich hidden language here that can hint at or even fully explain the intention of the movements.
I have divided this article into three sections, based on the sources of the names. They are:
Proverbs and Sayings
Animal Styles
Internal Medicine
These naming conventions are specifically for the “Daoist Martial Arts” family. Other traditions such as Shàolín have their own naming secrets. I hope this article will inspire you to look a little more deeply in all of them.
Section I:
Daoist Proverbs and Sayings
The Chinese are famous for their proverbs and sayings, and the Daoists are no different. Here are some examples of movements named after Daoist sayings.
调花接干
Diào Huā Diē Gān
“Move Aside the Flowers to Reach the Trunk”
The Daoists have a number of expressions that refer to the structure of a tree, especially how much more important the trunk and the roots are than the branches and leaves.
This expression refers to brushing aside unnecessary details in order to focus on the truly important core of the issue. In the martial arts, this usually refers to a move that quickly dispenses with the opponent’s defenses to reach the torso.
(This phrase has often been mistranslated as something like “Transfer Flower, Connect to Wood.”)
揽牛尾
Lăn Niú Wĕi
“Grasp the Ox’s Tail”
In Daoist parable, there are stories describing how an experienced herder can steer a massive ox by simply controlling its tail. This is a beautiful example of Dé in action.
Movements with names like “Grasp the Ox’s Tail” or “Move a Thousand Head of Oxen With Only Four Tails” refer to moving your opponent’s entire body using the small joints. (The four tails would be your opponent’s fingers.)
Yáng Lùchán, the founder of Yáng Tàijíquán named his small-joint manipulations sequence 揽雀尾, “Grasp the Sparrow’s Tail,” probably to express how much more difficult the art of yielding is.
Stop the Cart at the Edge of Cliff
There are a number of proverbs and metaphors in China that describe your life as the path of a cart. Phrases such as “Following the path of the overturned cart” describe repeating someone else’s mistake.
Movements with names like these will usually involve changing direction or intention before failing.
Stir Clouds to Pass Through Fog
“Clouds” and “Fog”, like the flowers of our tree, are distractions or obstacles to be dealt with. (Think “Cloud Hands”)
Hidden Meaning in Movement Names
by
Jonty Kershaw
www.brokencircle.org
Introduction
There is a lot of lost information in the world of the martial arts. Those of us who study it face the prospect of having to gather as much knowledge as we can from the meager sources available and sift through it, trying to find the secrets that even our own teachers might never have learned. This article is intended to help the searchers in their search.
One area that should be explored is the meanings of movement names. There is a rich hidden language here that can hint at or even fully explain the intention of the movements.
I have divided this article into three sections, based on the sources of the names. They are:
Proverbs and Sayings
Animal Styles
Internal Medicine
These naming conventions are specifically for the “Daoist Martial Arts” family. Other traditions such as Shàolín have their own naming secrets. I hope this article will inspire you to look a little more deeply in all of them.
Section I:
Daoist Proverbs and Sayings
The Chinese are famous for their proverbs and sayings, and the Daoists are no different. Here are some examples of movements named after Daoist sayings.
调花接干
Diào Huā Diē Gān
“Move Aside the Flowers to Reach the Trunk”
The Daoists have a number of expressions that refer to the structure of a tree, especially how much more important the trunk and the roots are than the branches and leaves.
This expression refers to brushing aside unnecessary details in order to focus on the truly important core of the issue. In the martial arts, this usually refers to a move that quickly dispenses with the opponent’s defenses to reach the torso.
(This phrase has often been mistranslated as something like “Transfer Flower, Connect to Wood.”)
揽牛尾
Lăn Niú Wĕi
“Grasp the Ox’s Tail”
In Daoist parable, there are stories describing how an experienced herder can steer a massive ox by simply controlling its tail. This is a beautiful example of Dé in action.
Movements with names like “Grasp the Ox’s Tail” or “Move a Thousand Head of Oxen With Only Four Tails” refer to moving your opponent’s entire body using the small joints. (The four tails would be your opponent’s fingers.)
Yáng Lùchán, the founder of Yáng Tàijíquán named his small-joint manipulations sequence 揽雀尾, “Grasp the Sparrow’s Tail,” probably to express how much more difficult the art of yielding is.
Stop the Cart at the Edge of Cliff
There are a number of proverbs and metaphors in China that describe your life as the path of a cart. Phrases such as “Following the path of the overturned cart” describe repeating someone else’s mistake.
Movements with names like these will usually involve changing direction or intention before failing.
Stir Clouds to Pass Through Fog
“Clouds” and “Fog”, like the flowers of our tree, are distractions or obstacles to be dealt with. (Think “Cloud Hands”)
Use of Imagery in the Martial Arts
This is something that modern martial artists struggle with when it comes to the traditional martial arts:
Often the terminology in the traditional martial arts is flowery and quite physically impossible. The reason for this is that when communicating with the body (in other words, the part of the subconscious that deals with the body), telling it exactly what to do produces the wrong result. Here's a classic example:
The second choice is actually quite impossible, but the body responds correctly.
Often the terminology in the traditional martial arts is flowery and quite physically impossible. The reason for this is that when communicating with the body (in other words, the part of the subconscious that deals with the body), telling it exactly what to do produces the wrong result. Here's a classic example:
"Straighten your spine."
The result will be that the student will tighten the muscles of the back, leading to a spine that is inflexible and, yes, bent."Imagine that your body is relaxed, and that it is hanging from a rope attached to the crown of the head."
The result will be that the spine will naturally straighten without losing its natural flexibility. The head will be slightly bent forward, which is necessary for a straight spine.The second choice is actually quite impossible, but the body responds correctly.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Introducing the "?" Project.
I'm excited to announce that Steven Vance and I have joined together to form a sort of martial arts preservation society.
The blog can be found here. It's still in its infancy, but we should have it relatively functional this weekend.
We haven't worked out the exact details of the project yet. We haven't even decided on a name. To start with, we will be publicly sharing and discussing our research into the Chinese martial arts associated with the Kunlun mountains. We also both share an interest in the Indonesian arts, so that is a likely area of research.
This may turn into a larger organization with the focus of preserving, documenting, researching and restoring the traditional martial arts.
Steven and I first made contact shortly after I released my website mentioning the Kunlun Mountain Fist. Steven had an interest in Kunlunquan, a related style, and we shared notes. We also learned that we both shared a love of the Indonesian arts.
We also share a belief that the martial arts have suffered due to issues of personal ego and politics. We have both separated ourselves from certain styles because of this.
Steven is brilliant. I have spent almost a decade looking for teachers of Kunlunquan in the U.S. About 2 weeks after we discussed this, he called me up with the name of a teacher born into the family. His blog can be found here.
The blog can be found here. It's still in its infancy, but we should have it relatively functional this weekend.
We haven't worked out the exact details of the project yet. We haven't even decided on a name. To start with, we will be publicly sharing and discussing our research into the Chinese martial arts associated with the Kunlun mountains. We also both share an interest in the Indonesian arts, so that is a likely area of research.
This may turn into a larger organization with the focus of preserving, documenting, researching and restoring the traditional martial arts.
Steven and I first made contact shortly after I released my website mentioning the Kunlun Mountain Fist. Steven had an interest in Kunlunquan, a related style, and we shared notes. We also learned that we both shared a love of the Indonesian arts.
We also share a belief that the martial arts have suffered due to issues of personal ego and politics. We have both separated ourselves from certain styles because of this.
Steven is brilliant. I have spent almost a decade looking for teachers of Kunlunquan in the U.S. About 2 weeks after we discussed this, he called me up with the name of a teacher born into the family. His blog can be found here.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Breaking the Circle, Part 2: Circling the Break
This is where the 7 Stars 8 Steps system (the foundation of Baguazhang) comes in.
When your opponent has successfuly broken your circle, you may have to walk their circle, essentially circling the break.
(Pictures to come)
When your opponent has successfuly broken your circle, you may have to walk their circle, essentially circling the break.
(Pictures to come)
Breaking the Circle, Part 1
I have been getting a lot of questions about the name of the school and how it applies to the martial arts.
The name has a number of different meanings for me, but in the Daoist Martial Arts, it has a particular meaning. I'll outline it in a general sense here.
Part 1: The Circle
In the Daoist Martial Arts, we view defense as a personal defnsive circle.
When we attack, we are attempting to attack out opponent's centerline (basically the spine), which we call "Duan Huan" or "Breaking the Circle".
Our goal in defense is to redirect their attack around the outside of the circle.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Why Do I Charge?
As a school, we are moving toward an informal non-profit model of business.
I have always preferred to teach by donation. The best times of my life have been spent in a park with a donation box. Somehow, I always got enough money to survive.
When I moved to a certain part of the country, I discovered that this didn't work. I would work all day and get about $10. To some people in this country, if you don't charge, it isn't worth anything. People were happy to pay for my classes, so I had to start charging.
I'm trying to return to my old way of doing things. I sank about $2,000 into equipment and software for the first of the training manuals. When I have recouped that, I will drop the price of the manual to only a little over the printing cost, and hope that people will donate enough to keep me writing and filming.
In the long term, if you all show the interest, I will be creating training material for other teachers. There are a lot of excellent teachers out there who have no idea how to go about creating books and videos, so I think we can help.
I have always preferred to teach by donation. The best times of my life have been spent in a park with a donation box. Somehow, I always got enough money to survive.
When I moved to a certain part of the country, I discovered that this didn't work. I would work all day and get about $10. To some people in this country, if you don't charge, it isn't worth anything. People were happy to pay for my classes, so I had to start charging.
I'm trying to return to my old way of doing things. I sank about $2,000 into equipment and software for the first of the training manuals. When I have recouped that, I will drop the price of the manual to only a little over the printing cost, and hope that people will donate enough to keep me writing and filming.
In the long term, if you all show the interest, I will be creating training material for other teachers. There are a lot of excellent teachers out there who have no idea how to go about creating books and videos, so I think we can help.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
An Update
Some of my regulars have requested updates on several areas of my work. Here you are:
The "Little Nine Heavens","Post-Heaven" and "Kunlun Green Dragon Form" books are all nearing completion. It's really more a matter of spare time, interest of the public, and fighting with technology.
The other books are out there. I have had to narrow my focus a little, since I'm working two full-time jobs right now. Both the Yang spear books and the Yang saber book are in the pipeline.
The applications manuals will take longer, since I have no local students that are trained enough to safely be victims or victors in the photos.
If you are interested in one of the books more than another, please post or email.
Technology is what is slowing me down right now. Getting all of it to work, especially at the same time, is currently a challenge. I don't follow the horoscopes, but I'm sure Mercury is in retrograde or something. My New-Agey friends always tell me Mercury is in retrograde when the technology starts acting up.
I may have to record sound into my cellphone for a while. It won't be beautiful, but you'll be able to hear me.
I'll be doing some video blogging to answer the questions I'm getting more effectively.
Once again, what I work on right now is based upon interest (and sales), so please drop me a line or donate or buy something if you want a particular subject sooner. I'm not in it for the money, but the amount of time I can afford to spend on this is dependent on income. I can comfortably live on about $20,000 per year up here in the low-rent part of the country, so I'm not getting rich off your dollar.
I'm only doing training programs for people who ask me. Mostly, it's a matter of creation, since I don't have the new programs organized yet. As soon as I have the infrastructure in place and move to a better location, I will be developing formal programs. I'm going to try and work for donations first. This has worked well for everyone involved in the past, but there ahve been times and places where I have worked very hard and not made enough to survive. (In some parts of the country, if you don't charge, people think it's not worth anything.)
Like the distance training, I'm waiting until I am relocated to start formally offering seminars.I might be willing to do some now, but my time is short.
The Books:
The "Little Nine Heavens","Post-Heaven" and "Kunlun Green Dragon Form" books are all nearing completion. It's really more a matter of spare time, interest of the public, and fighting with technology.
The other books are out there. I have had to narrow my focus a little, since I'm working two full-time jobs right now. Both the Yang spear books and the Yang saber book are in the pipeline.
The applications manuals will take longer, since I have no local students that are trained enough to safely be victims or victors in the photos.
If you are interested in one of the books more than another, please post or email.
The Videos:
Technology is what is slowing me down right now. Getting all of it to work, especially at the same time, is currently a challenge. I don't follow the horoscopes, but I'm sure Mercury is in retrograde or something. My New-Agey friends always tell me Mercury is in retrograde when the technology starts acting up.
I may have to record sound into my cellphone for a while. It won't be beautiful, but you'll be able to hear me.
I'll be doing some video blogging to answer the questions I'm getting more effectively.
Once again, what I work on right now is based upon interest (and sales), so please drop me a line or donate or buy something if you want a particular subject sooner. I'm not in it for the money, but the amount of time I can afford to spend on this is dependent on income. I can comfortably live on about $20,000 per year up here in the low-rent part of the country, so I'm not getting rich off your dollar.
Long-Distance Training:
I'm only doing training programs for people who ask me. Mostly, it's a matter of creation, since I don't have the new programs organized yet. As soon as I have the infrastructure in place and move to a better location, I will be developing formal programs. I'm going to try and work for donations first. This has worked well for everyone involved in the past, but there ahve been times and places where I have worked very hard and not made enough to survive. (In some parts of the country, if you don't charge, people think it's not worth anything.)
Seminars:
Like the distance training, I'm waiting until I am relocated to start formally offering seminars.I might be willing to do some now, but my time is short.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Why is Single Whip Called Single Whip
One of the funny things about the martial arts I teach is that when teachers don't understand a movement they are likely to make up an overly-complex answer.
Over the years, I have heard all sorts of explanations about why Single Whip is called Single Whip.
A lot of stuff about Qi, and a lot of stuff about the entire body moving as a singe whip.
It's really simple, folks. Single whip is called Single Whip because only one arm is doing the whip.
That's it. The Hook Hand is holding something in place. The other arm is performing a whip, which is a type of scissor throw. In a lot of styles, the arm also performs a compression throw and a sail.
I'll update this with pictures as soon as I have time. The bold terms are things you can look up.
Over the years, I have heard all sorts of explanations about why Single Whip is called Single Whip.
A lot of stuff about Qi, and a lot of stuff about the entire body moving as a singe whip.
It's really simple, folks. Single whip is called Single Whip because only one arm is doing the whip.
That's it. The Hook Hand is holding something in place. The other arm is performing a whip, which is a type of scissor throw. In a lot of styles, the arm also performs a compression throw and a sail.
I'll update this with pictures as soon as I have time. The bold terms are things you can look up.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Irony in the Martial Arts: Defeated by a Mouse
Statistically, martial arts instructor is the third most likely profession, right after ice skater and dancer, to injure themselves off the job. In other words, we spend so much time at work focusing on our movement that we are much more likely to twist our ankles, bang our elbow into something, etc., when we are not working.
Ironically, I have a new martial arts injury, which I got not by practicing martial arts but by writing about it. I seem to have a collection of issues related to overuse of the mouse and the undersize keyboard on my laptop computer.
Full combat martial artists actually seldom injure themselves. In the 20 years I have been studying martial arts from an actual combat perspective, I have only had minor injuries, such as twisted ankles and the occasional slightly broken nose (usually from teaching beginner students.) The only serious martial arts injury I have received in the classroom came from an unfortunate knife-fighting incident that almost cost me my thumb.
In my former career as a bouncer, I successfully took on bikers and gangmembers. Today I was defeated by a mouse.
Ironically, I have a new martial arts injury, which I got not by practicing martial arts but by writing about it. I seem to have a collection of issues related to overuse of the mouse and the undersize keyboard on my laptop computer.
Full combat martial artists actually seldom injure themselves. In the 20 years I have been studying martial arts from an actual combat perspective, I have only had minor injuries, such as twisted ankles and the occasional slightly broken nose (usually from teaching beginner students.) The only serious martial arts injury I have received in the classroom came from an unfortunate knife-fighting incident that almost cost me my thumb.
In my former career as a bouncer, I successfully took on bikers and gangmembers. Today I was defeated by a mouse.
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