2013年5月10日星期五

Shaolin Ground Boxing

The first paragraph of
Up
Action points:
Body and stands, arm drooping to the side of nature, Visual front (Figure 1).
1
Figure (1)

After 2, cross
Action points:
Turn 90 degrees to the right of the body back on the ground, two arms separately from side and back at the same time as the right leg above pop-up Visual right foot forward (Figure 3).
Pitfalls: body relaxation, brain.
Remedy: practice body tension, head flexor tight chest, arm hang.


4, settling on the ground
Action points:
Leaping legs released, his right leg horizontal pendulum rotates 360 ° to the right, left on the ground, Visual direction of the right foot (Figure 5).
Pitfalls: the right knee of the left leg is not posted.
Correction: potential buckles left foot to right knee.
5
Figure (5)
5, the independent punch
Action points:
CARP flip pop-up, swing arm single leg, left knee foot and straight right hand high and shoulders, right chest, the left hand post, visually right front (Figure 6).
Pitfalls: right leg stand instability.
Correction: right foot toe claw, the knee straight.
6
Figure 6
6, butterfly twist
Action points:
Left foot landed, two feet to the left to run three or four steps, circle rotating 360 ° or 540 ° floor stand. Butterfly twist after landing, on 3 consecutive step, vacated his right leg kicked out his left leg buckle on the right knee, body straight, parallel to the ground (Figure 7).
Pitfalls: air train is not accurate.
Correction: when jump kick, body, forming in the air and fell down the side.
7
Figure 7
7, Wu long twisted tail (left)
Action points:
Horizontal sideways left leg flexion pedestals, the hands in front of him, his right leg-bashing on the left leg forward as the right leg over the left leg sweep hangs, when his right leg sweep to the chest when the left leg to right leg legs, knees, while his right leg knee with heels hanging, left leg forward shoveled puts up his right leg forward, feet sticking to. With both hands in front of the society, Visual shovel leg direction (Figure 8).
Pitfalls: stranded when the arc is not enough.
Correction: twisted legs.
8
Figure 8
8, Wu long twisted columns
Action points:
Left leg flexion sitting to the left on the ground, right leg sweep hangs above the left oblique, upper body lying rear roll from left to right, when you sweep right leg hanging above the front legs clip crotch cut above the right pedal, while the shoulder support, from right to left to right reverse waist up standing (Figure 9).
Easy to make a mistake: two legs standing instability.
Correction: two legs to just above the lift.
9
Figure 9
9, push Palm in bow step
Action points:
Left leg back, turn around 360 ° to the left and right lunge and hit the left Palm, high shoulder, right arm of hand clasping to lumbar side flexion, visually the left front (Figure 10)
Pitfalls: the left leg, knee bent.
Correction: the left leg and knee straight.
10
Figure 10
The second paragraph of
10, Rob back diving
Action points:
Step forward and knees bent left leg forward, upper body leaning forward bow leaping chest, right arm stretched after the chest to the left, while the left hand hold the right shoulder, lift the left foot up, Qu Yuan to hold the body, left shoulder and lumbar roll to left waist squat in a week (Figure 11)
Pitfalls: slow landing roll.
Correction: when scrolling the body into a ball.
11
Figure 11
11, Cyclone feet on the ground
Action points:
On the left leg, running four vacated, leaping, on the left leg in the air, body rotation 520 ° on the ground, side, Visual front right hand (Figure 12).
Pitfalls: floor not on your side, the vulnerable.
Correction: legs in the air to control direction, floor to ceiling note buffer.
12
Figure 12
12, against the whip boxing
Action points:
CARP dating up, left feet left took, right leg left above classified arc into in foot up to rings, body left 180 degrees, landing two leg draw close to, two arm flexor elbow and Yu chest Qian, left feet left took, leaping left 360 degrees, while right arm wearing Palm, landing into right knelt step, right arm do anti-whip fist, right fist placed right leg Qian above, left Palm put right chest Qian, Visual right party (Figure 13).
Pitfalls: carp flip up and knelt back ground instability.
Correction: two-foot floor stand.
13
Figure 13
13, sweep the leg Dynamic

3
Figure 3


3, carp flip
Action points:
Abdominal flexion your legs, lifting the feet up, shoulder support, spread your legs forward radial runout, upper body belly up to the front, right hand, left hand back project, into a squat, visually right hand (Figure 4).
Easy to make a mistake: when you straighten bent from the waist.
To correct the error: whip the legs quickly, straight from the waist.
4
Figure 4



1 hit, swing arm punch
Action points:
Along the side taken up arms, two hand fist, top draw arcs cross to the chest, while one small step left foot to the right rear, two hand along side launched separately, right foot and step on their knees hit fist swing arm, visually the front (Figure 2).
Pitfalls: upper body bent.
To correct the error: practice note with your head held high, Arch the back.
2
Figure(2)

The Development of Folk Kung-fu

Chinese Kung-fu, with a long history, was mentioned by the famous works, such as "Shi Jing" (the Book of Songs), "Guanzi", "Xunzi" and so on more than two thousand years ago. Kung-fu resulted from the social situation at the ancient time. The ancient society was in disorder and low productivity with all kinds of contradictions, conflicts and wars. Then, because fist fighting was suitable for short distance fight and it was relatively easy to practice, various methods of fist fighting developed fast as well as other martial arts with weapons like broadsword, spear, sword, cudgel and so forth. From then on, there were more and more schools arising in the society. Some schools can be further divided into several branches. Spreading here and there, Chinese folk Kung-fu develops and has formed the particular system.
     Chinese folk Kung-fu has an extensive knowledge and profound scholarship. According to the statistic, there are close to 300 fist fighting methods. And different methods have their own focuses, developments and directions. Take Tai Ji Quan for example, at the foundation period, the purpose and aim were to attack with skills in order to stick up for the clan members' existence and development by protecting home from invasion. At the very beginning of learning Tai Ji Quan, trainees should practice twining, gluing and following as their core lesson to manage the special chand methods ("Da Shou"). They should foster the sensitiveness of the skin touching feeling and the inside reacting feeling, which complies with the mechanics principles. Thus, the Kung-fu skills are scientific and systematic. In the next studying process, the comprehensive skills of Ti (kicking), Da (hitting), Na (seizing) and Die (tumbling) are aggressive and hazardous, which is valuable for advancing energy, patience, speed and sensitive skills. The requirement is on the line with Tai Ji Quan's principle: hardness and softness moving in harmony; diverse things incorporating together; movements coordinating according to the enemy' s; encountering opponents and defeating them; using different methods to dissolve different movements; learning and mastering the keys are time consuming.
    When we are talking about the development of Chinese folk Kung-fu, we cannot make any judgment about Chinese folk Kung-fu, based on only some individual phenomena within one period or school only. Otherwise, the outcome cannot escape the limitation and narrowness. Instead, we should discuss the topic based on the history and districts comprehensively and objectively.
    History refers to the several thousand years from primitive time to the modem time.
    Kung-fu has experienced periods of foundation, development, climax, recession, redevelopment, another climax and another recession... District element means the different understanding and awareness of the Kung-fu held by people, resulted from the various social status, living environment and other factors at the same time. Take the feudal society for example, leaders would use their political power to assemble the skillful Kung-fu masters to strengthen their leadership in a wide scale. On the other hand, the people would make use of the Kung-fu knowledge to resist oppress and protect their lives, wealth and safety as well as their families'. On this depressing occasion, people had to manage some Kung-fu skills for survival. Otherwise, they would be in the destiny of being bullied, humiliated and even killed. Therefore, all genres of Chinese folk Kung-fu are passed on from generation to generation because of the tough social situation. However, the essence of Kung-fu is changing in accordance with the social advancement.
     Society is changing, resulting in the changes of Kung-fu. The traditional Tai Ji Quan requires heavy exercises, mass energy expenditure and difficult skills, which is outdated to the modern society. So the Kung-fu deliverers have to develop the new aims and direction of the arts and create the slogan, "What is the purpose for practicing Kung-fu? A healthy and lasting life". This is also the transition from Kung-fu for fight to that for health. And for the recent one hundred years, Tai Ji Quan has changed a lot, maintaining the traditional part and developing the creative part, and different schools have been founded to satisfy different demands of different people. As a result, Tai Ji Quan can be accepted by people all over the world.
     With the analysis on the development of Tai Ji Quan, we can get some information of developing feature and direction of Kung-fu.

Jeet Kune Do

Over the years, many people have made claims regarding the proper definition of Bruce Lee's art. Some have defined it as a process of "change;" others have labeled it as simply "modified Wing Chun;" others, with the best of intentions have stated that it is simply an eclectic jumble of various styles and arts that hopefully will, at some unspecified point in the future, gestalt into something meaningful for the individual practitioner.
With the formation of Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, however, there no longer exists any need for such contradictory and confusing definitions. There is but one definition for Jun fan Jeet Kune Do and here it is:
Jun fan Jeet Kune Do is the complete body of technical (physical and scientific) and philosophical (mental, social, spiritual) knowledge that was studied and taught by Bruce Lee during his lifetime.
In other words, Jun fan Jeet Kune Do (with, as its core, the combative principles, physical techniques, training methods, and philosophical ideas synthesized by Bruce Lee during his lifetime) is concerned solely and exclusively with Bruce Lee's personal evolution and process of self-discovery through martial art as indicated and supported by the written record (Bruce Lee's personal papers and library) and oral history (recollections of those who spent time with and/or studied under Bruce Lee). That's it. Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do concerns itself with presenting Bruce Lee's ideas and opinions - and not anyone else's interpretation of them - with regard to:
  The history and development of his art
  The philosophy that supports and extends from the art
  The training and conditioning methods necessary to realize the physical (and mental/spiritual) aspects of the art
  The scientific principles underlying the foundation of the techniques Bruce Lee emphasized and held to be significant
  The life, art and career of Bruce Lee
A distinction is made between this body of work (i.e., Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do) and an individual student's own personal process of self-discovery through martial art, in that each student is free to utilize all, some or none of Bruce Lee's teachings to assist him in this respect.
Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do is not about setting up restrictions or "Ways" of doing things. It has no interest in trying to mold or shape you. It accepts you as you are. Much like when a bubbling spring flows out from the mountains, it is simply there for a thirsty traveler should he wish to partake of it. When a bird sings, it does not sing for the advancement of music, but if somebody stops to listen and is delighted, that is fine. And Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do seeks likewise to be a source of inspiration and delight solely for those who posses an interest in Bruce Lee and the martial viewpoint that he created. Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do should be considered the base that Bruce Lee established and not the ultimate goal of the individual who studies it. Individuals may, and if fact are expected to, modify, add and delete until they have transcended the need for any "way" or "system" at all - including Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do. We should welcome change, but the person changing should claim responsibility for his own innovations. Nor should Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do be called obsolete after a martial artist evokes these changes into a personal interpretation. In holding true to Bruce Lee's philosophy of personal liberation, it works on the principle of a physician rather than a patent. A physician is always trying to get rid of his patients and send them away healthy enough to stand on their own two feet. Bruce Lee's ultimate objective as a teacher was to get rid of his students so that they wouldn't need him or any other teacher.
Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do can be viewed as a guide to reach the highest peak of personal liberation through the study of martial arts. You, the individual become, through this process of self-discovery, your own best teacher. What we really need to know about ourselves and how we perform throughout our daily life should not end when graduating from school. Throughout our Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do journey, the martial arts trials and tribulations we experience result in a never-ending gain in self-knowledge and growth.
While it is true that Bruce Lee was constantly searching for a better way ("To utilize all ways be bound by none"), we must, for historical and philosophical reasons, use the term Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do only for the art that Bruce Lee taught. While it is true that he would have continued to grow and explore, we cannot know with infallible certainty what direction this exploration would have taken. Our objective with Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do is simply to remove some of the misconceptions that have arisen over the years concerning what Bruce Lee and his art were about, and to show the world a better picture of what is preserved in his legacy. For the sake of the future of Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, we must also emphasize that when instructors claim to teach Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do, they will only teach from the body of knowledge attributed to Bruce Lee.
Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do is concerned solely with Bruce Lee's body of work - as he taught it - and with the preservation and perpetuation of this body of work.  

Short Weapons

Short-weapon sport refers to the combating athletic sport in which two athletes holding short weapons conduct actual combat or competition to demonstrate and compete sword attacking and defending skills of Wushu in a plot of field in compliance with certain rules.Through the exercise of short-weapon sports,one may cultivate his or her competences such as witness,flexibility,courage,perseverance,etc.,and may strengthen his or her combat skills,and may also improve his or her overall health level and physical capability.

Wushu short-weapon sport is a newly established athletic event with unique traditional Chinese characteristics.The Central Martial Arts Academy set up in 1927 used to arrange Wushu short-weapon subject.Short-weapon games were twicely arranged in the national Wushu examination held in 1928 and 1933.

Since PRC was founded in 1949,the National Sports Committee has been attaching great importance to Wushu.Wushu short-weapon sports was arranged in "Tianjin Folk-style Sports Performance and Competition"in 1952 (At that time the only protection kit was a chest protector.)and in "All China Folk-style Sports Preformance and Competition" in 1953(Five-round match,cotton sports suit,and no protection kits).Later the short-weapon sport had been listed as a curriculum in sports school and institutions,but it had not been regarded as an athletic event.In 1979 combat sports were were again concerned by the national authorities during the process of discovering and finding upon Wushu.Sanda,short-weapon combat and Taiji Push-hand were specially reserched and studied.Moreover,relevant experiments were conducted in Beijing Sports University and Wuhan Institute of Physical Education.In 1979,the performance of Sanda and short-weapon combat was held openly in the Wushu Competition Zone during the 4th National Athletic Game in 1979.Then another game was held for internal exchange in 1981 in Shenyang.The Wushu Administration Centre of the General Administration of Sports of China issued in the February of 2001 an administrative document entitled as "The Reply and Approval Concerning Carrying on the Reserch and Pre-test of Wushu Short-weapon Combat Sport by Xi'an Institute of Physical Education" in Qingdao City of Shandong Province in the August of the same year.Those experts and professionals thoroughly discussed relative articles of the competition rules and reached common understanding,and they determined the initial framework for the further development  of Wushu short-weapon sport.
 


 
 
Fu Biao demonstrating short weapon:sword
 
 
Fu Biao's Pupils showing short weapons together


Study links better bone health with green tea, Taichi

Drinking green tea and practicing Taichi may promote bone health of postmenopausal women and reduce the risk of inflammation, a new study suggests.
The study, conducted by researchers at the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women's Health at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, focused on postmenopausal women and investigated the potential for green tea to work synergistically with Taichi in enhancing bone strength of postmenopausal women.
Originating as a martial art in China, Taichi is a mind-body exercise that utilizes slow, gentle movements to build strength and flexibility, as well as deep breathing and relaxation, to move qi, or vital energy, throughout the body.
The study findings were published Sunday at EurekAlert.org, the website of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Carried out as a double-blind, placebo-controlled, intervention trial (the "holy grail" of scientific studies), this experiment involved 171 postmenopausal women with the average age of 57 who had weak bones but not full-fledged osteoporosis. Subjects were divided into 4 groups -- placebo: starch pill (placebo) and no Taichi; GTP or green tea polyphenols (500 mg/day) and no Taichi; Placebo plus Taichi (starch pill and practising Taichi three times a week); and GTP plus Taichi.
The study lasted for 6 months, during which blood and urine samples were collected and muscle strength assessed.
The results show that consumption of GTP (at a level equivalent to about four-six cups of steeped green tea daily) and participation in Taichi independently enhanced markers of bone health by three and six months, respectively. A similar effect was found for muscle strength at the 6-month time point. Participants taking Taichi classes also reported significant beneficial effects in quality of life in terms of improving their emotional and mental health.
Perhaps most remarkable, however, was the substantial effect that both GTP and Taichi had on biological markers of oxidative stress. Because oxidative stress is a main precursor to inflammation, this finding suggests that green tea and Taichi may help reduce the underlying etiology of not only osteoporosis, but other inflammatory diseases as well.
In the study, the researchers developed an animal model (the ovariectomized, middle-aged female rat), with which they could effectively study the effects of green tea consumption on protection against breakdown of the bone's microarchitecture, according to the AAAS.
In humans, this can lead to osteoporosis, a condition common to older women. The researchers say what they have learned from the animal models might also be applicable to postmenopausal women.
There is a "favorable effect of modest green tea consumption on bone remodeling in this pre-osteoporotic population," said lead researcher Dr. Chwan-Li (Leslie) Shen, an associate professor at the institute.
The researchers plan to soon complete a more long-term study utilizing more technically savvy measures of bone density, according to the AAAS.  

2013年5月9日星期四

Role-Playing For Self Defence

The concept of role-playing has become an essential part of reality self defence training. However, most trainer's idea of role-playing is to practice "yelling drills". This article offers some advice on how to get the most from role-playing and scenario training.
 
This article was inspired by a discussion on my Combative Minds Group on LinkedIn. If you are not a member yet, head over now and join the group.
Role-play has become an essential part of self defence training. It used to be that training didn't go much further than the actual physical techniques. Now, most people who train in reality self defence wrap up the physical techniques inside some kind of scenario. In the quest for ever more realism in training, instructors began to introduce the concept of role-playing, where students would "play the part" of an attacker as opposed to just being somebody’s training partner.
 
The Interview
 
We know that in most conflict scenarios there is a build-up of tension and aggression and this build-up always begins with dialogue. It therefore makes a lot of sense to introduce this build-up of aggression into self defence training.
 
A lot of assaults happen because the victim didn't handle this build-up- the “interview”-  properly. They allowed themselves to be further drawn into conflict, or they allowed the aggressor to intimidate them into submission. Either way, the fight was over before any punch was thrown. By practicing managing this interview stage in the dojo however, through roleplaying, there is a much greater chance that you will do so with more skill and with greater confidence if you had to do it for real outside the training hall. There are a few things that need to be understood about role-playing however.
 
Realistic Build-Up
 
Firstly, most scenarios in a lot of gyms are no more than what Jamie Clubb calls "yelling drills", where the attacker immediately gets aggressive, starts shouting and pushing the defendant around the mats, asking him what his fucking problem is. 
This may seem real, and it is in a way, but in actuality, most conflicts don't start that way. There is usually at least a few lines of dialogue spoken before the aggression levels get that high. 
With predators especially, there is always an interview included in their plan of attack. They always approach initially with deceptive dialogue and body language. They innocuously ask for the time or directions before they launch their full assault. 
The reason being, to take you of your guard, to distract your attention and create a window of opportunity for themselves. 
Scenario training has to reflect that. There has to be a lead up to the assault.
 
Soft Skills
 
Secondly, good role-playing allows for practice of the soft skills. 
Quite a lot of conflicts and assaults can be stopped through self-assertiveness and de-escalation. 
In relation to street predators, if you can communicate your intentions through correct body language and dialogue, you may be able to put most of them off. Your calm and assertive reaction to their threats or bad intentions will communicate to them that you are not what they are looking for, which is an easy victim. They will move on and find someone else. 
In the case of dealing with someone who is building up to violence for some other reason (if they were monkey dancing, for instance) you may be able to defuse the situation through dialogue. 
In both cases, you stand a much greater chance of reaching a non-violent conclusion if you practice such scenarios, properly, with full dialogue, in training. 
To do so requires a bit more creativity and imagination than the standard yelling drills. It requires a bit of acting.
 
Improve Your Acting Skills
 
And that's the third thing to understand about role-playing. To role-play successfully, you really have to improve your acting skills. 
All it really takes is a bit of imagination and lots of practice, plus the ability to just go for it and not be embarrassed in front of your training partners. It's easier if you try to relax and have fun with it. 
Needless to say, the more you put into these role-plays, the more you'll get out of them. You want to get to the stage where you can have whole conversations and diffuse the situation without recourse to violence. For that to happen though, the person playing the threat can't go into the scenario thinking they are going to attack straight away. They have to be willing to play things out a little before deciding whether to attack or not. If the defendant does a good enough job of dissuading them, then they don't attack. If things go sideways they will attack. 
 
Like I say, both players (or all players in the case of multiple threats) have to try and immerse themselves in their roles as much as possible. The more you immerse yourself in the role, the more naturally and realistically the scenario will play out.
 
Scenario training is an essential part of self defence training, but to get the most from it you may have to look at outside sources for information, like in the fields of acting, behavioural psychology, criminal psychology etc. in order to add more depth to your practice.
 
Playing scenarios is a skill, but one which is well worth learning.

Five Steps to Victory

The martial art of Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) is based on the "13 Postures". Despite what many believe, these "postures" are not 13 prototype fighting techniques – the term refers to 8 methods of expressing power (Jin) and 5 footwork methods and strategies. In this article, I will be looking into the 5 footwork methods, and how their strategy is to be applied against an opponent.
 
The martial art of Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) is based on the ‘13 Postures’. Despite what many believe, these ‘postures’ are not 13 prototype fighting techniques – the term refers to 8 methods of expressing power (Jin) and 5 footwork methods and strategies.
In this article, I will be looking into the 5 footwork methods, and how their strategy is to be applied against an opponent.
As an ‘internal’ martial art, the theories, strategies and concepts of Taijiquan stem from Daoist tradition. The 8 expressions of power relating to the Ba Gua (8 Trigrams), and the 5 footwork methods relate to the Wuxing (5 Elements).
According to Daoist theory, the world around us is made up of five elements: Metal, Earth, Water, Fire and Wood. The elements all relate to each other, either via a creative path:
Metal creates Water,
Water creates Wood,
Wood creates Fire,
Fire creates Earth,
Earth creates Metal,

or a destructive path:
Metal destroys Wood,
Wood destroys Earth,
Earth destroys Water,
Water destroys Fire,
Fire destroys Metal,

Also, in the creative path, each Element will destroy the Element that creates it, for example; Water will destroy Fire via the destructive path, but can also be used to destroy Metal by reversing the creative path.
Each of the 5 stepping methods is thus related to an Element, which means that for any step your opponent makes, you have two steps you can make that will put you into a superior position, or two steps that can put you into an inferior position.
We’ll start by looking at which Element relates to each step:
Metal – Forward
Wood – Backward
Water – Left
Fire – Right
Earth – Center (non-movement)

wu xing - 5 steps
So, by relating these footwork methods to the 5 Elements, we can see that:
1) Forward Movement (Metal):
Is Strong Against – Maintaining Centre (Earth) & Backward Movement (Wood)
Is Defeated By – Left Movement (Water) & Right Movement (Fire)

2) Backward Movement (Wood):
Is Strong Against – Maintaining Center (Earth) & Left Movement (Water)
Is Defeated By – Right Movement (Fire) & Forward Movement (Metal)

3) Maintaining Centre (Earth):
Is Strong Against – Left Movement (Water) & Right Movement (Fire)
Is Defeated By – Forward Movement (Metal) & Backward Movement (Wood)

4) Right Movement (Fire):
Is Strong Against – Forward Movement (Metal) & Backward Movement (Wood)
Is Defeated By – Left Movement (Water) & Maintaining Centre (Earth)

5) Left Movement (Water):
Is Strong Against – Right Movement (Fire) & Forward Movement (Metal)
Is Defeated By – Maintaining Centre (Earth) & Backward Movement (Wood)

You see how this works, yes?
By implementing this theory, a fight can start to become less random, and begins to feel more like a fast (possibly dangerous) game of chess.
Try this out in some gentle partner drills. Have an opponent make a movement in a direction, and try moving in the various ‘strong’ and ‘weak’ movements to see how they work out. When you feel comfortable in gentle practice, begin to work it into your free-sparring practices, and see if you can keep one step ahead of your partner.

I hope this can be of interest to martial artists of any style.