commentary: fireman's carry

i'm writing a commentary on this, because it's consumed such a good deal of discussion in and out of class.

Sifu initially raised the fireman's carry following the lei tai tournament in Baltimore (reference: day 48). he noted there was 1 competitor who was particularly good in executing the fireman's carry, and that he'd found out this person had been a high school wrestler. Sifu noted that the wrestling technique was very similar to the bagua technique we've been learning that leads into the fireman's carry: purple swallow skims the water.

thing is, some of us (John Eagles, Phunsak, and me, in particular) have experimented with purple swallow skims the water, and have found it difficult (reference: day 52). in varying ways, we all found out (and Sifu confirmed) that the technique isn't necessarily purely about the fireman's carry, but rather for a number of different actions: a throw, a push, a trip, or a carry.

this makes sense. if purple swallow skims the water simply was just a fireman's carry, then it would have been translated that way. as it is, based on the experiments John, Phunsak, and i have done, what the technique does depends on the orientation of the practitioner and the opponent.

if the practitioner is oriented the same direction as the opponent (i.e., both people are facing in the same direction), purple swallow skims the water leads to the practitioner reaching down between the legs of the opponent at an angle not quite under the opponent's center of gravity. this makes it difficult to lift the opponent into the fireman's carry. it does, however, make it easy to trip the opponent backwards, push the opponent with the shoulder, strike a pressure point in the knee or thighs using the hand, or strike the crotch.

in contrast, if the practitioner is oriented facing the opponent (i.e., both people are facing each other), purple swallow skims the water leads to the practitioner being much closer to the opponent's center of gravity, making it much easier to lift the opponent into the fireman's carry. moreover, it still offers the practitioner all the options from the above.

based on this, it would appear that facing the opponent is the best method. but there is a catch: it is actually much more dangerous. citing Sifu's reminders about dragon gate versus tiger gate, an attack against the tiger gate is one that goes into the front area or inside of the opponent, meaning the practitioner comes within reach of the opponent's arms and legs. an attack against the dragon gate is one that goes to the back area or outside of the opponent, meaning the practitioner avoids the reach of the opponent's arms and legs.

launching purple swallow skims the water facing the opponent goes into the tiger gate, while launching it facing the same direction the opponent goes into the dragon gate. by facing the opponent, the practitioner actually exposes the head to the opponent--much more so relative to the dragon gate. this vulnerability can be mitigated by the fact that purple swallow skims the water, if preceded by hawk chasing sparrow, involves holding the nearest opponent's arm as you dive under it for the knees. however, this still leaves the opponent's other arm, and also the legs, free to strike your head. as a result, using the technique is dangerous via the tiger gate, and so is more safely done using the dragon gate.

unfortunately, you can't do the fireman's carry via the dragon gate. as i've mentioned above, based on our experiments it just places you too far from the opponent's center of gravity to effectively lift them. the best you can do is to come under them so that they come onto your back, from where you can knock them off-balance just enough to drop them off your back onto the ground--in essence, a backwards throw.

as Sifu confirmed, if the goal is to do a fireman's carry, you really have to go via the tiger gate.

i've managed to find some YouTube videos of this in wrestling, where it seems a very popular move:

video 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8mFPjZD8WU


video 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kz5yPdY9WNU


observe the following points regarding the above:

• they all initiate it by facing the opponent, and then--just like purple swallow skims the water--going down to the knees
• they vary the technique, at times going low while still standing on the feet--just like purple swallow skims the water--and at other times dropping to the knees

compare this to some martial arts (karate/sambo) YouTube videos, which also use the fireman's carry:

video 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fffcmd2-9UE


video 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD_68L2RkhY


observe, here too, that while there are variations, the principles are still the same as wrestling: getting close as possible underneath the opponent's center of gravity, which allows you to maximize your force to lift the opponent up. this is more feasible--although more dangerous--by beginning facing the opponent.

on a related note, i should point out a discussion that Phunsak and i had last class. even if you are in position to launch the fireman's carry, you can still change your attack. you are not stuck with it once you have committed to it. you can instead change the direction of the fireman's carry to perform an underhand takedown going directly into the opponent's legs.

this is a common wrestling technique, and you can see how similar--and hence, how easy it is to transition from--the opening moves of the fireman's carry. i've found some illustrative YouTube videos:

video 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEvD0f3y6oo


video 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClG2VGOt60c


video 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZggaJFnY5U


i find these videos interesting, because they suggest concepts that are similar to bagua (having multiple options from a common opening, having different methods of exploiting the same principles, varying techniques to better match specific scenarios, etc.). this would indicate that these ideas aren't exclusive to bagua, but rather are concepts upheld in fighting in general. in which case, they help to understand the aspects of the bagua techniques which are more truly martial (i.e., combat-relevant), and also helps to understand just how the techniques can most effectively be applied.

day 52: palm change 6 & misc

concepts:

• fireman's carry
• openings
• options
  

forms:

• 2-person form, palm change 6 (A versus B)

today was largely review from last week, with the exception of the warm-up. there was a guest today from Cal State Long Beach--a professor who apparently had been responsible for getting Sifu to teach there, and so Sifu had to hold a conference with him and left Phunsak to run our class and James (?) to run the baji class.

Phunsak had us begin with dynamic stances, and then through a set of the basic 2-hand drills. following this, Phunsak then showed us a series of drills that Master Su had taught him. these drills were linear, and basically involved transitioning through a series of postures from closed position to open position in a way that progressed along a line. i was going to take videos, but Mike Hitchcock said that these were available on DVD, and so that it wasn't necessary.

2-person form, palm change 6

the main part of class was just the 2-person form of palm change 6. since Mike and Art had missed last week, we took some time to go through the 2-person form. we did a brief review of side A and side B individually, and then spent the bulk of class going through the 2-person form.

Phunsak had originally told me that we were going to start the 2-person form for palm change 7 today, but by the time we had gotten through palm change 6 class was drawing to a close and Sifu had come back to remind everyone about the September layoff.

Sifu took a moment to correct our sequence from unicorn spits out book of knowledge to black bear probes with its paw in palm change 6 side A. in the 2-person form, the knee rises into a strike into the opponent, and then goes into a kick at waist height. Sifu commented that the kick isn't actually targeted at the waist--it can, but that this puts you at risk of being pushed off-balance by the opponent (which is what side B attempts in the 2-person form as they roll around side A in avoiding the kick). in reality, the safer (and in many ways, more effective) target is the opponent's knees. Sifu said the kick can either go into the opponent's knee nearest you, or the knee away from you. from the positioning of the angle, intent is to stretch or tear the tendons and ligaments in the knees.

at the same time, the reaching hand in black bear probes with its paw can then be an actual strike to the opponent's upper body, with the options of being a fist, hand, or arm strike to the head, eyes, face, or throat, or even simply a way of grabbing the opponent for a follow-up throw.

Sifu pointed out that this sequence can be done with the hand strike being a feint for the knee and leg kick, or the knee or leg kick can be a feint for the hand strike.

at this point, Phunsak, Mike, Art, and Sifu got involved in a conversation about tai chi (since this is the course Sifu will be teaching at UCLA). a lot of it involved techniques. i did not understand most of it, since i'm not familiar with tai chi, but i managed to follow the comments regarding throws.

after awhile, i got onto a tangent with Phunsak regarding the fireman's carry. Phunsak noted that Sifu had advised him that it only works as a carry if you enter via the tiger gate. i told Phunsak that this is something i had found with John Eagles when we had tried it ourselves--by attempting it via the dragon gate (i.e., facing with the same orientation as the opponent), we had found it very difficult to lift the opponent, and had found that it had really been more effective as a way to throw the opponent off your back. but by entering via the tiger gate (i.e., facing the opponent), it places you much more under the opponent's center of gravity, making it easier to lift them into the carry position.

the tiger gate, i notice, seems to be the way wrestlers engage the fireman's carry, since the initial moves into the carry also gives the wrestler the option to simply charge forward into the opponent's legs, knocking them off-balance.

i subsequently fell into discussion with Phunsak regarding the nature of bagua. i told him that i'm getting the feel that much of bagua--at least, the way Sifu is teaching it--is not so much about the techniques by themselves, but rather about entries and positions that enable application of techniques. i'm starting to believe that bagua is really teaching the nuances of positioning, spacing, angles, and tools to find or create openings in an opponent's defenses, at which point the practitioner is then free to choose from any number of options for striking--options in terms of targets, techniques (throws, joint locks, grappling, open hand strikes, fist strikes, etc.) , or intent (maximum or minimum damage).

Phunsak responded that this is pretty much the nature of bagua, and which is why it is so important to recognized and practice the entry methods of bagua as much as it is to learn the techniques. he reminded me that bagua, in terms of fighting, deals with 1) entries, and 2) techniques. bagua, he commented, actually allows for techniques not taught in any of its forms, since bagua can function simply as a base from which a practitioner can locate and exploit the opponent's openings, from which the practitioner then has the option of using whatever techniques (bagua or otherwise) they may know.

class ended at this point, with Sifu sticking around to give Eric personal instruction. everyone else left for the month, with class expected to resume September 29.

day 51: palm change 6, side A & B, and palm changes 7 & 8, side B

concepts:

• angles
• directions
• triangles
• center of gravity
  

forms:

• palm change 6, 2-person (A versus B)
• palm change 7, side B
• palm change 8, side B
  

today began with the revised version of palm change 6, side B. apparently, Sifu and Phunsak were not entirely satisfied with the version we did last week, mostly because it didn't really produce a good 2-person form (reference: day 50). as a result, Phunsak had spent the week revising side B to present to Sifu.

Phunsak worked with Kieun on the revised 2-person form, and then when Sifu arrived they met to review it. this took a number of minutes, but at the end Sifu nodded his approval and then instructed Phunsak to teach the new side B to class and then have us work on the 2-person form. Sifu then left to start the baji students with their lesson plan.

palm change 6, 2-person form (A versus B)

the revised version of side B wasn't dramatically different. the initial half was the same, the only revision was the second half, which involved more iterations of circular arm motions-- a total of 4 but with the first 2 in bow-and-arrow stance, the second 2 in 60-40 stance, with the motions being those from side A (reference: day 13). this leads into the same 1-legged brush of an arm from palm change 4, side A (reference: day 4).

you can see palm change 6, side B here:

the YouTube link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kqqGtpk6ks

this was relatively straightforward, and seemed to go quickly. Phunsak went directly into the 2-person form.

this ended up taking a bit longer. evidently, palm change 6 involves a higher percentage of joint locks relative to the other palm changes (which was partly why Sifu had been dissatisfied with the earlier version of side B--it hadn't involved enough joint locks). a lot of the joint locks, along with the escape methods, are very subtle, and so something that Phunsak had to point out individually as we went through the form.

you can see palm change 6, 2-person (side A versus B) here:

the YouTube link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XKz8HetaT4

Phunsak made the following points:

• the 1st joint lock is when side A tries to bring side B's arm over the shoulder. to be done properly, side A should be twisting side B's arm so that side B's palm is facing up
• to escape the 1st joint lock, side B should push side A in the shoulder, but not at the joint but instead at the shoulder blade (this produces a greater effect on side B). this reduces side A's leverage power.
• the 2nd joint lock follows side A's escape from the 1st, and involves side A bringing side B's arm over the head to the other shoulder, either to repeat the leverage on side A's elbow or to force a post lock
• to escape the 2nd joint lock, side B steps forward and straightens the arm. this reduces side A's power and also helps throw them off-balance.
• the 3rd joint lock comes when side B is attempting head strikes, with side A placing an arm bar on one of side B's strikes.
• to escape the 3rd joint lock, side B twists the wrist to break side A's hold
• the 4th joint lock follows immediately from the 3rd, and is engaged by side B as soon as side B escapes the 3rd joint lock. the 4th joint lock is from xiao kai men, and is basically an extension of the snake from mother palms.
• to escape the 4th joint lock, side A brushes side B's grip, using the 1-legged brush technique from palm change 4 (mentioned above).
  

this took the bulk of class, and it took a number of repetitions for both left and right sides before we started to get comfortable.

Sifu eventually returned, and then made some points:

• side B's initial attempt at the 1st joint lock doesn't have to be a joint lock, but instead can be an opening into a throw. he said this is basically comparable to the classic judo throw. rather than engaging the joint lock, side B can simply step back with the leg nearest side A's center of gravity and then reach forward and down along a circular path with the hands holding side A's arm. this forces side A to either sacrifice their elbow into the joint lock or to sacrifice their body in the throw, either of which would still result in injury
• Sifu cautioned that while comparable to the classic judo throw, this was different. he said in judo, the step into the throw is a step into the opponent's front. this is possible in judo, since the sport forbids head strikes. however, in street fighting, the step into the opponent's front exposes the practitioner's entire head and back to the opponent's free arm, and thus allows the opponent to choke, grab, or strike the practitioner's head. Sifu reminded us about the idea of dragon gate (the outside of the opponent's defense, usually their back) and tiger gate (the inside of the opponent's defense, usually their front); the tiger gate is always more dangerous than the dragon gate, because the tiger gate puts you into reach of the opponent's limbs. the judo throw goes into the tiger gate, whereas what the 6th palm change has side B go into the dragon gate.
• side B's escape from the 2nd joint lock must not extend the center of gravity too far forward. Sifu said that the escape involves a basic step forward just enough to force side A to extend the arms. this is sufficient to weaken their grip. according to Sifu, students playing side B tend to make the mistake of reaching so far forward that they place their center of gravity over their front foot, which creates an unstable situation that side A can exploit by simply following side B's extension to pull side B forward and off-balance. instead, side B just needs to step forward, enough to break side A's grip.
• side B's escape from the 2nd joint lock must be done at an angle. this is basic geometry. side A's strength is greater directly forward, since this allows greater biomechanical advantage. as a result, side B has a greater chance of escaping side A's grip by angling their escape so that side A loses biomechanical advantage.
  
• side B's divert and grab by the cloth must always be in a direction down using the legs, without extending the center of gravity. Sifu said the tendency is for students to begin by pulling back, or pulling down using the back. either way, the result is that 1) the opponent is able to engage in a pulling match against the practitioner, 2) the practitioner's center of gravity is held high, and 3) the opponent can pull the practitioner off-balance by pulling them down. Sifu said the technique must have side B grab the side A's arm, then pull in a direction diagonally down using the legs. this lowers side B's center of gravity, keeping them stable, while simultaneously pulling side A's center of gravity forward over their feet, throwing them off-balance or, at the very least, making them disoriented.
• the 4th joint lock, which is reminiscent of a sawing motion over the opponent's upper arm and elbow, is less effective if done in a direction along the opponent's arm or perpendicular to the opponent's arm. either way, the opponent has a greater ability to escape the joint lock. Sifu said the technique requires the motion of a snake in a diagonal direction roughly 45 degrees from the opponent's arm--not only from above, but also from the side, so that the diagonal not only goes horizontally, but also vertically. Sifu said to imagine following triangles across and through the opponent's arm.

Sifu observed us go through the 2-person form in individual pairs, correcting us as we followed each other. after awhile, he seemed satisfied, but then instructed Phunsak to have us continue practicing while he went back to work with the baji students.

palm change 7, side B

after we had worked on the 2-person form for palm change 6 for awhile, Phunsak checked the time. seeing that it was getting near the end, he said he'd show us side B for palm change 7 and palm change 8 so that we could practice it while he and Sifu were out during September.

he noted that palm change 7, side B was pretty simple, and that we could probably figure out the 2-person form just from looking at it. he demonstrated side B, and i figured i should do several iterations of it with him. he, Keiun, and i ended up going through it together.

you can see palm change 7, side B here:

the YouTube link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKfRrTU2SGA

palm change 8, side B

Phunsak went on to show us palm change 8, side B. this was a little more complicated than palm change 6. Phunsak also noted that palm change 8 had been changed about as frequently as palm change 6, and so we needed to be recognize that it may be changed again--just like palm change 6.

despite that, i decided to follow him through it again.

you can see palm change 8, side B here:

the YouTube link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPSdYuOE5Y4

by this time, it was time to end class. Sifu gathered everyone around--including the baji students--for some important news: his family was moving to Hawaii. he'd told me this some time ago, as had Phunsak and John Eagles, so this wasn't news. but this time he gave more details.

he and his wife had already sold the house in Los Angeles, and were using 2 weekends in September to ship everything to their new property in Hilo. he said that he planned on being in Los Angeles for 1 more year, and (depending on his teaching contracts with UCLA and Cal State LA and Cal State Long Beach) maybe 2 years. but after that, he is going to be full-time in Hawaii. he said that he would still visit Los Angeles to conduct seminars, and that we were welcome to visit him in Hilo for lessons (he is building a kung fu studio at his house there).

he also noted that if we wanted to learn anything from him, this next year or so would be the time to do it. in addition, he said that at the end of the year he was going to hold ceremonies to accept people either into the Wutan Sifu certification program or disciple program, with formal paperwork being sent to the Wutan headquarters in Taipei, and with additional sponsorship from Master Su Yu Chang (another disciple of Liu Yun Chiao, currently in New York City).

Sifu also said we'd be missing class for 2 weekends in September, since he'd be gone to help his wife move and Phunsak would be gone starting September 11 for 4 weeks to make his yearly trip to Thailand.

Sifu finished by telling us about his classes at UCLA and Cal State Los Angeles. he is teaching tai chi at UCLA for the year, with classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning with start of their fall quarter. he is also teaching tai chi at Cal State Los Angeles, although it may be something else depending on what other courses the school is offering. i think i'm going to take the UCLA tai chi classes, since that is something i am interested in.

with that, we ended class for the day and went to lunch.

videos: way of the warrior

there's been some discussion in class on good television documentaries on martial arts.

this was largely spurred by the airing of History Channel's Human Weapon, and the mixed feelings it's engendered with a people in class (including Sifu). the show isn't entirely a documentary, and in some ways seems to make concessions to entertainment. conceptually, it also is not particularly in-depth (not just in terms of research, but even conceptually--the hosts only spend about 2 weeks studying a particular martial art before engaging it in a match). you can see the History Channel page:
http://www.history.com/minisites/humanweapon

there is a 2nd series i've presented from BBC called Mind, Body, & Kick-Ass Moves. having viewed the 10 episodes posted on YouTube, i have to say it's even more in the direction of entertainment than Human Weapon. this is to be expected, given that it's a 30-minute show. but there are some redeeming qualities about it, in that the host is actually able to provide live (and useful) translations of his interview subjects' comments, and the show does devote time to discussing myths versus truths about martial arts. you can see my post on it at:
http://jonathanonapath.blogspot.com/2007/08/videos-mind-body-kick-ass-moves.html

this post offers a 3rd series which some people have made positive comments about: Way of the Warrior. it was, incidentally, also a BBC production, but unlike Mind, Body, and Kick-Ass Moves (or even Human Weapon), appears to be much more faithful to the documentary genre, and is almost academic in its presentation of martial arts.

i'd venture saying it's much more in keeping with the reputation of the BBC as an exemplar of British education. sorry to say, comparing the tone and style of the '80s-era Way of the Warrior to the current Mind, Body, & Kick-Ass Moves, this reputation appears to have taken quite a hit.

i wrote about a segment of Way of the Warrior some months ago. you can see my post on it at:
http://jonathanonapath.blogspot.com/2007/04/videos-bbcs-way-of-warrior.html

for this post, i decided to see if i could hunt down all the episodes of Way of the Warrior. this turned out to be a bit of a challenge, since 1) it's been around 20 years since it's airing, 2) i don't know how many episodes there were, and 3) i don't know how much of the series was actually posted on YouTube.

i managed to find episodes from the series that covered the martial arts of Japan, China, the Philippines, and India. but that's about it. if there's more, i haven't found it. i would expect there to be, since a selection of just 4 countries seems a bit small as a research sample, particularly for a series presumably presenting martial arts in general (which would suggest a global scope).

in addition, you can see that the bulk of the episodes that i did find dealt with japanese martial arts. japan had 4 episodes, china 2, and the philippines and india each 1. this seems a little jarring, since there is as much (if not more) variety of styles in china as japan, and i suspect there's also similar variety in the philippines and india. i don't know if this is due to the BBC's focus or that these were the most popular episodes posted on YouTube.

of course, i issue the standard caveat of myth versus truth--i don't know how much is what in these shows. someone else will have to tell me. like i said in the other posts, i just find it interesting as a way of comparing different styles in relation to their distinct cultures and histories. you can compare Way of the Warrior for yourself to the other 2 series:

kung fu, the hard way

• part 1 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73-bDfxg3Ts
  
• part 2 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNPGv5UJMeA
  
• part 3 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0SpisVGwqc
  
• part 4 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE7m-ta606A

kung fu, the soft way (note: it starts with tai chi, but eventually covers hsing-yi and bagua)

• part 1 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvLrwsSnjZ0
  
• part 2 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p4OP_GC04w
  
• part 3 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irl_CJCrpQ0
  
• part 4 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcq0DRY-gYY

shorinji kempo, the new way

• part 1 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLt85gxf8xc
  
• part 2 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3ZGiM73oes
  
• part 3 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8M-d3XBUjA
  
• part 4 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ_PV_Rcsbk

karate, way of the empty hand

• part 1 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG1X8Ouu-GU
  
• part 2 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uZPn5Ib_P8
  
• part 3 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKz2QlGrEss
  
• part 4 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev3hwvphOAI

aikido & kendo, the sporting way

• part 1 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdQG_b5zkwg
  
• part 2 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHozpW0Ft94
  
• part 3 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDQSJqrvkcY
  
• part 4 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEGjOo6JLKw

way of the samurai

• part 1 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9HR7TTOReE
  
• part 2 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEeW-CFyJVc
  
• part 3 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX9Zn6k1poE
  
• part 4 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEGjOo6JLKw

eskrima, the philippino way

• part 1 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1d0y-zzvts
  
• part 2 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U1L0sRnrh8
  
• part 3 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQfnJYKbmGA
  
• part 4 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTpFp2RY5Mk
  

kalari, the indian way

• part 1 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZZYl2IUKbo
  
• part 2 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EThrdzh1Jj8
  
• part 3 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g02e4V3T6TA
  
• part 4 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg-aBGF7mA0

day 50: palm change 6, side A & B and chi (better than viagra!)

concepts:

• qi (or, chi)
  

forms:

• representations of kung fu
• standing tai chi qi-gong
• 2-person form, palm change 6
  

Sifu began class today with a discussion of the show Human Weapon (it's on the History Channel. the website is: http://www.history.com/minisites/humanweapon). he said he was curious as to what the show would say about kung fu in relation to the other martial arts styles presented in the series, especially since it only devotes 1 episode to kung fu.

representations of kung fu

he also said he'd been contemplating just what kung fu masters (if they were asked by such a show) should say or demonstrate as the essence of kung fu. according to Sifu, there'd be a definite difference between northern and southern styles. the southern styles would be much more similar to the ones typically known to the West (e.g., karate, savate, etc.). the northern styles, in contrast, would be best summarized on a 1-hour episode as being differentiated by how they approach opponents--that for northern styles, the focus is not on techniques (as in developing, countering, matching technique-against-technique with an opponent) but more on energy (as in recognizing, responding, interacting the energy distribution and movement of an opponent).

Sifu continued his discussion by saying that unfortunately, he was unsure as to whether there could be any true representatives of northern styles of kung fu in terms of match fights, particularly a representative who could choose and then exclusively use only 1 northern style in the kind of match fight presented in Human Weapon. based on his knowledge, he believes that too many of the masters are too old, and too many of the younger practitioners lack combat application skills.

he went on to state that this is yet another reason why kung fu holds the perceptions it does in Western cultures. he said that this situation is a result of:

• too many masters are no longer training for combat situations
• too few students are seeking training for combat situations
• too many masters presented non-combat aspects of northern styles to the West
• too few Westerners have seen only non-combat aspects of northern styles
  

Sifu relayed a story from his teenage years, when his original kung fu class was kicked out of a gymnasium by a school instructor who told them that they were just learning "dancing." Sifu said this was what spurred him and other classmates to seek out Liu Yun Chiao, because they had been so humiliated that they decided to find a kung fu master who could teach--and who had used--the combat applications of kung fu.

Sifu reiterated that this was why he still saw value in tournament fighting. while other colleagues (even within Wutan) avoid tournaments because they are not real combat situations (i.e., street fighting scenarios or battlefield scenarios), Sifu says he thinks tournaments still have value because it helps practitioners learn how to apply kung fu against a hostile, unknown opponent in a random, dynamic setting--aspects which are relevant to real combat situations.

Sifu said that this is also why he thinks real representatives of kung fu need to know all of its aspects--not just the non-combat parts, but also the combat parts. because otherwise it's not really kung fu, but just dancing. kung fu, according to Sifu, has the original purpose of combat, and so anyone who represents it should be able to use it in combat.

standing tai chi qi-gong

Sifu went to start the baji students with their lesson plan, but instructed Phunsak to lead us through the 2-person form of palm change 6. before we started, however, John asked Phunsak and Art about a time to review the tai chi qi-gong from last Saturday's seminar. Art said that the new DVD covered everything in detail.

at this point, i mentioned that i had found that the tai chi qi-gong felt much better than the bagua qi-gong. Art looked puzzled, saying that he had found bagua qi-gong much more effective in raising qi. i told him that personally, i hadn't felt any qi doing anything, but that i just thought the tai chi qi-gong felt better (as in more calming, more natural, and more helpful in clearing & focusing the mind).

Phunsak responded that he thought tai chi qi-gong was much quicker that bagua qi-gong. he then said there was a guaranteed way to feel qi, and it was from a basic tai chi qi-gong practice (actually, it was also a basic tai chi movement). he demonstrated the movement, which was just the opening tai chi step out into the basic standing posture. as we followed along, he instructed us to hold our elbows slightly forward (just a few centimeters forward of the vertical line through the body's center of gravity), and to keep our spines straight. he said to just wait a few minutes and we'd feel the qi.

i have to admit i was a little skeptical (i have been this entire time). but after a few minutes of just standing still in the posture, i started feeling a warming sensation in my hands.

this corresponded to the descriptions of qi that i've heard other people describe. Phunsak nodded, and asked if there was a tingling sensation with the warmth, akin to the feeling of a carbonated drink. i said there was, and so did everybody else. when i looked at my hands, i found them a darkening red, with a sensation like they'd been sitting in a warm steam bath, except that the tingling sensation was going inside through my palms and out my fingers. Phunsak and Art said this was qi.

this was probably (actually, definitely) the first time i've sensed anything resembling what others consider qi. there are probably scientific ways to describe it (i.e., increased blood flow, stimulated nerve endings, etc.) but they would only describe the symptoms (i.e., the warm, tingly sensations) and not the cause--which i'm guessing is what everyone in TCMA and TCM identifies as qi.

this makes me wonder why it took so long for me to get these sensations. and why it was so much quicker for me with tai chi qi-gong than it was for bagua qi-gong. it also make me wonder why something so simple (standing still in the basic tai chi posture) can get these kinds of results, but all the more complex movements (like the bagua qi-gong) don't (or at least, no yet).

i have to say that the feeling didn't go away--in fact, it not only lasted through class but continued for the rest of the day. i couldn't shut it off. it was like Viagra (although...i wouldn't know anything about that...). when i got home i actually experimented with the sensation to see if i could move it around to differing parts of my body, and sure enough i found i could get it into my arms. it also lasted long enough that it made sleeping a little difficult (i felt hot flashes while snoozing...although i don't know if this was simply because it was a hot day).

this makes me curious if i could get it into my legs and the rest of my body (particularly anything related to swimming, cycling, or running really hard really fast for a really really really really really really long time). it also makes me curious if it would make any difference (in terms of performance).

yeah, my Western science mind tells me to remain skeptical. but all i can say is: there's something, and it's curious, and it's quite different from anything i've experienced.

2-person form, palm change 6

after this, we began with a review of side A & side B for palm change 6. this was pretty straightforward, and wasn't anything new. we did 8 repetitions of each side, and then went to work trying to integrate them into a 2-person form.

unfortunately, this turned out to be quite a bit more difficult than expected. i kind of had suspected this, since Kieun, John, and i had attempted to put sides A & B together on our own during our Wednesday practice, and had found that it didn't work. in particular, there was confusion as to the opening and the second half of the form.

Phunsak said Sifu had taught different versions of this form in the past, but that he had forgotten parts of them, and so was trying to reconstruct the 2-person form. he and Kieun ended up in a debate as to what the missing parts were.

the discussion went on for quite awhile. we managed to settle on a version of the 2-person form that Phunsak and Kieun demonstrated to Sifu when he returned. Sifu didn't seem too satisfied, and ended up continuing the conversation about the form for quite some time longer. he appeared to want more chin na techniques incorporated in the form, and considered the version that Phunsak showed as missing several elements.

class actually ended up going on longer (to about 12:30) while we worked on trying to resolve the issues with the 2-person form. we settled on 1 version, but Phunsak and Sifu didn't seem entirely happy with it--it turns out that later they ended up talking and decided to redesign the form for next week, making it pointless to post any videos of the 2-person set.

we finished the day with a reminder about the days Sifu and Phunsak were going to be gone in September. Sifu announced that he was in the process of moving to Hawaii, and that he'd be gone on 2 separate weekends in September to help his wife move to the new house. he asked us for any spare boxes we might have. Phunsak announced he was going for his customary annual 1-month trip to Thailand, and so would be gone from early September to October.

of course, this means that there will be no formal class for 2 weekends in September (since both Sifu and Phunsak will be gone)--although people are still free to meet on their own. the timing works for me (sort of), since i will be gone for the 1st 2 weekends in September on a family vacation, meaning i'll only miss 1 class (instead of the 2 that i'd feared, since they're going to be important, because they're going to cover the last 2-person forms in 64 palms).

videos: mind, body, & kick-ass moves

there's a BBC series called Mind, Body, & Kick-Ass Moves devoted to the martial arts. as far as i know, it is not being broadcast in the US. there are people, however, who have been posting episodes from the series on YouTube.

from what i can tell from the YouTube videos, it is meant to be a survey of martial arts and martial arts techniques from around the world, and is hosted by someone who apparently is an advanced follower of martial arts. interestingly enough, he appears to have lived in Asia for quite some time, since he's able to converse with Chinese masters quite comfortably--enough that he can translate their comments for the viewer.

i don't know how valuable this show will be to serious practitioners (i.e., senior or instructor-level practitioners). from the looks of some of the clips i've seen, it doesn't really go that in-depth into too many of the martial arts. but then, given the nature of television, i suppose this isn't something any television series can aspire too.

for all this, i think the show is useful as a tool of culture, if nothing else. it's kind of interesting to watch video of martial arts masters displaying their skills, as well as comparing the different perspectives and ideas of differing martial arts--not only in terms of techniques, but also in terms of their backgrounds, societies, histories, and countries of origin.

i should note that Mind, Body, & Kick-ass Moves is only one of what appears to be several television series covering the martial arts (History Channel's Human Weapon being a notable one). i have not, however, been able to find complete sets of YouTube videos of these other shows (i.e., YouTube compilations that contain the entire series). so for now, you'll have to make do with the following (and i'll add more epsiodes as i find them on YouTube):

episode 1:

• part 1 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvRJEWHzGTo
• part 2 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFRHQ3u7nPA
• part 3 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqkgQqPf-uE
  

episode 2:

• part 1 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfJgd71BMWw
• part 2 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy4TYk6CWkk
• part 3 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG3e8Kp3Mqs
  

episode 3:

• part 1 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C20qU8Rt3w
• part 2 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy7NW4VOU6c
• part 3 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akO0_V_3yGc
  

episode 4:

• part 1 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf-n1OBLXls
• part 2 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_pNFi4ISPU
• part 3 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbzdpV0vD94
  

episode 5:

• part 1 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip2sUnVbxys
• part 2 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtkWlbGl8Zc
• part 3 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXc_cw7W8dQ
  

episode 6:

• part 1 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAA_873eYHs
• part 2 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OMCAYm2sLE
• part 3 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHIT-UB98QU
  

episode 7:

• part 1 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhCNw4iyLdI
• part 2 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZfDujpfLKE
• part 3 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMe_CGdF-zc
  

episode 8:

• part 1 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv7udUMpMXs
• part 2 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flalmncQVw8
• part 3 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMt70m27y4U
  

episode 9:

• part 1 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rqNShA_n2s
• part 2 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTGh5Bpc6y8
• part 3 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpbV4nFvQAo
  

episode 10:

• part 1 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJOTEWYAAg0
• part 2 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXWnZEnm0kY
• part 3 of 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_IA6fr0tPw
  

day 49: palm change 6, side B & tai chi qi-gong

concepts:

• expansion
• skeletal (vertical) power & connective (horizontal) power
• ball & bowl

forms:

• palm change 6 (sides A & B)
• tai chi qi-gong

class began today with a 9 am start. there was a new student named Cliff, who actually has been studying jian shu with Sifu, but who now wants to start (or continue) with the Saturday morning sessions. Phunsak returned from what he described as a pretty busy work schedule, and he also reminded us that he was going to Thailand in September for an extended stay (several weeks).

Sifu informed us that he was giving a seminar in Tai Chi to a group in Hollywood later in the day (apparently through connections of Art), and that we were all invited to attend. Phunsak whispered to me that it was going to cover tai chi ball and bowl qi-gong, and that it would be really valuable for me to attend.

palm change 6 (sides A & B)

we received our lesson plan for the day, which was to learn side B of palm change 6. Phunsak, however, said that we should warm-up first, and decided on dynamic stances.

i haven't gone entirely through all the dynamic stances, and today was actually the first day that i saw all of them. we've done a few in class and outside practices (particularly with dragon, low, 60-40, and 70-30), but today was the first time during my time here that we went through all of the bagua stances in a dynamic set.

the dynamic stances are essentially just the basic bagua stances, but shifting from left to right. unlike the static stances, which involve holding stances (left or right) and then returning to the horse stance before shifting between left or right, the dynamic stances involve shifting directly from left and right postures. the purpose, i suspect, is to train students to move through a stance without losing stability, as well as to improve leg strength.

from there, we did a brief review of palm change 6, side A. this was pretty straightforward, except that Phunsak noted that my finishing movement back to the opening dragon posture was too similar to monkey (from palm change 7). he said that in palm change 6, the opening movement begins closed and then opens with an expansion in the chest and simultaneous expansion in the upper back. the point i was glossing over was that the elbows are supposed to remain near the chest area, so that the expansion is more in the shoulders.

you can see side A here:

the YouTube link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrKIsIztoHE

after a short break, we continued with side B. side B seems to incorporate a lot of elements from the other palm changes, including the sequence of divert and grab by the cloth into white snake spits its tongue from palm change 3, side B, and snake coils its body from palm change 4, side A.

you can see the side B here:

the YouTube link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nslrqns-I7U

Sifu returned to observe us. after we stopped practicing side B, Sifu mentioned to us that we all needed to recognize the source of power generation in the techniques--not just for side B, but for bagua and even kung fu in general. he said he meant beyond just silk-reeling or fajing or anything else, but deeper to the actual mechanisms in the body: skeletal and connective power. he said that skeletal power is seen in the vertical movements, with power coming up from the ground. connective power, which is the power from the tendons and ligaments, is seen in horizontal movements. Sifu noted that this is why the techniques vary in the level of vertical and horizontal movement, since they are using differing degrees of skeletal and connective power.

we finished class with Sifu telling us that next week we'd begin with the 2-person set for palm change 6. he also repeated his invitation for the seminar.

with some urging from Phunsak, and seeing as i had nothing else to do for the afternoon, and further seeing that it was probably a pretty valuable thing to get (especially since the original reason i'd started looking for kung fu classes to begin with was for tai chi) i decided i'd go.

tai chi qi-gong

immediately following the end of class, several of us (John Eagles, Phunsak, and i) followed Sifu and Art to Bronson Park in Hollywood. it is a remote park in the Hollywood Hills, which is geographically surprisingly close to the city in terms of distance (i estimate only 2-3 miles from Thai Town), but in terms of access is innocuous to the point of being hidden.

we found a large group of tai chi practitioners there (i estimate 20-30) awaiting Sifu. according to Sifu and Art, their own sifu had recently died (who Jason had known professionally), and so they had been left without an instructor. Art apparently works with them on an intermittent basis, and had suggested that they invite Jason for a seminar to help them with their qi-gong.

Sifu began with a brief statement about himself and his relationship with their former teacher, and then held a moment of silence to honor him. he then introduced the lesson plan as being ball and bowl tai chi qi-gong.

for background, he reviewed (for everyone else--for me it was the first time learning anything tai chi-related) the nature of tai chi in relation to taoist philosophy. he reminded everyone that wuji was the state of nothing (or 0), tai chi was the state of origin (or 1) , yin-yang was tai-chi separated into opposites (or 2). he noted that this fit the exponent progression of 2, (i.e., 2 to the power of 0 = 1, or tai chi, 2 to the power of 1 = 2, or yin-yang, and likewise 2 cubed = 8, or bagua).

he then asked everyone to recall the notion of yin and yang movements in tai chi, with yang movements being up or outward, and yin movements being down and inward. this corresponded to breathing, with yang being an exhale and yin being an inhale. he noted that in tai chi, the yin-yang properties of each limb changed and shifted as they moved through techniques.

from there, Sifu repeated what he had told us during class regarding skeletal and connective power, and their association with vertical (skeletal) and horizontal (connective) movements. apparently, this is a concept that is held by differing branches of kung fu, and not just bagua.

ball

following the background review, Sifu introduced the notion of the ball. this is not a physical ball per se, but more an imaginary one, about which the practitioner is supposed to move their limbs. visualizing the ball helps proper performance of the form. in addition, however, it serves as a form of qi-gong, and from what i could understand was similar to bagua qi-gong in that it helped practitioners gain a better sense of their own body and develop balance, coordination, and strength without tension--in effect, helping practitioners release the power mechanisms in their body by eliminating poor habits and bad biomechanics.

for the ball, Sifu had everyone begin with static qi-gong, by imagining a ball in front of them, whose size they could control by breathing and adjusting their arms. the ball would decrease by bringing the arms in while breathing in, and the ball would increase by expanding the arms and breathing out. Sifu showed us this could be done with the hands expanding and contracting in the following positions:

• hands on top of the ball (so arms rise up or down)
• hands below the ball (so arms go down and out or up and in)
• hands on sides of the ball (so arms go straight out or straight in)
• hands diagonal on the ball, with 1 hand on upper left and other on lower right, or vice versa (so arms go out on diagonal or go in on diagonal)
  

for dynamic qi-gong, the expansion and contraction of the hands could be coordinated with turning or stepping. in addition, Sifu showed everyone how the difficulty level could increase by lowering into the horse stance.

bowl

next, Sifu introduced the notion of the bowl. it was roughly similar to the ball, but here the practitioner imagines that they are holding a bowl instead of a ball. also, rather than focusing on expansion or contraction of the ball using the arms and breathing, the practitioner uses the bowl to help develop biomechanics for techniques that are less circular but more ovoid or which follow a curve. Sifu demonstrated static and dynamic qi-gong for this as well.

integration of ball and bowl into tai chi

Sifu finished the lesson by having everyone perform a tai chi form. since this was my first time with tai chi, i was not familiar with the techniques or the form, and had to mimic everyone else as best i could. from what i could ascertain, the group were Yang tai chi practitioners, and the form we were doing was the 24-movement form.

Sifu explained the ball and bowl concepts as we went through the movements, telling everyone which techniques involved the ball conceptualization and which ones involved the bowl. he also noted at what point limbs and breathing were yang and at what points they were yin.

like i said, this was my first time with tai chi, and it was clear everyone else had a much greater knowledge than i did. i did my best to just focus on following Sifu, and trying to remember everything he said. but i think i lacked a lot of the relevant basics to really grasp everything he said--although, this is something i suspect that will be resolved when i take his tai chi class this fall. still, for today, it made things a little difficult for me to remember and understand all the material, and so i felt some concern about missing important points--or any points in general.

when we finished, Art announced that Sifu had just finished DVDs of what we had covered today, and that the DVDs would be available soon. each DVD would be priced at $35, which seems pretty consistent with most other martial arts DVDs in the market (there is not a mass market holding down costs for martial arts DVDs like there are for popular cinema ones). i definitely think i'm going to buy one, since i couldn't remember everything from today's seminar in enough detail to replicate on my own.

with that, the seminar finished, and everyone went to the buffet for lunch (the seminar included catered food).

i ended up holding off eating so i could work with Phunsak and have him show me tantui line 8, which is something i've been finding difficult to remember. he went through it several times with me, enough to give me commentary and work on form, and hopefully enough for me to remember so i can practice on my own.

you can see line 8 as part of the following video:

the YouTube link is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBEtYQZretY

once we finished, we went off to join everyone else for lunch. of course, by this time most of the food was gone. but i didn't mind, since i was scheduled to have lunch with a friend of mine later. i was more interested in the lessons today, which turned out to be quite a lot. i definitely have things to work on for next class. hooray!

day 48: entries & the state of american kung fu

concepts:

• reeling silk
• stances

forms:

• entries
• American kung fu

today was an early shortened class. Sifu was holding a seminar in San Diego, and so had to shuffle class time to start at 8 am.

american kung fu

we spent some time discussing the results of the lei tai tournament in Baltimore, and the impressions of both Sifu and Art (both were judges). it appears the tournament went well, with Jonathan getting a record of 1-1 against more experienced competition (it was his first in the full-contact fighting matches). everyone else had a positive time in their presentations. Art got sick, but made it through his judging.

i asked Art about his experience judging, and he said he had some mixed feelings. he said that he's of the firm conviction that much of American kung fu has become quite diluted and diverted from its origins. in terms of specifics, he said that the judging seemed to be encouraging movements which were non-combat related, in that judges were awarding more points for movements which are detrimental (or even dangerous) in combat and removing points for movements which were relevant to combat. the result is that kung fu is being made less a combat art (its original purpose) and more a show art.

Art noted that the fault lies with everyone: spectators for calling for showmanship, practitioners for meeting such calls, and judges for rewarding it all. he said the issue was not the judging, but rather that the judging was for the wrong things. right now, he commented, American kung fu is falling along the lines of wu shu, which he believes has very little combat application. for him, this is something that he finds disturbing, since it moves away from the original purpose of kung fu as a martial art.

Sifu concurred, saying that he sees a great difference between what he sees now in the U.S. and what he saw in the past in Taiwan. but this, he added, is a problem occurring with martial arts in general, noting that even those arts often seen as combat-applicable like karate and tae kwon do are seeing intense internal debates as to whether tournament judging has diluted them as combat arts.

and the judging isn't the only issue, according to Sifu. he pointed out that tournament rules often preclude movements (i.e., no blows to the head, no hits to the groin, no strikes to the joints, etc.) which are in reality the main targets in hand-to-hand combat situations. as a result, tournaments do not actually teach practitioners fighting--or at least, the kind of fighting that would be more relevant for military or street encounters. such encounters are life-and-death, and there are no rules.

Sifu and Art gave us an example of what they meant, demonstrating the differences between tai chi push-hands as it is done in Taiwan versus what they saw at the tournament. the tournament rules require opponents to keep their feet stationary and to not step across a dividing line, as well as to not display any use of force. both said that historically, push hands was a training tool akin to bagua's free-form moving 2-person drill (i.e., it helped acclimate pracitioners to close-in physical combat and the nature of constantly changing fighting conditions), and hence involved active footwork free of dividing lines or borders along with realistic, combat-relevant techniques.

Sifu repeated a point he's made before: tournaments have a purpose, but they should not be seen as the ultimate purpose of a martial art. tournaments give students a chance to apply their martial art in a relatively safe, but hostile setting, and so improve their mastery. however, because of the nature of judging and the existence of rules, tournaments are not the equivalent of actual fighting, and it is dangerous to think that success in a tournament translates into success in fighting. as a result, he still espouses participation and support for tournaments as educational tools, but insists that it is only a step on the path to learning kung fu.

this seems to echo a lot of controversy i've observed elsewhere on the internet. in regards to push hands, reference the comments of the following sources:

• http://wujimon.com/2006/comparison-of-push-hands-in-china-and-america/
• http://www.patiencetaichi.com/public/103.cfm
• http://www.taichili.com/American%20Push%20Hands.htm
• http://www.pushingtheissue.com/

for martial arts in general, reference the following sample:

• http://www.fred.net/injiyong/sportvscombat.htm
• http://www.e-budokai.com/articles/combat.htm
• http://www.aiki-ju-jitsu.com/sportvsselfdefensearticle.htm
• http://www.yachigusaryu.com/blog/2007/01/martial-art-versus-combat-sport.html
• http://dojorat.blogspot.com/2007/05/why-tae-kwon-do-sucks.html
• http://www.budokaratehouse.com/honbu/worldtournament3x.htm

entries

finishing notes about today's schedule, Sifu instructed us to focus on practicing the 4 entries we had learned earlier (reference: day 46: review, 2-person drills). he then left Art in charge while he went to work with the baji students.

Art, however, was still sick enough to be likely contagious, and so begged off anything involving physical contact like the entries. he did, however, say that he was going to observe and correct us. this meant the rest of us (today it was only me, John, and Laura) got the benefit of extra practice time.

we ended up taking turns working in pairs, working in the 2-person moving drills along a line. we decided to take things carefully today, and really focus on our technique and refine some of the nuances involved in applying them. Art, for his part, provided constant commentary as to what we were doing--right and wrong.

Art noted 2 points regarding what i was doing:

• i wasn't lowering into my stances enough in moving within the drill. he said that i tended to rise as i stepped forward, which only served to raise my center of gravity. he advised me that this is problematic, since it removes power from the techniques.
• i was not applying enough reeling silk energy. he suggested i actually try to exaggerate the twisting corkscrew motion, since what i thought was an exaggeration was very likely what was necessary. by not extending the motion, i was suppressing the full power of the techniques.

i made an effort to keep these in mind while working through the drill. it helped that we were doing it slowly, since it let me make a conscious effort to work on these 2 issues.

after we finished the 4 entries, John and i decided to try a 5th one--the fireman's carry. Sifu had referenced this in talking about the tournament, saying that one of the few people he saw with good technique displayed an excellent grasp of this. when he had asked the man about his skill at this technique, he found out the man had been a wrestler, and that wrestling had the exact same technique as kung fu. Sifu said it was identical (or near identical) to the tai chi and bagua entries into the fireman's carry.

the fireman's carry is initiated by the under-arm entry, with the practitioner going under an opponent's strike. it involves holding the opponent's strike with the rear arm, going under the strike by extending the front leg and reaching to the opponent's rear leg with the front arm as the practitioner goes down. once the front arm goes behind the knee of the opponent's rear leg, the practitioner rises to lift the opponent off the ground. in bagua, the entire process of the technique is contained within hawk chasing sparrow.

John and i had some difficulty making this work. ultimately, we had to ask Sifu, who by this time had returned to observe us. he said there are a number of crucial points to make this work:

• the rear arm holding the opponent's strike is important. it must go down as the practitioner rises, so that it pulls the opponent's center of gravity over the practitioner's center, balancing the weight
• the front arm must rise upwards as the practitioner rises
• the practitioner must not lean or reach too far forward, but must keep their own center of gravity towards their rear leg rather than following the front leg
• the lifting motion comes from the rear leg, which acts as a jack ratcheting upwards to lift the weight centered atop it (i.e., the practitioner and the opponent)

Sifu said that this requires proper form, and that this is how you can determine if someone is performing hawk chasing sparrow correctly--if they can reach down and then rise while lifting the opponent in the fireman's carry, then they are doing the technique right.

we ended class with this, since it was now 10:30 and Sifu and John had to go to the seminar in San Diego.

masters: han-ching tan

Han-Ching Tan was a noted master of northern long fist, yang tai chi, and shuai jiao. from what i know, he was one of the original masters involved in the founding of the Nanjing Martial Arts Academy, as well as a noted figured in the Taiwanese martial arts community. he apparently was involved with the Wutan school, and taught several students of Liu Yun Chiao, including my Sifu, Jason Tsou. some of what i am learning (in particular, the tantui) is from his lineage.

there are alternative English spellings of his name--Han Chin Tan, Han Ching Tang, Han Qin Tan, Han Qin Tang--but you can find information on him on Google under any of these (or similar) permutations.

the YouTube videos of him are all very old, and appear to be silent movies shot on 8mm film. as a result, they tend to be pretty grainy and run at a high speed. in addition, they were shot in his later years.

despite this, i think they're worthwhile to view, since you can still get a sense of his athleticism, which is pretty impressive given how old he apparently was at the time most of these films were shot. you can see what i mean by comparing him to the other people in the following videos:

• tantui: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt83nvRwq-4
• si lu ben da: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkWY4joNlUk
• chin na: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4LVjwPGhQg
  
• demonstration (note: a lot of this is an excerpt from videos of the banquet that i presented in a previous post--you can see them at masters: the banquet...the new part is at the 4:43 mark, which shoes dan dao versus spear): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL4NmkG9EYc
• student of Han-Ching Tan doing Yan family 13 spear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i04tulv2p4Q

i've been trying to find more videos of him or closely related to him, but they seem to be pretty hard to find on YouTube. i've tried different English spellings of his name, but this is the best i could find.

i should note that there are some pictures of him floating around the internet. i found some at a blog called Formosa Neijia (http://formosaneijia.com), who dedicated several posts to him:

• http://formosaneijia.com/2007/more-pics-of-han-qing-tan/
• http://formosaneijia.com/2007/more-pics-of-han-qing-tan-and-tt-liang/
• http://formosaneijia.com/2007/han-qing-tang-a-samurai-sword-and-a-painting/

that's about as much as i've been able to find about him on the internet. like YouTube videos, material about him seems exceedingly rare--at least in English-language circles.

i suspect that there are probably more videos, pictures, and info about him available under Chinese language headings. but not knowing Chinese and not having access to Chinese websites or YouTube channels, i can't access these. hopefully i can find someone who can help me with this.

quarterly summary - Q2, 2007

okay, so this is a little late. about a month, to be exact. but things have been a little busy this summer. but in keeping with the previous quarterly summary written in march (reference: quarterly summary - Q1, 2007), i'll post this quarterly summary for the usual April-June (inclusive) period.

original goals

following the "objectives for the future" given in the previous quarterly summary, the objectives for this quarter were:

• continue attending class
• continue practicing during the week outside of class
• increase 2-person and multi-person drills and sparring (to improve combat application of techniques and concepts)
• learn the more fundamental components of the curriculum
• learn more about martial arts in general
• acquire reference materials

summary of events

with respect to the curriculum, this is what has been covered--or at least, what i've picked up:

• tantui (refinement of lines 1-5)
• single-person hand drills (stationary & moving)
• two-person hand drills (stationary)
• kicks (low kicks)
• sparring
• bagua principles in combat
• 64 palms: palm changes 1-8 (side A), 1-5 (side B)
• 64 palms: A v B, palm changes 1-5
  
• walking the circle: palm changes 1-8 (side A), 1-5 (side B)
• bagua zhang qi-gong: level 3, qi projecting
• reference materials (Adam Hsu's videos on bagua & tai chi)

other things that have been covered that were not necessarily within the curriculum:

• taoist and buddhist philosophy--particularly taoist and buddhist thought relating to martial arts practice
• Chinese martial arts history--ancient, traditional, modern
• Chinese martial arts styles--i'm learning more about Chinese martial arts styles and their relative distinctions from each other, such as the distinctions between Wudan and Shaolin, Northern versus Southern, external versus internal (although this appears to be under debate), ancient versus modern
  
• traditional Asian medicine--i've gotten more about bagua qi-gong, as well as awareness that there are other forms of qi-gong
  

evaluation

i think i've managed to reach most of the goals for this quarter:

1. continue attending class: this was pretty straightforward. now that it's summer, i have a much lower demand on my time from school activities, clearing up much more time for classes
   
2. continue practicing during the week outside of class: this was made easier because of summer--see above
   
3. increase drills and sparring to improve combat applications: i definitely got more of this, with lei tai training escalating to light sparring and then full-contact sparring in pads. in addition, we started getting a lot of 2-person drills involving bagua applications in combat. both of these elements significantly helped in getting a better understanding of bagua in terms of fighting
   
4. learn the more fundamental components of the curriculum: since there is another new student (Jay) who is just starting, i've been able to work in with his lessons and get a lot more of the basics that i'd missed before. in addition, the 2 of us have been practicing together, and so i've been following the traditional learning curve for most bagua students. this has given me a much better sense of how bagua techniques are really extensions of fundamental bagua movements
   
5. learn more about martial arts in general: this has been successful. i've uncovered quite a bit of material on the internet, as well in videos on YouTube, and this has let me see the distinctions between various martial arts styles
   
6. acquire reference materials: i picked up DVDs from Adam Hsu's school (Adam Hsu is a colleague of my Sifu, and from the same lineage), which i have found useful in terms of getting perspective on traditional Chinese martial arts
   
7. figure out a long-term plan in terms of learning bagua and proceeding to other styles: i had a conversation with Sifu Jason about this. we talked about options, particularly in light of the fact that i may have to leave LA after i graduate next May. he recommended that in the time until then that i learn long fist, since that it actually a base pre-requisite for so much of what is taught in the Wutan curriculum, and then decide what other styles i want to learn from there.
   
8. figure out just how i should go about progressing in bagua in relation to everything else in life: the story is still the same. this is something you can't ever really plan for. you just kind of set a direction and endeavor to head towards it.
   

i think progress has been good this quarter. i hope to keep it up.

observations

my comments can probably be summarized as follows:

• combat applications: this quarter has been heavy with combat applications, largely as a result of the lei tai training, which has given an opportunity for sparring. this has really opened my eyes on the nature of fighting and the use of martial arts in fighting. i am starting to see how bagua is supposed to work, and how it differs from other styles as a close-in, hands-on, free-form, lateral-moving, non-direct fighting art. i am also starting to see what Sifu has been describing in class about fighting: in a fight, you don't have time to think about your moves or techniques, you only have time to react and engage. this means that a practitioner has to have a deep enough understanding of the techniques and their principles that they can apply them without having to recall or think about them, and then either modify them or replace them without hesitation or fear. Sifu said it best: the only way to learn how to use a martial art effectively in a fight is to go use it in a fight...a lot...and the closest thing to a fight while still being safe is sparring. meaning you have to spar a lot with kung fu if you expect to use kung fu to defend yourself.
  
• qi-gong (or chi-kung): we've gotten more of this, having gotten to level 3 qi-gong (out of the 3 levels in bagua). however, whether i am feeling or sensing qi the same way others are is something that is a mystery to me. i'm actually a little concerned about this, since i don't feel any advancement in feeling or developing qi--much less manipulating it. granted, this quarter has been more about fighting, and my understanding is that qi and qi-gong are things that take time, so this maybe a longer-term project that will need continued practice.
• 2-person practice: i have gotten a LOT more of this. with the extra time this summer, i've been having practice sessions with Kieun and John Eagles, and then additional practice sessions with Jay. this makes 2 sessions per week outside of class that i am involved in 2-person practice. most of my practice time is now with others, with only 1 or 2 solo sessions a week to go with the 2 weekly sessions with partners. this is making quite a difference, since it allows work on 2-person drills, which i see are important in terms of developing reflexes, spacing, understanding of techniques, improvement of basics, and sensitivity to opponent movements necessary to apply bagua effectively as a combat-applicable martial art.
  
• fundamentals: i've gotten a lot more of the fundamentals with Jay. we've managed to schedule personal sessions with Sifu to cover the basics that i missed. i can see it makes a difference, because there are concepts and movements that are fundamental and which form the foundation for which everything else in bagua (techniques, philosophy, tactics, etc.) are based. i'm happy to be getting this, because i think it's giving me a stronger grasp as to the nature and manner of bagua as a martial art.
• building: Kieun once mentioned to me that everything Jason teaches is built upon each other, and that as a result, it becomes easier to learn things the further you go into the curriculum. i'm starting to see what he meant. i notice that this quarter was a lot more intensive than previous quarters, with more classes and more lessons (advanced and basic). but i could sense that things were accelerating because everything was being built upon previous material--and that the more material was learned the more material could be added. learning the basics and getting started took the longest and seemed the slowest, but as things have gone on i've been able to learn more things. it's kind of like a house: it takes awhile to lay the foundation, but once it is set, it becomes easier to build upon it, and the more rooms and walls are built, the easier it is to add more rooms and walls to them. it seems to be an exponential curve in terms of material...i just hope i'm getting everything down good enough to keep adding stuff onto them.
  

objectives for the future

the objective is the same: continue making progress. this means:

• continue attending class
• continue practicing during the week outside of class
• continue 2-person and multi-person drills and sparring (to improve combat application of techniques and concepts)
• learn the more fundamental components of the curriculum

the new objectives, however, reflect the conversations i've had with Sifu regarding my future, as well as my own curiousity:

• improve qi-gong
• begin learning long fist (beginning by finishing tantui)
  
• consider other styles to learn for the future
  

that's pretty much it for this quarter. it's been very straightforward, but very intensive relative to before. i'll try to keep things moving along for the next quarter, after which i have to begin training for Ironman New Zealand and so will have to re-shuffle my priorities between kung fu and triathlon training.

day 47: for couples only: palm change 5 and basic free-form 2-person drill

concepts:

• 2 hands, 2 feet
• contact
• movement

forms:

• palm change 5
• 2-person drill, free-form

class, both for bagua and baji classes, was a little lower in number, as most of the students going to the lei tai tournament were resting up before leaving for Baltimore next weekend.

palm change 5

Sifu instructed the bagua class to review the 2-man A versus B form for palm change 5, and he then went to start the baji lesson plan. since Phunsak was absent, both John Eagles and Kieun led.

we did a brief review of each side individually in a line, and then did the A v B set. a few people, who had missed segments of the A v B set in past weeks, were able to use this time to pick up the whole drill. i noticed that overall, we seemed to be doing this with greater fluidity than before, with the set being much less awkward in weeks past--this is a positive, and i suspect it's largely a result of everyone having extra time to learn and practice both sides of palm change 5.

2-person drill, free-form, moving

following this, Sifu returned and asked us to begin working with the moving free-form 2-person drill.

we started to warm-up with the 2-person hand drills, and Sifu waited to check on our form and correct any mistakes we made. after a few minutes, however, he stopped the drills and said we should use the remainder of class to begin learning the moving free-form 2-person drill.

Sifu used Kieun and John Eagles for demonstration, using each as a partner to show how the drills was supposed to work--and how it can change depending on the partner.

this is an extension of the free-form 2-person drill from the past 2 weeks. as a result, it has some similarities, but also differences. i'll begin with the differences:

1. what we've been doing has been along a line, with partners moving backwards and forwards along an imaginary line (such that the defender stepped forward to practice entry, and the opponent stepped backwards to practice escape). in contrast, the free-form moving 2-person drill is exactly that: free-form. it does not follow a line, but instead both partners are free to move in any direction (laterally, forward, backward, circular, angle, etc.) at any time.
2. the moving line 2-person drill has defined roles, with 1 partner being the defender and the other partner being the opponent, and the 2 exchanging roles only when both arrive at the end of the line. the free-form moving 2-person drill has no such rigidity in roles. each partner is free to assume roles of offense or defense at any time.
3. the moving line 2-person drill moves only at the speed that the defender can step into entry and the opponent can step away to escape. in comparison, the free-form moving 2-person drill has not speed setting, and can go as fast or as slow as the partners allow, and can vary in speed according to whatever selection of actions by each partner.
4. the moving line 2-person drill ends (i.e., the partners switch roles) when the partners reach the end of the line. in contrast, the free-form moving 2-person drill does not end, and just keeps going.
   

in essence, the moving free-form 2-person drill adds another order of magnitude in complexity and fluidity to the moving line 2-person drill.

in terms of similarities, i can see that thee 2 drills share some common objectives:

• acclimating students to the combat style of bagua, which involves very close contact between the practitioner and the opponent--close enough to the point that knees, hips, waist, torso, and shoulders are constantly in contact.
• acclimating students to the more chaotic, unstructured conditions of fighting
• helping students learn to apply techniques previously learned with alacrity and effectiveness
• helping students learn to coordinate their actions and improve their sensory awareness of their own movements
• helping students gain sensitivity to their opponent's movements and to their own responses to their opponent's movements, so that they learn greater sensory awareness of their surroundings

from what i can tell, the free-form moving 2-person drill is another step up from the free-form line 2-person drill in terms of training and development of skills towards becoming prepared for actual fighting.

we ended up working in pairs, occasionally stopping to switch partners and resume again.

a number of things i noticed:

• the free-form moving 2-person drill does not stop. even if you make a mistake, you must continue. this apparently is supposed to adjust your mindset that in a fight, you don't stop, and that you have to be able to continue fighting after making a mistake
• the free-form moving 2-person drill involves constant close contact. as a result, it forces you to acclimate to the bagua philosophy and requirement of close contact with an opponent
• the free-form moving 2-person drill is about sensitivity. you have to be able to sense what your opponent is doing in order to react to them
• the free-form moving 2-person drill is about reflexes. you have to be able to recognize what the opponent is doing, and then instantly respond with a counter-technique
• the free-form moving 2-person drill is about softness and redirection. attempting direct confrontation of force against force only results in the drill turning into a wrestling match--the opposite of bagua philosophy. in order to be done well (as in effectively), the drill requires partners maintain softness and respond to their opponent's force by redirection of such force , and then respond with a disguised counter of their own force. if the opponent applies force (e.g., a punch, a joint lock, a throw), you are supposed to go with the force, never against it.
• the free-form moving 2-person drill is a workout. because it can go on forever, you can continue as long as you are physically or mentally able. as a result, it is a test of physical ability and conditioning, as well as your mental ability and concentration.
• the free-form moving 2-person drill is hard. you have to be aware of your opponent's position, your position relative to the opponent, your opponent's action, and your response to the opponent. this involves a lot of movement and a lot of focus, drawing upon your body's energy and your mind's attention. i found this to be a real workout...i'd like to do it more.
  

i ended up working with Eric, John Eagles, and then Kieun for a few times. i struggled at first, but Sifu advised me to just focus on the techniques i know, and to ignore (i.e., continue) after mistakes. once i did this, i began to get a better understanding of the purpose of the drill, and once i did that it started to become a little bit easier to do...although, i think i'm going to need a lot more practice to get really comfortable with it.

Sifu also noted that today we were just concentrating on learning the drill, and so we weren't doing the full drill. Kieun said the full drill actually involves application of 3 things:

• throws
• locks
• strikes
  

Sifu said we'd get to these at a later date, but that for today we should just focus on getting adjusted to the drill and getting comfortable with the basics. according to Kieun, that meant that today all we were really doing was learning:

• maintaining contact with the opponent
• movement in response to the opponent
• learning to continue even after making a mistake
• constantly going with the opponent's force, never against it
• opening & entering gates into the opponent
• closing & escaping gates from the opponent
  

i once read that bagua is comparable to guerrilla warfare, in that it never involves direct frontal assault, hit-and-run tactics, and escape-and-evasion strategies. based on the observations i saw in the free-form moving 2-person drill, i can see how such comparisons came about. the drill really helps me see just how bagua is supposed to be applied.

although, i should point out, Sifu emphasized at the end of class that we should remember that there is no set style of fighting in bagua (or in any other martial art). he said that while each martial art style has its own "flavor" and that there are very specific principles and very clearly defined "right" ways to perform techniques, we all should recognize that a single style is never the same between differing people. he made it a point to note this. in particular, he said this is why we should always remember that no one should every completely copy the fighting style of another person--including him.

he said the reason is that different body types call for different fighting styles, and that what is effective for one person is not always as effective for another person. he said that each of us has to develop our own method of fighting, with the criteria that it be those things that work for us. he repeated that class will teach us the "right" way to perform techniques, the principles in applying the techniques, and the philosophy guiding the style encompassing the techniques, but that the form of the expression of the techniques (i.e., the way we apply them) is something that is unique to each of us...and this is something we have to discover on our own.

and based on what we've learned and discussed the past few months, such discovery is done by practical application--that is, the only real way to learn how to fight is to fight, and the only real way to learn how to apply a martial art effectively (key word: effectively) is to apply a martial art in a fight. which is where the free-form moving 2-person drill and sparring comes in...they are as close as you can get to a real fight and still be safe. which is why they are so important.

with that, Sifu called class to a close. he informed me that lei tai practice was cancelled for tomorrow (Sunday), since everyone going to the lei tai tournament in Baltimore said they needed time to heal up before the event. he also announced that the jian shu class had ended, and that starting this August 4 (the 1st weekend after the return from Baltimore), class would return to the normal start time of 8am.