Anti-striking

[johnwang]

Here is the "big fist" strategy:

- Hold both of your hands into a big fist.
- Hide your head behind it.
- Extend your arms toward at your opponent's face.
- Move in toward your opponent and try to use your big fist to hit on his face.
- When your opponent tries to hit your head, you use your big fist along with wedged arms to deflect your opponent's head shots.
- When your hands are close to your opponent's head, use head lock, and take him down ASAP.

Just made some video in my today's class. All comments are welcome.

1. Use "big fist" to hit on your opponent's head. The training is done for chest punch instead.



2. Use "big fist" to deflect incoming punches.



3. Use "big fist" to create a "clinch".



4. Use "big fist" to create a "clinch", use "clinch" to create "throw".

[Wanderingdragon]

Heng quan.

[chimerical tortoise]

Hi John,

I like the "big fist" strategy a lot. Some thoughts or questions:

1. The big fist is very functionally similar to the 'wedge' or tan/bong/fook strategy from VT, is it not? In VT, linking the hands to create the big fist is a very useful way of keeping forward intent and maintaining structure by creating a shape that can make it easier to go forward and not to lift up, push down, or push sideways. After using this sort of 'wedge' for awhile in sticky hands, most people find it is also easier to maintain the same without the hands linked.

2. Head motion: I noticed that there is a bit of forward head motion in the first clip. Is this to do with setting up to applying throws/takedowns?

3. Unbalancing on contact. Is it possible by using the "big fist" to unbalance your opponent on first contact?

Thanks for sharing!

[johnwang]

push their arms down to pin it against them and gain a measure of control over their bodies ...

A grapplier should not care about his opponent to play the grappling game with him. If you consider yourself as an octopus, you will love to play the clinching game with any fish.

1. The big fist is very functionally similar to the 'wedge' or tan/bong/fook strategy from VT, is it not? In VT, linking the hands to create the big fist is a very useful way of keeping forward intent and maintaining structure by creating a shape that can make it easier to go forward and not to lift up, push down, or push sideways. After using this sort of 'wedge' for awhile in sticky hands, most people find it is also easier to maintain the same without the hands linked.

2. Head motion: I noticed that there is a bit of forward head motion in the first clip. Is this to do with setting up to applying throws/takedowns?

3. Unbalancing on contact. Is it possible by using the "big fist" to unbalance your opponent on first contact?

1. The original ideal came from the SC straight arms posture. Instead of protecting your center from outside in, you protect your center from inside out which is similar to the WC center line theory.





2. The head is hidden behind the wedged arms which has nothing to do with the take down.

3. I assume it's possible if strike hard enough. It's mainly form "close the distance". The main purpose of this strategy is to change a striking game into a grappling game ASAP.

[chimerical tortoise]

Thanks for the clarification.

3. I assume it's possible if strike hard enough. It's mainly form "close the distance". The main purpose of this strategy is to change a striking game into a grappling game ASAP.

What do you feel that using such a head-on strategy may offer that a more ''yielding'', ''soft'' or ''absorbing'' strategy (like what is more preferred by taiji or bagua)?

[johnwang]

What do you feel that using such a head-on strategy may offer that a more ''yielding'', ''soft'' or ''absorbing'' strategy (like what is more preferred by taiji or bagua)?

The Peng Jin (body structure) is used in this strategy. No matter how strong that your opponent's attack may be, your arms should never bend. In order to achieve this, when your opponent tries to use his hand to deflect your big fist, you will need to move your body (not to move your arms). When you move your body in a small angle, your big fist will be move a big angle. This is totally followed the "body unification" principle that you should move your whole body and not just to move your arms.

When you apply this strategy, your arms should act like an octopus arms that can "wrap" on anything it can touch. This also follow the sticky principle, As far as yielding, soft, or absorbing, it's just part of the Peng Jin IMO.

[Patrick]

Reminds me of the Yi Quan Guard.

[Ralteria]

Would it make more sense to NOT interlace the fingers? Just keep the fists closed with the thumbs on top and press your fingers together. The big fist with fingers interlaced seems vulnerable. The first thing I would want to do is grab the fist and squeeze my opponents fingers together.

Just pressing the fists together would keep that from happening and make it much quicker to separate when you want to grab.

Just a thought.

[johnwang]

Would it make more sense to NOT interlace the fingers? Just keep the fists closed with the thumbs on top and press your fingers together. The big fist with fingers interlaced seems vulnerable. The first thing I would want to do is grab the fist and squeeze my opponents fingers together.

Just pressing the fists together would keep that from happening and make it much quicker to separate when you want to grab.

Just a thought.

The interlock fingers is only the beginner level training. The fingers locking is not necessary.

[everything]

really like it. tried it at home. very easy to learn the body unification this way.

[Taste of Death]

Big fist = big target. You are just making it easier for an enlightened opponent. You know, one who does an internal art.

[Wanderingdragon]

Just strike the hands, break the metacarpals.

[bailewen]

Would it make more sense to NOT interlace the fingers? Just keep the fists closed with the thumbs on top and press your fingers together. The big fist with fingers interlaced seems vulnerable. The first thing I would want to do is grab the fist and squeeze my opponents fingers together.

Just pressing the fists together would keep that from happening and make it much quicker to separate when you want to grab.

Just a thought.

The interlock fingers is only the beginner level training. The fingers locking is not necessary.

Interlocking fingers is downright dangerous. IMO, it should not be taught even in begginer level. You would never let your students cross their legs in front of opponents as "beginner level training". It's not just, as Raleria suggests, because interlocking fingers makes you slower to separate hands to grab. It's also that if somone grabs your two locked hands when the fingers are locked, they can easily contol your two hands with their one hand. If they use two hands to grab your hands and squeeze, you feel like your fingers will all be broken.

This is just basic rule of thumb for ground game: NEVER EVER interlock your fingers.

[Gringorn]

Reminds me of similar RBSD-concepts. Especially SPEAR from Tony Blauer.



Same concept applied under pressure.



First time I trained I Liq Chuan, one of the many things that really got me exited was the concept of the body lines, where, with your arms out, you are neutral, open or closed in relation to your body-arms position. Observing and changing your own open-neutral-close in relation to your opponent, gives some of the same results as shown in your clips and the ones from Blauer. Sometimes also referred to as the Frankenstein walk ( :
Very good first-line of defense.