New Instructional Video - How to Use the Art in Sparring

[marvin8]

Are there drills one can practice to develop this ability to read a punch like this guy?

Includes:
1. double end bag, slip bag, slip rope, shadow boxing
2. partner drills (partner throws punches, you defend, better to add movement)
3. pad work (trainer throws punches, you defend)
4. Attack by drawing: entice opponent to throw punches by dropping your hand(s), then defend. It can be easier to time this way.

Why? If you can move and punch in an orthodox way then pulling in atypical moves can play havoc with an opponent. . . .

I've seen similar thing being done in sanda where many are trained in orthodox striking but throw in moves that considered poor boxing or useless. As mentioned if they are done well and in conjunction with orthodox striking these sorts of things can really mess up someone who is only conditioned under orthodox boxing.

Yin/Yang strategy: attack unorthodox/orthodox, attack from outside guard/inside guard, circular/linear, up/down, etc.

Published on Apr 6, 2016
Facebook Video posted by The Diaz Brothers explaining the Stockton Slap:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh0JlR4-beY

[MaartenSFS]

Interesting mixed bag of reactions & I can understand both supporters & detractors. The video is a collection of examples of things that are atypical to orthodox boxing & are easily dismissed. Sure Maarten did not step into a ring to record his top 10 knockout moments but that should not take away the potential value of the moves.

Why? If you can move and punch in an orthodox way then pulling in atypical moves can play havoc with an opponent.



No I am not saying that lomanchenko trained under maarten to lean these moves. What I am saying is that the moves in maartens clip can be used to really play havoc with an opponent especially when they are mixed in with what is typical orthodox striking methods. There are many momements lomanchenko does exactly that by using flurries, lifting his arm above, slapping the arms away.

I've seen similar thing being done in sanda where many are trained in orthodox striking but throw in moves that considered poor boxing or useless. As mentioned if they are done well and in conjunction with orthodox striking these sorts of things can really mess up someone who is only conditioned under orthodox boxing.

That was beautiful! I wish that I could claim that he trained under me...

[MaartenSFS]

Something similar to one of Maartens techs (horizontal/circular style) found in the CTH Wu style line.
Wim Demeere




I like the circularity in here and it's a useful drill for sure. I think, for example, this gets more discreet and smaller; the faster and more urgency/ power you need, the look can change somewhat form this demonstration / training.

That is quite similar to 横扫千军, but I almost always use it in a flurry of at least two or three and usually when retreating. As I retreat it gives them a false sense of security and then BAM, they get hit in their blind spot. What I love about it is how it blocks very effectively whilst always keeping them in danger. My Baiquan is quite powerful, as I have trained a lot of Hengjin (horizontal power).

[MaartenSFS]

Big respect for your adventurous life here in China, i myself took the easy way, settled settled in the same city for ten years and living just beside the park i study and train. My TJQ teacher also teach Tongbeiquan and he wanted me to study that too. Initially i was skeptic about the big swing arm moves thinking that would never work agains a fighter, but anyway i began swinging. Sure those big moves can work in a fight but i found out quick those moves developed the torso and drawing force from ground up and out in the arms/hands, it improved the more regular strikes such as used in boxing, and also helps( for me) with timing and throw non telegaphic srikes. This is the value those big swing moves have for me, not to use them per se in fighting, + the swing moves get the heart going quick still keeps the breath smoth at the same time.

Thanks, mate.

I've only ever been knocked out once and it was by a spinning heel kick. I even saw it coming, but it was deceptively strong, despite looking slow. I use these techniques in sparring, but not all the time, just like people don't use jumping, spinning kicks all the time, but their power or effectiveness (when pulled off) cannot be argued. It's easier to recover from missing these than those kicks, though.

[MaartenSFS]

I would say that that the most important reason to train the 12 Core Postures is to train different Jins. Especially by training with weights (standing or like I've shown with footwork), it teaches you to use your whole body with every technique, in a variety of ways. For all of you naysayers, I'm going to continue with what I'm doing because it is working for me and I believe in it, and eventually, whether here or back in the West, I'll release a video that everyone can agree is badarse TCMA..

[chenyaolong]

to be fair Maarten, you have made some pretty harsh comments about other people's videos... so, ya know, you cant really complain when the tables are turned.

My opinion is that anybody taking the time and effort to put videos up is to be commended. It takes balls to do it, knowing there is just a world of haters out there waiting to rip you apart. I have some application videos going up soon which TBH I'm a little nervous about what kind of reaction I get.

FWIW

I hope you and others continue to post your clips and work here allowing others to see regardless of comments.
Your past clips of the mantis I felt reflected your teachers flavor and showed hard work to make it so.

The other clip of your partner also interesting, my small familiarity with mantis is why
my comments were directed towards your clips.

If you do post more of your work, I would hope maybe you can explain some of the stepping theory's
and how this allows mantis to close the gap so quickly. I once knew an 8-steps mantis guy, at 6ft of distance
he could close the gap in what seemed like the blink of an eye....

best of luck in your journey, best of luck to all in their practice.

Thanks. While I cant close the gap of 5ft in the blink of an eye, I will try to explain some footwork. Got three videos in the process of editing now: two defensive techniques, one attack. The most basic level stuff first. The first vid will be about the Mantis hook... and how its structure works for intercepting strikes.

[Fatal Rose]

I commend Maarten for trying to develop some traditional sparring techniques for TCIMA. I like what I see so far.

Some other things I want to see...

More kicks unique to gongfu used in sparring.

And a fighting stance that looks and feels distinctly gongfu. Something like fighting out of Santishi.

Hope to see more.

[MaartenSFS]

Thanks.

There will be more coming, eventually. I hope to be moving back to Guilin in August and continuing to study with my master. Hopefully I can get some footage of my Gongfu brothers and I sparring, now that I know that I have a lot of time left to study what I want..

I will definitely try to include more kicks, but I need to wait until my recently injured foot fully recovers and for some people that have gotten that far along in their training to spar with.

I don't expect that you'll see many real Gongfu practitioners fighting out of stances. I think that fighting with the correct Shenfa (way of moving the body) of that art with proper structure is more important, as is footwork. These are things that one should look for in sparring. Does it look the same as when they train? Or do they train one way and spar another way?

[MaartenSFS]

You know, what I was trying to show here is these techniques in their most basic form as can be used in sparring. The animals in XYLHQ and XYQ will be very similar (and indeed some of my techniques are from those systems). I actually made some mistakes, in my rush to get it done. In Swoop Down on the Earth Dragon I accidentally showed the technique as I usually use it, except for my blocking arm being higher than normal, and in Intersecting Chop I accidentally use a hooking punch at the end, since he was running away too much (can you blame him?). In normal sparring this is exactly how to use them in a shortened form or in combinations. In Open the Door To Welcome the Attack my hand drops down and back too far for the final punch and in The Civit Ascends the Tree my mind was wandering at the beginning. Still, I prefer to show real stuff, flaws and all. It's not going to look pretty every time.

When used in most circumstances these won't be so drawn out and there are also more normal jabs et cetera and also variations that are dished out more frequently than these. Look in other TCMA and you'll see the same thing. All in all it looks very similar when I was doing it solo or using it on someone, which is how it should be. When I spar against a real opponent l I don't force myself to use this or that, but use what naturally comes to me. Training these 12 Core Postures, especially with weights helps develop power in all directions and from all angles, which can then be applied to other techniques.

Someone disrespectful of TCMA punched me in my kidney as hard as he could when I was trying to work on some stuff last week (it was supposed to be light sparring with a focus on experimentation and I even mentioned that I was getting over a cold right beforehand) and I nearly punched his head off. I'm pretty tired of all these cunts disrespecting this age-old knowledge and having to be a torch-bearer for an entire culture that doesn't even want it anymore. He quit after that (may have broken his nose) and I got home fine, but have been unable to train much since.

I go out there and test my stuff with almost anyone that I can find and put up something for everyone to have a look at and get shit on by keyboard warriors that don't know me, don't really know TCMA and take everything out-of-context. It's honestly pretty depressing. I'm really hoping that when I leave China next year all my years of hard training won't have been for nothing, if no one is interested. I could understand if I was claiming to be the most dangerous fighter out there or something, but my only goal has been to learn and be able to use the things (but not at an elite level) that I have learned in China and eventually pass them on to others. In my book that's already 1000% better than most of the stuff I have seen out there, including in China.

[Pavel Macek]

It is sad to read "that's already 1000% better than most of the stuff I have seen out there, including in China". Let us compare with good stuff, not with crap.

I personally welcomed ANY attempts to bring the "martial" into the TCMA - including this yours.

[MaartenSFS]

Unfortunately it's true.. sad as it may be...

Still, there is good stuff out there if you know how to find it and are willing to do what it takes to learn and be able to use it.