Willie, Willie, Willie... I commend you for putting up a video. Any of us that do it is putting ourselves out there for scrutiny.
That being said, you put the title of "Taichi grappling at home" in your video so please don't take my comments as negative and realize that people will make comments.
PRO: since you are supposed to be doing TaiChi Grappling, I have to stay in the confines of how Most Taiji is practiced
- so yes lowering your level and also creating space is fine.
Cons: I really wish you hadn't mentioned (in a previous post) that your sons best friend was a High School and Collegiate wrestler. He maybe strong but his friends skill doesn't translate to him by magic. It's obvious to someone like me WHO has grappled in hundreds of matches.
- At about 33secs the way he comes in for the shot / grab says it all.
(1) He doesn't lower his level, his hips (too high)
(2) this causes him to grab cinch too high across your back and Lats. That is Incorrect, if you wanna fold someone it has to be lower in the middle of the spine or at the base.
(3)He's not using his head (he could bury it in your temple) that would cause room to sink tighter.
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About what you called "The Elbow Thing" LOL
Pro: What you did would have limited (short lived) success on Taiji people playing at Taiji games that limit movement...but that's about it. Left arm Bridging out like that (too long) would only tell me as a Taiji player where your strength is.
Cons: A grappler doesn't clinch with you just to put strength on you... he looks for openings. Again, it's because you said High school / Collegiate wrestling that I'm making these comments.
- When you Bridged your left arm like that, a grappler would just use his right hand to post up on your Left elbow and shoot under properly. By Shoot I mean to literally Lower your level (hips) and come from underneath you. With the spine over your base so that you can be lifted or grabbed properly. An Example would be executing a "high Crotch". None of this shitty over leaning forward stuff you see newbies do.
- Sitting into your lower stance and not keeping your feet alive and moving as you did, when your chair saved you is the primary reason traditional Martial Artists get taken down when they think "THEIR SUNKEN IMMOBILE STANCE" will save them. It's been proven world wide to fail VS good grapplers not shitty average people off the street. But we should always train for the best.
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The way you 1st describe the attack in your video i.e. a
Clinch to cinch = to a possible gut wrench is not wrong. I'm only making comments on it because you said you had MMA experience and therefore it's not just talking about Tai Chi only.
* However the one thing you did not mention was the particular SPEED or VIOLENCE of this middle back CINCH (not too high)
It's explosive, literally the arms Constrict Inward like a powerful snare trap with HIGH SPEED and this will cause a person to fold like a dollar bill
Just to remind people that it's not just some forward tackle.