Is drills training the true traditional training method?

[EightExtremesBoxer]

Interesting to see a different kind of Baji once more!

If you train the 1st or the 2nd drill in this clip, will you train it in 1 step? 2 steps? or 3 steps as shown here? Do you think when you use this 1,2,3 combo, your opponent's hook punch may give you some trouble (one of my favor move against straight punches)?

Hmm, of course with all the usual caveats about everything depending on the circumstances, you could use this to pull down/deflect hook punches as well, depending on position/timing. The beginning part of the following video link shows this in relation to an opponent: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwyTQCfjObQ&feature=related. Also, note the positioning (outside), the fact you've used this to enter in real close and you also have plenty of other options available (some of which you can see cycled through rapidly in the above clip).

I agree with drills like discussed in this thread being awesome. I think it's the reason Baji training really clicked for me. Also, why I find Xingiquan training so interesting. You can isolate these from any style really, but there's something to be said for styles built around the concept.

[Bao]

if you practice a few drills, you will see that there are often several ways to connect them together. You can take a couple pf drills and join them together. By this, you can create a new drill based on the new connection and drill this new movement. Later, you can take a few drills and connect three of them and try to find out new ways to connect them together. This is the foundation of building a form. You need to know how to change fast and smooth from one movement to another. Form practice by itself will not really teach you this, but by creating your own short forms in this way, you will learn the necessary changes.

Anyway, I believe that drills, both practice strictly and playing free with them is actually old school taiji teaching. Long form was a style's signature, something to show to the public. But the real teaching was very different. One of my Taiji teachers for example, when he started, was taught only five short single movements for the first 2 years.

[SPJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ko5KUah ... annel_page

another example of drilling or practicing single posture over and over.

[johnwang]

The first drill is exactly the same as the PM 勾搂採手 (Gou Lou Cai Shou). It also is the open move of the LF Tan Tui form. In Taiji, it's "step out, deflect, grab, and punch". In Baiji, PM, LF, and Taiji, it is used as striking combo. If you add into any leg hooking and change the last strike into "push", it's a "front cut", "inner hook", or "outer hook" throw. This combo is universal and exist in almost all styles. This is a good example that when you train drills, the style boundary gradually disappear. You no longer care about where this drill came from. It's one of yours favor drills from now on, and it has anything to do with styles. This is why I like drills training vs. forms training. You start to appreciate different styles with your "own interpretation".