Lower Basin Training: Ji Bu (Chicken step)

[Brady]

Been training XYLH primarily lately (past 3 months or so), and working on my chicken step. People familiar with this exercise? I find it really demanding work but fruitful. I've noticed a big change in my throwing and grappling game.

I can find a long list of improvements to make here, but want to see what you guys think to improve my form in this video. Feel free to rip it to shreds.

JiBu:


A good reference

[D_Glenn]

It seems like it does some deep abdominal work, what muscles do you feel it works, and does it compare to any other typical PT ab exercises?

.

[Brady]

Holding the deep stance right is a great way to load the pelvic floor and open the hip joints IME. Twisting the upper body independent of the hip structure drills in the full twist that has a very unique way of engaging the waist as opposed to sterotypical ab workouts. Holding the arms correctly forces the hip-> shoulder connection up the back, but I think my connection is very poor in the video (this was after an hour or so of training).

I can see a lot of connections between PT exercises (done well) and this, but the extreme demands of the JiBu stepping forces one to find the structure or crumble. I can tell the workout goes real deep because my stomach rumbles like crazy during a good session. Still working on a lot of the requirements like long stepping, internally rotating the hips, and the back arm as glaring errors. Fun stuff!

[Strange]

i enjoyed that. i think you have nice, natural form.

[kreese]

Your teacher is a tank!

[Chris McKinley]

Looks like really good, old-fashioned foundational training. I'm not going to critique your form (other than the repeated use of greater-than-90-degrees knee angles) because I'm not qualified to judge XYLH. The question I will raise, however, is what specific application work are you doing to take this foundational movement and make it viable for real use in fighting? It doesn't happen automatically, and you are training a very specific posture there. What specific applications are you interpreting from that posture and drilling into your functional arsenal?

[Brady]

Thanks Strange!
Kreese, he hits every bit as hard as it looks like he could.

Here's another stepping method, Long Dao Bong (dragon swings arms)


Appreciate comments so far guys.

[Josealb]

Hmm....the old Xingyiquan Database in kinda in the ether right now, but when its back up, there's an old mini tutorial Felipe made about XYLH's Ji Bu, with some sketches of practical apps.

[Brady]

I'll have to keep an eye out. You train this Jose?

[Brady]

Looks like really good, old-fashioned foundational training. I'm not going to critique your form (other than the repeated use of greater-than-90-degrees knee angles) because I'm not qualified to judge XYLH. The question I will raise, however, is what specific application work are you doing to take this foundational movement and make it viable for real use in fighting? It doesn't happen automatically, and you are training a very specific posture there. What specific applications are you interpreting from that posture and drilling into your functional arsenal?

I just lost a whole response to this
In short, I've been admittedly a bit lazy about training any specific techniques out of this development, but I have found it to be particularly useful for:
1) developing a quick and strong low level entry from a distance that will catch people by surprise.
2) knocking people off balance with a hard shoulder and continuing in for a plethora of takedown options.
3) sneaky elbows and stomp kicks at an angle that is hard to develop an effective counter strike
4) most important to me, creating a twist that is able to draw on proper vertical loading. This has transformed my judo kuzushi into a more pliable and powerful motion I feel more comfortable pulling out sans injury.

[Josealb]

Just that step, and Dragon Swings its Arms. Ji Bu is THE conditioning machine, ain't it? I think ill start squeezing it in my training again, since ive been concentrating purely on Zhaobao minutiae these couple of months.

You and Derek got a good thing going there with Mr. Peng.

[Brady]

I should add at this moment I have enough technical material that I am not seeking new strategies but methods for solidfying the techniques I already use. I'm mostly a grappler with the idea that strikes help me off balance and close the distance, so I see most exercises through that lens.

[Brady]

Yeah Jose that one is so much more intense than it looks watching it. My waist screams with effort after one line of it done well. Ji Bu is an absolute bomb of an exercise, my legs have blown up in size recently thanks to it.

[Chris McKinley]

Cool, Brady. You might consider working some combinations in drills that incorporate that very ratio. IOW, work some striking entries that let you get close enough to use that low-level shoulder bump as a setup for a takedown, then actually follow it up with the takedown going right into the finish. A good striker won't let you get close enough to use that low shoulder all by itself, but the right striking combo could set it up perfectly. But then you've got to actually do something with it. The shoulder strike itself can do serious damage on occasion, but 9 times out of 10 it's just gonna bump the guy back and maybe wind him a little unless you work in some actual takedowns and follow up for a finish.

Working the actual tactics, not just being aware of the possibilities, is what makes it functional. You probably already know that, but it'd be nice to see what you come up with.

[Brady]

Chris,
Good points, I'd do well to focus more on applications at this stage in development. These are usually the things Derek and I work with independent of the class setting.
As for the shoulder, I agree. Shoulder bump set ups were my favorite in wrestling, so follow ups are well ingrained, and I still use them in Judo.
Thanks again.
-Brady